NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 282:
Chapter 282: The Collection Cabinet War – A New Season:
Breakfast ended in a strange atmosphere.
Ailei’s breakfast.
Krisha’s breakfast.
Xu Xi chose both.
Using the laws of space and time, he ensured each bite was taken with the same frequency and the same force, perfectly balancing the situation.
Crisis averted.
After breakfast, however, Xu Xi fell into deep thought. Was this merely a coincidence, or was there an invisible competition between the two girls? Or worse—was there something more troubling at play?
“Could it be…?”
“The fact that Ailei took me away last night left a bad impression on Krisha?”
“Even after a whole night, the tension between them still hasn’t eased?”
Xu Xi pondered. Worried about this possibility, he decided to ask both of them privately about their thoughts on each other.
Krisha, who was watering the dragon blood grass, paused her movements. Her enchanting yet hollow gaze met his.
“…She’s similar to me. I find her somewhat intriguing.”
Intriguing, not unpleasant.
Xu Xi felt a little relieved.
Next, he approached Ailei, who was trying to plant the Starflower in the courtyard. She pressed down her bangs lightly to prevent them from being blown away by the strong wind.
“…She’s a strong opponent.”
Opponent?
Was she referring to Krisha’s supreme divine power?
It was true. Krisha, who possessed both creation and destruction, was an undeniable powerhouse even among supreme beings.
Xu Xi thought about it for a moment.
Perhaps the situation wasn’t as bad as he had imagined. Both girls seemed perfectly normal, and their choice of words didn’t indicate hostility. Maybe he was just overthinking.
That made sense.
After all, Krisha and Ailei were both well-behaved.
How could they possibly have a conflict?
This was just him scaring himself.
“The weather is nice today, the sun is shining… What a beautiful day,” Xu Xi muttered to himself.
—
With Ailei joining, the courtyard had gained another resident.
Xu Xi prepared a new room for her, along with all the necessary living essentials.
“Thank you, Master,” Ailei said, expressing her gratitude as she gracefully and efficiently arranged her new space.
Then, something unexpected happened.
Right before Xu Xi’s eyes, Ailei’s body began to dissipate, reverting to its original RTX-9090 identification plate.
In its place, a new body formed, reconstructed from quantum signals.
“Ailei, was your previous body inconvenient?”
Xu Xi asked, puzzled.
Ailei answered politely, saying that both bodies were the same.
She simply wanted to put the 9090 identification plate back into the collection cabinet again.
That was all.
If he ignored the loud noise from teleporting the first item slot, then yes, it was a simple matter.
“…What is this? A new season of the Collection Cabinet War?”
In the living room, Xu Xi placed his teacup down, the crisp sound of the base tapping against the table ringing through the air.
He savored the lingering taste of tea while silently releasing his spiritual energy to observe the invisible battle inside the collection cabinet.
“Krisha and Ailei are fighting so fiercely?”
“They’re firmly holding onto the first and second spots.”
“In comparison, Moli and Yingxue seem much quieter, as if they’re just…”
“Watching?”
Xu Xi chuckled.
He couldn’t understand the girls’ thoughts.
But he found these daily moments peaceful and amusing.
He enjoyed them.
“There’s no need to think about the simulation for now.”
“I should focus on improving both my cultivation and martial arts.”
“I can already sense it—the feeling of an imminent breakthrough. It could happen at any moment.”
—
Autumn brought a deeper silence to the world.
The golden sunlight was warm and soft, wrapping everything in a gentle veil, but the cold wind would quickly strip away that warmth.
Branches swayed in the wind. Fallen leaves scattered across the ground.
Xu Xi’s daily life was slow and peaceful.
When he wasn’t cultivating diligently, he spent time tending to the dragon blood grass in the courtyard and helping Ailei care for the newly planted Starflower.
Whenever he was in the mood, he would sit by the pond, leisurely casting a fishing rod.
“…Is this a Quantum Leviathan?”
“And a Sea God Fish?”
That afternoon, the sound of knocking echoed clearly.
“Ailei, stop sneaking these into the pond. That goes for you too, Krisha.”
“…Yes, Master.”
“…Yes, Master.”
By the pond, Xu Xi sighed helplessly as he reprimanded both Ailei and Krisha.
Not far away, Yingxue sat munching on sunflower seeds.
Moli wasn’t present—she was still busy severing realms and rarely returned.
—
Time continued to pass.
The new machine servant gradually adapted to life in the courtyard.
However, the domestic nature of the intelligent machine seemed to overlap with Krisha’s habits. As a result, Xu Xi often received double the service.
Sometimes, it was two cups of tea.
Sometimes, it was two meals.
Xu Xi found the situation amusing—it was simply too ridiculous.
At the same time, after long, dedicated training, he finally reached a breakthrough.
His cultivation advanced to the Grand Ascension Stage.
In martial arts, he condensed a second internal world.
Both transcendence systems were now just one step away from true transformation and ascension.
“With my current strength, and the presence of Moli and the others, safety is no longer a concern.”
“But strength is something you can never have too much of.”
“Getting stronger is always a good thing.”
In the first month of winter, Xu Xi slowly stood up and emerged from his cultivation state.
Above the courtyard, thick, ominous tribulation clouds quickly formed.
Yet, before he could even react, the clouds scattered on their own.
It was as if they were… running away.
As if they were… afraid.
“If I think about it, Earth has been evolving for several years now.”
“The once-ignorant planetary consciousness is now becoming more sentient—it doesn’t even dare approach Yan Mountain anymore.”
Xu Xi sighed.
Honestly, he wanted to experience it at least once.
In web novels, the protagonist would always undergo tribulation, letting heavenly lightning refine their body.
But with several supreme beings watching over him, tribulation lightning didn’t even dare to get close.
Tap—
Tap—
Xu Xi stepped out of the training room. The dazzling sunlight fell onto his eyelashes, causing him to squint slightly.
A familiar voice came from the distance.
Lively.
Excited.
“Mister, I need to talk to you!”
Yingxue came running over, stopping hurriedly in front of him.
Her red-and-white battle robe was as energetic and carefree as he remembered. Even her bold personality hadn’t changed one bit.
“What is it, Yingxue? Speak slowly.”
“Mister, it’s about Ah Niu!”
The girl’s voice was urgent.
She explained that the civilians of the Survival Army, living on the outskirts of Yan Mountain City, wanted Xu Xi to come over as a witness for something.
Ah Niu—the once simple, honest man who had followed Xu Xi in the past—was now preparing to propose.
Xu Xi blinked.
“…Huh?”