Ye Wen felt a strange confusion; wasn't he on Mount Olympus? How could his Junior Sister be standing right in front of him? And more importantly, the Junior Sister before him seemed different—this appearance looked… younger?

While lost in thought, a sharp pain suddenly struck the top of his head. Tears immediately began gushing uncontrollably from his eyes. Ye Wen, hands trembling, clutched his head. He realized a distinct lump had formed there. This bizarre situation completely baffled him; he had no idea what was happening.

"Huh? Did I hit too hard?" Ning Ruxue glanced at Ye Wen, then curiously examined her own fist. "Weird, it felt exactly like normal!"

"Why did you hit me?" After a long moment, Ye Wen’s head finally started to feel a little better, but that seemingly minor punch had taken him a long time to recover from. This strangeness made Ye Wen even more perplexed. "How come it took me so long to snap out of it?"

"You didn't get knocked silly, did you?" Ning Ruxue patted Ye Wen's head with an expression of sympathy. Ignoring Ye Wen’s look of displeasure, she continued speaking to herself, "Hurry up and let's go, school’s over!"

"What? School's over?" Ye Wen, who hadn't grasped anything that had just transpired, was utterly stunned by Ning Ruxue's sudden declaration. It was only then that he noticed he was sitting in a classroom, perched on a very ordinary chair in front of a desk.

Surrounding him were countless identical desks. The only difference, if any, between his desk and the others was a very obvious patch of water staining the surface.

"Are you sleepwalking?" Ning Ruxue opposite him clapped her hands impatiently. "Wake up already!"

Dully turning his slightly stiff neck, Ye Wen surveyed his surroundings once more, finally confirming he was indeed in a classroom. Many students wearing school uniforms were packing their belongings, preparing to leave.

"Eh?" Ye Wen sat there blankly, observing everything. "Eh? Eh? Eh?"

"Eh what?" Ning Ruxue reached out and pinched Ye Wen’s cheek hard again. "Let's go! You didn't stay behind for any club activities, why are you still loitering at school?"

"Eh?"

He was practically dragged out of the classroom. Along the way, Ye Wen kept scrutinizing everything. He initially felt he had no memory of his surroundings, but as he took in more sights during their walk, he realized that memories were slowly surfacing in his mind.

"Strange, why does this feel so awkward?"

Ning Ruxue, tugging him forward, was dressed in a white sailor uniform, paired with a teal pleated short skirt. A significant length of her long, fair legs was exposed to the air, only covered below the calf by a pair of thin white socks.

"This attire…"

Seeing Ning Ruxue dressed this way sent another wave of disorientation through Ye Wen. His memory seemed to insist this was just an ordinary uniform, yet a persistent voice kept telling him: Junior Sister had never dressed like this!

Under this strange confusion, Ye Wen blurted out, "Junior Sister…"

"Junior Sister what?" Ning Ruxue suddenly stopped, turned around, and scolded him with her hands on her hips. "I keep telling you not to read so much rubbish! And you're still talking about learning martial arts? Look at yourself—where is the demeanor of a high schooler?"

"Hig—high schooler?" Ye Wen pointed at himself, looking uncertain.

What he received in return was an even more scornful look from Ning Ruxue. "What else would you be? A great martial hero capable of flying through the heavens and burrowing through the earth?"

"Flying and burrowing… a great hero?" Ye Wen found the combination of these actions with the word 'hero' incredibly jarring, but upon reflection, it didn't seem entirely strange; in his memory, heroes did seem to possess such abilities.

He scratched his hair, which felt slightly longer than usual. Reaching behind him, Ye Wen discovered that his waist-length hair was completely gone. His current hair barely covered his neck.

"Your hair is growing long again. Make sure to get it cut on the way back," Ning Ruxue said, approaching to feel Ye Wen’s hair after noticing his movement. She then chided him, "You haven't cut your hair in ages. Whenever I tell you to go get a trim, you always find an excuse to avoid it!"

"Oh!" Ye Wen was still feeling rather hazy, but in this brief span, he seemed to have 'remembered' quite a bit more!

He and Ning Ruxue had grown up together, childhood sweethearts who were inseparable. From elementary to middle school and then high school, they had attended the same schools, even the same classes. Their parents had always expected them to end up together.

Thinking this, Ye Wen felt an increasing sense of unreality, a feeling that only intensified after he returned home.

A detached, single-family house. Ye Wen sat in the dining room, watching his mother serve him rice. As he accepted the bowl, he murmured a soft thank you, his gaze fixed on his mother's face.

"What's wrong with this child today?"

After being stared at for a while, Mother Ye found it strange, especially since Ye Wen seemed distracted even while eating, barely touching his favorite dishes.

But Father Ye's casual remark nearly made Ye Wen sink beneath the table: "Probably just got scolded by that girl Ruxue?"

Because of that single sentence, Ye Wen quickly finished his meal in just a few mouthfuls and bolted to his room. He looked at the spacious room, which was almost entirely buried under stacks of video game consoles and various books.

He casually pulled a book from the shelf and found it was a manga. He pulled another; it was a wuxia novel.

Staring at the two books in his hands, Ye Wen looked utterly bewildered. "Did I really just sleep until I was out of my mind today?"

He slotted the books back in place, closed his door, and squatted down to rummage beneath his bed, eventually uncovering his 'remembered' hidden treasure.

"It really is here!"

Ye Wen chuckled at the pile of things before him. Just as he was about to admire his collection, he heard his mother call from downstairs, "Ruxue is here!"

He hurriedly stuffed everything back into the box and shoved it under the bed. Ye Wen quickly sat down at his desk, adopting the posture of a diligent student. The moment he struck this pose, the door was pushed open.

"Huh?"

Ning Ruxue's voice made Ye Wen jump, and he secretly thought, Has she noticed something is wrong?

Then he heard her follow up, "What's the matter today? Thinking of hitting the books?"

Hearing this, Ye Wen felt overwhelmingly awkward. He finally remembered that he wasn't exactly a model student; normally, lazing around reading novels or manga would be more appropriate, or maybe playing video games.

As he frantically tried to figure out how to respond, Ye Wen suddenly remembered that exams were only a few days away, so he casually said, "Uh, isn't it because the exams are coming up?"

"Ha!" Ning Ruxue let out a few dry laughs. "So you do worry about exams after all!"

She leaned close to Ye Wen, laughing happily. "Are you worried that if you don't study harder, you won't be able to get into the same university as me?"

Ye Wen looked at the beautiful face so close to his own. The fresh fragrance wafting from her made his heart quicken. He suddenly felt an impulse to pull her into an embrace, but his body traitorously lurched backward, and he managed to stammer out, "Who… who would worry about that kind of thing?"

The moment he registered his own movement, he cursed inwardly, Damn, how weak!

Shifting his gaze slightly back, he noticed Ning Ruxue’s face had flushed scarlet. Perhaps after his sudden recoil, she too had realized how intimate their proximity had just been, and she was now feeling self-conscious.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became slightly strained, until Mother Ye’s voice drifted up from downstairs: "Your father and I are going out! There are drinks in the fridge; come down and get one if you want one!"

"Got it!"

After a casual reply, Ye Wen realized: in that case, wouldn't it just be him and Ning Ruxue left in the house?

"Huh? Why is this developing like a scene from a comic?"

Ye Wen, feeling increasingly bizarre, couldn't fathom how things had reached this point. When he saw Ning Ruxue's flushed cheeks, the plot seemed to begin leaning toward the collectibles hidden under his bed.

"I know you prefer girls like Senior Sister Hua!"

"What?"

"Senior Sister Hua is beautiful, she has a great figure, and she’s so smart…" Ning Ruxue said, hanging her head, appearing to lose confidence.

Ye Wen felt the situation becoming exponentially stranger. Did he have to make a grand gesture, perhaps by taking her down, to confess his feelings? The thought had barely formed before his hands acted on their own, directly pressing Ning Ruxue onto his single bed.

"Actually… I like you the most!"

Ning Ruxue froze, lying flat on the bed, staring at Ye Wen in astonishment. The tears still shimmering in her eyes finally escaped, but unlike before, her face was now illuminated by a brilliant smile.

Looking at her expression, Ye Wen felt a violent surge in his chest. Then, he leaned down and captured her soft, warm lips.

A low murmur echoed in the silent room, clear and distinct. Ye Wen offered no verbal reply, but his actions provided the clearest answer. As the continuous motions progressed, one thin layer of fabric after another was peeled away from her beautiful body and tossed aside.

Ning Ruxue’s face was completely crimson. She covered her face, allowing Ye Wen to do as he pleased, trembling slightly as garment after garment was removed. When the fabric covering her feet was finally pulled away, she suddenly felt Ye Wen's movements halt abruptly.

"Do you know something?"

"What?" Ning Ruxue started, confused about why Ye Wen was speaking now. She assumed he was about to whisper sweet nothings, so she kept her hands covering her face as before.

"Lying to me comes with a price, and one I despise above all else!"

Ye Wen's voice sounded as if dredged from an abyss—icy, cruel, and laced with unmistakable killing intent! Ning Ruxue froze, instantly sensing something was terribly wrong. She released her hands and sat up abruptly, leaning against the headboard, staring at Ye Wen in confusion.

"You… what's wrong?"

"Still acting?" Ye Wen’s face was cold. He tossed the item in his hand aside, his fingers clicking together with a crisp, popping sound that sent a shiver down the spine.

"I… I don't understand what you mean!" Ning Ruxue shrank back against the headboard, resembling a small lamb being victimized by a villain, fear clearly visible on her face. "You are so strange today! This kind of Ye Wen…"

"Do I have to shout 'This kind of Ye Wen is what I don't like' for you to stop?" Ye Wen sneered. "I felt something was off from the start, and I finally confirmed it just now—this is all just an illusion you conjured! What school has such an affectionate uniform? Or this Japanese-style domestic setting straight out of a comic book!"

Ye Wen felt a surge of anger building and filling his entire body. Then, a strange sensation followed, as if something had shattered. Immediately after, the latent energy, almost imperceptible before, began surging through his body again, flowing freely at his command.

He raised his hand and a wisp of cloud vapor materialized in his palm—the White Cloud Smoke Energy from the Huntian Baojian. Seeing the energy in his hand, Ye Wen sighed deeply. "I have to admit, you did very well. You almost convinced me this was real, and that everything else was the dream!"

Seeing the energy in Ye Wen's palm, the 'Ning Ruxue' opposite him finally dropped her fearful facade and regained her composure. Looking at Ye Wen, she asked curiously, "How did you notice?"

Ye Wen sneered, "My Junior Sister is extremely sensitive about me looking at that part of her!"

"That part?"

Noticing the other figure seemed to be misinterpreting his meaning, Ye Wen immediately pointed toward her nearly flawless jade feet. Those feet, white as jade, were like exquisitely crafted artwork, instantly inciting an urge to admire them.

Seeing Ye Wen point there, the 'Ning Ruxue' became even more confused. This was perfectly recreated based on Ye Wen’s memories; how could a flaw have slipped through?

Ye Wen’s face remained cold. "My Junior Sister’s foot sustained an injury once, leaving some scars. While there are ways to remove them, she never bothered. Only my Junior Sister and I know about this, and because it's something rarely brought up, it was buried deep in my memory… If not for that, perhaps you would have exploited it too!"

He was referring to the incident when Ning Ruxue was bitten by the Red Thread Snake. It was because of that event that their relationship had progressed significantly. Ning Ruxue might have kept the scars as a memento, choosing not to remove the wounds, but today, that very detail inadvertently aided Ye Wen.

The 'Ning Ruxue' let out a soft laugh. "I didn't think there was such a detail. You got lucky!" However, her gaze toward Ye Wen held a distinct air of dismissal. "But even so, what does it matter? You will still be trapped here…"

"Hmph. Since I know this is just an illusion, how can it possibly affect me?" Ye Wen glared. He activated his Glazed Pupils. In an instant, a dazzling seven-colored light flashed, and everything around them seemed to melt away like snow exposed to fierce flames. When the distortion vanished, Ye Wen withdrew his Glazed Pupils and scanned his surroundings. He was standing once again at the entrance of the Hall of Gods, and there was no one else around him.

"Did they run?"

Ye Wen had no idea who had tried to target him this time, but he knew he had made an enemy. Especially since this person dared to impersonate Ning Ruxue!

However, even though the culprit escaped, he hadn't gotten off scot-free when Ye Wen shattered the illusion or dream. He estimated that under the full force of his Glazed Pupils' eruption, the other party must have sustained some injury.

Somewhere Ye Wen couldn't see, two figures were sitting, clutching their chests and gasping for breath. One, a very petite girl with an extremely sweet and adorable face, looked toward the distant Hall of Gods with lingering fear, breathing a sigh of relief. "Such terrifying power! Not only did it shatter my illusion, but it nearly killed me!"

The woman sitting next to her had a cascade of voluminous, thick hair naturally flowing down her back, though strands near her forehead were slicked against her skin from sweat. Despite her slightly pale complexion, her astonishing beauty was undiminished.

After regulating her breath, the woman smoothed her hair and stood, glancing toward the Hall of Gods. "This man is indeed hard to deal with. No wonder Ares suffered a slight loss at his hands!"

She then turned to the petite girl. "Phantasmothos, do not mention today's events to anyone!"

"Of course… such an embarrassing failure…" His greatest pride, his illusion, had been broken, and he would never tell anyone. To nearly be killed within his own illusion while allied with Aphrodite—if this got out, he would never be able to hold his head up again.

The two of them finished speaking and turned to retreat to their respective temples for rest, only to find that the man who should have been outside the Hall of Gods was now standing directly behind them.

"Are you two the ones who ambushed me?"

Cold sweat began to bead on Phantasmothos’s forehead. But he immediately rushed forward, placing the beautiful woman behind him—not because he was trying to act tough, but because he understood this was the only move he could make.

He still possessed some minimal combat capability. The woman beside him… frankly, even fully armed, she would be instantly dispatched. It was better for him to hold the opponent off so she could call for reinforcements.

But thinking about it, this Eastern man had come here supposedly to express goodwill toward the Olympian Gods. In that light, he probably wouldn't harm them, right? Unfortunately, Phantasmothos clearly misunderstood Ye Wen's character. When he looked back at Ye Wen, he saw the Eastern man raising his right hand. On his extended fingertip flickered a dazzling purple light—a light that was mesmerizingly beautiful yet radiated an intensely dangerous aura.