As the saying goes, if the enemy doesn't move, I won't move either.
Ye Shu firmly believed that even the best disguise would have its flaws, and even if the other party had truly been reborn, he wouldn't be afraid.
He was no longer the version of himself from the system's script.
Whether it was his techniques, martial skills, or combat expertise, every bit of it had been painstakingly developed through his own trial and error, belonging to no one else.
"Why have you come to Cloud Soaring Sect now?" Li Qingran asked again when the other party remained silent.
"To settle some past grudges," Ye Shu said coolly.
"..."
Hearing this, Li Qingran was silent for a moment. She clearly realized what Ye Shu was referring to.
He couldn't wait any longer—he was eager to bring things to a final resolution.
"Fine."
She nodded and agreed. "Since that's what you want, we'll settle this today."
"Miss..."
Upon hearing this, the maid beside Li Qingran tugged at her sleeve, looking at her with concern, and lowered her voice, "But your cultivation..."
"It doesn't matter. This is what I owe him."
Li Qingran's expression remained unchanged. "If I were to back out because of that, what would be the point?"
"Well... alright then..."
"Miss, do your best."
Xiaocui hesitated for a moment, but recalling her mistress's stubborn temperament, she chose not to argue further.
"Qingran, you..."
Old Master Zhao, who had been knocked to the ground, struggled to his feet, but Li Qingran raised her hand to stop him. "Elder Zhao, my mind is made up. Don't try to persuade me. Since this was our agreement from back then, there's no reason to shirk it. I will honor it."
With that, she looked at Ye Shu and pointed to the ground beneath her feet.
"Let's settle it right here. How about that?"
"For something like this, don't you want to find some spectators or anything?" Ye Shu was taken aback, a strange expression crossing his face.
According to the usual formula, there should be a crowd of onlookers.
Then a few bystanders would chime in with commentary, and finally, a fierce battle would ensue, where he would stun everyone and emerge victorious.
Doing it so hastily left him completely unprepared.
"There's no need for that," Li Qingran shook her head. In truth, she was a bit worried. Her master was still in seclusion, unaware of the outside world. If she found out that Ye Shu was here right now, who knew what might happen? So it was better to finish this quickly.
No matter the outcome—win or lose—she didn't want a third party getting involved.
"Since that's the case, let's begin."
Seeing this, Ye Shu didn't dawdle. He slowly drew the Azure Black Sword, held it to one side, and said coldly, "Let me make it clear—I don't have a habit of going easy on anyone."
"Good, that's exactly what I want," Li Qingran replied coldly. Then she took out a round pill from her pocket and tossed it to him.
"What's this?"
Ye Shu caught the pill, a bit bewildered.
Could she be trying to poison me? But this was far too blatant, wasn't it? Did she think he was an idiot?
"A fourth-grade Essence Restoration Pill," Li Qingran said indifferently. "To make up for the spiritual energy you just expended. I don't want anyone saying I won unfairly."
She hits him and then hands him a healing item.
Ye Shu had never seen anything like this in his life.
He swallowed the pill in one gulp, feeling the surge of replenished spiritual power within him, and felt a peculiar sense of unease.
She really hadn't poisoned it.
What was wrong with this woman? Why couldn't he get a read on her intentions at all?
"Once you've recovered, let's start quickly," Li Qingran urged, holding her longsword. She was afraid that if her master found out, things would get complicated.
Miss......" Xiaocui, standing nearby, her big eyes full of worry, said, "You must not get into trouble, or else how will I explain to the master?"
Why does it feel like she's more anxious than I am?
Ye Shu grumbled in his heart.
Oh well, if worst comes to worst, I'll just go all out soon enough.
"Let's get one thing straight—I don't have a habit of holding back."
"Neither do I," Li Qingran said, gripping her sword hilt tightly, her voice cold. "Then let's begin."
"Good."
The instant the words fell, Ye Shu's figure vanished from where he stood. Every star within his body blazed brightly, linking into lines.
"Taichong—Divine Step!"
Whoosh!
It was almost teleportation: Ye Shu appeared right before Li Qingran, face to face, mere inches apart.
Li Qingran's pupils contracted, and she instinctively tried to step back.
"Ruoshui—Bind!"
Ye Shu formed a hand seal, and the stars within him wove another trapping formation, turning into a torrent of flowing water that enveloped her. Li Qingran's expression shifted as she felt the space around her freeze, becoming so viscous that she could barely lift her hand.
Seeing his opponent trapped so easily, a flicker of doubt passed through Ye Shu's eyes.
Wait—this is Li Qingran we're talking about!
One of the most gifted female protagonists, an early-stage boss. With the system's enhancement, she should at least be stronger than her original self, right?
How could she have been caught so easily?
She's definitely still holding back.
Fine, I'll make you show your hand!
Ye Shu gritted his teeth and hardened his resolve.
No matter what tricks she pulled, he would crush them all with raw power.
With that thought, he held nothing back. All his spiritual energy converged onto the Qingxuan Sword. The sword hummed loudly, its runes swirling frantically like chains of gold.
"Slash!!!"
Ye Shu swung his sword with all his might.
The sword light was like a rainbow, dazzling as the sun; heaven and earth dimmed before its brilliance.
"Miss! Dodge!"
Xiaocui's desperate cry echoed across the square.
Ye Shu kept his eyes locked on Li Qingran, waiting to see what she would do next—would she finally counterattack, or had she prepared some secret technique to deflect the blow?
But—Li Qingran did not dodge.
"Is she that cocky?" Ye Shu marveled inwardly. Even he would have had to retreat from this strike, yet she didn't even flinch.
In the next second, he understood why.
Mid-stage Golden Core?!
The moment his sword light made contact, the sensation beneath it made Ye Shu's face contort.
What—what the hell?
Wasn't Li Qingran at the peak of Golden Core a year ago? Why was she now only at the mid stage?
This strike of his, at full power, could kill an Nascent Soul cultivator. By the normal script, Li Qingran—at early Nascent Soul stage, as the female lead—would at most be severely injured even if she couldn't fully block it. But now, she was only at early Golden Core.
That meant...
He might have just become a wife-killer.
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!
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
] [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!"
