The shimmering expanse of Ren's inner universe, a cosmos born of his will and power, was a sanctuary. Yet, even there, as he held Li Mei close, a new, profound shift began within him. The act of bringing her into his being, of forging their shared eternity, had inadvertently triggered something deeper, something long dormant.
Memories, fragmented and elusive at first, began to surface from the deepest recesses of his being. Not of simulations, nor of this cultivation world, but of a different life, a different realm. He saw bustling cities of steel and glass, a sky filled with unknown flying machines, the quiet glow of screens, the mundane rhythm of a common human existence on a planet called **Earth**. He remembered a life utterly devoid of spiritual energy, of cultivation, of endless battles for survival. He was just a man, with simple dreams and an ordinary name.
Then came the fragmented echoes of what happened next: a disorienting flash, the tearing of space, and his sudden, bewildered appearance in an alien cosmos. He recalled epochs spent wandering, surviving through countless ages, across myriad primitive worlds and burgeoning cultivation realms, always seeking, always struggling. Each step was a desperate fight for survival, a relentless pursuit of strength, driven by an instinct he couldn't name.
And through it all, a horrifying, cosmic truth had slowly, agonizingly solidified. This universe, and countless others like it, were merely **test universes**, incomplete, abandoned projects. They were the **feeding grounds of destiny** for higher beings, cosmic playgrounds left behind by the death or indifference of entities so vast, so ancient, they were beyond comprehension. Mortals, cultivators, even immortals, were merely **fodder for fate**, their lives woven into grand designs for the amusement or sustenance of others. A profound sadness, a cosmic weariness, washed over Ren. All his struggles, all his efforts, had been part of someone else's unfinished game.
Yet, as the despair threatened to consume him, his gaze fell upon Li Mei, nestled safely in his arms within his personal universe. A fierce, protective surge of love propelled him past the existential dread. *No. Not for her. Not for us.*
He reached out, his power now capable of manipulating the very fabric of existence. He sought to **erase the marks of past and future** from Li Mei, to sever any ties to the cosmic fate-weavers, to leave only the purity of the present moment. But as his consciousness touched her essence, he was met with a profound surprise. Her karmic threads, her destined paths, her very 'marks' of past and future were **already gone**. They had been erased, not by him, but long before, by an unseen hand, leaving her existence strangely unbound, an anomaly in this cosmic tapestry.
A chilling realization dawned on him: what he felt for her, that profound, unwavering love, wasn't just a byproduct of the simulations. It was something deeper, something that called to him from beyond the constraints of destiny, beyond the System, beyond even his own awakening. It was a connection that preceded even his current existence, a cosmic resonance with a being as unmoored as himself. Something else had drawn them together.
His power surged again, no longer just the raw force of an ascended cultivator, but something entirely new. A **white nebula**, pristine and utterly detached, manifested within his inner universe. It belonged to no known cosmos, no material realm, defying the very laws of this universe. It was a fragment of the ultimate void, a pure wellspring of creation and unmaking. From it, he drew sustenance, solidifying his detachment from the rules of this particular cosmos.
He refined his inner world, shaping it further, twisting reality to ensure its absolute self-sufficiency. It would no longer even subtly draw on the energy of the external universe. It was truly **within his body, his awakened stellar soul**, a cosmic sanctuary shielded from the invisible, hungry cosmic void that preyed on lesser worlds. Finally, his girl was truly safe.
But as he held her, sensing the unique, ethereal nature of her being, a new, strange understanding settled upon him. *She is not of this plane.* Her fundamental essence, her inherent unbound nature, hinted at origins far grander, far more mysterious than even his own Earthly past. He vowed, then and there, a promise etched into the very fabric of his being, that he would **always protect her from all evil**, from all cosmic predators, from all the unseen forces that sought to manipulate and consume.
Ren awoke in his physical shell, though the concept of 'physical' was now tenuous. His hair, once dark, had turned a striking **white**, reflecting the purity and detachment of the white nebula within him. A profound **detachment** settled over his spirit, a cold, serene clarity that distanced him from the petty struggles of this 'test universe.' Yet, within that detachment, his love for Li Mei remained fiercely, exquisitely bright. He would be her **mountain**, an unmoving, eternal bastion. The law of the jungle, the endless, brutal struggle for eternal life, would now be nothing more than a **single, conquered step in his inner world**. Within, protected, lay his girl—a fantasy, a perfect reality that countless beings would yearn for, but which none could replicate. He was no longer playing a game; he was writing his own.