Chapter 4: Beneath the Surface

The city of Yingshi was in chaos, yet there was a strange peace amidst it all. The heavy scent of blood, sweat, and fire filled the air, but the people moved about with the same indifferent expressions they wore every day. The streets, once bustling with market vendors and travelers, now echoed with the distant sounds of combat, but none dared to intervene. Yingshi was a place where the strong ruled, and the weak were left to wither.

In the heart of this chaos stood Wulian Qor, breathing heavily as he surveyed the scene before him. His once pristine armor was now bloodstained, his sword dripping with the lifeblood of those who had fallen before him. His body felt alive, charged with a power he had never known before. Each step he took seemed to make the earth beneath him tremble slightly, a testament to the newfound strength coursing through his veins.

But beneath the surface of his victory, a gnawing emptiness lingered. He had won. He had destroyed his enemies. Yet, there was no satisfaction in it. No true thrill. It was as if the battle had been too easy, the outcome too inevitable. The exhilaration he had once felt from a hard-fought victory was gone. Replaced with something darker, something unfamiliar.

He felt... empty. Detached.

"Is this all there is?" Wulian muttered to himself, the weight of his sword growing heavier with each passing moment.

"You have just begun, Wulian," a voice whispered softly in his mind.

It was the system—his ever-present companion. Lian Xian's tool, or rather, his guiding hand.

"Your journey is far from over. You have only scratched the surface of what you can become. Now, the real test begins."

The voice was calm, soothing even, but there was an edge to it. An almost playful tone that set Wulian's teeth on edge.

"What do you mean, the real test?" Wulian asked aloud, even though he knew no one could hear him. The streets were eerily empty now. The sounds of battle had died down, and only the faintest breeze rustled through the buildings.

The system's reply was swift, though it felt oddly distant, as if it were speaking from an unreachable place. "Power alone is not enough to change the world. To rise, to truly control the chaos that defines this realm, you must learn to play the game. There is more at stake here than just your survival, Wulian."

Wulian gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, frustrated by the cryptic words. But he had learned one thing during his time with the system: it spoke in riddles, often leading him to conclusions only after he had gone through the motions. He would have to wait for answers, like always.

But he had no choice but to follow.

Meanwhile, deep within the confines of the Void Realm, Lian Xian observed the unfolding events through a shimmering screen of light. The scene played out like a puppet show, each thread he controlled pulling Wulian deeper into the web of his manipulation. It was almost… beautiful, watching the way the mortal's actions began to mirror his designs.

Lian Xian reclined in his bamboo courtyard, his gaze fixed on the scene unfolding. He rested his head in one hand, the other lazily twirling the koi fish in the pond beneath him. The tranquility of his secret world contrasted sharply with the chaos of the Mortal Realm. It was a reminder of just how detached he had become. His only entertainment now was watching the pawns he had set in motion as they moved through their destinies.

His thoughts were interrupted by the system's voice, now laced with a hint of humor.

"Master, Wulian is beginning to ask questions. He's starting to wonder about his purpose, about your intentions."

Lian Xian's lips curled upward, a soft chuckle escaping him. "Of course he is. He'll continue to question everything until he realizes that there is no answer. The true power lies not in the answers, but in the questions themselves. It is through questioning that one finds their limits, their desires… and their eventual submission."

The system hummed in approval, its voice growing more playful. "So, you intend to break him, piece by piece, until he becomes your perfect tool?"

Lian Xian's expression darkened, though his eyes still held a glimmer of amusement. "Break him? No. Wulian is far too strong to be broken. But I will reshape him, refine him. He will become more than just a tool. He will become a master of his own fate… a puppet that thinks it controls the strings."

Back in Yingshi, Wulian stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking the city below. The wind swept through his hair, carrying with it the distant sounds of the marketplace and the murmurs of the city's people. The calmness of the moment was almost suffocating. He had won, and yet the emptiness gnawed at him.

"Are you here to give me another cryptic lesson?" Wulian called out to the void, knowing full well that no one would answer. Still, it was a futile act of defiance.

"Not a lesson," the system's voice replied. "An invitation."

Wulian narrowed his eyes, confusion creeping into his thoughts. "An invitation? What do you mean?"

"This city is no longer enough for you," the system continued, its voice smooth and confident. "To truly understand your potential, you must go beyond the limits of this realm. You must enter the Underworld."

The mention of the Underworld caused a shiver to run down Wulian's spine. The Underworld was a place spoken of only in whispers, a realm where the dead resided, where the very air seemed to warp and twist. It was a place of torment and madness, where only the strongest could survive.

"You want me to go there?" Wulian's voice faltered for a moment, uncertainty flickering in his chest.

"Not just go there. Master it," the system replied. "The Underworld holds secrets—secrets that will allow you to transcend your limits. To break free from the chains of this mortal world."

Wulian stared down at the city below, the weight of the decision pressing on him. He knew the risks. He knew the dangers of the Underworld. But there was something inside him, a hunger, a thirst for something greater that pushed him forward.

"Fine," he said at last, his voice low and steady. "I'll go."

As Wulian prepared for his journey, Lian Xian's eyes gleamed from his place in the Void. He could see the unfolding path before Wulian, the many twists and turns that lay ahead. The first phase of the game was nearing its end. Wulian would enter the Underworld and face trials unlike anything he had ever known.

But that was only the beginning.

Lian Xian's fingers twitched in anticipation, his mind already calculating the next moves, the next phase of the grand design. The pieces were all set. The stage was set. And now, the curtain was about to rise once more.