​​Chapter 161: The Visit​

​The moment the Sun-Moon Crystal entered her body, Li Zhi felt as though she had plunged into an ancient glacier. Her body and consciousness seemed frozen into brittle ice, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.

With her eyes closed, Li Zhi saw her mental world materialize into an icy wasteland. In the bone-chilling cold, the ice beneath her feet began to crack.

Crack—

The sound of fracturing ice echoed around her. Looking down, Li Zhi saw deep blue water surging beneath the transparent ice, a massive shadow gliding beneath like some abyssal predator, waiting for her to fall so it could swallow her whole.

Don’t fall.

The thought flashed through her mind. The frozen expanse stretched endlessly in all directions, a white void with no end in sight. This wasn’t the real world—sprawling flat on the ice like in reality would be certain death.

Li Zhi picked a direction and ran.

The cracking grew louder, chasing her like a relentless serpent. The wind and snow lashed at her face like knives, leaving bloody streaks. Running didn’t warm her; instead, she grew colder, her limbs numb, moving purely on instinct.

She didn’t know how long she ran before the ice beneath her vanished. But instead of plunging into water, she landed on a stone pillar. The frozen wasteland had transformed into a sea of fire, molten lava churning below, scorching heat rising to engulf her—as if determined to burn her to ashes.

The torment of ice and fire sought to break her will.

The system had warned her: Merge and be reborn, resist and suffer devastation.

Strengthening one’s mental power was, by nature, a process of tempering. The illusions she experienced now were the manifestation of that refinement.

Li Zhi stood calmly on the slowly submerging pillar.

This trial was necessary.

A final confrontation with the system was inevitable. No matter how strong her mental power was, against a force that could manipulate the world, she would always be at a disadvantage. She had already deduced that the system sought this world’s faith.

And players were the vessels of that faith.

To harvest faith, the system had to go through the players. That was the true purpose of its so-called "god-making."

Once a player amassed enough faith—enough popularity—the system would begin its harvest. The [Ghost] was cunning. When the time came, it would likely weave countless illusions to disorient its targets, reaping them without bloodshed.

So even if her mental power couldn’t suppress [Ghost], she had to at least maintain equilibrium. Only then could she remain lucid in the final confrontation.

Ordinary humans couldn’t hope to defeat a higher-dimensional force. But they could use its own rules to seize power from its dimension—using its spear to strike its shield.

Time passed minute by minute. An entire night had gone by since Li Zhi went upstairs, instructing her teammates not to disturb her.

When everyone came down for breakfast the next morning and she still hadn’t emerged, Chi Yi grew worried. "Why isn’t Zhi out yet? Did something happen?"

Ou Wendong hesitated. "Should we go check on her?"

"No!" You Jingmeng said firmly. "Sis Zhi said not to disturb her. What if we interrupt at a critical moment and cause an accident?"

Her words made the others hesitate despite their concern.

They waited nervously through breakfast and lunch, but Li Zhi still didn’t appear.

By then, Chi Yi was truly panicked. Gritting her teeth, she declared, "We’ll wait until dinner. If Zhi isn’t out by then, I’m going in!"

Lian Qinglin returned from outside. "The curtains in Sis Zhi’s room are drawn. Can’t see anything."

The atmosphere in the villa grew tense.

Just as anxiety peaked, the doorbell rang. The sound startled the already high-strung group. Lian Qinglin grumbled as he went to answer it, peering through the peephole before hissing in surprise.

Han Wenlin followed. "Who is it?"

Lian Qinglin said, "Guy wearing a mask and hat. Looks shady."

Han Wenlin perked up. "Open it. With so many of us here, what’s there to fear?"

Lian Qinglin thought about it and swung the door open.

Outside stood a tall, lean young man, only his eyes visible above the mask. His voice was youthful. "Hello. Does Li Zhi live here?"

Lian Qinglin leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Who’re you?"

The young man extended a hand, smiling. "You’re Lian Qinglin, right? I’m Yan Feishu."

"Who? Yan Feishu?!" Lian Qinglin straightened instantly. Han Wenlin’s eyes widened. "The Yan Feishu ranked seventh on the global popularity leaderboard?"

Yan Feishu clasped his hands in a modest salute. "That would be me."

Seeing them lingering at the door, Chi Yi walked over. "Who is it? What do they want?"

Lian Qinglin turned, awed. "Yi-jie, it’s Yan Feishu!"

"Yan Feishu?" Chi Yi paused, then remembered.

Among the top ten players on the global leaderboard, five were from their country: Xie Qiong (2nd), Hou Shao (5th), Shu Xinglan (6th), Yan Feishu (7th), and Li Zhi, who had recently claimed the 10th spot.

These players were the elite among elites, household names to any viewer of the livestreams.

To ordinary players like them, someone like Yan Feishu was akin to a god. But perhaps because they’d spent so much time with Li Zhi, the group’s initial surprise quickly faded.

So what if he’s seventh? Sis Zhi is tenth—just three spots behind. One more dungeon, and she’ll catch up in no time!

Chi Yi shot Lian Qinglin a look. "What’s the big deal? Calm down!" She shooed him aside and turned to their guest. "Mr. Yan, you’re here to see Zhi, right?"

Yan Feishu removed his mask, revealing a handsome, youthful face brimming with confidence. "Just call me by my name. Yes, I came specifically to see Li Zhi."

Chi Yi stepped aside. "Come in."

No matter what, he was a top-ranked player. It wouldn’t do to interrogate him at the door. Yan Feishu thanked her and followed inside, smiling.

The group eyed him curiously, but Yan Feishu didn’t seem bothered. He glanced around, accepted the water Chi Yi offered, and complimented, "Nice place."

Chi Yi cut to the chase. "What do you want with Zhi?"

Yan Feishu toyed with the glass. "Li Zhi isn’t here?"

Chi Yi kept a straight face. "She’s busy. Won’t be back for a while."

Yan Feishu raised a brow, then suddenly looked up at the second floor, his smile turning knowing. "She’s upstairs, isn’t she?"

The group tensed. Ou Wendong quietly slipped into the kitchen to grab a knife.

Yan Feishu raised his free hand in surrender. "Relax, no ill intentions." He spoke leisurely. "I just sensed an exceptionally strong mental presence upstairs. Other than Li Zhi, I doubt anyone here has reached that level."

You Jingmeng couldn’t help asking, "You can sense something as abstract as mental power?"

Yan Feishu leaned back, so at ease he might as well have been at home. "I’m particularly attuned to mental energy." He paused, lowering his voice deliberately. "And that energy is on the verge of spiraling out of control. Sure you don’t want to check on her?"

The group, already on edge, grew even more anxious.

Was something really wrong with Sis Zhi?!

Chi Yi glared, convinced Yan Feishu was stirring trouble. "Mind your own business! Stop fearmongering! What are you really here for?"

Yan Feishu shrugged. "Like I said, no ill will. In that case, I’ll wait for Li Zhi here." He smiled at the group. "You don’t mind, do you?"

Xiao Fen waved eagerly. "Not at all!"

Lian Qinglin kicked him.

Yan Feishu settled in, playing on his phone like he owned the place. Two or three hours passed. Chi Yi, unable to bear the worry any longer, stood to head upstairs.

Without looking up from his game, Yan Feishu said, "She’s at a critical juncture. I’d advise against disturbing her now."

Chi Yi froze, shooting him a glare, but ultimately didn’t proceed.

Ou Wendong stood to diffuse the tension. "What should we make for dinner? Sis Zhi hasn’t eaten all day—she’ll be starving when she wakes up."

"Right!" You Jingmeng tugged Chi Yi toward the kitchen. "Let’s cook!"

Yan Feishu called after them, "No onions in mine, thanks."

Han Wenlin muttered, "Dude, I’d stop talking if I were you. Our Yi-jie has a temper."

Yan Feishu blinked. "Isn’t she the ‘Nation’s First Love’?"

Han Wenlin spread his hands. "No rule says the Nation’s First Love has to be sweet. Think ‘feisty first love.’"

"Celebrity personas really can’t be trusted." Yan Feishu sighed. "And here I had a crush on her for a while."

"Tell me about it," Han Wenlin said. "I used her photos as my wallpaper. Living together shattered all illusions."

Yan Feishu perked up, as if he’d found a kindred spirit. Putting his phone away, he launched into an enthusiastic chat with Han Wenlin. The two hit it off so well they might as well have been long-lost brothers.

Han Wenlin clasped Yan Feishu’s hand earnestly. "You’re the real deal, man. No one knew you before the livestreams, and now your popularity’s skyrocketing! What did you do before? How’d you get so good?"

Yan Feishu waved it off. "Ah, just scraping by on livestreams. Stick with me if you want in."

They exchanged probing banter for over an hour, neither giving an inch.

Finally, Han Wenlin deadpanned and pulled away. "Yeah… no thanks."

Yan Feishu tsked and went back to his game.

As evening fell, the aroma of dinner filled the villa. Yan Feishu wandered over to the dining table and remarked sincerely, "You guys eat well."

Mid-sentence, he suddenly turned toward the stairs.

The others followed his gaze. Moments later, a door opened upstairs—Li Zhi had finally emerged.

The group exhaled in relief. Chi Yi called out joyfully, "Zhi!"

Li Zhi glanced downstairs, surprised. "Yan Feishu?"

Yan Feishu flashed her a peace sign. "Hey, Li Zhi. Nice to finally meet you."

As Li Zhi descended, she studied him for a moment before suddenly smiling. "So you’re Peacock’s leader."