Zhuxing mentally estimated the time.
"About time."
"Sister Qiqing, get ready."
"You're about to witness one of the most spectacular sights of Shenxiao Space City."
The next moment—
The vast sea of clouds vanished, shrinking into a tiny scene in the distant sky until it became a mere dot.
Intersecting layers of space formed dazzling kaleidoscopic patterns.
"Spatial Barrier Phenomenon."
"A brand-new physical phenomenon discovered by Teacher."
"When multiple overlapping phases are crossed simultaneously, the solidification of space must be broken."
"At the same time, the universe attempts to stabilize spatial inconsistencies."
"This produces subtle spatial quakes."
"And the interaction between multiple spatial results creates a spontaneous counteracting spatial barrier."
Zhuxing continued explaining.
"This phenomenon produces completely different visuals every time."
"They're incredibly magnificent."
"It has a strong visual impact and great research value."
Dongfang Qiqing pointed toward a fragment of space that looked like a broken mirror.
"What's that?"
Inside the fragment was the image of a massive torrent of energy.
Zhuxing glanced at it.
"That's a scene from a nearby phase."
"The collision between phases reflected it here."
"But don't worry."
"Most places in Shenxiao Space City have anti-surveillance devices."
In truth—
When the Spatial Barrier phenomenon occurs, the surroundings are not only close to neighboring phases…
But also close to the Path Interstice.
Lin Yi had once studied this phenomenon.
He even proposed a bold hypothesis.
Perhaps the Path Interstice itself was actually a phase-space covering the entire universe—
A realm meant to contain Aeons, beings of extremely high energy levels.
Only Aeons could freely enter and leave.
Others could only briefly enter under an Aeon's gaze.
This would prevent Aeons from accidentally destroying the universe through ordinary actions.
Of course—
Even Lin Yi did not know whether it was true.
After all, it was only a theory.
The Spatial Barrier phenomenon lasted only a few seconds.
Then the sky returned to normal.
The scattered cloud islands they had seen earlier now seemed close at hand.
Dongfang Qiqing stepped to the edge of the platform and looked down.
Zhuxing followed.
"It may look like we simply climbed higher."
"But the distance is far greater than thousands of miles."
"This is the distance between two worlds."
"If you don't know the correct method…"
"No matter how high you fly, you'll never reach it."
At that moment—
The golden cloud platform beneath them began trembling and swelling.
Zhuxing quickly reassured her.
"Don't panic."
"Woof! Woof!"
The golden cloud platform transformed into the shape of a dog.
A fluffy golden cloud dog.
The big cloud dog suddenly appeared in front of Zhuxing.
It barked lightly, stuck out its tongue, and nudged her affectionately.
Zhuxing and Dongfang Qiqing floated in midair.
But they did not fall.
Qiqing had already grown used to this sort of thing.
Zhuxing patted the dog.
"Good boy, Golden Dog."
"Take us to Large Unmanned Sky Island K0018."
The dog immediately flew beneath Zhuxing's feet, lying down eagerly while wagging its tail.
Zhuxing extended her hand.
Dongfang Qiqing grabbed it.
With a gentle pull, she climbed onto the cloud dog.
Zhuxing lightly kicked its back as a signal.
The cloud dog expanded slightly, circled gracefully through the air—
And then sped off into the distance.
The moment she climbed on, Qiqing felt something soft like cotton beneath her feet.
Really—
Who could resist a dog that:
doesn't eatdoesn't sheddoesn't need to relieve itselfdoesn't harm peopledoesn't cause allergiesappears when you need itdisappears when you don't
Zhuxing rubbed the dog's head.
"This is a Cloud Beast."
"A transportation tool and household pet unique to the Seventh Heaven."
"They're created using the Life Equation."
"It grants intelligence to heavy clouds."
"They belong to the category:
Formless Order → Essence Family → Thought-Beast Subspecies."
"When a Cloud Beast is first born, its mind is extremely weak."
"It's just a small cloud."
"But if it follows a person, it feeds on the fragments of thoughts people unconsciously release."
"These thought fragments contain memories and emotions."
"As it grows…"
"The Cloud Beast gradually develops a personality and appearance suited to that person."
"And naturally becomes very close to them."
Dongfang Qiqing asked:
"So everyone's Cloud Beast ends up looking different?"
Zhuxing nodded.
"That's right."
"Most members of the space city adopt one."
"They serve as transportation between Yao Terrace and the Clear Nether Cloud Sea of the Seventh Heaven."
"Of course, they're not mandatory."
"Some people don't like Cloud Beasts and use other transportation."
"I'm already excited to see what mine will look like," Qiqing said happily.
She had little resistance to cute things.
Zhuxing then began explaining the Seventh Heaven, the residential zone.
"The Seventh Heaven: Clear Nether Cloud Sea."
"Teacher designed it in a xianxia-style aesthetic."
"This entire phase layer is used for daily living and rest."
"Through structural modifications…"
"This phase has been separated from the base universe."
"The only connection to the outside world is Yao Terrace."
"So it's extremely safe."
"Teacher once joked—"
'Even if an Aeon came, they couldn't destroy it in one hit.
They'd need two.'
"In topology, the Clear Nether Cloud Sea is like a beehive."
"The cloud islands are the individual honeycomb cells."
"It looks open, but there are actually invisible barriers."
"You can move freely between islands."
"You can choose your neighbors."
"But visiting someone still requires permission."
Soon—
A floating cloud island approached beneath them.
At the edge were misty clouds.
Further inside were soil, ponds, trees, rock gardens, and a spring.
Deeper still stood a villa estate, exquisitely beautiful.
Zhuxing smiled.
"We're here."
"This is the residence assigned by Shenxiao Space City."
"Each person gets:
1 square kilometer floating island10-kilometer surrounding airspace"
"You can freely assemble scenery zones."
"The space can expand depending on rank, yearly awards, or by purchasing with credits."
"And don't worry about space."
"Only 3% of the Clear Nether Cloud Sea has been used."
"The actual residential area occupies just 0.017%."
Zhuxing shook her head.
"I still don't understand why Teacher insisted on dedicating an entire phase layer just for housing."
"But now that it's done…"
"There's endless space."
"No amount of credits could ever run out."