If Yu Xi had been conscious at that moment, she would have noticed that the sensation of disappearing from her room was strikingly similar—90% identical—to the feeling she experienced when her molecules teleported her back to Star House.
The difference lay in where the white light took her. This destination was far beyond anywhere on the planet, traversing countless nebulae, stardust, and galaxies—a distance unimaginably vast.
Yet, paradoxically, it could also be considered infinitely small because she had only truly crossed a single wall.
This was the world outside the walls of Star House—the actual space it inhabited, not merely its projection into the four-dimensional world.
As the white light dissipated, Yu Xi found herself suspended weightlessly in a massive, pale gray space, floating under the glow of lights. The implantation system in the anti-gravity zone had already activated, enveloping her in a state of zero gravity with her eyes closed.
Two semi-circular, translucent elliptical objects approached her from above and below, gently enclosing her in a complete oval.
This was the gene modification chamber. From this moment, the gene modification process would complete in 24 hours, measured by G-Blue Planet’s time.
The lights dimmed, leaving the vast space eerily silent. There were no sounds of breathing, no footsteps, as if Yu Xi were the only living being there.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass was neither a day nor night scene, nor the landscape of any planet.
Instead, a vast cosmic sea stretched out—a boundless, cold, and profound expanse of stars.
From an outside perspective, looking into the glass, one would see that the space Yu Xi occupied was only a small corner of a colossal metallic structure.
This massive structure extended beyond sight, enormous yet eerily quiet, drifting aimlessly through the endless universe, as if exiled.
Judging by its worn exterior, it had been wandering for countless years.
Perhaps it had once been glorious, racing between stars under the gaze of countless eyes, winning battles and earning honors. But those days had long faded into the annals of time.
Now, it was like an aging giant, rusted and weak, trapped in the unknown depths of the cosmos—until one day, a part of its interior connected to a room on a distant, unfamiliar planet.
From the very beginning, Yu Xi believed she had no choice but to bind herself to this system.
Yet, in truth, it was the system that had even fewer options.
Fortunately, the hardest times were behind it. Everything was slowly improving, even if progress was excruciatingly slow.
In the dim light of the vast space, a soft sigh echoed faintly:
“Thank you…”
Yu Xi felt as if she had a long dream—fragments of broken and chaotic images.
At first, she was in a surreal world with a massive red moon and countless flying vehicles navigating between towering buildings that reached toward the heavens.
Later, she found herself in a world of white and silver—the white was snow, and the silver was ice crystals. Beneath layers of shimmering ice, strange creatures flitted by in flashes.
The second world appeared more often. She felt as though she had become part of it, merging with the snow, ice crystals, and the lifeforms there. She felt no cold, only an unparalleled sense of freedom and exhilaration.
When she woke up, the first thing she saw was her familiar ceiling and overhead light. She was lying on her bed, and outside her window, the twilight of sunset lingered.
Retrieving her phone from Star House’s storage, the frozen time and date immediately adjusted to the present moment.
It was already the next day. The implantation of her ice ability should have completed.
She assessed her body and found no discomfort aside from slight fatigue and thirst.
“System, was the implantation successful?”
[Yes. Congratulations, Host. The ice ability has been successfully implanted. Star Coins balance: 1,377.]
For some reason, the system’s voice seemed less cold than before. While still neutral and mechanical, there was an unfamiliar softness to it—was it her imagination?
But—
“Shouldn’t my Star Coins balance be 1,380?”
[Host, it has been a month since your last payment for water, electricity, and gas.]
Yu Xi: …
It was still the same system. That earlier impression must have been a mistake.
Sitting up, Yu Xi retrieved a bottle of water from Star House’s storage. She twisted the cap open, but nothing poured out.
Her fingertips detected a faint chill. Inside the transparent plastic bottle, the water had frozen into solid ice.
Yu Xi: …!!
From that moment on, in the days that followed, Yu Xi came to deeply understand why ability implantation required such a lengthy adaptation and recovery period.
Instance 1:
Overjoyed by her daughter’s safe completion of the implantation, Fan Qi decided to celebrate with a large hotpot meal the next day. She prepared a variety of ingredients, planning for the family of three to enjoy a relaxing lunch by the south-facing floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking the mountains and greenery outside Star House.
Everything went smoothly until Fan Qi placed a plate of marbled beef on the table. Just as Yu Xi picked up a piece with her chopsticks, intending to cook it in the bubbling broth, the once-boiling hotpot gradually stilled and froze into a solid block of ice.
Fan Qi: …
Yu Xi: …
Yu Xi wanted to quickly adapt to her ice ability, so she filled several basins with water and practiced alone in the kitchen on the first floor. She discovered that when her fingers directly touched the water, it froze faster, whereas maintaining a bit of distance slowed the process.
Controlling ice blocks was another challenge. Smaller and thinner pieces were easier to manipulate, while larger and heavier ones often resulted in misaligned directions or distances.
She was like a child learning to walk—earnest in her efforts but clumsy, her movements often out of sync with her intentions.
After practicing for over an hour, she felt more proficient and began focusing on freezing water from a distance. She had only just started when a loud scream came from upstairs.
It was her father’s voice.
The door to the upstairs room opened, and Fan Qi leaned over the railing, calling down, “Xi Xi, are you practicing right now? Could you come up and help your dad? He was showering, and while washing his hair, the water from the showerhead froze his hair solid…”
Yu Xi: …
Instance 3:
In the middle of the night, Yu Xi was woken up by knocks on her door. Fan Qi and Yu Feng entered, wrapped in down jackets and shivering. “Sweetie, are you practicing again? The room is freezing—it’s almost below zero…”
Yu Xi: …
Apparently, she had dreamed of vacationing on a tropical island and felt a bit too warm, so she must have…
After numerous unintended accidents, Yu Xi finally managed to stop her ice ability from leaking unconsciously by the third day.
By the fifth day, she could freely switch water and ice forms within her target range. The closer the distance, the better the effect, as seen in the freezing speed and hardness of the ice.
By the seventh day, she could instantly freeze water into ice and move ice blocks freely within a two-meter radius.
By the eighth day, she created her first ice knife, which could remain solid and functional for about 20 minutes under her control. After that, the blade lost its sharpness.
That day, in an effort to test her control and solidify her ice manipulation, Yu Xi cut and chopped her way through an entire refrigerator’s worth of vegetables and meat.
When Fan Qi woke up from her nap and went to prepare dinner, she was greeted by over ten basins of minced meat and vegetable paste.
Fan Qi: …
An entire refrigerator of fresh and frozen produce gone!
Even though their resources were abundant, it still hurt to see so much food reduced to pulp. She wanted to scold Yu Xi but knew her daughter was working hard on something important. In the end, she decided to mix all the paste with seasoning and chopped scallions, turning everything into fillings for dumplings, wontons, and steamed buns.
For the next two days, the family ate nothing but dumplings, boiled or pan-fried, chicken soup wontons, and deep-fried wontons.
Yu Feng: …
Yu Xi: …
Message received, Mom. Message received.
On the tenth day after successfully implanting her ice ability, Yu Xi felt she had fully passed the adaptation and recovery periods. She decided it was time to purchase and implant the
Plant Affinity
ability.
She had chosen to acquire the ice ability first because it lacked passive skills and required practice to master.
In contrast, Plant Affinity’s passive skills made it one of the most practical abilities in this world. It granted immunity to all plant-related damage and even provided protection from plants.
Given the toxicity and aggression of certain plants in this world, completing the implant would mean an immediate and powerful ally, requiring no practice.
Yu Xi once again informed her parents about the 24-hour seclusion required for the implantation process. She reassured them that once she adapted to this new ability, she could finally take them outside.
Since moving to the guesthouse, her parents had been cooped up in Star House, unable to explore or experience anything. She knew it must have been tedious for them.
Fan Qi, however, reassured her, “Don’t worry about us. Staying home is great! We cook, watch the TV shows and movies you downloaded for us, read books, drink tea, and play chess. Where else would we find such a peaceful life?”
Fan Qi touched her daughter’s face affectionately and then seemed to think of something, asking Yu Feng to fetch something from the downstairs kitchen.
Once he was out of earshot, Fan Qi lowered her voice and said to Yu Xi, “There’s something I need to tell you. While you were practicing your ice ability, your dad and I saw some recent news s. S City’s situation hasn’t been improving. Your dad… he’s still worried about your grandfather.
“We haven’t been able to contact him by phone. Once your new ability is successfully implanted, your dad might ask you to go back to S City and check on him.”
“That’s fine,” Yu Xi replied without hesitation.
Even without the plant immunity ability, Yu Xi had her teleportation to Star House as an ultimate backup. She could escape any danger, no matter where she was.
Moreover, she had always found it odd that Yu Feng had left S City with them without mentioning her grandfather.
She understood that he had been prioritizing her and Fan Qi’s safety, but now that they were settled, going back to check on her grandfather posed no issue.
“It’s just… Mom’s worried you’ll push yourself too hard for Dad’s sake and take on unnecessary risks. Remember, you’re my most precious treasure,” Fan Qi said, stroking her daughter’s hair with a sigh.
“Don’t worry, I know my limits,” Yu Xi replied with a smile.
After carefully explaining her capabilities to ease Fan Qi’s concerns, Yu Xi locked herself in her room and asked the system, “Once I’ve implanted Plant Affinity, can I purchase the same ability for my parents?”
[Apologies, Host. Abilities, unlike other Star House items, can only be implanted into Star House binders.]
“Alright, I understand. Let’s begin.”
Moments later, Yu Xi lost consciousness as white light enveloped her once more, and she disappeared from the room.
She had no idea that during her 24-hour seclusion, someone disregarded Xu Yan’s instructions, rushing to the guesthouse suite door in a moment of crisis, banging on it and pleading for help.
Fan Qi and Yu Feng, having been strictly instructed by Yu Xi, didn’t even leave Star House, let alone go upstairs to disturb her.
As a result, when the person received no response, they blamed everything that happened afterward on Yu Xi.
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