Ren Li's eyes flickered toward the girl who had just been pushed aside. He recognized her immediately.
She was a once-proud talent of this border town—a soul master who had reached the Soul Ancestor level before the age of eighteen. Her cultivation speed had stirred envy among all local nobles and admiration among spirit academies. Ren Li himself had once thought about courting her, drawn by her beauty and promise.
( Author notes: In Douluo Dalu 1 reaching Soul Ancestor- Level 40 at age of 18 is a genius)
Yet now…
That same girl was crawling on her knees, her body trembling with ecstasy and devotion, gazing at the decrepit old man as if he were the center of her universe.
Ren Li shivered. A chill crept up his spine, gnawing at his heart.
He had long known that his father was unfathomable. But every time he saw the strange glow in those women's eyes—the way their wills melted like snow before Ren Xuan's presence—he felt something deeper than fear.
It was horror, because he could not understand what his father truly was.
A raspy, almost wheezing voice broke the silence.
"Ah… Li. I've been out of touch for too long. Tell me—what year is it?"
Ren Li blinked, puzzled by the question. "It is year 1319…"
"Stop!"Ren Xuan's tone abruptly sharpened, carrying the weight of command. "I won't understand from the year alone. Tell me about the timeline, boy. Who is the current Pope of Spirit Hall?"
The sudden interrogation left Ren Li even more confused, but he quickly replied, "It is… Pope Bibi Dong."
For a brief instant, silence filled the underground chamber. Then, with a screech of movement, Ren Xuan sat upright, roughly pushing aside several naked women who clung to him. His eyes widened, the candlelight reflecting like molten gold in their depths.
"Bibi Dong… is already Pope?" he muttered, his voice trembling with disbelief. "So it's already that far ahead in time…"
His tone gradually steadied, turning contemplative.
"Tell me, how long has she held that position?"
Ren Li bowed deeply before answering, "Three years, Father. After the death of the previous Pope, Qian Xunji."
Ren Xuan froze. For a long while, he didn't move, as though trying to grasp the reality of what he had just heard. Then a low whisper escaped his lips—barely audible, yet heavy with irony.
"Three years… Qian Xunji dead? Ah… my memory of the original story is already getting blurry…"
Ren Li raised his head slightly. "Ancestor?"
But Ren Xuan merely waved a hand, dismissive and weary.
"You may leave."
Ren Li hesitated, then bowed even lower before retreating, closing the heavy door behind him.
----
The old man sank back onto his bed of silken sheets, his gaunt face sinking into the pillow. Around him, the women froze, then their naked body clung to him tightly as they were puppets.
Ren Xuan's expression softened slightly. His thoughts drifted, murmuring to himself,
'If I remember correctly… Qian Xunji's death triggered Bibi Dong's Rakshasa inheritance… Heh, time really does flow fast.'
As his eyes closed, a faint flicker of light shimmered before his vision—something only he could see.
A translucent blue screen appeared, riddled with static and cracks.Small sparks flickered across its surface as it trembled under its own instability.At the top, barely visible, was the name of the system—
[Many Children, Many Blessings System]
Ren Xuan sighed. "Why did I have to end up with a half-destroyed one…"
His expression turned bitter, then mocking.
'Still… even this broken system allowed me to reach Level 99, even after being reborn more than a hundred years before the main timeline. Not bad for an old man.'
His thoughts darkened as memories surged up from the abyss of his mind—the blinding sea, the crashing waves, the cold rage for a man named Tang Chen.
"That lunatic… I only said I'd make Bo Saixi part of my harem, with a few more concubines to accompany her—and he went berserk! Tried to kill me right there on the spot!"
Ren Xuan's laughter echoed through the cave—hoarse, broken, half-mad.
He turned his gaze back to the fractured screen, where beside the glowing text Level 99, a faint bar flickered at its edge. Slowly, it filled, as though feeding on an unseen current.
"Finally… after all these years of healing those damned internal injuries, the last bar is full."
His lips curled into a sinister smile.
"System… Level up."
The cave pulsed with light. Golden threads wrapped around his frail body, sinking into his flesh, burning away age and weakness.
Moments later, the glow faded. The decrepit old man was gone.
What remained was a man who looked no older than forty, his back straight, his eyes sharp and clear once more. His presence—though restrained—radiated quiet dominance, like a predator that had tasted blood again after years of starvation.
(Author note: The pic of Ren Xuan is attached)
Ren Xuan exhaled slowly, flexing his fingers.
His hand curled until the knuckles whitened. "So this is the power of Level 100," he muttered, tasting the thought like a new drug.
The healing of many old wounds made him regain his vigour — it all made the world feel small and pliant beneath his feet. He imagined walking across the continent and tearing down dignities held dear by so many: high priests, proud clan elders, even Tang Chen himself.
A message rippled across the cracked, flickering screen and the old man's grin faltered.
[System requires urgent repairs. Host: gather Immortal Energy for repair.]