I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

[The Gu Family Ancestral Home in the Old Town of Linjiang City]

[Time: 09:30 AM]

The late autumn sunlight pierced through the sparse sycamore leaves, casting dappled patterns on the courtyard paved with bluestone slabs.

Gu Qing sat in an old wicker chair, holding a cup of tea that had long since gone cold.

Looking at his cultivation level, which had just been raised to the Foundation Establishment stage, it was at this moment that he truly understood what it meant to be "out of place".

Since the "reconstruction" was completed, especially after last night's high-intensity "acting on behalf of Heaven".

In his current perspective, the world is no longer filtered through that warm and sentimental lens.

If he wanted, he could hear the struggle of an ant drowning in dew a hundred meters away, see how dust particles floating in the air undergo Brownian motion, and even sense the subtle vibrations of the fibers inside a rattan chair breaking.

This world is too "noisy" and too "fragile".

It was like a max-level character being forcibly shoved back into the starting village; everything around them seemed like foam, fragile and easily shattered. Even with system adjustments, the feeling was still incredibly strong.

"control."

Gu Qing silently recited in his heart.

He slowly closed his eyes, gradually gathering his scattered consciousness, as if adjusting the sensitivity knob of a precision instrument, forcibly suppressing his senses back into the realm of humanity.

When he opened his eyes again, the chilling, pale purple hue deep in his pupils had disappeared, replaced by a pair of gentle, slightly weary black eyes that belonged to "Gu Qing".

Just then, the heavy wooden door was pushed open.

squeak-

"Qingzi! Quick, take over! This old hen is really strong!"

A familiar loud voice broke the silence of the courtyard.

Gu Qing's lips curled up slightly, instantly bringing that aloof and distant feeling back to reality.

……

[Inside the courtyard]

Gu Jianguo, carrying two still-fluttering free-range chickens and a bag of rice tucked under his arm, squeezed through the door, sweating profusely. Lin Meijuan, following behind, was even more extravagant, carrying bags and bags full of various health supplements and vegetables, as if she were carrying half a supermarket.

"Dad, Mom."

Gu Qing put down her teacup and quickly went to greet him.

"Don't move! You've only just recovered!"

Seeing this, Lin Meijuan was so anxious that she almost dropped the vegetables she was holding. She rushed over to stop her, saying, "The doctor said that you are recovering from a serious illness. Although the cancer cells are gone, your vital energy has definitely been damaged. Let your dad do this kind of heavy work; he's tough and resilient."

"Mom, I'm really okay."

Gu Qing smiled and shook his head, his tone natural but his actions leaving no room for doubt as he took the fifty-pound bag of rice from his father's shoulder.

The moment he got his hands on it, Gu Qing's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

It's too light.

Fifty pounds felt as light as a wad of cotton to him now. Without precise control, a careless lift might send the rice sack flying onto the second-floor roof.

But he didn't.

His muscles contracted smoothly, mimicking the force a normal adult male would feel when lifting heavy objects, and even his breathing became slightly more rapid.

This is perfect control.

The truly strong are not monsters whose power overflows and goes out of control, but gods who can perfectly disguise themselves as ants.

"Oh dear, look at this kid, he's just as stubborn as you," Gu Jianguo chuckled, wiping his brow. "But judging by his energy and spirit, he's definitely recovered. Our Gu family's ancestral graves must be emitting auspicious smoke! Even in the late stages, he's been cured—what do you call that? That's what you call having a tough life!"

……

[Inside the house, in the living room]

Although the old house is quite old, Gu Qing has kept it very clean.

The family of three sat around a gleaming eight-immortal table. Lin Meijuan ladled steaming hot black chicken soup from a thermos while chattering away.

"Qingzi, don't blame your mother for nagging. Although the neighborhood we used to live in was lively, the air quality was poor and there was a lot of exhaust fumes. This old house may be a bit out of the way, but it's in the old town, quiet, and has a sense of community, making it the perfect place to recuperate."

Lin Meijuan pushed a full bowl of soup in front of Gu Qing, her eyes filled with unconcealed heartache and lingering fear. "A while ago... Mom really thought she was going to be the one to bury her child."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened.

Gu Qing looked at the wrinkles at the corners of his mother's eyes, the marks left by her hard work for him over the past few months.

From his spiritual perspective, this bowl of chicken soup was actually full of mundane impurities: excessive oil and residue from less-than-top-grade medicinal herbs. For him, who had already undergone a purification process, drinking it would not only offer no benefit but would also require him to expend spiritual energy to metabolize it.

But without hesitation, he picked up the bowl and drank it down in large gulps.

The warm fluid flowed down the esophagus into the stomach.

"It tastes good."

Gu Qing put down her bowl and gave a genuine smile. "Mom's soup is better than any restaurant soup."

"If it tastes good, drink more!" Lin Meijuan immediately stopped crying and started laughing.

Gu Jianguo lit a cigarette, but after taking a puff, he remembered his son's illness and quickly put it out.

He coughed lightly and lowered his voice mysteriously, "Hey, Qingzi, you've been staying here these past few days, have you heard anything at night?"

"A commotion?" Gu Qing asked knowingly. "What commotion?"

"Just last night! Over at Hui Shui Wan!"

Gu Jianguo's eyes widened as he gestured with his signature hand gesture, "It's all over the internet! They say there was a giant snake that became a spirit and was going to eat people! Then a deity descended from the sky, dressed in white—I couldn't see his face clearly—and with a 'whoosh,' he cleaved the sky in two!"

"I saw the news too."

Gu Qing remained calm, as if discussing someone else's story. "Special effects technology these days is really advanced, or maybe it's just a mirage?"

"What mirage! Do you think I'm some ignorant old man?"

Gu Jianguo panicked, pulled out his phone, and showed a blurry video. "Look, look! This was filmed by your Uncle Wang's son at the scene! Even though it was cordoned off, it's the real deal! That purple light, amazing!"

The video shows the scene where "Li Changgeng" slays the snake.

Although the image quality was blurry, the earth-shattering power still emanated from the screen.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Looking at herself in the video, Gu Qing exclaimed in unison, "Looking at me like this, I really do look like an immortal. Dad, if immortals really exist, do you think we can cultivate immortality too?"

"What kind of immortal cultivation is this?"

Gu Jianguo waved his hand, looking unrealistic. "They're like gods from heaven. What do they have to do with us ordinary folks? As long as we live a good life, you don't get sick, and you find a wife in the future, I'll be content."

Lin Meijuan chimed in, "Exactly, those things that involve flying around are terrifying to watch. Mom just hopes you can stay safe and sound. From now on, you should just stay here and take care of yourself. Don't rush into work; we still have some savings, enough to support you."

Gu Qing fell silent.

He looked at his parents' faces, faces full of the warmth and life of everyday life.

They talked about gods and revered them, but never thought that the gods were sitting right across from them, drinking the chicken soup they had cooked.

An indescribable sense of separation welled up inside me.

He is no longer an "ordinary person".

His lifespan will be measured in millennia, and his power will be enough to destroy cities.

And parents will eventually grow old.

This kind of warmth, bound by blood ties, is destined to be only a fleeting moment in the long course of history.

but.

Gu Qing held the somewhat rough porcelain bowl, feeling the warmth emanating from her palm.

"It is precisely because it is fleeting that it is worth protecting."

He said to himself.

God loves the world because God is high above.

Gu Qing loves these two people because he is their son.

……

[14:00 PM]

The parents left after staying for a few hours.

They still had to go back to work. Although Gu Jianguo said he could afford to support his son, the elderly couple were actually working even harder than before in order to provide Gu Qing with a better recovery environment.

Gu Qing stood at the entrance of the old house, watching the dusty Volkswagen disappear around the street corner.

The moment the taillights completely disappeared.

Gu Qing's straight back relaxed slightly, and the warm smile on his face, befitting a "son of man," receded like the tide.

Instead, there was a serene indifference, as calm as the vast sky.

The bustling streets, hawkers, and passersby around him were once again broken down into countless pulsating streams of data and clusters of breath in his eyes.

That "out-of-place" person is back.

He turned around and closed the heavy vermilion door.

boom.

A door separates two worlds.

Outside the gate is the bustling world, inside is the desolate path of cultivation.

Gu Qing walked to the old locust tree in the center of the courtyard, stretched out a finger, and gently touched the trunk.

hum-

A surge of spiritual energy, imperceptible to ordinary people, swept across the entire courtyard in an instant.

The locust tree leaves, which were originally somewhat withered and yellow, turned lush and green in an instant, and even made a cheerful rustling sound.

"system."

Gu Qing's voice was cold and clear, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

[Host, I am here. 】

"It's time to test out my newfound power."

Gu Qing raised her hand and looked at her slender fingers.

"From today onwards, this is a restricted area."

"I will deduce my 'Dharma' in this courtyard."