After the Storm
The battle was over, but the aftermath lingered like smoke clinging to scorched earth.
Li Wei sat cross-legged on the cracked stone floor of the ancient temple, the last light of dusk casting long shadows across his face. The girls were nearby, tending to wounds both physical and emotional. The faint hum of the system echoed in his mind, no longer screaming in warning but whispering something else—something deeper.
SYSTEM STATUS: STABILIZEDCORE UNLOCKED: 27%NEW MISSION AVAILABLE: Path to the Forbidden City — Initiate Journey of Remembrance
He frowned. "Forbidden City?"
A System Within the System
He wasn't the only one confused. Lotus had sensed the shift first. "The energy here... it's changed," she murmured, standing barefoot in the soft grass. "Something ancient is stirring."
Yue folded her arms. "I can feel it too. Like... memories that aren't mine trying to crawl into my head."
Meiyu closed her eyes, placing her hand on the temple's foundation. "This place was never just a sanctuary. It's a fragment. A piece of something bigger."
The system chimed again.
HIDDEN QUEST UNLOCKED: Touch the Echo Stone to reveal the City of Origins.WARNING: Once started, this path cannot be reversed.
Scarlet narrowed her eyes. "Sounds like a trap."
Li Wei stood, walking slowly toward the broken altar at the heart of the courtyard. "Or a test."
The Echo Stone
As his hand touched the jagged slab of rune-etched stone, a deep pulse shot through the earth. The ground trembled. The sky above seemed to split—not literally, but spiritually—as images flooded his mind.
Visions.
Flashes of cities floating in the sky, martial towers that pierced the clouds, beings of unfathomable power chained in golden rings. The Forbidden City was not named for its location—but for the memories it locked away.
And then, a name.
The First System User.
He saw a blurry figure, wrapped in flame and starlight, crushed beneath a collapsing sky.
Repercussions
Li Wei fell back, gasping. The girls rushed to him.
"What happened?!" Lana barked, kneeling beside him.
He looked up, shaken but certain. "The system... it's not from here. It's older than this world. And whatever it's hiding... it's in the Forbidden City."
Scarlet's brows furrowed. "You're saying this power we've been using was created by someone who might have destroyed an entire realm?"
Li Wei nodded grimly. "And now we're walking the same path."
A Night of Honest Talks
That night, the group didn't sleep.
They gathered by the fire, shoulders touching, hearts laid bare. No more games. No more evading the truth.
Yue leaned into Li Wei's side. "If this system is cursed… would you still keep using it?"
"I don't think I have a choice anymore," he answered. "But I'll never let it control me."
Meiyu reached across and held his hand. "Then we'll keep you grounded."
Lana threw a twig into the flames. "I say we face it head-on. If the Forbidden City wants to test us, then we show it what a real team looks like."
Shen Ruo's quiet voice followed. "Together."
System Upgrade
As dawn approached, the system pulsed once more.
SYSTEM UPDATE: HAREM CORE AWAKENING INITIATEDBOND LEVELS (ALL): ELEVATED TO PHASE IINEW PASSIVE UNLOCKED: Soul Resonance – Your stats and senses now synchronize with bonded partners during battle.
Everyone gasped as warmth surged through them, a soft glow connecting their auras.
Li Wei stood slowly. "We're not just a team anymore. We're one soul across seven hearts."
The Road Ahead
The Forbidden City lay beyond the Veil Range—a cursed land known to break weaker cultivators. But the system had marked it. The path was calling.
Li Wei gazed toward the rising sun. "Pack your things. We leave at dawn."
And just like that, their next journey began—not toward fame or survival, but toward the buried truth that would either define them…
…or destroy them.