"How did the Origin Realm get connected to the outside internet?"
At the time, Su Qi had been preoccupied with analyzing other details and hadn't noticed this anomaly.
But now, seeing it again sent a chill down his spine.
"Has this Origin Realm descended?"
Guardian Jiang nodded grimly. "It descended without a sound..."
Su Qi's pupils constricted sharply.
Descended without a sound...
The weight of those words struck harder than the possibility of Descendants attacking the martial exam.
Origin Realms—special spaces existing independently of the real world—were dangerous but at least controllable and observable.
Their emergence, stabilization, expansion, and eventual "descent" (complete fusion with reality) were always accompanied by violent energy fluctuations and spatial distortions.
They were predictable, preventable, and stoppable.
There had never been a precedent for a "silent" descent.
Su Qi grasped the severity immediately. "The monitoring network detected no spatial disturbances? What about energy signatures?"
"Nothing." Guardian Jiang's expression darkened. "It's as if... it had always been part of Jiangxia."
"Or perhaps its method of descent surpassed our current understanding and detection capabilities."
He rubbed his temples, exhaustion evident. "Ironically, we only noticed this because of that post while evaluating your stance."
It sounded absurd.
But it was the truth.
Like how everyone assumes water must boil at 100°C—no one would ever put it in a freezer to "heat" it.
Few had visited that Origin Realm recently—mostly veterans or students under supervision.
With only a few hundred people, the odds of outliers were slim.
Su Qi was literally the only one who'd tried contacting the outside world directly via the internet.
"By the time we reacted and sent scouts, the Origin Realm... had already fully merged with real-world coordinates."
"The entrance vanished—or rather, the entire area became the entrance."
Su Qi steadied himself, focusing on the critical question. "Impact assessment?"
"Initial surveys show it covers about 15 square kilometers of Jiangxia's western outskirts," Guardian Jiang replied. "Luckily, it's sparsely populated. No reports of mass casualties yet."
"Thankfully, we caught it early. If Origin creatures had spread, containment would've been a nightmare."
"But this is temporary. No one knows what changes might follow."
Guardian Jiang's gaze sharpened as he locked eyes with Su Qi. "What if they replicate this? Make the martial exam's Origin Realm descend next?"
"Or worse—plotting to drop a high-tier Origin Realm?"
Su Qi didn't answer immediately.
He connected the dots in his mind:
Descendants reducing activity, possibly internal selection.
An Origin Realm descending undetected.
"You know this—Great Xia is our territory, but Origin Realms? They're half the Descendants' domain."
Agitated, Su Qi absentmindedly swiped Guardian Jiang's phone screen.
The image changed—now showing a white-stockinged anime loli.
Guardian Jiang snatched his phone back in 0.1 seconds: "Human nature. Basic instincts."
"Focus on business. No snooping."
...
Meanwhile, at Su Qi's home, a different scene unfolded.
Liu Yuan had just seen off two assistants.
The door clicked shut.
She turned back to the kitchen, eyeing the plate of barely-passable scrambled eggs with tomatoes—her "masterpiece" under the assistants' guidance.
The more complex chicken soup and steamed fish? Wisely abandoned.
The chaotic cooking session had confirmed her lack of culinary talent.
Picking up chopsticks, she tentatively tasted a bite.
Hmm.
Surprisingly... decent?
Wait, why "surprisingly"?
Never mind!
At least it wasn't the "dark cuisine" she'd feared.
Balanced sweet-sour tang, eggs reasonably tender.
A tiny spark of pride warmed her chest.
Should be enough for Su Qi to devour tonight!
And she could improve.
Rome wasn't built in a day.
Her lips curved slightly.
If Brother sees me trying so hard, improving bit by bit... wouldn't that itself be happiness?
But the fleeting joy faded as she remembered her original mission—
The card evolution task!
Wiping her hands, she headed to Su Qi's room.
What exactly are Brother's preferences?
The question looped in her mind.
Power on.
Familiar boot screen, then the password prompt.
'xbllzj'
("Xian bu liao le zai jian"—"Can't chat now, bye.")
Easy to remember.
Enter.
The desktop loaded.
But Liu Yuan suspected Su Qi hadn't meant it literally.
What then...?
So hard to guess...
Then she recalled someone saying boys panic most when their cloud drives or D/E disks are checked.
So... Brother's secrets are hidden there?
Clicking into the D drive, she spotted a folder named "Study Materials" inside "BaiduNetdiskDownload."
Her pulse quickened. Important notes must be here!
She double-clicked.
Ready to witness Su Qi's hard work and dedication.
...The folder was empty.
Frowning, her brain raced.
No problem—ask the internet!
Netizens might suck at making money, but they knew everything.
Soon, advice poured in:
[View → Show hidden items]
Liu Yuan tried it.
Submenus exploded on-screen. Her eyes darted until—
Show hidden items?
Check.
Instantly, dozens of folders materialized.
Their names were bizarre: random alphanumerics, some resembling script from a defunct island nation, and very few in Great Xia's language.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
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.
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
