A-1 Arena.
Liu Yuan's figure appeared in the examinee passage.
Not long after, another figure emerged at the entrance for examinees.
A-102, Lin Han.
Numerous gazes from the spectator seats converged on him.
Somewhat coincidentally,
this person was also a transfer student from the Imperial Capital.
If the Imperial Capital's written exams were considered "heaven mode"—something everyone aspired to—
then its combat exams were "hell mode," something everyone wanted to escape.
Just think about it—even the half-ruined Yun family, by exhausting their resources, managed to nurture someone like Yun Huang.
Sure, there was excessive exploitation involved,
but without sufficient resources and heritage, could an ordinary family ever produce a seventh-tier powerhouse?
And what about the younger generation in the Imperial Capital?
Fifth-tier fighters were as common as dogs, sixth-tier ones roamed everywhere.
Only by reaching seventh-tier did one stand a chance to compete for the top spots.
But humans, after all, are creatures fond of vanity.
"How's my kid doing?" was a question many parents loved to bring up in conversations.
So, being ranked 20th or 30th in the Imperial Capital? That paled in comparison to the prestige of being the top combat examinee in Jiangxia.
Of course, transferring to a city like Jiangxia was about the limit for those people.
If they ended up in some remote backwater town, even becoming the top combat examinee wouldn’t bring much glory.
As for whether any Jiangxia examinees had transferred to even more remote cities...
who knew?
Life was all about flexibility and navigating social intricacies.
......
Lin Han wore a simple, custom-tailored black outfit, his face clean and refined.
Many noticed through the camera feeds that this transfer student walked with an unusually steady gait,
exuding a calmness that starkly contrasted with the surrounding clamor.
His demeanor suggested that this highly anticipated duel was nothing more than routine to him—
the outcome already settled in his mind.
"Now! Let me introduce the two contenders about to take the stage!"
As Lin Han stepped into the arena, a booming voice echoed through the speakers—a hired professional commentator, skilled at hyping up the crowd.
"First up, someone you might not be too familiar with! The dark horse from Jiangxia's Sixth Cardmaster Academy, who stunned everyone in the first round of testing with a staggering score of 4155, ranking 28th—one of Jiangxia's elite fighters, the prodigious student—Liu Yuan!"
The commentator’s arm swung emphatically toward Liu Yuan as she entered from the opposite side of the arena.
The moment the words left his mouth, cheers erupted from large sections of the audience.
"And Liu Yuan’s opponent today! A mysterious transfer student from Jiangxia’s Premier Cardmaster Academy—Lin Han!"
When Lin Han was introduced, the applause noticeably thinned.
After all, with little familiarity, the crowd naturally leaned toward cheering for the "local."
To put it bluntly,
Lin Han was just some "damn outsider."
He probably never expected that after years of calling others "damn outsiders," the tables would turn on him.
The commentator, aware of this, quickly raised his voice to build suspense:
"Lin Han’s test score was 5201, ranking third!"
"Let’s witness this marquee matchup together!"
Meanwhile, Lin Han, now on the platform, felt distinctly uncomfortable with this style of combat exam.
Especially after hearing that introduction, a faint sense of irony flickered through his mind.
With all this fanfare, one might mistake it for some esports championship or an underground fight club taking bets.
Typical of these "damn outsiders," turning the combat exams into such a "tasteless spectacle."
Even using a combat exam to milk money—how pathetically desperate.
After successfully hyping up the crowd, the commentator turned his attention to Liu Yuan, who had entered first.
At the same time, a massive screen above the arena displayed two clear options:
[Cardmaster Free Duel]
[Summoning Duel]
"The lower-scoring participant from the first round has selection rights."
Liu Yuan’s voice came through the microphone: "Cardmaster Free Duel."
Lin Han wasn’t surprised.
A Summoning Duel was another form of combat for Cardmasters.
Both participants remained outside the arena, barred from direct interference, and could only summon "character cards" through special-type cards, then use support cards to strategize.
It heavily emphasized the strength of the cards themselves and the Cardmaster’s tactical understanding.
But an underfunded, lower-ranked civilian academy like Jiangxia’s Sixth Academy? They clearly had no business dabbling in that.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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?"
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
