Mian returned to his dormitory.
It had been nearly a month since that incident.
Though life at the estate had been luxurious—velvet bed canopies, silver tableware—Mian still found himself missing his own narrow little bed.
"Mian! You're back!"
"Is everything okay at home?"
Walking down the corridor, the classmates he passed greeted him warmly. He was quite popular. Strong, gentle, and always willing to help others—no one looked down on him anymore for being a commoner. Quite a few noble ladies had even thrown themselves at him, but Mian always pretended not to notice.
"Yeah… nothing serious. Thanks for your concern." Mian smiled, a little shy and reserved, neither distant nor too close with anyone.
Officially, he'd told everyone he had some family matters to attend to and had taken a temporary leave from school.
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Mian leaned his back against it and took a deep breath.
The familiar smell.
He collapsed onto his bed, a faint smile spreading across his face.
Only a month—not long at all. Luckily, the windows had been closed, so no dust had settled. Though no one had cleaned, the room was still tidy.
It seemed no one had entered. Everything was exactly as he'd left it.
The copy of Basic Spell Analysis lay open on the desk, still on the same page. The feather quill was still resting diagonally on the edge of the ink vial.
"A month…" Mian murmured. Just thirty days, but he had been through so much. It felt like another life, yet also like it had all happened just yesterday.
Like it was all just a cruel dream.
Teacher Enrais had invited him for a barbecue. After eating and drinking their fill, he'd come back here… Tomorrow, he was supposed to go listen to Teacher Enrais's lecture.
If only reality were like that.
Mian lay on the bed and wiped the corners of his eyes, which had grown a little wet.
Then he pulled out the Soul Judgment Blade and held it up in front of him. A purple glow shimmered along its edge. On closer inspection, the blade was inscribed with dense, intricate patterns finer than spider silk.
Mian didn't think he'd ever have a reason to use it again.
Though it was an invaluable treasure, he planned to seal it away—as a memorial to the soul that had passed.
As for Aise, he couldn't really bring himself to hate him.
In the end, he was just a lonely soul, a pitiful wretch unable to control his own fate.
Death had truly been the best ending for him.
Mian slowly put the dagger away.
"Goodnight, Aise."
---
"Oh, this thing is really something!"
Liyana looked enviously at the staff in Xia Lun's hands.
The staff was made from a single, natural piece of oak, warm and honey-colored like polished wood. At the base, a simple silver band was inlaid, inscribed with flowing runes that resonated faintly with the wood's own spiritual energy.
Wolund had personally delivered it. It was a tradition at Olifinton: graduates were gifted a precious roundwood staff and a graduation medal. Many regarded it as the highest honor; carrying it outside would earn you looks of respect.
But Xia Lun felt he hardly deserved the staff. In his hands, it could only really be used as a club to hit people.
Aina casually tossed her own staff to Liyana to play with.
"It's so smooth."
After handling it for a while, Liyana happily dashed off to show it off to Mo Lini.
Wolund, of course, didn't dare say a word about any of this.
"Aina… uh, ahem, Aina, will you two come back here again someday?" Wolund asked nervously.
"We'll see. Maybe when you get married, Xia Lun and I might come back for a visit." Aina glanced at Wolund meaningfully.
"That would be my honor…" Wolund wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
As the top figure at Olifinton, the only thing that could still make him nervous was having a conversation with the person in front of him.
"Look after Mida and Yisi for me. Don't let them cause any trouble." Aina then handed the two kids over to Wolund.
"Of course…" Though his face showed a grimace, Wolund agreed.
Even if those two little terrors were stronger than him.
"If they don't behave, just pull out Aina's name." Xia Lun patted Wolund on the shoulder. Wolund nodded deeply—that was exactly what he always did.
After Wolund left, Xia Lun noticed Aina puffing out her cheeks, looking a little upset.
"What's wrong?" Xia Lun chuckled, wrapping his arms around his wife.
"Xia Lun, are you saying I'm that scary?" Aina squirmed a little in his arms. "Why not use your name instead?"
"Because you're the Lord Demon King, full of authority—a dignity that even the stars would revere. Compared to you, I'm just a nameless adventurer." Xia Lun explained, his warm breath brushing past her ear. "Besides, Mida is your daughter. It's normal for her to be afraid of you… But in my eyes, you're not scary at all—you're always the cutest."
"R-really?" Aina was a little shy from his words, but it was obvious she was quite pleased.
"So, how cute do you think I am?" Aina lifted her chin and asked.
"A hundred times cuter than Mo Lini and Little Lan combined." Xia Lun replied seriously.
"Am I really that cute?" Aina covered her mouth in feigned surprise, but she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from curling up. She seemed surprised by the answer, but it was clear the Lord Demon King was very satisfied.
"Of course, Aina… Just look at your soft little face, your smooth hair, your perfect body…" Xia Lun gently caressed Aina's cheek in the most gentlemanly manner. "There's no creature on earth cuter than you. All the beautiful things in the world couldn't carve out someone like my Aina."
"That's way too exaggerated." Aina was dizzily charmed. Her usually cold face softened like melting honey.
"No, Aina, it's not exaggerated at all… That's exactly what you are in my heart." Xia Lun pinched Aina's reddened earlobe and continued his sweet talk offensive.
"Alright, I get it. What reward do you want? Just say it." It was clear Aina was very satisfied with Xia Lun's performance. "What do you want to do tonight?"
Xia Lun leaned over to Aina's ear.
Mumble, mumble, mumble.
"Fine, I'll give it to you." After hesitating for a moment, Aina shot Xia Lun a playful, reproachful look, but she still agreed.
Just as the atmosphere grew more intimate and their lips were about to meet, Liyana suddenly burst in.
"Aina! Here's your staff back!"
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
transmigrates into the role of a villainous rich second-generation kid in an urban fantasy novel, and gets bound to a god-tier choice system. Right at the start, he catches the female lead stealing exam papers! This triggers the villain's choice options! [Choice 1: Pretend you didn't see anything] [Choice 2: Loudly call her out, drawing everyone's attention] [Choice 3: ...] And thus, a twisted villain is born. To avoid getting killed by the protagonist, he has no choice but to take down all the protagonists first. Jiang Che: Nobody understands being twisted better than me!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
