Chapter 121: Rules and the Origin of the World

After bidding farewell to the City Lord, Song Qi arrived before the City Lord’s Mansion in the First District.

According to their agreement in the conscious space, Elder Mu was to clarify the concept of "Rules" for him there.

The receptionist led him to Elder Mu’s office. However, Elder Mu was busy presenting awards at the time and would not be back for a while, so Song Qi had to wait.

Over an hour later...

*Click.*

The office door opened, and Elder Mu walked in.

"Here so early? Looks like you couldn't wait."

He seemed quite calm upon seeing Song Qi. He casually took off the formal attire he had worn for the ceremony and changed into casual clothes.

"Alright, follow me."

With a wave of his hand, a deep, pale-blue portal appeared on the wall. He walked straight through it. Song Qi hesitated for a moment before following him inside.

...

*Whoosh!*

As Song Qi stepped through, the door behind him closed instantly. What greeted him was an incredibly vast room.

The ceiling, floor, and walls were all paved with a type of white stone. It was clearly no ordinary material, as Song Qi felt the flow of his extraordinary power become significantly smoother the moment he stepped onto it.

The room contained no furniture or miscellaneous clutter. Hanging directly in front of him was a portrait, but the figure depicted was blurred; no matter how hard he tried to focus, the face remained impossible to distinguish.

Li Zong sat cross-legged on a worn-out prayer mat in front of the portrait, his eyes closed as he breathed in a rhythmic, measured way. Sensing Song Qi’s arrival, he turned his head.

"Brother Song, you’ve come as well? I thought I wouldn't see you here until you reached level 60."

"Level 60?" Song Qi asked, puzzled. "Why level 60?"

"It’s quite simple," Elder Mu explained. "Under normal circumstances, only professionals who have reached level 60 have the potential to comprehend the Rules. Even though Li Zong had some insights at level 20, he didn't truly grasp his first Rule until after level 60. But since you have already summoned creatures that command the Rules, there is no harm in letting you try early."

"I see," Song Qi realized.

"Alright, enough talk. Li Zong, give up your spot on the mat."

Li Zong stood up, revealing the somewhat tattered prayer mat beneath him. It looked like an ordinary, discolored, and slightly damaged object that had been sat upon for a long time.

"Song Qi, sit down."

Song Qi thought for a moment. "Are there any posture requirements?"

"No, just make contact with the mat."

He nodded and mimicked Li Zong’s meditation posture. However, the moment he sat down, the scene before his eyes changed dramatically. The empty space suddenly transformed! Countless faint, transparent threads were interwoven throughout the room.

"This... what is this?" Song Qi was startled and looked toward Elder Mu and Li Zong. To his amazement, he saw similar threads crisscrossing inside their bodies. He looked at himself and found that he, too, had a few threads entangled within him.

"You wanted to know what 'Rules' were, didn't you?" Elder Mu explained. "The threads you see now are the manifestation of the Rules. The fact that we have them inside our bodies means we have mastered those Rules."

"But why are they inside my body too?" Song Qi asked, feeling a mix of shock and doubt.

"To be precise, all humans possess them after their first job advancement," Elder Mu said in a low voice. "Emperor Li Er was benevolent; he spread the path of professions throughout the human race. To ensure our rapid rise and foothold in this world, he prepared a great gift for all humanity."

"The attribute panel you have—that is the gift he prepared for us."

"All professionals receive a blessing from Emperor Li Er the moment they advance, naturally granting them a Rule-level skill!"

"The attribute panel? A Rule-level skill that every human gets upon advancement?" Song Qi’s eyes widened in confusion. But his attribute panel had been shattered by his system panel... Was that really a gift from Emperor Li Er? If the Emperor found out, would he be held responsible?

Seeing Song Qi’s silence, Elder Mu wasn't surprised, assuming he was simply overwhelmed by the revelation.

"Many things you take for granted are only possible because of Emperor Li Er’s protection. Why does killing monsters grant experience? Why do monsters drop equipment and skill books? Why can you inspect a monster’s information panel, but they cannot inspect yours? Why can a professional who knows nothing learn any skill instantly upon using a skill book? And why do we immediately understand the power, scale, and specific effects of a skill the moment we acquire it?"

"Have you ever thought about these things? Don't you find them incredibly strange?"

Song Qi was stunned. *Wait... I’m a transmigrator. Aren't these just the standard configurations for a world like this?*

"So, these are actually the Rules mastered by Emperor Li Er?" he asked cautiously.

"Rules? No, no, no..." Elder Mu shook his finger. "Emperor Li Er did not master mere Rules; he mastered the origin of the world! The attribute panel is something he forged himself—a brand-new Rule that did not originally exist in our world!"

*The world's origin? A brand-new Rule?*

Song Qi was taken aback once more. Based on his past reading experience, he could vaguely guess what these terms implied, but he wasn't certain.

"But... Elder Mu, didn't you say before that the power of 'Rules' cannot be created by living beings, and can only be operated by the Heavenly Dao or the world's own will?"

"Theoretically... that is indeed the case," Elder Mu nodded. "But Emperor Li Er merged with the Heavenly Dao, using his own will to replace the world’s will. He forcibly operated the origin of the world, turning decay into wonder and the impossible into reality. With his immense power, he carved out an entirely new path for humanity!"

"It is precisely because of this that humanity has been able to stand firm in this world, which has been polluted by the demons, and catch up to a portion of the power the extraterrestrial demons have spent endless ages developing in just a short century."