---

Chapter 005 Realm of Divine Presence

The room was cleaned up quickly.

While Ling Mo was tidying up, Xia Xinyan leaned against the door frame, observing him.

This was the first time she had scrutinized her former self so closely since her rebirth.

To speak of appearance, Ling Mo was indeed a very manly man. His well-built physique, developed through years of fitness and sports, was quite evident during summer when he wore minimal clothing. The lines of his arm muscles exuded an invisible charm, just robust enough without going overboard—truly in perfect shape.

Even now, Xia Xinyan felt quite satisfied with this aspect. In the Realm of Divine Presence, a player’s initial physicality is a direct mirror of their real-life state, so her current physical condition had certainly helped her a lot in the beginning.

If you disregard the bluntness of a typical guy, she actually felt pretty good about herself. Besides her physical attributes, she believed her mental resilience was also up to par. Otherwise, there’s no way she could have come this far on her own.

But sometimes, she really wished there was someone by her side to chat with, someone to help her relax a bit, to ease the burden.

In her previous life, as Ling Mo, she ultimately fell before dawn. In this life, as Xia Xinyan… she would walk this path alongside Ling Mo.

She understood that feeling of fatigue when you can’t find someone to confide in, so she didn’t want to experience that again in this lifetime.

If the system wasn’t lying to her and would eventually turn her back into Ling Mo, then even if this experience would just become a memory, at least she had tasted that illusion of beauty once.

Suddenly, her phone rang. Upon picking it up, she heard the butler’s voice: “Miss, the Game Pods have been delivered. Do you want to set them up now?”

“Bring them in, I’m home.” After saying this, Xia Xinyan hung up the phone.

The butler was quick to act, and soon brought in two Game Pods.

Seeing Ling Mo in the room, the butler paused for a moment: “This is…”

Ling Mo couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous.

The person in front of him seemed like Xia Xinyan’s father’s man. Now that he saw a man in his daughter’s home, would he say something to her dad?

However, Xia Xinyan quickly dispelled his concerns—she simply wrapped her arm around Ling Mo’s and smiled at the butler: “This is my boyfriend, Ling Mo.”

Ling Mo was dumbfounded.

She just said it outright?

Just like that… said it?!

Shouldn’t she at least be a bit more tactful? With his identity, he didn’t seem deserving of Xia Xinyan, what if her dad didn’t approve?

Yet surprisingly, the butler merely nodded: “Understood.”

After setting up the Game Pods, they didn’t linger and simply left.

Ling Mo was left dazed for a while.

That’s it…?

Didn’t they need to keep a closer eye on this unknown boyfriend of their young lady?

Wasn’t this reaction a bit too nonchalant?

“Don’t worry,” Xia Xinyan released his arm and laughed, “My family doesn’t monitor me much. My dad supports my freedom in relationships, as long as I take responsibility for myself.”

Of course, she knew what Ling Mo was thinking and couldn’t fail to consider such things. The system had set her up with this identity, removing any obstacle; otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to interact with Ling Mo in the first place. Such a noble status would actually be a burden.

“Ah… I see.” Ling Mo nodded with a complex expression.

Xia Xinyan didn’t linger on the matter, but directly led him in front of the Game Pods: “I heard you like playing games? Do you know about the Realm of Divine Presence?”

Ling Mo paused: “That game that’s been trending online lately? I’ve heard of it.”

Could these two white coffins be…

“These two are the Game Pods for the Realm of Divine Presence! I got the first batch of play rights from my dad.” Xia Xinyan beamed brightly, “Want to give it a try?”

The Game Pods for the Realm of Divine Presence were released in batches, of course. Releasing a massive number at once would raise suspicion, so while they were free, getting the first batch was still quite difficult.

Her past self hadn’t obtained the initial access and only entered the game in the third batch, and since she was unfamiliar with the game rules, she lagged behind quite a bit.

This time, she planned to have Ling Mo and herself dominate the first and second places.

Of course, Ling Mo would be first; she would settle for second.

Only she knew how strong she had been after growing into Ling Mo’s abilities, truly a force to be reckoned with, deserving of the system’s title of “Golden Finger.”

Unfortunately, she probably wasn’t that strong now.

But as long as she had the experience, even if her hard power was lacking, she was confident she could still become strong.

As for whether Ling Mo would obediently play this game with her, she didn’t even need to think—

Setting aside the fact that his girlfriend was actively inviting him, just having a virtual reality Game Pod right in front of him, he absolutely couldn’t refuse. After all, he was a hardcore gaming enthusiast, having delved into nearly every game available, with gaming experience that was top-notch; an innate advantage indeed—after all, the Realm of Divine Presence was fundamentally a game, and approaching it with a gamer’s perspective often led to unexpected rewards.

As expected, Ling Mo readily agreed, even looking excited: “This is a Game Pod? You… you actually like playing games too?”

“Yeah,” Xia Xinyan smirked, showing a hint of playfulness, “Though hardly anyone knows, I’m actually a gamer as well.”

Boom!

Ling Mo was almost sent soaring with excitement at that moment.

What could be more wonderful than this? His girlfriend just dropped into his lap his dream game!

If it weren’t for his pride, at that moment he truly wanted to spin three circles and shout out loud.

Xia Xinyan smiled as she watched the change in his expression.

Tsk… still the young him, not steady at all.

“Alright, want to jump into the game and give it a try?” Having opened a Game Pod, Xia Xinyan entered one of them, saying, “I heard this game is a second world, boasting so much, aren’t you curious to see?”

“Okay!” At that moment, Ling Mo finally displayed the decisiveness a man should have, “Let’s give it a shot!”

Forget it! Even if it’s a dream! He just wanted to enjoy it!

Lying down in the Game Pod, the hatch slowly closed, and an electronic synthesized voice echoed within: “Players entering the game for the first time, please close your eyes.”

Upon hearing this, Ling Mo took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

In the next moment, his consciousness suddenly plunged into darkness.

Then, the entire world was abruptly replaced by vibrant colors, the scenery akin to paradise, leaving him utterly dumbfounded.

Until the system voice rang out: “Please edit your avatar.”

Immediately, the surrounding brightness faded away, and upon regaining his senses, Ling Mo found himself standing inside a villa.

The villa’s hall was quite spacious, with a huge glass wall on the right side offering a view of the beach and sea. In front of him was a full-length mirror reflecting his image—exactly the same as in reality.

Ling Mo stood in a daze for a moment, trying to imagine another version of himself.

Almost simultaneously, his appearance shifted to precisely match his imagination.

“Wow… this is really sci-fi…”

Suppressing his overwhelming excitement, he settled on his real appearance, after all, he was quite satisfied with his face and physique.

The system voice promptly sounded—

“Avatar confirmed.”

“Player identity established.”

Then, a virtual panel appeared before him.

【Name: Ling Mo】

【Age: 21】

【Player panel not yet activated】

“… Using my real name directly?” Ling Mo frowned slightly, “And how does it know my real name?”

“Because the game connects to the national database, all players use their real information—well, just the name; it doesn’t matter since appearance can be changed.” Xia Xinyan’s voice suddenly came from behind him.

Ling Mo instinctively turned around.

And then he was left speechless.

Xia Xinyan also appeared using her real form.

However, at this moment… she was wearing a bikini.

 

---