With a single palm strike, winter vanished from the summit of Mount Zi—and spring burst forth in its place.

This surreal transformation, magnificent and dreamlike, carried with it the undeniable flavor of myth, the kind of miracle one only heard about in tales of ancient celestials who could move the heavens and reshape the earth with a flick of the hand.

Xuan Yuan  slowly withdrew his hand, standing tall and unmoving amidst the swirling petals and reborn greenery. His gaze settled on the two figures watching from not far away—Huang Rong and Nüwa.

«…Rong’er, you’re here.»

A smile tugged at his lips.

«Oh, and I’m not?» Nüwa protested immediately, throwing her hands in the air in exaggerated indignation. «What am I, chopped spirit jelly? I’m standing right here, you know. Glorious Nüwa, the Great Celestial of Technology and All Things Cool—are you blind, or just biased?»

Xuan Yuan  was entirely immune to Nüwa’s antics by now. He didn’t so much as flinch at her exaggerated flailing. His eyes remained on Huang Rong, who, at that moment, was walking toward him step by step.

Xuan Yuan  didn’t need to ask—he immediately shot a look of approval toward Nüwa.

Well done. Exceptionally well done.

Receiving the Celestial Sovereign’s personal nod of praise, Nüwa gave an exaggerated flutter of her lashes, raising her chin proudly—as if to say, of course, who else but me?

Huang Rong remained blissfully unaware of the silent exchange between the two. Her attention was wholly captured by the scene surrounding her.

She lifted her hand. A soft breeze brushed against her palm. A newly sprouted leaf, tender and green, landed gently on her fingers.

This was real.

Not an illusion. Not some conjured vision.

Just moments ago, the trees around her had been blanketed in snow. Their branches had sagged under the weight of frost. But now, they were covered in new shoots and young leaves.

«…Xing-gege…» Huang Rong murmured, eyes wide in disbelief. «What… what did you do to my family’s Falling Blossom Sword Palm?»

Xuan Yuan  smiled faintly and shook his head. Lifting his right hand, he rubbed his thumb and index finger together.

A small flicker of flame sparked at his fingertips. In a breath, it transformed into a tiny, elegant firebird—its wings unfurled in miniature glory, and it shot into the air, vanishing in a spiral of fire.

«I don’t know,» he replied truthfully. «I practiced exactly the way you taught me—and somehow, it just ended up like this.»

Huang Rong: «…»

…That’s it?

Just like that?!

That was the most half-hearted, casual explanation she had ever heard for a cosmic-scale anomaly.

«Enough about me,» Xuan Yuan  said, gently reaching out to rest his hand atop her head. His touch was warm, his voice softer. «What about you? How do you feel now?»

Mentioning herself caused Huang Rong’s eyes to immediately light up.

She bounced on her feet like a jubilant squirrel, smiling from ear to ear. «All of my meridians have been cleared! And not just cleared—they’re wider now too! Even the Heaven-Earth Bridge has been fully connected!»

She raised her hands in triumph, then added with a playful smirk: «And not only that, my cultivation has advanced significantly. Xing-gege, you might look all flashy and awe-inspiring when you fight, but if you suppress your strength to my level… you might actually lose to me now!»

Heaven-Earth Bridge?

That was the legendary Ren and Du meridians being opened—the gateway to true cultivation. She had already stepped into the Innate Realm?

Even Nüwa looked shocked, interjecting with a rare serious tone: «I should clarify… This wasn’t part of the expected result. Based on all theoretical calculations and genetic enhancements, Rong’er should not have experienced such a leap.»

«She’s clearly showing signs of abnormal evolution. I made targeted adjustments to her genes—yes—but even in the best-case scenario, that should’ve only made her slightly more talented at cultivation. It shouldn’t have enabled a transformation like this.»

Xuan Yuan  didn’t respond immediately. He simply looked at Huang Rong again, eyes flickering with a mix of awe and puzzlement.

Then he turned to Nüwa and shrugged slightly.

«Strange anomalies are kind of our thing now, aren’t they?» he said, smirking. «You figure it out. I’m just rolling with it.»

Nüwa narrowed her eyes but said nothing. She would. Oh, she would analyze this.

But for now, she filed it under “celestial weirdness.”

Facing the newly upgraded version of Huang Rong—Pretty. Robust. Combat-ready. Celestial Maiden Edition Rong’er™—Xuan Yuan  couldn’t resist anymore.

«Alright then, come on. Let’s spar,» he said, a flicker of excitement dancing in his eyes.

Huang Rong’s eyes gleamed. «Then take this—Xing-gege, here I come!»

She leapt forward with her signature Falling Blossom Sword Palm.

Unlike Xuan Yuan  ’s flamboyant, phoenix-and-dragon-filled variant, Huang Rong’s strike was faithful to its roots—light, graceful, and poetic. A sudden flurry, like wind rushing through a peach grove, petals dancing in a storm of beauty and force.

Her movements were elegant. Her sleeves fluttered like silk banners in a celestial ballet. The air filled with the faintest scent of spring flowers.

This was the original art—its subtlety, its feminine grace.

Even so, golden light flared at the point of contact, and a wave of heat rippled through the air like a midsummer blaze.

«Ahh—!» Huang Rong let out a yelp, leaping back with a pout. She rubbed her wrist in mock indignation, cheeks puffed up. «Xing-gege! You hurt me!»

Xuan Yuan  raised a helpless eyebrow.

«I was holding back. I’ve got no clue why my techniques come with so many ridiculous effects. It’s not just the power—I can’t control the showmanship.»

He sighed and looked at his hand.

«Until I understand the cause, I probably shouldn’t spar too often. Too many variables. Too many… firebirds.»

He’d done the math. Combined with his memories from before transmigrating, his current state was downright bizarre.

To summarize: he now had visual effects on par with the final arc of Storm Riders, and his full-power strikes could mimic late-stage celestial-level battles from top-tier xianxia worlds.

But that was just the visuals.

The actual destructive force, while stronger than the original techniques, was nowhere near what it looked like.

If he had to compare… he was probably at celestial Mountain Child Elder tier. Not terrifying—but flashy enough to fool the heavens.

«I’ll allocate extra processing to study this phenomenon,» Nüwa said, stepping forward with a more business-like expression. «But I’ll need regular physical diagnostics from you, Master. We’ll need real-time updates to refine our models.»

«…And, well, I was thinking—should I start crafting you a weapon?»

Xuan Yuan  blinked. «A weapon?»

Nüwa nodded eagerly. «Yeah! With your current output, conventional blades probably won’t cut it. Want me to make you a sword using uranium-235?»

«…Excuse me?»

She held up her hand, counting off fingers. «You have solar domain celestial authority, right? That’s fusion energy. Now, I can’t give you a fusion blade yet, but I can make you a fission blade. A radiation sword. One swing and anyone near it starts bleeding from the eyes.»

Xuan Yuan  stared.

«…What.»

«If that’s too much, we could do a U-235 meteor hammer. Or a U-238 mace. Or how about a plutonium-239 rod? Kills on contact, silent but deadly. Instant smite. Heeheehee…»

Xuan Yuan  pinched his brow.

«I could just… use a gun.»

Nüwa looked scandalized.

«A gun!? A gun? You—you’re the Celestial Sovereign Taiyi! You don’t use a gun. Others shoot at you, and you catch bullets with your fingers. That’s the aesthetic!»

«That’s literally just Fire Cloud Evil Celestial from an old movie…» Xuan Yuan  groaned.

«…No weapons. I don’t think I’m suited for them.»

«Aha!» Nüwa clapped. «You want a celestial artifact, not a weapon! Got it. What do you say to us building the Eastern Sovereign Bell? You could just stand at a distance and ring it—BOOM, enemies done.»

«…You’re impossible.»

«I try.»

Xuan Yuan  turned back to Huang Rong, this time serious.

«Rong’er, I’ve been thinking.»

He reached out, gently taking her hand.

«I want to collect martial techniques from your world—all kinds. I need to test them on myself, see how they mutate. Nüwa thinks this could help us analyze the phenomenon more deeply.»

«Right now, the data is just… too limited.»

Huang Rong nodded, then paused. Her brows furrowed slightly.

«Can… Xing-gege wait a little while?»

«…Why?»

«I want to focus on cultivation for a bit,» she said seriously. «After Sister Nüwa’s transformation, my meridians are widened. If I train diligently now, I’ll progress faster—and I want to be strong enough to stand beside you, Xing-gege.»

She didn’t say the rest aloud—but she didn’t need to.

She could already sense how fast he was advancing. Far too fast.

If she didn’t work hard—didn’t fight for every inch—then one day, she’d be left behind, watching his back fade into the distance, powerless to follow.

«…Alright. No problem.»

He smiled warmly.

«By the way… will you train in the Nine Yang Celestial Arts too?»

She blinked, then shook her head.

«The Nine Yang Arts are too masculine—pure Yang energy. Not suitable for me. Peach Blossom Island’s inner arts are already perfect.»

Xuan Yuan  nodded.

Then again… if she wouldn’t take on Nine Yang—

That left Nine Yin.

He tilted his head slightly, eyes thoughtful.

Alright then. Time to go hunting for the Nine Yin Manual.

After all, in the original timeline… Huang Rong ended up learning that one anyway.