Like most virtual MMORPGs, Destiny’s world never truly experiences night. However, in the real world, the sky was gradually darkening—dusk was approaching.

  To the west of Fallen Wind Plains lay a grinding spot controlled by the Divine Dominion Guild.

  Ever since the name Divine Dominion spread, no other players dared to set foot in this vast surrounding area. They all knew too well what that name represented. At the same time, no one would have imagined that the leader of the guild was right there among them.

  "Young Master... Just now, that guy Xietian actually climbed to third place on the level rankings!"

  Divine Shadow appeared behind Burial God, his face full of shock. Due to the guild's special interest in Xietian, they had been monitoring the level rankings ever since they were released. The first time they checked, Xietian’s name was ranked 178th.

  But just a few hours later, when Divine Shadow opened the rankings again, he was stunned to see Xietian had climbed to seventh place. He could hardly believe his eyes.

  Breaking into the top 100 of the rankings was a feat only achieved by hardcore grinding fanatics with immense strength and stats. None of them would stop leveling up at this stage. It was a race where no one rested. Yet, this lone player, a man named Xietian who had emerged from the Abyss Trial, seemed almost divinely empowered—trampling one powerhouse after another as he soared up the ranks.

  How was this even possible...? What kind of method was he using...?

  "Already in third place?"

  Burial God’s silver dagger traced an arc through the air, slashing across a massive lizard before him. The creature's health bar instantly emptied, and it collapsed lifelessly to the ground. Turning around, Burial God frowned and pulled up the level rankings. Xietian’s meteoric rise was simply too absurd to ignore.

  His gaze swept across the top ten players. Suddenly, his expression darkened. His eyes locked onto the very top of the list, unmoving.

  Divine Shadow grew nervous at Burial God’s reaction and hesitantly asked, "Young Master, what's wrong? Could it be—"

  "See for yourself," Burial God said flatly, his expression unreadable. He slowly turned away, his brows furrowed as he stared into the distance.

  "Xietian..." He murmured the name under his breath. A name that he could no longer afford to ignore.

  Following his command, Divine Shadow quickly opened the level rankings. His gaze traveled upward… higher… and even higher—

  "F-First place!?"

  The moment he saw the top name on the list, Divine Shadow’s eyes widened in utter disbelief. He let out an involuntary cry of shock.

  Level Rankings:

  1st Place: Xietian | Level: 11 | Class: None!

  "Impossible… This has to be a mistake… He was just in third place moments ago!"

  Divine Shadow stammered, unable to recover from his shock. He stared at the ranking again and again, struggling to accept what he was seeing.

  A minute ago, Xietian was ranked third. In the blink of an eye, he had surged past both first and second place, claiming the very top spot.

  This wasn’t like jumping from 1,000,003rd place to 1,000,001st…

  This wasn’t even going from 103rd to 101st…

  This was first to third.

  It should have been absolutely impossible in such a short span of time!

  "He must have just taken down a boss and gained a massive amount of experience," Burial God said indifferently, still facing away. He lifted his gaze slightly and muttered, "What I’m more interested in is… why doesn’t he have a class? Did he deliberately avoid choosing one… or is there some other reason?"

  "Shadow, tell our guild members to keep an eye on him. I want to know as much about this man as possible."

  —

  "Splat!"

  A three-star raccoon leader collapsed after nearly twenty consecutive strikes from Ye Tianxie. The sizable creature crashed to the ground with a dull thud.

  Ye Tianxie let out a small sigh of relief but didn’t rush to pick up the loot. Instead, he summoned the level rankings screen with his mind and admired his own name sitting at the very top.

  A list that most players couldn’t even dream of making an appearance on was, to him, as simple as reaching out and taking what he wanted.

  The massive experience boost from a single Level 15 three-star boss had propelled him to first place—leaving countless players in a state of shock.

  The Raccoon Leader (Was it different from a Raccoon Boss? Was it? Was it? Well, one’s a leader, and one’s a boss… Hmm. Yeah, no real difference. But why was one two-star and the other three-star? How should I know! Stop asking me such complicated questions!)

  It dropped two pieces of loot—one was a common Level 15 white-tier item meant for selling at stores, and the other was a bronze-colored pair of greaves.

  [Tenacious Greaves] (Bronze)

  Requirement: Level 15, Melee Class

  Defense +15 | Strength +5 | Vitality +5

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  These greaves feel exceptionally sturdy. They should provide decent protection.

  —

  "Ding… You have an incoming call from the real world. Would you like to log out?"

  The system prompt rang in his ears. Ye Tianxie stashed the greaves into his inventory, calculated the time, and then chose to log out.

  As his vision cleared, the first thing he saw was a delicate figure.

  A young girl, dressed in a tight-fitting purple top, was leaning over and staring at him unblinkingly as he lay on the couch. Up close, her slender figure carried a hint of seductive charm. The snug fabric of her outfit clung to her curves, especially around her chest, where the topmost button seemed on the verge of popping off.

  Her hands were as fair as jade, her skin smooth like porcelain. Her slender arms and dainty waist only enhanced her enchanting allure. But what stood out most were her long, shapely legs—just one glance made him want to reach out and touch them. Her delicate body rose and fell slightly with each breath, sending subtle tremors through her form.

  Her figure was nearly flawless—one that could easily stir a man’s imagination.

  Realizing that Ye Tianxie had opened his eyes, Su Feifei’s expression flickered with a trace of embarrassment, as though she'd been caught in the act. However, she quickly regained her composure, straightened up, crossed her arms, and wrinkled her nose.

  "It’s already dark, and you’re just now logging out. What, were you planning to starve to death in there?"

  Ye Tianxie stretched lazily, ignoring her remark. Instead, he glanced at the electronic clock on the wall—8:00 PM.

  As he stood up, he immediately noticed something different.

  That familiar scent he had grown used to… was almost gone. Though faint traces still lingered, most of it had been replaced by a delicate floral fragrance.

  His eyes swept across the room. The once messy floor was now spotless, polished to a mirror-like sheen. Every glass surface gleamed crystal clear. Even his cluttered desk was now immaculate.

  The thick layer of dust that had covered his television was gone, wiped clean with meticulous care. Not a single speck remained.

  As the owner of this house, Ye Tianxie knew exactly how messy it had been before. But now, before his eyes, it was as if he had stepped into an entirely different world—one of immaculate cleanliness.

  "You…" Ye Tianxie looked at Su Feifei, finding it hard to believe this was her doing. As the daughter of Asia’s richest man, she had undoubtedly grown up in the most privileged environment, where she never had to worry about anything. Chores, heavy lifting, or any kind of manual labor should have been completely foreign to her. All she had to do was say the word—or not even that, and someone would handle everything for her.

  And yet… looking at everything around him, who else could have done this but Su Feifei?

  "Hmph!" Su Feifei pouted in dissatisfaction, recalling the annoyed face Ye Tianxie had made when she mentioned hiring a cleaning service that afternoon. "Relax! Without your permission, how would I dare let anyone else in? I cleaned everything myself… phew, I sweated so much, and I even got my favorite outfit dirty!" She then suddenly beamed, swaying slightly from side to side. "Look, doesn't this purple outfit look good on me?"

  "It does." Ye Tianxie nodded mechanically.

  "Hey! What kind of reaction is that!?" Seeing his obviously stiff expression, Su Feifei stomped her foot in protest.

  "You… do housework?" Ye Tianxie asked tentatively, glancing around his home again. It still felt unreal.

  "Of course I do! Hmph! Just because my dad is Su Luo, don’t think I’m some spoiled princess who just waits to be served. My mom taught me from a young age to handle my own affairs, to learn how to cook and do housework—otherwise, I'd just be a useless vase when I get married. So I always clean my own room and never let anyone else in. And the dishes I like to eat the most? I cook them myself!"

  She suddenly gasped. "Ah! I almost forgot!" The moment she mentioned cooking, something seemed to click in her mind. She hurried into the kitchen—one that Ye Tianxie hadn’t used in forever. Now, however, it was spotless.

  Ye Tianxie knew his house better than anyone. To clean it to this level in just one afternoon—he could clearly imagine how exhausting it must have been. He had been in the world of Destiny the whole time, meaning she had spent all those hours scrubbing every corner by herself. And yet, when she faced him, there was no complaining, no resentment, not even a smug sense of accomplishment. Instead, there was a subtle, almost imperceptible satisfaction in her expression.

  At that moment, Ye Tianxie realized just how little he truly knew about this girl, despite the short time they had spent together. It also forced him to rethink his perception of wealthy heiresses.

  Was she… really trying to treat this place as a new… "home"?

  He fell into deep thought. This house belonged to him, but ever since she left, he hadn’t felt a sense of home here for a long time.

  Just then, Su Feifei walked out of the kitchen, holding an exquisite tray from who knows where. Even from a distance, the rich aroma made Ye Tianxie’s stomach stir restlessly.

  She placed the tray in front of him. Seeing his slightly dazed expression, she chuckled proudly. "This is your dinner. I was going to call you earlier, but you were so engrossed in the game that I didn’t want to disturb you. Look, this is my homemade lean pork congee—hmph! I guarantee it’s better than any you’ve ever had! And this small plate here, it’s my favorite side dish. My mom taught me how to make it, so I bet you’ve never tried it before. It even has a pretty name—Nine Stars Around the Moon. Go on, taste it!"

  Su Feifei sat across from him, resting her chin in one hand, smiling expectantly.

  "You can cook?"

  "Of course! I already told you, didn't I?" She pouted again. "Honestly, you’re supposed to be my bodyguard, but I’m the one cooking for you… you're really lucky, you know?"

  Ye Tianxie: "…."

  "Just eat already! Listen, other than my dad, no one else has had the privilege of eating my cooking."

  "Then why cook for me?"

  "Because… well, sometimes you're annoying, but you did save my life, after all." Su Feifei giggled, though she seemed a little unsure of her own answer.

  Looking at the previous state of Ye Tianxie’s home, with the mess and random junk everywhere, it wasn’t hard to guess what his usual diet was like. His kitchen had clearly been abandoned for ages, and there wasn’t a single grain of rice or vegetable to be found. Fortunately, Su Luo, knowing both his daughter’s habits and Ye Tianxie’s situation, had sent her a lot of food supplies along with the other things she needed.

  So when Su Feifei prepared a late-night snack for herself, she instinctively made an extra portion for him as well. Strangely, it felt like a natural thing to do. Deep down, an unknown longing seemed to stir inside her.

  And now, watching him take a sip of her congee, she felt an odd sense of fulfillment. It was a new, unfamiliar feeling—just like her insistence on cleaning this place until it was spotless.

  Somewhere in her subconscious, she truly wanted to treat this place as another home.

  A home where she wouldn’t feel afraid. A home where she could find comfort and rely on someone.

  "It’s delicious," Ye Tianxie said sincerely after setting the bowl down.

  He could feel the warmth of the congee flowing down his throat and into his stomach, carrying with it an unfamiliar sense of warmth that seeped into his heart, spreading to every corner of his body. For a moment, an image of someone flashed in his mind. He blinked, briefly lost in thought.

  "Of course! I started learning to cook when I was six. My dad has eaten all kinds of delicacies from around the world, but his favorite meals are still the ones I make!" Su Feifei grinned triumphantly, her expression full of pride.

  "Oooh! Smells so good! So, so good!"

  A tiny voice suddenly interrupted them.

  Gugu, who had been napping, was woken up by a scent unlike anything she had ever smelled before. She rushed over to Ye Tianxie’s shoulder, her tiny nose twitching excitedly. Normally, Ye Tianxie’s haphazard diet never interested her, which was why she remained obsessed with lollipops.

  But now, the aroma of Su Feifei’s congee had completely captivated her.