Chapter 1: What do you mean I can’t go back now?

“Master… you’re okay… that’s great…”

Luo Jiutian’s voice was so low it was barely audible.

He lay in the arms of a silver-haired woman, blood gushing from his chest, staining his robe a shocking crimson.

His face was pale as paper, his lips trembling slightly, the light in his eyes fading bit by bit.

The world around them was oppressively dark.

Black clouds churned and pressed low, as if they might crash down at any moment, swallowing the entire world.

Thunder roared like a great bell, streaks of crimson lightning dancing wildly among the clouds.

But all this earth-shaking might seemed irrelevant now.

Luo Jiutian’s full attention was on the silver-haired woman before him.

She wore a white daoist robe, her figure tall and slender, her snow-like hair cascading down to her waist, accentuating her ethereal, unmatched beauty.

Normally, her face was calm and unruffled, like an immortal untouched by worldly matters, never showing a trace of emotion.

But now, her cold, clear eyes were moist, tinged with a faint redness.

The silver-haired woman’s lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t, her words turning into a pained sigh: “Tian’er, why were you so foolish…”

Just moments ago, as she was about to face the critical moment of her tribulation to reach the Great Vehicle stage, a sinister killing intent struck, aiming to make her fail.

It was Luo Jiutian who, by burning his own essence blood, managed to block that fatal strike for her.

He had sacrificed everything for her.

Luo Jiutian, clinging to his last breath, struggled to raise his blood-stained hand, gently brushing it against her cold cheek: “Master, go face your tribulation… don’t worry about me… cough, cough!”

At his words, the silver-haired woman’s body trembled, a flicker of unprecedented panic crossing her eyes.

It was the first time she had ever lost control of her emotions like this.

Having cultivated the Supreme Art at Tianheng Sect for centuries, she should not have experienced such intense emotional turmoil.

As her cultivation grew, her emotions and desires had gradually faded—joy didn’t stir her heart, anger didn’t disturb her thoughts, sorrow and happiness were both empty.

But the dying body before her was tearing at her soul.

The silver-haired woman trembled as she held the boy tighter, her once unapproachable icy demeanor now fragile, her voice filled with endless self-blame: “Why… I’m not worth this…”

Luo Jiutian slowly curved his lips into a satisfied smile.

But this smile wasn’t because of her emotional reaction—it was because of the virtual screen that appeared in his vision.

[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully raised Dugu Ningshuang’s affection value to 100! Strategy complete!]

Finally—

All targets, fully conquered.

Luo Jiutian listened to the system prompt echoing in his mind, his heart calm, without a single ripple.

Dugu Ningshuang had no idea what the boy saw in that moment, only feeling his life slipping away in her arms.

Her heart twisted in agony, yet she was powerless, only able to hold him tightly.

But in the next instant, Luo Jiutian’s body turned into specks of light in her arms, vanishing completely.

“…Tian’er?”

Dugu Ningshuang froze.

Her arms, which had held him so tightly, were now empty.

Thunder still rumbled, the world still dark.

But her world was utterly empty.

*

In a pure white space, there was no sound.

Luo Jiutian slowly opened his eyes.

Around him was boundless emptiness—no sky, no ground, only a floating blue interface unfolding before him.

[Detected: Host has completed the strategy for all ten target heroines, achieving 100 affection value for each.]

[Evaluation: Extreme precision, masterful emotional control, highly innovative strategy methods. You’re the best ]

[Task settlement in progress…]

Luo Jiutian let out a soft breath, murmuring, “It’s finally over.”

He closed his eyes, memories flashing through his mind.

At the start, the system had pulled him into this玄幻 world built from data, telling him that if he could win over ten heroines as a ‘devoted side character,’ he could return to Earth with Great Vehicle cultivation.

Without hesitation, he agreed.

At first, he threw himself into it, following the system’s prompts to approach the first target, gradually earning her favor, patiently staying by her side until even he nearly believed his ‘devoted’ persona.

But in the end, her affection value stalled at ninety, no matter how hard he tried.

Until he ‘died’ in an unexpected incident.

Just a few breaths after his death, the system’s voice rang out, announcing that the target’s affection value had broken through to one hundred, achieving success.

Seeing the success notification, Luo Jiutian paused for a moment, then laughed.

“So that’s how it works.”

Love unfulfilled leaves the deepest mark on the heart.

When does someone truly begin to remember another forever?

Not in daily companionship, not in mutual reliance, but in that moment of greatest pain, regret, and irreparable loss.

So, with his unparalleled wisdom, Luo Jiutian made a bold decision, applying the ‘death escape’ strategy to every heroine—and it worked every time.

He couldn’t help but marvel at his own genius.

If the strategy was an exam, he had already submitted the perfect answer.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Luo Jiutian’s gaze returned to the system interface.

[Settlement in progress… Please wait.]

He raised an eyebrow, noticing his body beginning to glow.

The light started at his feet, soon spreading across his entire body.

Was this teleportation?

Feeling his body grow lighter, Luo Jiutian closed his eyes, spread his arms, and shouted, “Konnichiwa, freedom!”

As his words fell, the silence broke.

A flood of voices surged into his mind—shouts, laughter, curses, the clink of bowls and chopsticks.

Luo Jiutian frowned slightly, his consciousness not fully recovered, the noisy environment and unfamiliar warmth jarring.

He muttered instinctively, “Finally… I’m home.”

But at that moment, a rough voice called out nearby.

“Waiter! Bring the wine!”

Luo Jiutian froze, his eyes snapping open.

Before him was an ornately decorated inn, with wooden beams, red pillars, carved window frames, and a calligraphy scroll on the wall reading ‘Fortune Inn.’

The air was thick with the aroma of food and wine, the inn bustling with guests.

No, this was an inn in Tianyuan Kingdom, wasn’t it?

Why was he back here?

And… this seemed like the very beginning of the story.

Luo Jiutian looked down at his hands—pale and unblemished, his clothes pristine.

He circulated his spiritual energy—

Foundation Establishment, early stage.

His spiritual energy was weak but flowed smoothly, the feedback from his meridians unnervingly clear.

His gaze swept the surroundings, every detail disturbingly real.

The corner of Luo Jiutian’s mouth twitched.

“Damn… no way, did I just get thrown into the ‘original world’ the system was simulating?”

Sure enough, the familiar blue interface slowly appeared.

[Notice: Due to an unknown error, the Host has been transported to the ‘original world’ referenced by the simulation. Apologies for the inconvenience.]

[The system will repair the bug as soon as possible to return the Host to Earth. Please wait patiently.]

“Temporarily? How long do I have to wait here?”

[Estimated time: 300 years.]

Luo Jiutian: ?