Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sky was drenched with blood.

The air was thick with the scent of ash and death.

Ji Xia was half-kneeling on the scorching ground, each breath a sharp sting from her lungs.

She struggled to lift her head, her gaze fixed on the highest point of the city's ruins—

That was her sister.

Meng Xia, who had been her sole support for nineteen years!

She was no longer the gentle figure from memory, wearing a soft sweater, fingers wrapped in yarn.

Now, Meng Xia was draped in a black cloak flowing with dark starlight, intricate runes moving like living creatures upon it, exuding a terrifying, soul-chilling aura.

Her downcast eyes held only emptiness, devoid of any trace of human warmth.

"Sis, you..." Ji Xia mustered all her strength, trying to force a complete sentence from her throat.

A tremendous force slammed into her heart!

Ji Xia's words were cut short, her face revealing an expression of disbelief and despair.

Her entire being was like a small boat swallowed by a whirlpool, sinking into the boundless depths of the sea.

*Ring ring ring.*

The alarm clock's sound was abrupt and jarring. Ji Xia jolted upright as if waking from drowning, clutching her chest, gasping for air, trying to calm her pounding heart.

What happened?

She wasn't dead?

Her sister had clearly dealt her a fatal blow.

Ji Xia's vision slowly focused, taking in the scene before her.

Sunlight filtered through the beige curtains, bathing the entire room in a soft, gentle brightness.

The room was filled with traces of Meng Xia—the hand-crocheted yarn doll on the nightstand, the soft cushion cloth on the desk, and the plaid blanket always neatly folded at the foot of the bed.

Each piece of fabric carried the warmth of her sister's fingertips, wrapping the small bedroom in a solid, comforting embrace.

From the moment Ji Xia could remember, their parents were gone.

Meng Xia was only seven years older, yet she had shouldered the family's burdens early on.

Every meal Ji Xia ate, every piece of clothing she wore, all her tuition fees—they were all earned by her sister, stitch by stitch, through late-night work.

Outsiders pitied them, but Ji Xia never felt that way—because Meng Xia gave her all the love, never letting her suffer any grievance.

In Ji Xia's heart, as long as her sister was there, life was steady and happy.

The scene from the ruins crashed into Ji Xia's mind, a sharp pain exploding in her heart. She couldn't help but stand up and call out, "Sis!"

No response.

The soft room was filled with a cold, icy silence.

Just then, a message popped up on the phone by her pillow—

*Two Principles Painting Scroll* awaits your exploration.

Ji Xia grabbed the phone, staring intently at the screen.

How could there still be an ad for this damned game? Didn't it already invade reality, bring immense disaster to Earth, and devour human civilization...

An electric jolt shot down Ji Xia's spine.

The phone displayed a clear date—

April 4, 2044.

She had indeed died, but she was reborn.

She had returned to before the game descended!

Ji Xia rolled off the bed, the snow-white blanket slipping to the floor unnoticed, and rushed straight to the wooden desk.

On the desk lay a sticky note with a hastily scrawled line—

"Ji Xia, do not log into the game."

It was her sister's handwriting. Though written in haste, it still carried a sharp, forceful stroke, revealing a decisiveness and edge starkly different from her usual gentle demeanor.

The ink had soaked through the paper, making the final signature appear dark and severe.

In her previous life, Ji Xia had also seen this note. At the time, it had only made her heart race with fear. Trusting her sister, she had delayed entering the game.

It wasn't until strange occurrences became frequent in reality and she couldn't find Meng Xia anywhere that she finally gave in and logged in.

Not long after, the apocalypse descended!

*Two Principles Painting Scroll* invaded reality, the out-of-control game devouring human civilization!

Back then, Ji Xia grew increasingly desperate to find her sister, until finally... she saw her atop those ruins.

A stranger, a cold Meng Xia.

She seemed like a perfect creation built with the most advanced technology, yet utterly devoid of a soul.

Ji Xia hadn't even managed to speak a single word to her before she was...

She clenched her fist, unwilling to accept that Meng Xia would deal her a fatal blow.

Ji Xia looked down and saw the blanket that had slipped to the floor. She hurriedly picked up the snow-white blanket, carefully checking if it had gotten dirty.

The blanket was light in texture, pristine white and untainted by dust.

Ji Xia let out a slight sigh of relief, gently stroking its knitted pattern.

This was a birthday gift from Meng Xia.

Ji Xia's mind conjured an image of Meng Xia sitting by the window, crocheting the blanket for her under the dim, yellow lamplight.

Back then, her sister's brow always carried a faint trace of weariness, but her eyes when looking at Ji Xia were forever soft, brimming with overflowing affection and concern.

How could her sister look at her with a gaze as if she were a lifeless object?

How could she possibly kill her...

A thought struck like lightning, piercing through the fog and illuminating the gloom in Ji Xia's mind.

—That wasn't Meng Xia.

—The one who attacked her in the ruins wasn't her sister.

It was only a being that resembled her sister!

This idea spread like wildfire, instantly dominating Ji Xia's thoughts.

"It wasn't Sister, it definitely wasn't..." Ji Xia murmured, as if speaking to the plaid blanket. "So, I haven't found her yet!"

Ji Xia looked again at the crumpled note she had been clutching.

"Don't log into the game?" Ji Xia softly repeated the words.

She couldn't bring herself to do that.

Knowing what would happen in the future, how could she possibly hide like a coward?

Ji Xia set down the stuffed animal and placed the note back into the drawer.

Click.

As the drawer closed, the confusion on Ji Xia's face faded, replaced only by determination.

Rather than waiting passively for death, it was better to take the initiative and strike.

This time, she had more clues—she would definitely find her sister!

Ji Xia picked up her phone from the desk and quickly ordered a game pod.

At this moment, her phone was flooded with promotional ads for *Two Principles Painting Scroll*.

In her previous life, she had tried to seek help from the authorities, but the harsh reality far exceeded her imagination.

Governments around the world had long ago joined forces to establish official organizations like the "Civilization Committee." They had detected the game's infiltration into reality much earlier than anyone else.

The "Committee" had attempted various methods to shut down the game, but all had failed. They couldn't even stop the cheap distribution of game pods in the real world.

In her previous life, Ji Xia had encountered people from the "Committee." The waters there ran deep, and she didn't want to be labeled an "illegal intruder," taken away, and placed under surveillance.

Ji Xia looked at the game pod delivered to her doorstep in just five short minutes and muttered sarcastically, "They really are in a hurry."

Without further hesitation, she set aside the soft, snow-white blanket and lay down inside the game pod.

The moment she pressed the start button, her consciousness felt like it was being pulled away. She fell into a passageway constructed from pure data and flowing light.

Countless silhouettes of civilizations raced past her—massive bronze cauldrons, the crumbling Tower of Babel, spaceships lost in the starry sky... Everything was so bizarre and surreal, as if the entire river of human civilization had been compressed into a fleeting instant.

The clamor abruptly ceased.

Ji Xia found herself in a vast, endless starry sky. Beneath her feet was a mirror-like void, reflecting the constantly rotating phantoms of civilizations above.

"Welcome to *Two Principles Painting Scroll*."

"Shaping your World Shadow now."

An ethereal voice rang out, and a translucent interface appeared before her eyes.

The material of the interface resembled jade yet wasn't quite jade, with faint data streams glowing along its edges. However, the characters displayed on it were ancient, bold, and powerful seal script.

"Please enter your ID."

Ji Xia's fingertip traced through the void, inputting two characters:

Ji Xia.

There was no need for her to disguise herself.

She wanted to tell Meng Xia clearly—

I'm here.

After creating her ID, her basic personal attribute panel also appeared:

ID: Ji Xia

HP: 100/100

Spirit Ink: 150/150 (Above Average)

Strength: 6 (Slightly Above Average)

Constitution: 6 (Slightly Above Average)

Agility: 7 (Above Average)

Intelligence: 7 (Above Average)

Charisma: 7 (Above Average)

Civilization Fragments: None.

Jianghu Title: None.

Ji Xia's base attributes weren't bad.

The highest base value was 10 points, with 5 points being the level of an average person. Starting from 6 points, even a one-point increase could create a noticeable gap between players.

However, the primary combat method in *Two Principles Painting Scroll* was collecting, cultivating, and using Civilization Fragments.

Once one possessed powerful Civilization Fragments, the differences in base attributes would gradually be smoothed out.

"Appearance adjustment permissions are now open. The base template is your real-world appearance. You may adjust it by ±50% from this baseline."

Ji Xia intended to lower her appearance by fifty percent, just as she had in her previous life, as it would make things more convenient.

Just as her fingertip was about to touch the adjustment slider, a notification email shimmering with starlight popped up in the center of her vision.

There was no sender, no subject line—the email appeared inexplicably.

Ji Xia hesitated slightly but still opened it.

The moment she confirmed, the email transformed into an indescribable, multicolored primordial light. As if possessing a life of its own, it instantly surged into the depths of her consciousness!

"Hmm—"

A faint, rosy cloud-glow spread before her eyes. A translucent scroll, exuding a timeless aura, slowly unfurled before her. Lustrous, glazed characters materialized upon it:

Fragment Name: "Divine Cloud Brocade"

Fragment Category: Civilization Vessel

Fragment Quality: Creation

Fragment Status: Inactive

Authority: Unknown

"A Civilization Vessel? A Creation-grade sacred artifact!" Ji Xia's breath caught.

In her memories of her past life, legends about "Civilization Vessels" were common knowledge.

In the *Two Principles Painting Scroll*... and even in the reality it ultimately invaded, "Civilization Vessels" were the very definition of absolute power.

Each of these "sacred artifacts" was the ultimate embodiment of a civilization's concept, terrifying entities capable of distorting reality and touching the rules of the world.

And now, such a "Civilization Vessel" had appeared before her in such an unbelievable way...

Why?

Who sent her that email?

In her past life, Ji Xia had not received such an email.

But she had heard of the famous name "Divine Cloud Brocade."

The emergence of this "sacred artifact" had been too cataclysmic, actually blowing up a high-risk civilization dungeon.

Countless people had witnessed that awe-inspiring spectacle, and many later analyzed and compiled detailed walkthroughs about it—as references for finding other sacred artifacts.

Since Ji Xia had befriended someone obsessed with "sacred artifacts," she had some understanding of the Divine Cloud Brocade.

The power wielded by the "Divine Cloud Brocade" was immensely potent, but its activation and development were also highly difficult.

But that could wait. At this moment, Ji Xia's heart raced. What she didn't understand was why the "Divine Cloud Brocade" was lying in her mailbox.

Ji Xia didn't believe in free lunches falling from the sky; she only sensed the scent of a plot behind this.

To take it or not?

Taking it meant that from now on, she would become the prey of some shadowy mastermind, every step potentially leading her into a carefully set trap.

Abandon it?

Ji Xia remembered her former self, remembered that feeling of utter helplessness amidst the ruins.

That existence which bore such a striking resemblance to her elder sister undoubtedly possessed a sacred artifact capable of warping reality.

Ji Xia needed power.

Power to contend with it.

She exhaled slowly, her gaze becoming steady and determined.

Risk and opportunity were two sides of the same coin.

This Divine Cloud Brocade was undoubtedly a razor-sharp "blade"!

Ji Xia claimed the "Divine Cloud Brocade."

Instantly, the "Divine Cloud Brocade" transformed into a warm radiance and merged into Ji Xia's body.

Her status panel beside her changed; the "Charm" value began spiking erratically.

The original score of 7 was already above normal, but now it suddenly jumped to 9, then to 10, and then...

The numbers smudged into a blur, finally disappearing with a 'pop,' replaced by three letters: Max.

"Maximum value?" A sense of dread washed over Ji Xia. She quickly conjured a full-length mirror.

In the mirror, her facial features retained their original contours, yet they seemed perfectly sculpted by an invisible hand of law, presenting a flawless, balanced beauty.

The greatest change was that ineffable aura. She seemed separated from the mundane world by an invisible film, emanating a serene, pristine grace.

This couldn't be described by mere beauty; it was a 'perfection' dictated by rules.

"What the hell!"

Ji Xia cursed, breaking that cold perfection and instantly bringing the reflection to life.

She immediately went to adjust her looks slider.

—Having such a face would be way too much trouble!

Ji Xia dragged the appearance adjustment slider, pulling it down a full 50%.

However, nothing changed.

Even after a 50% reduction, the reflection's appearance remained divinely beautiful, otherworldly and detached.

A phrase inexplicably surfaced in Ji Xia's mind—a top student scores 100 because the test only has 100 points.

Applied to this face, it meant—maximum is maximum; no matter how much you reduce it, it's still the maximum.

Looking at that face in the mirror, one capable of toppling cities and ruining states, Ji Xia laughed in exasperation.

"...Fine." Ji Xia addressed her reflection, as if challenging the mastermind behind this across space, "Want me to be the center of attention? Then don't blame me for muddying the waters!"

An ethereal female voice sounded: "Your World's Shadow has been established, esteemed 'World Painter.' Please piece together the paper with civilization fragments, use Spirit Ink as your pigment, wield your brush to add the finishing touches, and reconstruct reality."

Ji Xia felt her vision go dark. When it brightened again, she felt a light drizzle and heard the standard line from a beginner village NPC: "Child, are you alright? You... Holy shit, this isn't a 'child,' this is an immortal!"

Ji Xia: "..."

The beginner village was a civilization fragment derived from *Along the River During the Qingming Festival*. How could a Song Dynasty NPC blurt out such modern profanity?

It was like someone had signed the original *Along the River During the Qingming Festival* with a marker pen.

Truly worthy of being one of the Seven Great Sacred Artifacts, already distorting reality.

It had forcefully shattered the NPC's fixed dialogue!

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A new journey begins~

Looking forward to seeing you all every day from now on [heart].

Same as always—

1. Updates at 8 AM daily (will give a heads-up if anything comes up)

2. I'll be dropping red envelopes in the comment section for this new story (available until the next chapter goes live).