Chapter Four: Xiaoyuan’s Fantasy God

“Your appearance has changed? Are you… Xiao Yuan?!” Upon hearing Xiao Yuan’s words, Feng Guoqing’s brows furrowed slightly. In the next moment, his eyes widened in shock. “Wait, is this the divine descent transformation of the Divine Armament?!”

“Yes, it’s me, Uncle Feng. I finally succeeded—my divine power has reached the level of faith.” Seeing Feng Guoqing’s astonished expression, Xiao Yuan felt a small surge of pride within; she had never expected to elicit such a reaction from Uncle Feng, which was a rare occurrence. All along, Uncle Feng had always displayed an air of confidence in front of her, usually with the familiar, nagging look of someone cautioning her to stay safe and be wary of danger. This time, her performance had finally surprised him. Haha.

“Impossible! How could someone at the faith level achieve divine descent transformation? The ranks of Divine Armament Warriors aren’t just named arbitrarily—every one of them must have reached the divine descent level to use divine descent abilities. Who are you really, and where have you hidden Xiao Yuan? How dare you spout such nonsense here?” Though he had first thought of the divine descent abilities of Divine Armament Warriors, upon hearing Xiao Yuan’s response, Feng Guoqing immediately refuted his own assumption. His vigilance deepened, and his eyes grew more anxious. Where on earth was Xiao Yuan hidden? Could something have happened to her?

“I really am Xiao Yuan, Uncle Feng! Why won’t you believe me?” As she watched the suspicion and wariness intensify in Feng Guoqing’s gaze, Xiao Yuan grew anxious herself. How could she prove her true identity now that her appearance and voice had changed so completely, as if she were a different person altogether? She could not prove it at all. Perhaps she could mention something only she and Uncle Feng knew? Yet, in that moment, she could not recall anything that was exclusively shared between them.

“If you truly are Xiao Yuan, then, given your current divine descent state, you should be able to freely undo the transformation, right?” Feng Guoqing remained composed. Though wary of the girl before him, he did not lower the ceramic pot in his hands.

After all, he had prepared it especially for Xiao Yuan. If this girl turned out not to be her, then she was undoubtedly an enemy—and Feng Guoqing would not hesitate to throw the scalding soup in her face. Fresh from the stove, the boiling broth was a formidable weapon. Despite her beauty, if she were an enemy, he would not show mercy. As a former instructor of the Central Mecha Unit, Feng Guoqing possessed first-rate combat experience and skill. Had he not lost his daughter and his left hand, he would never have ended up managing logistics in such a remote city.

“That’s right! I forgot about that.” Hearing Feng Guoqing’s words, Xiao Yuan finally realized: if she could transform, she could also undo it. In her panic, she had overlooked this. Closing her eyes, she focused her attention inward. Her mind reached toward her chest, and as soon as she touched the swirling nebula within, she understood how to reverse the transformation. Golden light enveloped her; when it faded, Xiao Yuan’s original appearance was revealed. “How about it, Uncle Feng? Do you believe me now?”

“It really is Xiao Yuan.” Upon seeing the golden light dissipate and Xiao Yuan’s familiar figure reappear, Feng Guoqing let out a long sigh of relief, his heart finally able to relax. “But why were you able to succeed with the divine descent transformation? By all accounts, you need divine power at the descent level to sustain the energy required for it. Faith level should be completely insufficient.”

“Well… I’m not really sure myself, Uncle Feng. Have you ever heard of a Divine Armament Warrior whose guardian spirit is a deity of fantasy? I find my guardian spirit rather strange; all my abilities come from the divine descent transformation. If I don’t transform, I can’t use any of my guardian spirit’s powers at all.” Having undone the transformation and confirmed her identity, Xiao Yuan took the ceramic pot from Uncle Feng and placed it on the room’s only table.

She lifted the lid, releasing a thick cloud of steam that instantly filled the room with a rich, savory aroma. While handing her the ladle, Feng Guoqing commented, “A deity of fantasy, huh? I’ve certainly never seen that kind of guardian spirit before. What kind of rule does fantasy represent? We haven’t finished our research on guardian spirits—there are still many unsolved mysteries. A few odd guardian spirits here and there are only to be expected.”

“Fantasy… How should I put it? Even I feel a bit lost myself. So far, all the forms I take after the divine descent transformation exist only in fantasy, and each form’s abilities are rooted in fantasy as well. There’s always some discrepancy between them and real-world phenomena.” As for the specifics of her guardian spirit, Xiao Yuan remained confused; she only knew she could transform into magical girls from comics and animation she’d seen in a previous life, using their unique talents. Beyond that, her understanding was quite limited.

“Alright, let’s not dwell on the unanswerable. I’ve always known you were someone special, Xiao Yuan. Come, taste Uncle Feng’s cooking.” Hearing Xiao Yuan’s muddled explanation, Feng Guoqing felt equally befuddled, so he simply set it aside. After all, she was now with the logistics team—becoming a Divine Armament Warrior was still a long way off, and she would first have to train up to the prayer level. Even if Xiao Yuan did become a Divine Armament Warrior, she would be one produced by their logistics team, something he could brag about to others: Back then, Xiao Yuan was one of ours, and so on and so forth.

As a retired veteran, injured and nearly fifty years old, Feng Guoqing had begun to plan for his later years. The first half of his life, through hard work, had brought glory to his wife and daughter, only for tragedy to leave his family broken and scattered.

Now, Feng Guoqing no longer yearned for honors he could only look at but never use. To him, Xiao Yuan’s safety and happiness mattered above all else. Yet he knew that a girl who could perform divine descent transformation at the faith level would never live the ordinary life of a common person. In the end, she would walk her own path, no matter how thorny or difficult it might be.

All Feng Guoqing could do was comfort himself: as long as Xiao Yuan returned to their logistics team adorned with glory and light, it meant she was safe and healthy. He hoped the tragedy that befell his daughter would never strike this girl he cherished as his own.

For now, Feng Guoqing could only rely on his old connections to conceal Xiao Yuan’s transformation for a while, allowing her to savor this rare period of happiness and peace. Xiao Yuan, being a Divine Armament Warrior is far from the glamorous profession people imagine—it’s a world where blood and fire intertwine, life and death are separated by a thin line between heaven and hell.

“Uncle Feng’s cooking is absolutely top-notch. I can’t wait to try it.” With a radiant smile, Xiao Yuan took the ladle and reached for the ceramic pot.