The Star-God Selection: A Very Awkward First Contact
The World-Gate didn't just open; it exhaled. A shimmering rift of stardust and raw spatial energy tore through the sky above the Mountain of Iron, turning the blue atmosphere into a swirling violet nebula.
"Alright, everyone! Single file!" I shouted, standing at the precipice of the rift. "If you lose a limb in transit, don't worry—the System has a 'Reattachment' sale next Tuesday!"
We stepped through.
The Star-God Realm wasn't a planet; it was a cluster of floating continents suspended in a sea of silver light. The gravity was so intense that a normal Core Formation cultivator would have been crushed into a pancake. But my 10,000, bolstered by their Resonance Armor and the Divine Vein's residual energy, simply grunted and adjusted their stance.
"Master," Xuan Lu whispered, looking at a distant, glowing palace that seemed to be carved from a single diamond. "I think someone is coming. And they don't look like they're bringing tea."
The Goddess of the Eternal Frost
A streak of white light cut through the silver sky. It landed a hundred yards from us, shattering the crystalline ground. As the dust settled, a woman stood there.
She was draped in robes of celestial silk that seemed to flow like liquid moonlight. Her hair was the color of a dying star—silver-blue and radiating a cold, sharp power. This was Lian Hua, the Young Mistress of the Eternal Frost Sect, the undisputed heavyweight champions of this galaxy.
She looked at my 10,000 disciples. Then she looked at me. Her expression was one of profound, icy confusion.
"I felt a disturbance in the fabric of the universe," she said, her voice sounding like snapping icicles. "I expected a Void-Beast or a collapsing sun. Instead, I find... a man in a bathrobe leading a parade of golden-clad peasants."
"It's a 'Sect Leader's Casual Tunic,' actually," I said, clearing my throat and trying to look cool despite the fact that Burny the dragon was currently trying to eat a nearby floating rock. "I'm here for the recruitment. You look like you have a high ceiling. Want a job? Benefits include dental and a free egg."
Lian Hua's eyes narrowed. A frost-circle expanded from her feet, instantly turning the ground into a skating rink. "You dare mock the Eternal Frost? I am a Star-God Level 3. You are... an anomaly. Leave this realm, or I will freeze your soul for eternity."
The "Clash" of Interests
"Xuan Lu, hold my tea," I said.
I stepped forward. I didn't use a technique. I just released a tiny fraction of the Spirit Severing power I'd gained from the System. The frost-circle hit my boots and simply evaporated.
Lian Hua gasped. She lunged, her palm glowing with the Absolute Zero Strike. I didn't dodge. I caught her wrist.
The world went silent. To the observers, it looked like a legendary clash of titans. To me? It felt like a spark of static electricity—and something else.
For the first time in two lifetimes, my heart didn't just beat for the System's rewards. It skipped. She was fierce, arrogant, and smelled like winter jasmine.
"You're fast," I muttered, looking into her icy blue eyes. "But your grip is a bit tense. You need to relax the shoulder."
She ripped her arm away, her face flushing a faint, angry pink. "Do not touch me, barbarian! Why does your Qi feel like a thousand suns and a pig farm at the same time?"
"It's a complex blend," I grinned. "Look, Lian Hua—nice name, by the way—how about a wager? If I can defeat your Sect's 'Invincible Guardian' using only ten of my disciples, you have to show me around the galaxy. And maybe grab a drink. Something warm."
"And if you lose?" she challenged, her icy facade flickering with curiosity.
"I'll give you the recipe for the perfect potato stew. And my 10,000 disciples will work as your Sect's janitors for a century."
Lian Hua looked at the 10,000 Core Formation experts, who were all currently leaning forward, gossiping about whether their Master was finally getting a girlfriend.
"Deal," she said. "But be warned, 'Sect Master.' My heart is colder than the void itself."
"Challenge accepted," I whispered. "I've got 10,000 heaters right behind me."
The Courtship of Chaos
The next week was a disaster for the Eternal Frost Sect's dignity.
I didn't just defeat their Guardian; I had ten of my newest recruits—three of whom were former cobblers—use a "Triple-Heated Ironing Technique" to literally melt the Guardian's ice-armor off.
Lian Hua was forced to keep her word. We spent the "tour" of the Star-God Realm bickering. I'd point out how their architecture was "too pointy," and she'd point out that my disciples were "loud and smelled of effort."
But slowly, the ice started to crack.
One evening, on the edge of a floating nebula, she watched as I spent three hours helping a junior disciple fix a broken spirit-toy for a local orphan.
"Why do you care so much?" she asked, her voice softer than usual. "In this realm, the strong don't look down. They only look up at the throne."
"That's why your throne is lonely," I said, handing her a skewer of grilled spirit-meat I'd cooked using Burny's tail-flame. "I don't want to be the strongest alone. I want 10,000 people to laugh with when we reach the top."
She took the skewer, her fingers brushing mine. For a Star-God of Frost, her hand was surprisingly warm.
"You're an idiot," she whispered, taking a bite. "A loud, arrogant, bacon-smelling idiot."
"Yeah," I smiled, looking out at the stars. "But I'm the idiot who's going to recruit you. Not into the sect... but maybe into my life?"
[Ding! Relationship Progress: 'Thawing.' Warning: Her father, the Star-God Emperor, is currently sharpening a very large sword.]
"System," I thought, "tell the 10,000 to polish their armor. I think I'm going to have to fight my father-in-law."