The City Breathes
The Forbidden City wasn't dead—it was sleeping.
After the first trial and the Guardian's fading, Li Wei and the girls pressed onward, crossing a glowing bridge suspended above endless starlit void. With every step, the city twisted subtly: walls curved where they shouldn't, buildings shimmered as if remembering themselves, and the air hummed with a quiet sentience.
SYSTEM PATH UNLOCKED: Architect's Core – 27% SynchronizationWARNING: Emotional fluctuations may alter path structure. Proceed with inner balance.
Li Wei glanced back at the others. Yue walked beside him, her gaze steady but distant. Lotus floated slightly above the ground, fingers tracing the air as if listening to the city's breath. Lana was muttering about how the bridge looked like it would collapse any second. Scarlet remained silent, watchful. Meiyu and Shen Ruo trailed near the back, both unusually quiet.
Everyone felt it.
Something in this place knew them. And it was preparing.
The Hollow Tower
They reached their next destination by nightfall—a hollowed-out spire that spiraled downward instead of upward. Vines of glowing crystal wrapped around its edges, and black stone runes etched themselves into the air above the entryway.
Li Wei approached. The door rippled open at his presence.
TRIAL TWO: LABYRINTH OF PARALLEL LIVESOBJECTIVE: Reach the Core Floor before memory distortion consumes your willSPECIAL CONDITION: One among you is not who they seem
His heart froze. "What?"
The others turned sharply.
"One among us?" Lana asked, already tensing.
Yue narrowed her eyes. "The system wouldn't lie."
Lotus looked around. "We've been together for weeks. We've fought together. Bled together."
"Which makes this harder," Shen Ruo murmured.
Li Wei clenched his fists. "We trust each other. Let's move. The truth will show itself soon enough."
The Descent Begins
Inside, the tower felt like a heartbeat.
Each floor descended into more twisted versions of past memories—Li Wei's high school. Meiyu's illusion stages. Scarlet's bone altar. Yue's lonely dojo. They walked through fragments of each life, rooms echoing with voices long gone.
SYSTEM STATUS: Memories merging. Reality unstable. Estimated collapse in 62 minutes.
At floor six, a reflection of Li Wei stared at him from a broken mirror.
"You'll fail again."
He punched it. The mirror shattered. Blood splattered. Yue gently caught his hand and healed it silently.
They continued.
Floor Ten: The First Collapse
A storm of illusions shattered the floor—Meiyu screamed, clutching her head. Multiple versions of her staggered through the mist.
"No… this isn't me… this isn't—" Her voice fractured.
Li Wei grabbed her. "Stay with me."
"Which me?" they all said at once.
He focused his soul bond.
Soul Resonance: Meiyu — 98% LinkStabilizing... complete.
The real Meiyu collapsed into his chest, sobbing.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He didn't let go for a long time.
The Reveal
On Floor Fifteen, time slowed.
A voice echoed from the tower itself. It sounded like the Guardian, yet... not.
"One of you carries an echo not meant for this cycle."
The room shifted into an open courtyard—an imitation of the present. Seven figures stood there: the girls and Li Wei.
But one shimmered—flickering like a broken illusion.
Scarlet.
The real Scarlet stepped forward. "...What is this?"
The false Scarlet smiled with hollow eyes. "I was curious. How far could I get before you noticed?"
She exploded into black mist.
ENEMY IDENTIFIED: Echo Parasite – Identity Impersonation ClassSOURCE: UnknownSYSTEM ALERT: Soul Path Recalibrated – TRUE SCARLET SAFE
Scarlet's shoulders trembled. "I didn't even know…"
Lotus stepped forward, touching her shoulder. "You weren't the liar."
The group stood stronger than before.
The Core Approaches
They reached the bottom floor—a vast chamber pulsing with runes. At its center stood a glowing sphere of light, surrounded by seven thrones.
Li Wei stepped forward. "Is this the Architect's Core?"
The system answered with silence.
Then…
A form began to coalesce before them—a humanoid figure, genderless, robed in code and flame. It bore no face, only endless light.
ENTITY IDENTIFIED: Architect FragmentSTATUS: 6% ConsciousnessSYSTEM ERROR: Interference Detected
The being spoke. Not in words, but in layered thoughts that pressed against their minds.
"You are iteration #999. Final cycle. Last hope. The wheel must stop here."
Revelation
The Architect showed them visions.
The original 999-Level System was never meant to create gods. It was meant to seal one.
A being born of chaos and time: The Eclipsed One.
Each generation, the System would bind itself to a new wielder and companions—using love, pain, power, and growth to awaken a human powerful enough to stop its return.
Every time, the wielder failed.
Killed by betrayal.
Broken by grief.
Devoured by ambition.
Only Li Wei had reached this far—with all six soul bonds intact.
"You must choose. Finish the bonding… or break the system."
The Choice
The room grew quiet.
Yue stepped forward. "If we finish the bond, what happens?"
SYSTEM RESPONSE: All seven souls become permanently linked. Power will exceed anything in history. But your fates will never again separate. Eternal life. Eternal war.
Meiyu gripped Li Wei's hand. "And if we break it?"
Response: Power will vanish. The world will face the Eclipsed One unprepared. But your fates will remain your own.
Lotus looked at him. "You always made us feel seen. Whatever you choose, we'll follow."
Scarlet finally spoke. "Even if it breaks me, I want to stay."
Shen Ruo: "You've changed the way I see everything. My answer is yes."
Lana leaned against his back. "So choose. But choose all of us."
The Bonding
Li Wei took a deep breath.
Then, he kissed each girl in turn—not just as an act of affection, but of unity.
A promise.
And the Architect responded.
FINAL SOUL BOND COMPLETEPHASE IV: Absolute SynchronizationNEW FORM UNLOCKED: Heavenbreaker WielderQUEST UNLOCKED: Battle of the Eclipse — 99 Days Remain
Epilogue Moment
Later that night, beneath the broken stars inside the Core, the seven of them laid together in peace. No more battles, just warmth, silence, and breath.
They held each other.
Spoke dreams.
Promised things no system could predict.
And for one sacred night—
Li Wei wasn't the Master of a Harem Empire, or the Wielder of Heavenbreaking Power.
He was simply the boy who didn't give up.
And the six girls who chose to walk into eternity with him.