63: It's bad, my fate has come suddenly

In the deepest part of Pierpoint Space Station, the triple biometric encryption door silently slid open. Chen Hao's irises glowed with faint golden patterns under the scanning beam, a biological authentication unique to 'Black Gold Level' laboratories.

"Verification passed," a gentle mechanical female voice sounded. "Welcome back, Master. Ms. Bronya completed the automatic inspection 3 minutes ago, no anomalies."

"Mm, I know," Chen Hao responded indifferently, stepping into the laboratory.

The sight behind the door was enough to shock any scientist. Within a colossal space of one square kilometer, eighty thousand biological cultivation pods were neatly arranged, like an ancient military formation. Inside each pod, a humanoid creature floated, its body peacefully dormant in a pale blue nutrient solution.

Chen Hao's footsteps echoed crisply on the metal floor. He walked past rows of cultivation pods, his fingertips lightly tracing the transparent walls. These bodies, created based on his genes after modification with the Isu serum, were each meticulously tuned but lacked the most crucial element: a soul.

"Is it finally starting? Are you really not going to just get it done directly?"

Xiao Jixiang's voice sounded in his mind, carrying a familiar hint of playfulness. Chen Hao's lips curved slightly as he walked towards the central control panel.

"No choice, there are quite a lot of people this time, and you're not giving a discount, so I can only make sure every penny counts," Chen Hao said, shrugging, his tone carrying a hint of disdain for the 'shady merchant.'

"But your idea really isn't bad, I think it's feasible. What? Still have thoughts?"

"I'm just curious," Xiao Jixiang's voice became serious, "after personally establishing the new order of the Emerald Principality and revolutionizing the world with nanomedical technology, why would you listen to my suggestion and abandon your original plan?"

Chen Hao's finger tapped, and the projection switched to a world map, where red dots of human clusters formed a ribbon. Then, it showed a compilation of all major historical events from ancient times to the present...

"Look at these," his gaze swept over each hotspot. "Humans are like ants trapped on a Mobius strip, forever circling the same surface."

"What's slightly comforting is that in the land where I was born, countless sages, at the cost of thousands of years of change, left behind enough lessons and wealth for future generations. These ideas are sufficient to wield higher-level powers."

He turned to face the nearest cultivation pod, looking at an ordinary black-haired young man suspended in the cultivation tank.

"Of course, theory doesn't equal practice," Chen Hao's voice was low and firm. "As for why? Grandpa Instructor once said, 'Ten thousand years is too long; we only seize the day.' My temper is quite impatient, so I'll be the one to give them a push."

"So you agreed to my idea back then?" Xiao Jixiang asked softly. "Do you know what this means?"

Chen Hao walked to the core of the control console, where a vibrant green crystal, a projection of the 'World Tree Core,' floated. Inside the crystal, countless light points shimmered like stars.

"It means I will 'ascend from human to god,'" he chuckled, "objectively taking on the responsibility of a 'creator.'"

"Hahaha, just kidding. But like you said the day we met, it's very interesting, isn't it?"

"Haha, I can only say you truly live up to your reputation. I somewhat understand why the 'core' was able to match with you," Xiao Jixiang's voice carried a hint of anticipation. "Are you ready?"

"Let's begin," Chen Hao nodded, his finger lightly touching the crystal's surface, and an imaginary number gate slowly unfolded. Starlight flowed within the gate, vaguely revealing pavilions and terraces with an ancient yet futuristic feel.

"Hey, speaking of which, this universe doesn't have the concept of Star Gods and paths, so won't I be able to see the golden 'Gundam'?"

"Well, I forgot to tell you."

"What's up?"

"Just now, it's different now~"

Listening to Xiao Jixiang's somewhat surprised and cheerful tone, a 'bad' thought emerged in Chen Hao's mind. "Wait? Xiao Jixiang, you're not going to tell me...?"

"Yes, the paths have revived~"

Chen Hao was stunned, unable to believe his ears: "No? Didn't you say before that the imaginary number gate filters out mystical powers? So what's going on now? Are you going back on your word?"

"Hey, hey, hey, Host, don't accuse me wrongly. I did say that the imaginary number gate filters out mystical powers, but paths aren't mystical. They are just the concretization of philosophical concepts, or rather, the energization of the universe's underlying rules, not fantasy elements like spiritual energy or immortal magic that appear out of thin air."

"So, Xiao Jixiang, you're saying I—" Chen Hao was about to ask for clarification when Xiao Jixiang interrupted him.

"I knew I wasn't mistaken when I entered the bubble before; this universe, like you, Host, is very special. Now, someone has come to visit, so I'll trouble you, Host, to receive them~"

"No, what the—?" As Chen Hao's words left his mouth, the scene in his sea of consciousness suddenly changed.

An amber-colored giant hammer smashed into the starry sky, building a wall that spanned the galaxy in the void; a honeycomb structure composed of countless hexagonal crystals extended in the darkness; a blurred gigantic humanoid silhouette was 'constructing' something in an incomprehensible way.

"Build a wall."

This sound was like a million civilizations whispering at once, and like the roar of colliding galaxies. Countless images exploded before Chen Hao's eyes; he saw primitive people stacking stones to build the first enclosure, saw the Great Wall winding through the mountains, saw the alloy shell of a space station unfolding in a vacuum...

Then there were a pair of eyes. No, they weren't eyes; they were two burning stars, gazing at him across billions of light-years.

"Qlipoth..." Chen Hao subconsciously uttered the name; he was all too familiar with this figure. One of the big shots in the Honkai: Star Rail universe, the Preservation Star God Qlipoth.

A golden stream of light surged from the distant void, condensing into an amber-colored crystal in the air. It rotated, and countless silhouettes of civilizations appeared on its surface. Chen Hao reached out to take it, but the crystal merged into his body the moment he touched it.

The scene before him suddenly shifted, transforming into a conceptual space without up, down, left, or right, only countless golden 'walls' extending infinitely in all directions. Each wall told a story: a race building its last sanctuary on the brink of extinction, a mother shielding her child from gunfire with her body, a scientist enduring their thousandth sleepless night in a laboratory...

"So this is Preservation..." Chen Hao felt very calm, yet tears streamed down his face. He suddenly understood why Qlipoth only said "Build a wall"; true protection never needed flowery words.

Suddenly, the scene changed again, and Chen Hao found his consciousness back in his sea of consciousness, where Xiao Jixiang was looking at him with her large, sparkling eyes.

"Sure enough, it's the authority of the Preservation path. And it was fused with an Amber Keystone. Well, it seems you're quite to that construction old man's liking; he actually gave you such a precious welcome gift."

Chen Hao experienced all of this in a daze, and when he finally came to his senses, he heard Xiao Jixiang say 'precious welcome gift.' A flood of questions rushed into his mind, so he decided to solve the problem on the spot.

He grabbed the little featherball and began 'interrogating' her.

"Spill it, what exactly is going on?"

Then, after two and a half minutes of explanation, Chen Hao finally understood everything. The universe he had transmigrated to contained the seeds of paths, but these seeds were only just forming, far from sprouting. However, because of his appearance and his objective ability to change the direction of civilization, he became the perfect nutrient solution for the various concepts of paths.

Then, because he decided to protect existing weaker civilizations by creating new ones, it aligned with the concept of 'Preservation.' Thus, the seed of Preservation skipped the sprouting stage and began to emerge and grow. And this process, which brought about massive changes to the universe's underlying rules, attracted the attention of the Preservation Star God from the Honkai: Star Rail universe.

And then, they hit it off, he received a gift, and became a nascent Star God.

After another two and a half minutes to digest Xiao Jixiang's explanation, Chen Hao excitedly accepted reality. He tried to concentrate, and crystals in the air immediately formed a small shield. But after only 10 seconds, he felt a dizzy spell, and the shield shattered into points of light.

"The Preservation path is still too weak; it can't withstand much output..." He leaned on the desk, panting. "But—" he suddenly broke into an excited smile, "does this mean I'm the only Star God in this universe?"

"Theoretically, yes," Xiao Jixiang tilted her head in thought. "Other paths are still in their seed state. By my calculations, it will take at least until you, Host, develop the Preservation path to a level where it can accommodate low-level Emanators before new paths will sprout."

The room fell silent again. Chen Hao felt his heart beating alarmingly loud. He mechanically walked to the edge of the steps and sat down, trying to calm himself.

Looking at the increasingly clear scene behind the imaginary number gate, Chen Hao stared blankly at the ancient architectural complex, the imaginary energy around the halo distorting the edges of the image into strange light spots. He felt his thoughts undergoing a subtle change; those buildings were no longer just simple houses in his eyes, but objects that could be constructed.

"Xiao Jixiang, will this authority change my personality?" he suddenly asked.

Xiao Jixiang tilted her head, a small finger resting on her lips: "Yes, and no. Just as a stream is destined to flow into the sea, but each stream passes through different scenery." She gently landed on Chen Hao's shoulder. "Didn't I say that guy gave you a precious welcome gift? That was the Amber Keystone. Because of that item, you, Host, can avoid your consciousness being merged with the Preservation path."

"However, there will still be some overflowing influence. Essentially, you are still you, but you will become more and more... hmm, like that 'wall-building guy.'"

Chen Hao nodded thoughtfully, temporarily pushing the Star God matter to the back of his mind: "Oh, right, will the people I 'recruited' and Emerald regain their Pathstrider abilities?"

"Of course, but Aventurine should be the fastest. As for the others, it depends on their fortune. Of course, if you're in a hurry, Host, there actually is a way."

"Hm? What way? Tell me?"

"Ahem, that's extra charge, you know~"

"Alright, take it."

"Hehe~ You're the best, Host~"

"Less talk, more action."

"Don't rush, actually, one path has already met the conditions for Birth~"

While Chen Hao and Xiao Jixiang were chatting in their minds, countless golden light points, like a river of stars, poured out from the imaginary number gate. These light points swirled and danced in the laboratory, finally flying precisely towards each cultivation pod, merging into the foreheads of the dormant bodies.

Finally, more than a dozen figures of varying heights and appearances emerged from the imaginary number gate.