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[Ding… Achievement: Loli Smack unlocked.
Condition: Get slapped by Jasmine for the first time.]
A chibi Yun Che appeared in the notification window, face-down on the ground, a bright red handprint stamped across his cheek.
Reward: 10,000 XP | 5,000 SP
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"…Shit. One hit was all it took?"
He coughed blood.
Yep—massive difference between high-level and low-level players indeed.
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[Warning: Host's health is at a critical level]
[Warning: Host's health is at a critical level]
[Warning: Host's health is at a critical level]
[Warning: Host's health is at a critical level]
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The notifications flashed nonstop, like alarms blaring inside his skull.
Yun Che forced his eyes open. His vision spun. His cloak was torn, and his clothes were absolutely drenched in blood—so much for looking like a harmless wanderer.
He tried to move.
A shadow appeared.
Jasmine stepped into view, her little body trembling, her eyes sharp with disbelief and pain.
"Impossible…" she whispered.
Her gaze darted across Yun Che's body, then back to his hand—her expression shifting the moment she sensed the familiar aura there.
"How…? How are you still alive?" She narrowed her gaze. "The strength I used should have killed a weak mortal instantly."
She stared harder.
Then her eyes widened ever so slightly.
"…The Sky Poison Pearl… chose you?"
Her voice dripped with offended disbelief, as if the heavens themselves had played a joke on her.
"A useless commoner… a cripple… chosen by a Heavenly Profound Treasure?" Her tone turned glacial. "Don't tell me the Sky Poison Pearl's spirituality has already become distorted!"
Before Yun Che could speak, Jasmine's expression twisted.
She staggered.
Blood splattered from her lips.
"Ugh—this hateful... Absolute God-Slaying Poison…" she hissed through clenched teeth. "How could I, the Princess… suffer such a rebound… from using only this degree of power…"
She swayed, breath shallow, her body struggling to endure the poison erupting inside her.
Then she turned back toward him—cold, furious, and desperate.
She grabbed him by the throat and lifted him like a rag doll.
"Tell me…" she growled, eyes burning scarlet, "How did you obtain the Sky Poison Pearl?!"
Her grip tightened.
Yun Che's vision dimmed.
His lungs burned.
He managed to force out a few broken words.
Jasmine's brows furrowed.
"What was that?" she demanded. "Speak louder."
Her fingers tightened around his throat like a vice.
Yun Che gagged—
And forced himself to speak before she crushed his windpipe.
Opening his eyes, Yun Che didn't waste a single heartbeat.
"SYSTEM!!! NOW!!!"
A surge of light exploded from his body—violent, blinding, absolute.
Jasmine's eyes widened just as glowing tendrils snapped out like chains, coiling around her limbs and torso."What—!? What is this? What did you do to me!?"
She dropped Yun Che and immediately tried to resist, profound energy surging out in a desperate wave. But the bindings didn't budge. They tightened, glowing brighter, fueled by the System's authority.
She even tried to invoke a trace of her divine strength—
The bindings smothered it.
The struggle lasted only seconds before the light wrapped around her completely, forming a cocoon of emerald energy. Then, with a sound like space twisting—
Fwooom—
She was pulled straight into Yun Che's body.
"Guh—!" He gasped as the force knocked him backward.
For a moment, the forest fell silent.
Then the system warnings finally ceased, and Yun Che pushed himself up, wincing. He pulled out the pill he had nabbed from the Xiao Clan treasury and swallowed it immediately. Warmth flooded his meridians, dulling the pain and filling enough strength for him to stand again.
"Damn… that was close," he muttered, wiping blood from his mouth. "If my HP hit zero, she might've run into Hoyuu… and he'd either subdue her or tear this place apart."
Not a scenario he wanted to imagine.
He staggered through the forest, moving quickly but carefully. Jasmine's pursuers could be nearby. He needed cover—somewhere isolated, hidden, and safe enough to confront her properly.
Eventually he found the perfect spot:a cave concealed behind a roaring waterfall, several hundred meters from the tree where he found her.
After checking for beasts, traps, or lingering presences, he entered, sat down, crossed his legs, and exhaled deeply.
"Alright… time to deal with the little devil princess."
He pressed two fingers together.
"Jinzen—log in."
The world blurred.
A heartbeat later, Yun Che stood in his inner world.
And it had changed—dramatically.
What once was a boundless black void had become a shimmering night sky when he obtained his Shinigami powers…
Now, infused with the Sky Poison Pearl, the sky shimmered with brilliant green starlight, like constellations drenched in emerald mist.
The sight before Yun Che was nothing short of majestic.
Above him, the inner world's sky swirled in wide concentric rings of clouds—like a celestial whirlpool frozen in place. At its very center floated a colossal white orb, glowing with serene brilliance. Yun Che felt the pulse of an aura he knew all too well. A smile tugged at his lips.
The System.
The overseer of this world—no, of his world.
The fusion between the Sky Poison Pearl and his System had altered everything. What was once an endless void had reshaped into a star-splashed cosmic expanse. And now, suspended in the middle of that expanse, a single piece of grassy land floated gently—a small island, barely the size of a tennis court, but undeniably his. His Zanpakuto Spirit Orbs hovered around it like silent guardians, four glowing motes circling their master's newfound domain.
If this tiny land could exist… could it grow? Could his inner world evolve? Yun Che noted to ask the System later.
He touched down lightly on the soft grass, taking in the surreal calm of the place. It was tranquil, radiant, almost dreamlike.
Then he saw her.
Jasmine lay on the grass, still bound by shimmering, rune-like chains that wrapped loosely around her arms. They didn't restrain her movement entirely but marked her as shackled by the System's authority. Her eyelashes fluttered as she woke, her crimson eyes widening at the sight around her.
She took in the starry green heavens. The circular clouds. The floating land. And finally—him.
"You!!!" Jasmine shot to her feet despite her injuries, fury burning through the weakness in her body. "Where am I?! Let me out of here! Talk, or I'll kill you—!"
She lunged, her fist a blurred streak.
Yun Che sighed and caught her punch with one hand.
Her eyes snapped wide. "W–What?!"
She attacked again. He caught that too.
Panic flickered across her face. She tried to summon her profound strength—only for nothing to answer her call. Her power, her divine might, her overwhelming pressure… all of it was simply gone, as though she had become a mortal.
It stunned her more than any injury ever had.
Of course, Yun Che already knew why.
Here, in this world, the System is the administrator. Every soul—human, spirit, divine—was subject to its rules. Jasmine, currently in her soul form, was no exception. The poison had ravaged her physical body long ago, but her soul remained powerful—powerful enough to flatten continents if left unrestricted.
Here, however, the System shackled her effortlessly.
"Can we talk this through?" Yun Che said patiently, still holding her fist as she tried to wrench it free. "I can do this all day."
She swung again, and again he blocked her effortlessly. Eventually, her movements slowed, her breathing turned shallow, and her strained injuries pulled her down to one knee. She glared at him, furious yet shaken, staring at the bindings on her arms, at the vast unreal sky, at him—the impossibility standing before her.
Finally, her voice trembled—not with weakness, but with disbelief.
"…What… is this place?"
And for the first time since she arrived, Jasmine looked less like a terrifying divine princess—
And more like a desperate soul cornered by the unknown.
"Who are you?" Jasmine's voice was cold, steady—resigned, even. "A cripple like you shouldn't be able to create a world like this. If you brought me here to kill me, then do it. I have no reason to resist."
She stopped struggling and simply glared, eyes shining with defiance and exhaustion. If death was coming, she would meet it head-on.
Yun Che exhaled softly and sat down on the grass.
"Look… I don't want trouble," he began, rubbing the back of his neck. "I found a girl bleeding out under a tree. I tried to help. You woke up and slapped me into early retirement. If the thing above us didn't intervene, I'd probably be fertilizer right now."
Jasmine didn't respond—not with a word, not with a twitch. Only her eyes moved, following him sharply.
"Well," he continued, clearing his throat, "I'm Yun Che. And yes, I'm the master of the Sky Poison Pearl—something you brought up, by the way. And yes," he tapped his chest, "I'm a cripple. Still trying to fix that. That's why I dragged you in here: you were about to kill first and ask questions never."
Still silence.
He gave a small, awkward cough. "Right. So… uh… welcome to my inner world. The thing floating up there—call it a spirit, artifact, whatever—pulled you in because I told it to. My fault. I'm sorry."
He bowed sincerely, and though Jasmine didn't return the gesture, her gaze shifted ever so slightly toward the glowing white orb in the sky. Questions swirled behind her eyes—many, many questions.
Yun Che pressed on. "You need the Sky Poison Pearl to remove the poison inside you. And that thing up there?" He jerked a thumb toward the System. "It can help too. Both are connected to me now. So if you want to purge that poison… I'm your best shot."
He felt her eyes sharpen. She understood the weight of what he'd said.
The Absolute God-Slaying Poison was a divine nightmare. Nothing in the mortal world could cure it. Only a Heavenly Profound Treasure might.
"…How," she finally spoke, voice quiet but lethal, "did you know about the poison in my body?"
Yun Che simply raised his hand and pointed toward the sky.
Jasmine followed his gesture—and stared at the colossal white orb watching them from above like a silent, omnipotent eye.
"I call it The System," Yun Che said calmly, gesturing upward. "It's the reason I'm even alive. It feeds me information—medicine, poison, cultivation, abilities I shouldn't even know exist. As for where it came from… no clue. It was with me since birth. My partner, I guess."
Jasmine's expression didn't change, but her eyes sharpened. She listened.
"And thanks to it," he continued, "I know about the poison in your body. All of it. Every detail." He pointed lightly at her chest. "The System disassembled the Sky Poison Pearl's knowledge and explained every poison that appears—or shouldn't appear—in this world."
He took a breath.
"The Absolute God-Killing Poison. A divine toxin that spreads the moment its host uses profound strength. First it eats the body. Then it devours the soul. Nothing in this plane—or the ones above it—can cleanse it except the Sky Poison Pearl."
Jasmine's fingers twitched.
Her silence now was no longer cold hostility but stunned caution.
"So," Yun Che added, eyes narrowing slightly, "since that poison doesn't exist in this realm… I take it you're not from here?"
She didn't answer. But in her silence, he found confirmation.
He pressed on before she could regain her defenses. "This place—this world—I didn't create it. I was born with it. Just like you were born with divine blood. I didn't understand it at first either. Still don't." He lifted a shoulder nonchalantly. "But it's the reason you're alive instead of smacking me into permanent retirement."
Jasmine's gaze drifted upward once more, watching the colossal System Core suspended in the green star-lit sky. Her voice dropped, quiet and wary.
"…Even the people of my realm cannot form something like this," she admitted. "You're a mortal. A cripple. Yet this…" Her eyes hardened as they returned to him. "How did you obtain such a world?"
Yun Che smiled faintly. "Lucky birth. Unlucky body. Blessed and cursed all at once."
She stared at him for a long moment.
She sensed no hostility.
No killing intent.
Only exhaustion… sincerity… and something she rarely encountered—restraint.
He took a step back, sat cross-legged on the small floating meadow, and gave a small nod.
"Well," he said lightly, "since we're trapped in my mind together, want to introduce yourself? Seems only polite."
Jasmine hesitated.
If he were a normal mortal, she would have dismissed him. If he were a cultivator, she would have distrusted him. But this… this strange boy who wielded a Heavenly Treasure and a world-spanning artifact—yet still apologized to her—was neither.
And for the first time since she fell to this plane…
She didn't sense danger from someone stronger than herself.
She sensed something rarer:
Someone she could potentially rely on.
"…Jasmine," she finally said, voice soft but steady.
Yun Che smiled. He didn't pry further. That alone earned a flicker of approval from her.
"Beautiful," he said with a warm grin. "The name suits you perfectly."
Jasmine held his gaze for several long seconds. Her cheeks warmed unexpectedly at his compliment, but she quickly shook it off and forced her expression back into its icy neutrality. Surely, he was just flattering her… surely.
"Hmph. Of course this princess is the most beautiful," she said, lifting her chin with imperious pride. "The name represents my dignity. Misuse it, and I will end your life where you stand."
Yun Che sweat-dropped internally.
Yup. Textbook tsundere. Cold on the outside, warm on the inside… maybe on fire on the inside.
But he didn't say that out loud.
Instead, he leaned forward, expression turning resolute.
"All right, enough introductions. I need your help, Jasmine. I want to restore my profound veins."
Jasmine stiffened slightly. She recalled him mentioning earlier that he was looking for a way to repair them. Her gaze slid toward the radiant System Core floating high above them, then back to the boy standing calmly in the middle of this impossible world.
A mortal with a soul domain that can bind me… and something like that watching over him… If he ever cultivates properly, this entire plane might overturn.
She let out a quiet, almost weary breath. "No. It is impossible."
Yun Che frowned.
"Profound veins form at birth," Jasmine continued, tone clinical. "They are part of what defines your very existence. If you were born disabled, then you simply are disabled. That is the rule. Changing that is impossible."
"I'm from another world," Yun Che pressed. "There must be a way. You know methods no one here does."
Her eyes sharpened. "Do not cling to false hope. I am telling you the truth. There is no technique in the lower realms that can rebuild what is broken from birth. Even in the Divine Realm, such a procedure is—"
She stopped herself, realizing she had already said too much.
Yun Che's eyes glinted knowingly.
"Impossible, huh?" he muttered. "Then I'll just have to make you say otherwise."
Jasmine narrowed her eyes. "Give up."
"No."
"I said it's impossible."
"And I said no."
A vein twitched on Jasmine's forehead.
This shameless mortal…
Yun Che exhaled inwardly.
Damn, this girl is stubborn. Looks like I'll need to step things up a notch.
He straightened his back, and for an instant, the air around him shifted—softly, calmly, but with a weight Jasmine instinctively felt.
The game of persuasion was far from over.
"Well, you know why you were able to enter my world," Yun Che began calmly, "and why the System could bind you?"
Jasmine's eyes sharpened.
"It's because the poison destroyed your physical body," Yun Che continued. "You exist only in soul form now. And that thing up there—" He pointed to the glowing white orb suspended in the sky. "—has absolute authority over souls. That's why it dragged you in, and that's why you can't break those binds."
Jasmine's expression flickered, just for a heartbeat.
"You recognized the Sky Poison Pearl. That means you came to this planet because you sensed its aura. You fled your pursuers, forced your divine soul across worlds, and dropped into this realm chasing the last hope of purifying that poison."
He tilted his head slightly.
"And because I'm the Pearl's master, I'm the only one who can do it."
Jasmine stiffened. Yun Che's voice lowered.
"Here's the problem: reconstructing your body requires power. A lot of it. And right now…" He tapped his chest. "I can't cultivate. Not yet."
He met her gaze steadily.
"The System suppresses your strength while you're in here. If you try to use even the slightest trace of your full power, the poison will rebound and rip your soul apart. So right now? You need me alive more than anyone."
He smiled—not arrogantly, but with a quiet confidence.
"All you need to do is heal me. Let me cultivate. And I'll heal you. We help each other or we both drown here. So—Jasmine. What's your answer?"
Jasmine stared at him, stunned. For a girl who had lived among gods, whose pride eclipsed mountains, she suddenly felt… cornered.
"You… How could you know?" she whispered.
Yun Che shrugged lightly. "Heh. Call it a talent."
He stepped closer so his voice reached her clearly.
"You're worth far more alive than dead. You have things you still need to do. A life you want back. And I can help you get it… if you help me first."
Silence stretched in the divine night of his inner world.
Then Jasmine finally lifted her head.
Her eyes, normally sharp and icy, seemed to deepen with something older—mystery, authority, and a hint of vulnerability she would never show anyone outside this place.
"You are indeed perceptive," she said softly. "And… irritatingly correct."
She inhaled slowly, then made her decision.
"You saved this princess' life. Therefore, this princess… shall repay you."
Her voice grew solemn. Regal.
"But you must swear to fulfill three conditions for this princess. Only then will I grant you what you desire."
Yun Che straightened unconsciously. Jasmine's next words dropped like thunder:
"This princess will give you a new set of profound veins."
She took a single step closer, her eyes glowing like burning rubies.
"A set of profound veins infused with the strength—"
Her voice softened, dripping with quiet, divine weight.
"—of a powerful celestial."