Wang Jianqiang burst out of the frigid pool and reached downward, grasping at it.
The Minor Five Elements Sword Formation instantly transformed into a barrier, sealing the pool's surface.
Then, at full speed, he charged toward a distant range of snow-capped mountains.
"Struggling in vain."
Beneath the pool, Lin Xian'er let out a cold laugh. With a single finger pointed downward, the Minor Five Elements Sword Formation shattered instantly. She then shot out of the pool without pause, pursuing Wang Jianqiang relentlessly.
Once free from the pool, Lin Xian'er unleashed the full speed of her mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Like a streak of rainbow light, she tore through the sky and appeared behind Wang Jianqiang in an instant.
Her palm pressed downward.
A massive spiritual energy hand descended.
Wang Jianqiang had no choice but to halt his escape, countering with a punch.
Boom!
After the deafening explosion, blood trickled from Wang Jianqiang's lips, but he continued his desperate flight toward the icy mountains.
Lin Xian'er's expression remained frosty. In a flash, she closed the distance again.
Boom!
Another explosion sent Wang Jianqiang hurtling backward. Yet, mid-air, he forcibly stabilized himself and resumed his flight toward the mountains.
"So stubborn!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Xian'er's face before she sneered. "Let's see how much more you can endure."
With another cold laugh, she caught up to him once more.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
The chase continued, explosions ringing out incessantly.
Wang Jianqiang was battered and sent flying repeatedly, his body barely holding together despite his physique, which rivaled the resilience of 960 spiritual runes.
His injuries piled up, growing more severe with each blow.
Yet, the distance to the edge of the snow-capped mountains steadily shrank.
Boom!
One final explosion sent Wang Jianqiang crashing heavily at the foot of an icy peak.
Whoosh!
The next moment, Lin Xian'er arrived, hovering above him like an immortal descending from the heavens, her white robes fluttering. Her face twisted with hatred as she looked down at him.
"Finally at your limit?"
She raised a finger, spiritual light flickering at its tip, ready to deliver the killing blow.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the frigid air turned scorching.
Lin Xian'er flinched, darting aside just as a streak of fire grazed past her.
Though untouched, the searing heat still burned her skin, and her spiritual energy felt as if it might ignite.
Before she could recover, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air.
Looking up, she saw a streak of cyan light diving toward her at terrifying speed.
Within the light was a tiny, delicate-looking cyan bird, no larger than a palm.
At first glance, it seemed harmless—frail, even.
But its blistering speed and the overwhelming heat radiating from it sent a clear warning: this creature was deadly.
Whoosh!
Before Lin Xian'er could react, the bird was upon her.
She barely managed to evade.
Boom!
The earth trembled as cyan flames erupted, spreading rapidly.
The snow-covered ground turned to scorched wasteland in an instant.
Seizing the opportunity, Wang Jianqiang attempted to flee.
Lin Xian'er's eyes flashed coldly—she moved to pursue.
Screech!
A piercing cry echoed from below.
A sea of cyan fire surged upward, engulfing her.
Her heart lurched.
Forced to abandon her pursuit, she focused all her energy on defending against the flames.
Yet the cyan fire defied all expectations.
Her defenses crumbled like fragile bubbles, melting away instantly.
"What kind of spirit beast is this? How can it be so powerful?"
Terror gripped her as she dodged frantically.
But the flames were relentless.
This time, she wasn't fast enough.
A wisp of fire, thin as a strand of hair, landed on her shoulder.
Her skin blackened instantly, the heat spreading like wildfire.
Panicked, she channeled her spiritual energy to suppress it.
Though she eventually extinguished the flames, the effort cost her a full tenth of her spiritual energy—not consumed, but outright incinerated.
Lin Xian'er paled.
Such terrifying flames were unheard of!
No longer daring to engage, she turned and fled.
Yet the cyan bird pursued her relentlessly, as if fixated.
Frustration gnawed at her.
Hadn't that wretched old man been here too?
Why was this monstrous bird targeting only her?
Was she truly this unlucky?
Though her mid-stage Foundation Establishment speed was formidable, the bird matched it effortlessly—even surpassing it.
In the chase that followed, Lin Xian'er failed to shake it off. Instead, she was struck multiple times by the cyan flames.
Her robes were tattered, her spiritual energy depleted by over eighty percent.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the bird lunged at her.
Too fast to evade, she took the full impact.
Thud!
Blood sprayed from her mouth as she was sent flying.
Crashing to the ground, she ignored her injuries, using the last of her energy to extinguish the lingering flames.
But with the flames gone, her spiritual energy was completely exhausted.
Worse, the collision had left her grievously wounded—now barely clinging to life.
Just as despair set in, a distant explosion echoed.
The cyan bird's attention snapped toward the sound.
Without another glance at Lin Xian'er, it streaked away.
She exhaled in relief.
Whatever had caused that noise, it had saved her.
Had the bird stayed, she would have been doomed.
As she struggled to rise, intending to find a safe place to recover, a figure descended from above.
Lin Xian'er looked up—and froze.
Wang Jianqiang?
Their eyes met.
He seemed startled at first, instinctively tensing to flee. But then, noticing her state, he landed before her with a smirk.
"Lin Xian'er. Fancy meeting you again so soon."
"You don't look so good."
Her heart sank.
Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
In her current state, even a peak Qi Refining cultivator could overpower her. Against this old monster, she stood no chance.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Wang Jianqiang taunted.
Lin Xian'er scoffed. "Enough nonsense. What do you want?"
"Oh, I want."
He grinned.
Lin Xian'er blinked, uncomprehending.
Then realization struck.
Her face went deathly pale.
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...
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.
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?"
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
