Xuan’s appearance had completely changed back to Zero’s, with not even a single flaw or mishap to be found. Even the row beneath his avatar had instead of just Xuan. But the question was…

“… How?”

Wondering this aloud to himself, Xuan pondered, trying to think of anything that could’ve restored his former appearance like so. All he did today was cultivate his body using the Chaos Scripture. The changes to his appearance had taken place completely unnoticed by him until now, which should theoretically be impossible given how noticeable his long hair would have been. But perhaps if it was the work of a Nirvana-Grade treasure… it could have been concealed?

Could it really be because of the Heaven Devouring Body? Xuan had no idea. Although he was a veteran of the game and possessed tons of knowledge as well as experience, even he did not know everything this world had to offer. But upon thinking about it, he supposed it did make sense. Devouring the Heavens—what would happen after that? Everything would be reset to zero—returned to primordial chaos, the universe’s original state.

If that’s the case, then… Xuan returning to his original state, Zero, wouldn’t be too unreasonable after all.

Fortunately, this wasn’t too big of a problem. Not many people knew of his appearance in the past—they may have seen a silhouette or had a glimpse from time to time, but for the most part, the only people who knew of his real looks were his wives and close friends. Still, this complexion of his did tend to stand out thanks to how objectively beautiful he was, so he needed some way to disguise himself—preferably an appearance-changing artifact of some sort, but finding one here was unlikely. Worst case scenario…

Xuan thought for a second.

… Well, there was plenty of 100% natural blemishing material all over the ground, wasn’t there?

Either way, Xuan decided to put off the matter for now and focus on what he opened his System to do: check his stats.

Name: Xuan (Zero)

Age: 22

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

———

Cultivation: Body Tempering Stage (5th Layer)

Forging: None

Array Making: None

Alchemy: None

Beast Taming: None

———

Occupation: None (Cultivator)

Legacy: Zero’s Heir (Blood Demon Asura Godking)

Bloodline: None

Physique: Chaos Devouring Body

———

Strength: 1,000

Defense: 1,000

Soul Strength: ???

Soul Defense: ???

‘Really…? Legacy: Zero’s Heir?’ Xuan couldn’t help but sigh at this. In his past life, that line had read as ‘Divine Asura True God’, whose legacy was inherited by Xuan after he ascended to Godhood. That was fine, but inheriting the legacy of his own previous incarnation… that felt pretty weird.

Then, his gaze fell onto the ‘Physique’ row. ‘Hm? Chaos Devouring Body…?’ He thought, a bit perplexed at first. Then, he remembered he only had the Chaos Scripture right now instead of the whole Heaven Devouring Art, and everything fell into place—he wasn’t cultivating the full Heaven Devouring Art right now, so naturally his body was not the complete Heavenly Devouring Body. He needed the Order Scripture for that.

Finally, his eyes drifted down to the final two rows of his Profile: the Soul stats.

‘… Huh? What’s with these question marks?’

He had no idea why they were marked as ‘???’. Theoretically, they should both be at 1,000 as well, but perhaps this may have something to do with his Legacy as Zero’s Heir after all?

Just then, a voice called out to him from behind, interrupting his thoughts.

“U-Um… hello, the big brother standing over there…”

The voice was timid, almost afraid. Xuan turned around, exiting his System, and saw what looked to be a five or six year old girl, shyly cowering behind a thick tree. She had her brown hair tied into loose braids using wooden beads, and two innocent blue eyes that appeared to be somewhat afraid.

“… Are you talking to me?” he asked, in the gentlest tone possible as to not scare her away. The girl gave a few soft nods, and took a deep breath as if preparing herself before speaking. Standing upright, she stepped out into the clearing.

“Y-Yes. Is there someone else here…?” She tilted her head curiously, retreating ever so slightly back to the trees.

Xuan looked around, if only to give the little girl peace of mind. He gave her a soft smile, and spoke softly.

“What do you need? If there’s anything I can help with, just say so. I’m not very strong nor am I very smart, but I’ll do my best.”

The girl, surprised by this polite response, was taken aback for a few moments. She also noticed his seemingly strange phrasing: ‘what do you need’, not ‘is there something you need’. Did he, perhaps… know the truth about her with just one glance?

“Oh… nothing, really. I was just, um, asking, since big brother is in my playground.”

“I see. This entire forest is your playground?”

“Yep!” The girl nodded happily, smiling. “Do you… want to play with me, big brother? It’s been a long time since I’ve played with someone else, so… um, Xi Rou is a bit lonely.”

She looked down a little bit and poked her fingers together awkwardly, embarrassed. Xuan couldn’t help but be reminded of a certain girl in the past who acted the same way when anxious. That girl had been so innocent, almost angel-like. And yet... Xuan sighed, casting those thoughts away, before giving a sad smile.

“… Alright. Where will we go?”

“Follow me!” The little girl immediately replied, eyes lighting up at Xuan’s acceptance. “Xi Rou will take big brother to her home! Don’t worry, it’s not very far!”

With that, the girl turned around and darted into the forest, smiling and laughing.

“She's just like her, isn't she...?”

Xuan, shaking his head, followed her.

*****

After following the girl deeper into the forest, the two arrived at what looked like an abandoned shack. It was far outside the Sky Cloud Sect’s grounds, near the very border of the mountain’s peak. Staring out from the cape here, one could enjoy the Serenity Ocean’s beauty—the southernmost of the Four Oceans surrounding the Xianxia Continent mainland.

“… This is your home?” Xuan asked, looking around as he stepped inside the wooden hut’s front yard. It seemed awfully empty. “Where are your mom and dad?”

“Mommy and Daddy left with some men a long time ago,” the girl said, scratching her head innocently. “They told Ruo Xi to stay in the house and wait for them to come back, but… I got bored after a while, ehehe.”

She laughed awkwardly to cover up her bashfulness before her eyes suddenly widened, realizing something and seizing up with fear.

“Oh, but don’t tell them when they come back, okay, big brother? H-Here, Ruo Xi will give you an apple!”

Saying that, she picked an apple from a nearby tree and handed it to Xuan with a bright smile on her face. Xuan chose to ignore how her actions were classified as bribery, and accepted the apple easily in his hand.

“Don’t worry, I won’t say a thing.”

“Yay!” The little girl cheered, pumping her hands into the air giddily, before turning around and hopping into the small hut. “Sit here, big brother!”

Xuan obliged, entering the shack and sitting down on the dusty wooden chair across from Ruo Xi, who didn’t seem to care about the dirtiness.

“So? What are we playing?” Xuan asked with a warm smile.

“Hm…” Ruo Xi fell into thought for a brief moment, before her eyes lit up like sparkling stars. “Oh, I know! Do you have any interesting stories, big brother?”

“Interesting stories? Huh… well, I do have quite a few stories to tell, but whether they’ll be interesting or not is a mystery.”

“I love mysteries!” Ruo Xi giggled, beaming like a ray of light. “Tell me, tell me!”

Xuan let out a soft chuckle. “Alright, alright. Let’s see… where to begin…”

Clearing his throat, he began retelling his own past—how he first came across this world, his origins, and the young girl who he came to see as his little sister. The young girl… who had saved his life back on Earth.

Of course, he omitted many details to avoid mentioning anything related to games and other concepts that Ruo Xi wouldn’t understand, but the story was beautifully melancholic all the same.

As he spoke, it was almost like he was reliving the experience all over again, and a smile born from nostalgia slowly crept onto his face.

He was Zero, the undefeated legend of Xianxia Online. Always strong, always cool, always calm.

But in this moment, he felt more like the human named Xuan.

*****

“… The end.”

An hour or so had passed before Xuan even realized it. He had been so absorbed into the story he was telling that he’d lost track of the time.

“… Heh. That story wasn’t interesting at all, was it?”

Contrary to his expectations, however, Ruo Xi’s response was positive. Shaking her head with a soft smile on her childish face, she giggled.

“It was very interesting, big brother! That story may not have had any heroes or monsters, love or villains, but… it was pretty. Ruo Xi was very lucky to have been able to hear it. Unfortunately…”

Her smile disappeared faintly, and she cast her gaze downwards at the wooden table. Xuan knew what was coming, and he closed his eyes.

“… Your time is up?”

“… Mm. You knew all along, big brother?”

“Isn’t that why you brought me here in the first place? Normal people wouldn’t have reacted the way I did to your request. They would’ve asked about your parents right from the beginning.”

“Heheh, you’re right. Thanks for playing along until now.”

Ruo Xi giggled softly, but Xuan could tell her heart wasn’t in it. He knew this was going to happen from the very beginning—but he was already used to the feeling of loss.

“… Hey, can you come with Ruo Xi for a sec, big brother?”

Xuan re-opened his eyes and nodded, and they stepped outside of the hut. As Xuan followed, he pretended to not notice the undisturbed dust on her seat, or how he only heard his own footsteps crunching on the leaves. He trailed behind her until they reached the edge of the mountaintop—Ruo Xi ran ahead while Xuan followed, pushing past the vines and foliage into the open cliff-side air.

There, Ruo Xi sat down, dangling her feet over the ledge and leaning back. She had a sad smile on her face, as well as a melancholy look in her eyes as she stared out at the beautiful view—a wide open starry sky, with the bright white moon at the center of it all.

“In the past, Ruo Xi used to love coming here every night,” she said quietly. “Waiting for Mommy and Daddy to come home, like they said they would… they never did.”

Xuan listened wordlessly, staring at the moon along with her.

“But, that’s okay. After all, you came instead, didn’t you, big brother?” Ruo Xi turned around and smiled at Xuan, despite the tears rolling down her cheeks. “By the way, Ruo Xi never got to ask. What’s your name, big brother?”

Xuan answered truthfully in response. “Xuan. Just call me Xuan.”

“Big Brother Xuan… I see.” Ruo Xi turned away once more with a heartfelt smile, looking at the moon and reaching her hand out as if trying to grasp it. “… It’s almost time for Ruo Xi to go. But before that… here’s a song for you as thank-you for playing with Ruo Xi. Mommy used to sing it to me before I fell asleep.”

Clearing her throat, the little girl began singing. Slowly but surely, her voice began to echo across the mountaintops, young and free. Unfettered by the shackles of humanity's flesh. It carried the weight of mortality, but also something more... ethereal. Something pure.

Xuan listened for a moment, and though the sound should have distorted itself eventually, somehow, it remained harmonious and untainted. Although the words were soft and gentle, meant to soothe, Xuan could also hear a hint of sadness beneath them.

“Thank you, big brother,” Ruo Xi said as her performance came to a close. “For playing with Ruo Xi… and sharing your stories with her.”

Closing her eyes, she waited for the moonlight to consume her. Slowly but surely, her figure disappeared into faint white petals, until all that remained was a flower-shaped brooch of some sort that gently fell into Xuan’s hand. Looking down at it and rubbing its pale surface with his thumb, he let out a soft chuckle.

That night, as Xuan gazed up at the moon that took Ruo Xi, the bittersweet melody of a song long faded rang in his ears.