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The sun was dipping toward the horizon, staining the sky over Heartspring Settlement in soft rose-gold. It had been a long day of organizing volunteers, measuring land, and studying the system's town-planning blueprint. Tired but satisfied, Shan Liang and Xie E walked together back toward their temporary camp near the river.
From afar, Shan Liang noticed something odd.
Xie E was… quiet.
Not his usual quiet.
This was the silence of someone wrestling with something inside.
"Xie," she called gently, "are you alright? You haven't spoken since midday."
He stopped walking.
For a moment he didn't turn around. The wind ruffled his dark hair, and she sensed a faint tremor — emotional, not physical.
"I'm fine," he finally said. "Just… feeling something changing inside me."
She blinked.
"Changing? Your energy? Did you eat something bad? Did I forget to heal an injury—"
Xie E shook his head.
"No. It's not that. It's… my core."
His voice deepened slightly when he said it, heavier, like he was speaking from a deeper part of himself.
Shan Liang's heart jumped.
She immediately opened her Status Panel to double-check his readings.
But before she could—
The air around them thickened.
Like shadows were gathering, even though the sun was still shining.
Xie E staggered, clutching his chest.
"XIE!" Shan Liang rushed to him. "What's happening?!"
He grit his teeth. Cold sweat broke across his forehead.
But his eyes—his calm, steady eyes—remained clear.
"Liang… I think… I'm about to break through."
Shan Liang froze.
Tier breakthroughs were normally slow, prepared, meditative processes.
Xie E had shown no signs of nearing a breakthrough that morning.
But now?
It was like a pressure valve had burst open inside him.
He knelt on one knee, shadows seeping outward from his body—not wild, not chaotic… but controlled, as if obeying some unspoken command.
Shan Liang stepped back instinctively; the pressure made the air vibrate.
Her system chimed.
[Alert: Witnessing Tier Advancement]
[Subject: Xie E]
[Elemental Affinity: Shadow / Darkness / Destruction]
[Host Advisory: Maintain distance. Emotional support recommended. Physical interference discouraged.]
Shan Liang's breath caught.
He had a Darkness affinity?
No wonder his combat instincts were so sharp, his presence so calm yet intimidating.
No wonder even wild beasts avoided him.
She had suspected he was gifted.
But this…
This was something else entirely.
"Xie… your affinity…"
He managed a strained laugh between breaths.
"I figured you'd find out eventually."
The shadows thickened — but unlike other sinister dark energies she had seen, this one didn't feel evil.
It felt like…
A shield.
A protector's cloak.
Silent, deadly, but loyal.
Like him.
Suddenly—
BOOM.
A pulse of dark energy exploded outward in a perfect sphere.
It wasn't violent.
It wasn't corrupted.
It wasn't destructive.
It was simply strong.
So strong the ground cracked.
Trees bent.
Birds fled from entire forests.
Shan Liang shielded her eyes from the burst.
When the shock faded, she saw Xie E floating slightly above the ground, energy spiraling around him like a cloak of black flame threaded with silver.
Then—
A crack.
A loud snap echoed inside their minds, as if a barrier had shattered.
The darkness folded into him like a breathing lung—
And then everything went still.
Xie E landed softly on the ground.
He straightened, shadows fading until he looked normal again—except for a faint purple shimmer in his pupils and a subtle aura of power radiating from him.
Shan Liang gasped when she saw his energy signature.
Tier 4 — Soul Elder equivalent.
Xie E had crossed beyond what most people would ever dream of reaching in their entire lifetime.
She ran to him.
"Xie! How do you feel?!"
He blinked a few times, testing his limbs, rolling his shoulders.
A small smile curved his lips.
"Stronger. But also… clearer. Like something inside me finally aligned."
Then, turning softer:
"And I think… I needed this. To protect you. And them."
Shan Liang felt her heart jump.
For a moment she forgot about the system, the missions, the settlement—everything.
It was just them.
Alive.
Growing.
Becoming stronger together.
Suddenly, a soft golden light appeared in front of Shan Liang.
A new system notification.
[Major Event Detected: Companion Breakthrough to Tier 4]
[Evaluating Host Environment Stability…]
[Assessing Civilization Development Potential…]
[Analysis Complete. Unlocking New Function:]
[
"…C-Civilization Tree?" Shan Liang whispered.
The system expanded the message.
[The Civilization Tree is a dynamic model of humanity's long-term growth.]
[It displays developmental branches: Agriculture, Governance, Warfare, Medicine, Knowledge, Culture, Engineering, Soul Power Development, and more.]
[Advancing any branch unlocks new technologies, systems, structures, and knowledge modules.]
[Note: Host is designated as "Primary Cultivator of Civilization Tree." Companion Node Xie E registered as "Guardian Branch Leader."]
Shan Liang's eyes widened.
This wasn't just a system upgrade.
This was a roadmap for building a true human civilization.
"Xie," she whispered, voice trembling, "our work… it's about to change completely."
He stepped close to her, reading the floating text with narrowed eyes.
"A tree… representing the whole future of humanity?"
He sounded awed.
But also determined.
"What do we need to do next?" he asked her softly.
Shan Liang swallowed.
"…Everything."
The system displayed two glowing panels.
Shan Liang:
[Designation: Architect of Civilization]
[Primary Role: Develop agriculture, knowledge, governance, and social structures.]
[Specialty: Healing, education, moral guidance, community building.]
Xie E:
[Designation: Guardian of the Tree]
[Primary Role: Protect key leaders and settlements; establish defensive structures; train warriors.]
[Specialty: Combat, patrol logistics, danger suppression.]
Shan Liang felt overwhelmed.
Xie E placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"We've already started this journey," he said gently. "This just… puts a name to it."
She took a steadying breath.
"Yes. And if we succeed… humanity will enter an age it has never seen before."
Far above, beyond mortal skies, in the divine realm—
Ye Caiqian sat within his expanding god domain, meditating.
Suddenly he felt a faint ripple.
"…Hm?"
A subtle pulse of human potential, sharp and bright, brushed his senses.
"Ah… someone just broke a boundary in one of the lower worlds."
He opened his eyes slightly.
"Was it her? Or the one beside her…?"
He smiled faintly.
"Good. Grow well, little seedlings. The future depends on you."
As night fell, Shan Liang and Xie E sat on a hill overlooking the raw land that would one day become Heartspring Settlement.
The stars reflected in the river below.
The wind was cool.
The world felt vast and full of promise.
Shan Liang whispered:
"Xie… I'm afraid. What if I fail? What if the system chose wrong?"
He shook his head immediately.
"No."
He took her hand.
"You're the only person it could have chosen."
She felt her cheeks warm.
"Then… let's build this world together."
He smiled.
"Together."
The system chimed softly, almost warmly.
[New Civilization Phase Initiated:]
[Phase Title: The Foundations of Heartspring]
[Objective: Build Humanity's First True Town]
[Status: In Progress…]
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