Contracted Observer, the World Is My Stage

This long urban high-martial-arts novel blends Chinese supernatural folklore, disasters from another world, godlike martial arts, factional conflict, and bonds of family. After a crimson alien star crashes down, the laws of the modern world collapse and civilization's development comes to a complete halt. The Abyssal Realm repeatedly overlaps with reality, spawning all kinds of evil monsters known as “Otherworldly Shadows.” At the same time, fifteen paths to godhood emerge, allowing ordinary people to awaken their own paths and gain supernatural powers to fight the crisis. Shen Yan, an ordinary young man, is murdered in a conspiracy. After his death, as the Abyssal Realm undergoes a massive convergence with the real world, he is unexpectedly brought back to life alongside a bizarre group called the “Observers.” These invisible beings treat his experiences as entertainment and each have a personal interest meter. If the score falls below a critical threshold, they will possess his body and wreak havoc, forcing Shen Yan to stage incidents just to keep the meter up and protect himself. He learns that his adoptive parents killed him out of greed: they wanted to harvest his organs to save their biological daughter, Su Nian. After he returns to life, his adoptive parents live in constant fear, while Su Nian becomes a special spirit after an Abyssal Realm anomaly strikes during her surgery. The siblings protect each other. A mysterious doctor from the Holy City, Wen Jingxing, is temporarily staying in their home, secretly observing Shen Yan's unusual constitution and the presence of the Observers. The story combines an eerie atmosphere of supernatural tales, thrilling martial arts battles, layers of unexpected twists, and nuanced portrayals of human nature. As the protagonist struggles to escape the Observers' control and uncover the truth behind the Abyssal Realm's arrival, he also protects his family and navigates the competing factions, growing stronger step by step amid the chaos, defying his destined fate and reshaping the balance of power across all of humanity's protected territories.