In his private cave within the outer sect, Liu Xing sat cross-legged, focusing intently on the strange weapon before him. The stone walls were smooth, and the floor was strewn with meditation mats and training tools, but Liu Xing’s full attention remained on the weapon—a finely crafted item with a dark, gleaming surface.

"A gun," he murmured.

It was, indeed, a gun. Though he’d only ever seen one in his past life as William, it had never crossed his mind to encounter such a weapon here, in this cultivation world.

Liu Xing picked it up, feeling its weight in his hands. Two years had passed since he’d awakened in this body as an outer disciple of the Purple Moon Sect. Despite his limited talent, he’d completed enough missions to gather the pills needed to finally reach the fifth stage of the Lock Opening realm.

A grin spread across his face. "So this is my cheat item."

Initially, his plan had been simple: progress steadily through the ranks, aiming perhaps one day to become an inner disciple. The heights of Sun Refining realm felt beyond his reach; instead, he’d hoped to settle somewhere on the outskirts of the Dark Forest Continent. Maybe he would establish his own sect or live as a minor noble’s bodyguard. In the Purple Moon Sect, he was seen as average, but back in a backwater country, he could be considered exceptional.

"But with this gun…maybe I can achieve more," he said, his heart quickening.

The gun, a symbol of his past life and a piece of Earth here in this world, felt like the key to something beyond his reach. He held it with reverence, running a finger along its cool metal. Yet, he needed to understand how it worked. It had appeared after he touched a mote of light in his consciousness, which meant it was likely bound to his soul. A regular gun wouldn’t harm a powerful cultivator or spirit beast, but he sensed that this one was far from ordinary.

Standing up, Liu Xing adjusted his stance and aimed the gun at the cave wall, holding it like he’d seen police do back on Earth. He took a steadying breath and pulled the trigger.

Silence. No flash, no recoil, and no bullet. He tried again and again, but the gun remained empty.

He frowned, wondering how he might find ammunition.

Just as he was pondering this, a dark mist clouded his vision, and a familiar voice drifted into his mind.

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“Will, I need your help.”

The words faded, and his legs buckled, sending him collapsing to the cave floor.

When he awoke, Liu Xing’s head throbbed, as though a rope had been bound tightly around his temples. He rubbed his forehead, blinking to clear his vision. The last thing he remembered was holding the gun, then that voice. Had it been a hallucination?

Anxiety surged as he scanned his surroundings. His gun was missing.

“Where is it? Where’s the gun?”

For a brief moment, he questioned whether it had all been an illusion, perhaps some strange byproduct of his stress. But he dismissed the thought quickly. This was too vivid. He had to confirm it one way or another.

Ignoring the ache in his head, Liu Xing sat down and began to meditate. In this world, a cultivator could eventually enter a mental space within their own consciousness. And after a few minutes, he opened his eyes and found himself in a familiar expanse—a boundless, white space extending to the horizon. Once, he’d tried walking here out of curiosity, only to find no end even after several hours.

Before him hovered a small, crackling electric ball, bound by a silver chain with seven red locks. Five were unlocked, representing his current stage. With two more, he would reach the Core Splitting realm.

He ignored the electric ball and looked around. The last time, he’d seen the mote of light behind the electric ball, drifting like a persistent firefly.

There it was again, lingering behind his electric ball like it had been waiting for him. Relief washed over him; the gun wasn’t a figment of his imagination after all. When he passed out, it must have returned here, to his consciousness.

Liu Xing extended a hand and touched the light. A chill ran through his fingertips, and his vision filled with blinding light. When it cleared, he was back in his cave, the cool weight of the gun nestled in his hand once more.

“It’s real. I really have a gun.”

Looking closer, he noticed six green strips now lining its side. Had these been there before? He was certain they hadn’t.

Curious, he brushed his finger over one of the strips, and darkness engulfed him. The floor beneath him disappeared into a black void, as though he were falling endlessly into an abyss.

His heart raced as the darkness shifted, coalescing into mist that formed a figure. White and black swirls circled him, slowly solidifying. At first, it looked like a nebula, but then it became a silhouette—a person with flowing black hair that looked like shadows held together by a soft, white outline.

A face emerged, then a torso, and finally, feet touched down onto the floor of the void. It was an ethereal form, as though someone had painted a figure using only light and darkness.

Liu Xing’s breath caught, not out of fear or awe, but out of recognition.

“Nui? Is that you?”

The figure’s pale face softened into a smile. "Long time no see, Will."