At the same time, in a little-known abandoned factory in Jiangxia City.
A long-deserted building, its outer walls covered in ivy.
The interior was dimly lit, with only sparse sunlight filtering through the gaps in the ivy and streaming through the windows.
Tiny dust particles floated visibly in the air.
In the center of the empty space stood a chessboard.
A man wearing a grotesque demon mask sat before it.
His slender fingers picked up a black piece and placed it slowly on the board.
"Tap."
The piece landed with a soft yet crisp sound.
He then reached for a white piece, pondered for a moment, and placed it in a seemingly inconspicuous yet strategically pivotal position.
A figure emerged silently from the shadows and knelt on one knee several meters behind the masked man.
The newcomer spoke respectfully, "Leader, everything is ready."
"The 'bait' has been released."
"Jiangxia's guardian has taken an interest and has already begun investigating the 'clues' you 'carelessly' left behind."
The subordinate also wore a mask, though a simpler one, covering only the upper half of his face. His exposed jawline was tense.
"Should we begin our 'ritual' now...?"
The masked man didn’t turn his head, his gaze still fixed on the chessboard.
"What’s the rush?"
His fingertips lightly tapped the patterned edge of the board.
"A good show requires careful setup."
"Every step, every piece, must fall precisely under my control—down to the last detail."
He picked up another black piece, paused briefly, then decisively intercepted the white pieces' momentum.
"The martial exam... Heh, what a perfect stage."
"A gathering of all of Jiangxia City’s future hopes, all its so-called 'geniuses.'"
"If those hopes were to wither at their brightest, most celebrated moment... what a beautiful sight that would be."
A trace of barely concealed excitement laced his voice.
"Are the examinees also our targets?" the subordinate ventured hesitantly.
"Examinees?"
The masked man scoffed, as if the question were absurd.
"They’re merely decorations on the board."
His fingers glided over the chessboard.
"I enjoy playing against myself."
He mused leisurely.
"Because only I truly know what I want. Whether I hold the white or black pieces, I know exactly how my opponent—myself—will move next."
"Every variable, every possibility, is within my expectations."
"For example... this sacrificial piece."
The subordinate lowered his head. "Forgive my ignorance, Leader. I don’t understand."
The masked man picked up a white piece and blocked the black's advance.
"You see, even against myself, I create obstacles—just to make it more interesting."
"This world... it’s too dull. Too many mediocrities, too many fools."
"So, we must create some 'surprises,' spice up their mundane lives."
He paused, his tone turning icy.
"Those self-important people up high—they think they control everything, setting rules, nurturing 'future pillars.'"
"They believe they’re the players, unaware that they, too, are merely pieces on my board—ones who can only react step by step."
"This martial exam isn’t just an attack."
"It’s a declaration. A... purification."
His fingers brushed lightly over the cold surface of his demon mask, the glint in his eyes sharp.
"Those blinded by false peace and order—it’s time they see the world for what it truly is."
"Humanity... never stood a chance from the beginning."
"Why struggle pointlessly?"
With that, he picked up a black piece and drove it forward recklessly, tearing a massive breach in the white side’s defenses.
"I need chaos. The bigger, the better."
"When order collapses, when panic spreads, people will shed their laughable morals and pretenses, revealing their most primal desires and fears."
"That... is the truest face of humanity, don’t you think?"
A low chuckle echoed through the empty factory.
The masked man’s voice brimmed with fervor.
"I’ll make them understand who truly rules this era."
"We will redefine the world."
He stood and walked to the window—a specially designed one-way mirror.
Beyond it lay the bustling city.
"What a beautiful city," he murmured.
"Pity it’s built on lies and delusions."
"Soon, it will either be reborn in flames... or reduced to ashes. Either outcome would be... entertaining."
"It will crumble under our Master’s might."
The subordinate remained kneeling, not daring to speak.
He could feel the Leader’s overwhelming presence—the suffocating pressure, the near-fanatic thirst for destruction.
The masked man returned to the chessboard and slammed down the final black piece.
"See? This game... I win."
The subordinate looked up.
His eyes widened at the sight of five black pieces lined up in a row.
For some reason, he felt the urge to object...
Wait, so you weren’t playing Go this whole time?
The masked man began collecting the pieces one by one, his movements graceful and unhurried.
As he tidied the board, he spoke.
"We are revolutionaries."
"What we bring isn’t destruction... but truth."
"My mask covers my face, hiding my expressions—yet it sharpens my will."
"But them, those high-and-mighty, sanctimonious hypocrites... their masks are in their hearts, veiling their conscience, warping their souls."
"They’ve even forgotten they’re wearing them. Pathetic."
"So," he placed the last piece into the box and closed the lid.
"Our task is to tear off those inner masks."
"Let them take a good, long look at what they really are."
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
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."
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
