Chapter 437: Prayer

A person's life…

Often, because of some small matter…

One embarks on a completely different path.

And now, Xu Xi was touring layers of Time-space Bubbles that belonged solely to him, acting as a bystander.

Silent in humbleness.

Struggling in danger.

That scattered life was as messy as the stars on a summer night, too fragmented to be pieced together, yet it eventually converged into a river, flowing across the boundless night sky.

At this moment.

Xu Xi felt the path beneath his feet transform into a surging river.

Every sweep of the current.

Every surge of the waves.

Would splash out thousands of droplets, each clearly reflecting a different life that belonged uniquely to him.

So foreign, yet so familiar.

These were not Xu Xi's actual experiences, yet they were also him—possibilities that had never been put into action.

The possibility of not saving his sister, the possibility of not saving the Witch.

And even more.

All sorts of things.

Possibilities of dying an unnatural death, or reaching the very pinnacle.

The Time-space Bubbles became increasingly dreamlike, transparent and hazy, shimmering with rich colors. They bloomed like flowers before Xu Xi's eyes until they merged into his body, eventually returning to nothingness.

"Truly wonderful."

Xu Xi remarked.

He gazed at those flickering bubbles, watching his different lives.

He offered his praise with genuine sincerity.

But if he had to make a choice, he would choose his current life without the slightest hesitation.

The lives within the Time-space Bubbles were indeed wonderful, but in Xu Xi's eyes, they held a peculiar emptiness, like a burnt-out candle where eternal darkness follows the light.

The path already walked.

The people already saved.

Those seemingly ordinary moments of life were the true Persistence in Xu Xi's heart.

Swish!

Swish! Swish!

Colors flowed and stars twinkled.

Xu Xi walked deeper into the path. More and more Time-space Bubbles appeared, as brilliant as the stars in the sky, surging into his body one by one.

Gradually.

Xu Xi felt as if he were omnipotent.

Gradually.

Xu Xi felt as if he understood everything.

Gradually.

There was no more road ahead of Xu Xi.

"Has it reached the end?" Xu Xi lowered his head and glanced at the void beneath his feet.

The original glowing path was composed of his countless possibilities, but now, those infinite possibilities had been completely integrated through Fusion by Xu Xi.

Supreme?

Or beyond Supreme?

Xu Xi wasn't sure; he only knew that he needed to keep moving forward.

The glowing flagstones that paved the road disappeared, causing the entire path to become silent and dark. Xu Xi stepped forward, using his overbearing status to carve out a path further ahead.

"If Sevia and the others were here…"

"They would surely say something about protecting me and make me hide behind them."

Xu Xi walked in the darkness.

He chuckled in the environment where he was the only one.

Advancing with slow steps.

Settling through the years.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, until even the Sea of Possibilities approached the edge of nothingness, Xu Xi saw a faint light. In a weak and hazy manner, it illuminated the dimness ahead.

What lay ahead?

Was it the final boss guarding the last stage, or an omnipotent god playing with the mortal world?

Xu Xi approached with doubt.

"This… this is…" Xu Xi saw it. He saw the scenery within the light clearly. He was surprised, he was stunned, as if he had recalled countless things in an instant.

Finally, all emotions turned into a wordless silence.

[Ding—]

[You have returned to Earth]

Within the light was the scenery of Earth that Xu Xi was incredibly familiar with.

To be more precise.

It was the Old Earth before the Spiritual Qi Recovery.

Countless people were busy in society, the fast-paced life squeezing everyone. An epitome of billions of humans was clearly reflected in the light.

But the perspective soon narrowed.

From the planet to a continent, from the continent to a country, and from the country to a filthy alleyway.

Rain poured down in torrents.

A bolt of lightning tore through the sky.

The pale color illuminated the dim alleyway and a trash can inside.

The wind howled and the rain lashed down.

The storm was fierce, yet a couple braved the wind and rain, deliberately taking a very long detour to throw the "trash" in their hands into the remote trash can.

"A burden…"

"A liability…"

In the wind and rain, the couple's voices were intermittent and blurred.

The "father" frowned, and the "mother" looked on with disgust.

Gazing at the trash can one last time.

They deliberately closed the lid tightly to prevent any sound from leaking out.

Having finished this, the couple hurriedly left, fearing they might be seen by others.

————

Xu Xi continued to watch.

He watched with eyes trembling slightly.

In the light, the rain fell heavily, as if the sky were weeping. The storm swept the rain along, whistling through every part of the city.

The trash can in the alleyway shook gently.

Something was struggling inside.

It was a few vagrants in ragged clothes who, while seeking shelter from the rain, accidentally discovered the abnormality of the trash can.

They opened the lid and lifted out the discarded "trash" from within.

A baby boy.

"A child? Why would there be a child here?"

"We can't leave him here, he'll die!"

The vagrants looked at each other and decided to wait until the rain stopped to take the baby to the nearest Orphanage or police station.

Before that.

They decided to do something.

The vagrants, who were in difficult straits themselves, did their best to find warm swaddling clothes for the baby.

After the rain stopped.

The baby was taken by them to an Orphanage.

Years later, the baby grew into a healthy boy. The vagrants often came to visit him, but were so embarrassed that they could only stay by the railings outside the wall, unable to enter the Orphanage.

The boy remembered every vagrant's name.

Whenever he called them out.

Pure smiles would bloom on the vagrants' faces.

"Little Xi, you mustn't be like us. You're still young and have many opportunities."

"Study hard in the future and earn big money."

"Mhm, I will!" The boy nodded excitedly.

If possible, the vagrants hoped the boy would be adopted. For a child, having parents or not made for a completely different life.

But the boy's luck was very poor.

In the Orphanage, he was never adopted.

Never, ever.

In order not to let down the expectations of the "uncles" and for his own future, the boy began to study diligently, hoping to carve out a brilliant life for himself.

There were no toys.

Good teachers to answer his questions were non-existent.

Those things were far too luxurious for the boy.

He could only rely on rote memorization in the most clumsy way day after day, trying to improve his grades and make the uncles happy with a '100 score'.

But.

The boy was not a Genius after all.

As he grew older, he gradually realized his own mediocrity.

There was no solution.

All the boy could do was redouble his efforts.

Clumsily, like a lost bird in the rain, flapping its wings and crashing about, ending up battered and bruised, while others laughed wildly.

He wanted to live.

He longed to live like a normal person.

Not picking up toys discarded by others, not envying others' happy families, and not staring at the ceiling in loneliness night after night.

Finally.

The boy's efforts were rewarded.

"An admission notice, it's an admission notice!" In the image Xu Xi saw, the boy was so excited, clutching the admission notice as he headed back to the Orphanage.

On the way, he ran very fast.

It was as if the heavy shackles he had carried since birth were all cast off in an instant, making him as light as a bird.

However.

Why.

Why was it so noisy around him?

A puddle on the road reflected the boy's current appearance. Crimson blood spread from his cracked cheek, and cracking sounds came from all over his body, as if something had shattered.

He turned his head with difficulty.

He finally saw the source of the noise.

A red heavy-duty truck, a panicked truck driver.

The crowd was surging, some accusing the driver, others calling the police.

And.

Not far away, the admission notice drifted out of his hand.

The boy finally realized what had happened. His pupils began to tremble, his throat was hoarse and burning, bubbling with blood, as he reached out to everyone around him.

Xu Xi saw it.

He saw the fear and helplessness in the boy's eyes.

Xu Xi heard it.

He heard that long-blurred bloody voice.

"Save… save me…" That battered and broken body, that fearful face covered in blood, trembling from the pain, issued a plea for help to everyone around.