Xin Yu walked down the bustling street. A smile graced every face he saw. The exhaustion and numbness he once witnessed in this city, born from the daily grind of life, were gone. Now, everyone's face shone with aspirations for their lives and hope for tomorrow.
As Xin Yu's Path was unveiled, every person needed only to take that first step to be free from health problems, rendering themselves immune to most diseases.
The scarcity of resources was also a thing of the past. Honkai energy had been rendered completely harmless and integrated into daily life, becoming the very cornerstone of human civilization and technology. Humanity had even learned how to convert the ubiquitous Imaginary energy of the cosmos into Honkai energy.
The convenience brought by Honkai energy allowed deserts to bloom with new life, made food shortages a distant memory, and resolved a host of ecological issues like water scarcity.
Even in this age of plenty, humanity maintained a harmonious and prosperous attitude. Everyone valued and respected one another. The darker aspects of the human heart had been pacified by the promise of walking a path toward eternity.
Even though the existence of Honkai energy meant that automated machines had gradually replaced many manual labor jobs, leading to widespread unemployment, this was no longer a cause for concern.
People began to focus more intently on their cultivation—absorbing Imaginary or even Honkai energy to elevate themselves, expand their own wisdom, and strengthen their own bodies, empowering them to pursue the lives they truly loved.
Many fulfilled their childhood dreams, becoming scientists who delved deeper into the fusion of Honkai energy and technology, pushing human civilization another step forward.
Some became astronauts, piloting spacecraft to begin a comprehensive exploration of the planets in the solar system. The host of problems that had previously made this impossible were all solved with the advent of Honkai energy and the path of cultivation.
Some became writers, and some became artists.
People began to spontaneously choose the paths they had dreamed of as children. They were content with their current lives and even more eager to build upon their achievements.
The era where every person could become a dragon had truly arrived.
Watching this scene, a satisfied smile spread across Xin Yu's face. This was the progress of civilization he had wanted to see. This was the future he believed humanity deserved.
Perhaps in millions of years, every human would have grown to a rather astounding level of power. Each individual might possess the ability to destroy stars or even reshape galaxies. Yet, they would not use this power for wanton destruction. Instead, they would become even more passionate about helping other life forms, about rewriting tragedies, and about filling this universe with even more beauty.
Like Ultraman, every person would possess a character of sufficient magnificence.
At the Yae Shrine, Yae Sakura, who had been sweeping fallen cherry blossoms, looked up. She saw Xin Yu standing not far from her, his face bearing the same smile as always.
"Welcome back, Lord Deity."
"Yes, Sakura. I'm going back to my home for a visit. I might be leaving this universe for some time. Would you be willing to accompany me? I'd like to introduce you to my father."
"Of course. I would be honored to meet your father."
Inside Xin Yu's former residence, Raiden Mei was busy in the kitchen preparing today's lunch. Kiana was in the living room, studying the vast knowledge that had been growing daily within her, the better to digest the Authority of Finality she possessed.
That's right. Even though the Cocoon, which symbolized the Honkai, had now opened its authority to all of humanity, allowing everyone to borrow its power, Kiana remained the Herrscher of Finality.
It was as if another Cocoon had merged into Kiana's body—an unbelievable yet real phenomenon.
Because of this, Kiana's power was still ranked among the very top on Earth. After all, the entire human race, including those in the several derivative parallel universes, was borrowing authority from that single Cocoon.
Kiana herself, however, was using this Cocoon all on her own.
Just then, the villa's door was pushed open. Both Kiana and Raiden Mei turned their gazes to see Yae Sakura, and Xin Yu standing beside her.
"I'm back."
"You took your sweet time!"
"Welcome back, Xin Yu."
Xin Yu looked at the complaining Kiana and the gently smiling Raiden Mei with a helpless expression, then said, "My apologies, but I have to leave for a while. This time, it might be for quite a long time. I need to leave this universe for a bit to return to my own world and visit my father. If you need to stay here because of your own families, that's perfectly fine."
"What silly thing are you saying? Because of the changes you made, in the current history, I grew up with my mom and dad. It's no problem for me to be away for a while."
"Xin Yu, my father and mother won't have any objections either," Mei added.
"Good."
Later, the group arrived outside a large villa known as the Golden Courtyard. Sensing the arrival of guests, the many Flame-Chasers within emerged from the villa.
"Mobius, I'm going to be leaving this universe for a while. It might be for a long time. I'm going back to my home to see my father. Do you want to come along?"
"Of course. It's a perfect opportunity for me to see for myself what differences exist between universes."
"Hey! Can't you take me with you? I'm curious too!"
"Alright now, our dear great magician, this is a family affair. You shouldn't get involved," a certain pink-haired elf said, covering the magician's mouth and dragging her away.
And so, the group of five—four women and one man—arrived at the outer edge of the universe. They saw the true form of this cosmos: a colossal, iridescent tree, the Imaginary Tree that cradled countless worlds.
"Xin Yu, thank you for everything you've done for us. Meeting you was truly the greatest fortune of my life," Kiana said, gazing at the radiant Imaginary Tree as she spoke to Xin Yu beside her.
Xin Yu said nothing, only silently pulling Kiana into a hug.
The group of five transformed into five-colored streams of light, intertwining together before soaring into the distant chaos beyond the universe.
By integrating his past self into the foundational layer of the universe, Xin Yu could directly borrow the power and laws of the entire cosmos, temporarily ascending to a higher realm and stepping into an unknown domain.
It was by borrowing this power, a power that was unknowable and ineffable, that he locked onto his former world through the memories others held of him and journeyed toward it.
Earth. A point in the past.
Xin Guozheng was killing time by scrolling through short videos when the notification sound for a WeChat message chimed. He switched over to the app and saw that his son had sent a message, saying he would be home soon and was bringing his girlfriend.
"Hah! That brat finally found a girlfriend! Looks like he couldn't wait to bring her back and show her off to his old man."
A joyful smile lit up Xin Guozheng's face. The thing he had been worrying about was finally over. The brat had found a girlfriend, which meant he wouldn't be alone in the future.
He just wondered which girl was blind enough to fall for his son. He'd have to make a good impression so she wouldn't run off. Ah, should he go buy some groceries?
Xin Guozheng checked his own refrigerator and, finding the contents lacking, immediately left for the nearby market to buy some ingredients.
He bought a large pile of groceries and painstakingly prepared a magnificent feast. Just as he was waiting for his child to return, the doorbell rang.
Xin Guozheng immediately wiped his hands on a towel, a broad smile on his face as he went to the door and opened it. He saw his own brat, and standing behind him were four women.
"Dad, I'm back! Let me introduce you. These four are all my girlfriends. This is Yae Sakura, a miko from Japan. This is Raiden Mei, also from Japan. This is Kiana Kaslana, she's European. And this is Mobius, also European."
"It is an honor to meet you, Father-in-law."
"Hello, Uncle."
"Hello, Father-in-law!"
"Hello."
"...Eh?"
Good news: his son had found a girlfriend.
Bad news: he'd found four.
PS: The End