As Spatial Stasis vanished, Dominic Donghuang and Gerald Jiang were shocked to discover that their meridians and dantians had been sealed, and at the same time, a powerful spiritual force erupted in their seas of consciousness, seeking to enslave them.
After all, both men were seasoned Earth Realm Ninth Layer cultivators. It took them a full five seconds before the Puppet Mastery Divine Art completely took control.
Seeing this, Ian Song finally relaxed completely.
Lyra Hale totally panicked and lunged forward, desperate to grab him before he vanished...
Both men bowed their noble heads to Ian Song at the same time, leaving Vivian Gee and the others nearby utterly baffled.
"Master, what's happening? Why did you surrender?" Vivian Gee asked in confusion. Just now, she'd only seen Ian Song charge ahead, and suddenly he was standing in front of Dominic Donghuang and her master, the Sea God King.
Then Dominic Donghuang and the Sea God King just stood there, dazed for several seconds, and suddenly both admitted defeat to Ian Song at the same time.
"That Qin Kingdom female chancellor Vivian Gee just fell for you. So, congrats, you nailed the second mission." Meow-Meow replied, sounding like it was absolutely loving the drama.
Hearing her master's explanation, Vivian Gee stared at Ian Song in shock. "You... how did you do that?"
For some reason, when Ian Song looked at Vivian, her heart started racing and her face turned red.
"Are you Vivian Gee, the female chancellor of Qin?"
"Greetings, Grand General Song. I never thought you'd know my humble name," Vivian replied, looking a little shy.
Noticing this, Ian Song was rather puzzled. Was this female chancellor of Qin so easily embarrassed?
Ding! Mission complete: You’ve won the hearts of two of the Four Great Beauties! Reward: 200 million Fame Points.
Ian Song was stunned. How did the mission suddenly get completed?
"System, what the hell is going on?"
Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing all three missions in the 'Great Qin World.' Would you like to return? If you do not choose, you will be forcibly returned in twenty-four hours.
Hearing the system prompt again, Ian Song felt an urge to curse out loud.
Ding! No selection detected. Defaulting to 'Return.' Return countdown: 3, 2, 1!
Crap!
Ian Song couldn't help but curse out loud.
But as soon as he finished speaking, a ring of white light appeared and enveloped him. With a swoosh, he vanished from everyone's sight.
"Brother-in-law!"
Lyra Hale freaked out and dashed forward, her face pale with panic...
When Ian Song reappeared, he was back in the circular hall where he had first entered the world. Back then, there had been nine portals around the hall, but now only eight remained. The missing one was surely the 'Great Qin World' he had just traversed.
His child wasn't even born yet, and he hadn't had a chance to say goodbye to Jade Fox (his official wife), Lily and Autumn (his loyal maids and lovers), Lila (the beauty whose charm spell backfired), or Lyra Hale (true-lineage disciple and now his lover), before being yanked back to the real world. No wonder he was so frustrated.
"Meow-Meow, tell me—what the hell just happened?" Ian Song roared in anger.
"That female chancellor of Qin, Vivian Gee, fell in love with you. So, you completed the second mission," Meow-Meow replied, its tone making Ian Song feel it was gloating a little.
"Damn it! I just met her for the first time—how could she possibly be in love with me?" Ian Song protested, speechless.
"You have to trust the system's judgment. If the system says she's in love with you, then she is. Maybe it's just a classic case of love at first sight!" Meow-Meow continued.
"Love at first sight, my ass!"
Thinking that he might never see Lyra and the others again, Ian Song felt overwhelmingly lost. "Meow-Meow, is there any way I can go back to that world?"
Meow-Meow fell silent.
Impatient, Ian Song urged, "Come on, just tell me—can I ever go back to that world or not?"
"In theory, yes." After a moment of silence, Meow-Meow finally replied.
Hearing this, Ian Song felt a chill in his heart and continued to ask, "What conditions do I need to meet?"
"The system has recorded that world's coordinates. When you have the power to break through the spatial barrier, you can return to that world!"
"So what kind of power does it take to break the spatial barrier?"
"Maybe when your cultivation hits the Immortal Realm." (Immortal Realm: a legendary cultivation tier, way beyond Ian's current level—getting there could take decades or centuries.)
"Immortal Realm?"
Ian Song was stunned. His cultivation hadn’t even reached Foundation Establishment yet—who knew how long it would take to reach Immortal Realm? Even if he did break through, it would be decades or centuries before he could return. What would be the point then?
By then, Lyra and the other women would probably have already died of old age.
"Why does it have to be this way?"
Ian Song grabbed his hair, his face twisted in pain.
"Host, do you know why the system made the 'win the hearts of the Four Great Beauties' mission?" Meow-Meow's voice sounded again.
"Why?"
Meow-Meow's tone grew solemn: "Tempering the heart. Humans have seven emotions and six desires. As you grow stronger, you will gain much and lose much. Only by making you learn what it means to lose now, can you avoid losing your Dao heart in the future."
Hearing Meow-Meow's explanation, Ian Song understood the system's thoughtful intention. But understanding was one thing; he still couldn't accept it emotionally.
"Enough—don’t dwell on it. You’ll experience many more worlds like this. Here’s some good news: in this world, you completed all three system missions and earned 800 million Fame Points, plus a hidden mission worth 300 million Fame Points."
Completing all system missions perfectly earns you one lottery draw. Completing a hidden mission earns you another.
Young man, do you want to draw now?
Two extra lottery draws, but Ian Song couldn't feel happy at all. "Forget it, I'll draw another day. Meow-Meow, send me out!"
"Alright."
As soon as Meow-Meow finished speaking, Ian Song returned to his rented apartment.
Lying on his bed in the rented apartment, Ian couldn't help but think of Jade Fox (his official wife), Lily and Autumn (his loyal maids and lovers), Lila (whose charm technique backfired and made her truly devoted), and Lyra Hale (true-lineage disciple and now his lover). He imagined how devastated they'd be when they realized he'd vanished. If he ever entered another world, he swore—no more getting tangled up with women so easily.
He never wanted to go through this kind of heartbreak a second time.
Though he returned early, he had no intention of canceling his leave. He felt he needed time to calm his heart.
Lying there, the faces of Jade Fox, Lily, Autumn, Lila, and Lyra flashed through his mind. He wondered how heartbroken they'd be at his sudden disappearance. If he ever entered another world, he swore he'd never get involved with women so easily again.
He never wanted to experience this kind of pain a second time.
A few days passed in a flash.
Ian Song's leave ended. He returned to Waterwood University, went to his homeroom teacher to formally cancel his leave, and before coming to campus, he stopped by a barber shop to cut his long hair. After all, he had only been gone ten days, but his hair had grown long—if anyone saw him, they'd think it was strange.