Chapter 2: The Absurdity of a Fated Union

Time flew by, marking Ye Xingchen and Su Liyue’s third year at Starfall Academy.

Gazing at the celestial map swirling across the library’s domed ceiling, Ye Xingchen found himself staring blankly at the book in his hands.

‘If he failed to locate the spatial node and coordinates for his return to his original world within the next two years, it seemed he would have no choice but to fulfill that absurd marriage contract, taking Su Liyue, his own female body, as his wedded wife.’

As a transcendent and formidable powerhouse, although he wielded Saint-tier strength, he had never delved into the intricacies of temporal and spatial power.

After all, he had never imagined such an anomaly would occur, much less contemplated extensive research into traversing vast stretches of time and space.

Indeed, for an existence like him, to encounter a temporal-spatial rift and be transmigrated was simply too preposterous to fathom.

However, his three years of diligent study and research revealed that he had arrived in a world of magic and swords.

Whether this world harbored supreme powerhouses comparable to Earth’s cultivators remained unknown.

Yet, as he delved deeper, he discovered that the magical hierarchy here comprised ten distinct tiers: Magic Apprentice, Novice Mage, Official Mage, High-Tier Mage, Archmage, Magus, Saint Magus, Legendary Mage, Forbidden Mage, and the fabled Eternal One.

The first two tiers were typically attained through academic study and graduation, culminating in certification.

Only beyond these did true advancement begin, with each subsequent tier further subdivided into elementary, intermediate, and advanced stages.

To gain a more detailed understanding and verify the true might of mages, he specifically instructed Su Liyue to approach the academy’s most powerful individual, the Headmaster.

From his inquiries, he learned that the Headmaster’s strength hovered around the advanced Magus tier.

For this nation, such power was undoubtedly considered formidable, especially given that existences like Saint Magus were fewer than three even within the Aetherian Empire.

Each Saint Magus was akin to the concept of nuclear deterrence on Earth in a bygone era, to say nothing of Legendary Mages and beyond, who were utterly unheard of in the Aetherian Empire.

Nevertheless, should the Headmaster’s prowess be pitted against Ye Xingchen’s, Ye Xingchen felt that if he merely misjudged his strength, a flick of his finger could reduce the Headmaster to ashes.

Based on the intelligence he had gathered thus far, the disparity in power levels between mages here and Earth’s cultivators was simply too vast.

Moreover, the physical conditioning of these mages paled significantly in comparison to the robust physiques of cultivators.

Yet, amidst his studies at the academy, one fortunate discovery offered a glimmer of hope: this world possessed research into temporal and spatial magic.

Should he manage to unravel its mysteries, he might just find his way home.

The cosmos was vast and boundless; a blind search for coordinates would be tantamount to searching for a needle in a haystack.

Furthermore, he harbored no desire to complicate his journey home unnecessarily, thus there was no immediate need for haste.

However, another vexing issue plagued him: as Su Liyue matured, her beauty blossomed, and her feminine attributes became increasingly pronounced.

This gradual transformation ignited a profound sense of latent crisis within Ye Xingchen.

After all, when it came to mere appearance, the more beautiful a woman grew, the more she attracted men.

Though she currently enjoyed the protection of her family and himself, this was no long-term solution.

The wisest course of action was for her to cultivate the ability to protect herself.

He wondered if Su Liyue’s cultivator soul had subtly influenced her, for her allure distinctly began to transcend the mundane as she matured.

As the adage went, fortune often harbored misfortune, and misfortune often concealed fortune; this transformation could be either a blessing or a curse.

Ye Xingchen knew well that in a world governed by the law of the jungle, peerless beauty, if left unguarded by commensurate strength, was bound to invite calamity.

Numerous historical accounts from ancient Earth served as stark reminders of such ‘femme fatale’ incidents.

Humans, after all, were complex beings, inherently drawn to beauty.

The pursuit of exquisite things was a common aspiration among many powerhouses.

In the cultivation world, for instance, while all were cultivators, perhaps due to the nature of their practice, ugliness was virtually nonexistent.

One simply grew accustomed to the pervasive handsomeness and beauty.

However, exceptionally beautiful celestial maidens typically fell into one of two categories: those with immense power who remained unwed throughout their lives, or those who were successfully courted to form dual cultivation partnerships.

Beyond these, there existed a third, more perilous category: those lacking both strength and background.

Such women were either confined and kept by powerful individuals, or…

Having witnessed such scenarios, his concern for Su Liyue in her female form intensified.

Human desires, after all, were often insatiable, otherwise, so many cultivators would not remain mere dregs throughout their entire lives.

In the cruel reality of the strong preying on the weak, the vulnerable clung to the powerful, who in turn dictated the rules.

Beautiful women, if they could not become hunters and devise means to protect themselves, were highly likely to become prey in the eyes of others, destined to be hunted.

A chilling glint of murderous intent flickered in Ye Xingchen’s eyes at this thought.

Though his female body was currently quite vulnerable.

Yet, with Ye Xingchen’s current power, safeguarding his female self was naturally not an issue.

Moreover, Su Liyue possessed remarkable magical talent; given enough time and consistent effort, achieving self-preservation should pose no great challenge.

After much deliberation, Ye Xingchen concluded.

The most prudent course of action remained the original plan: to formally marry Su Liyue, his female self, two years hence.

This would allow them to leverage the power of both noble families to provide overt protection, while he could continue to guard her covertly, until her female form truly matured to a point of self-sufficiency.

Indeed, this was the most rational solution available.

However, the mere thought of marrying himself sent an involuntary shiver down Ye Xingchen’s spine each time.

As an entity who had cultivated in a male form since the Earth era, even a millennium of practice had never entwined him with romantic affections.

Yet, the idea of Su Liyue, his female self, being taken by a man one day—even if that man were himself—filled him with an unbearable revulsion.

He felt a perverse guilt, akin to violating his own sanctity, and an inexplicable awkwardness welled up within him.

Ye Xingchen’s fingertips unconsciously traced the edge of the book page, this thorny problem lodging itself like a persistent splinter in his heart.

Moreover, a second predicament awaited him post-marriage: how would he respond if both families’ elders immediately demanded the continuation of their bloodline?

As a cultivator who had received a higher education on Earth, the admonition that filial piety was the foremost of all virtues had long been ingrained in his very bones.

Furthermore, the parents in this world had genuinely treated ‘them’ (him in his female body) with immense kindness, toiling tirelessly to raise them into adulthood.

From their first tottering steps to their enrollment in Starfall Academy, those warm memories were undeniably real.

By all accounts, both emotional and rational, he had no grounds to refuse such an inherently righteous demand.

Yet, whenever he considered the marital obligations he might face, a sense of profound incongruity, akin to the violation of his own sanctity, washed over him.

The ultimate irony was that the other party involved in this matter was none other than himself.

This self-contradictory predicament was utterly ludicrous, like being forced to violate his own sanctity, filling him with an unprecedented sense of absurdity.

Even more vexing was the issue of childbirth, a concern not merely psychological, but profoundly physiological.

As a former Saint-tier powerhouse, he was acutely aware of the agony women endured during childbirth.

Records circulating within the cultivation world depicted this pain as a thousandfold more excruciating than any torture.

The mere thought of Su Liyue’s delicate body potentially enduring such torment sent a wave of dizziness through Ye Xingchen.

He instinctively stroked his lower abdomen, a region that once belonged to a purely male form, but now, in his female state, harbored an entirely different physiological structure.

Over the past three years, he had thoroughly researched Su Liyue’s body, understanding everything from its skeletal structure and muscular tissue to its magical energy pathways, and even every sensitive zone.

Yet, theoretical knowledge could never truly replace actual experience.

Especially when his male self’s fingertips brushed against his female self’s skin, a shiver, like an an electric current coursing through his spine, would invariably cause Su Liyue’s cheeks to flush with the crimson hue of a sunset.

Recalling those experimental touches now, Ye Xingchen’s earlobes involuntarily warmed.

As a powerhouse who once gazed down upon all beings, to now be troubled by such romantic awkwardness seemed an overly cruel jest of fate.

He rubbed his temples, attempting to dispel these discomfiting memories, only to find the images growing ever clearer in his mind.

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