Time ticked away second by second, and the rhythm of the duel progressed quickly. After all, it was just a match at the Qi Gathering Realm - there would be no epic battles lasting three days and three nights here.
At the judge's platform, the Dark-rank Demon Eliminator couldn't help but yawn, finding it rather boring.
"Next match: Gu Qingfeng at Qi Gathering Third Level versus Lin Xiao at Qi Gathering Ninth Level."
As soon as the official's words fell, a burst of discussion erupted from the crowd.
"Hahaha, Qi Gathering Third Level? Can someone tell me where this lunatic Gu Qingfeng came from?"
"Lucky break for Lin Xiao - he can advance without breaking a sweat."
"Did I hear wrong, or did the official make a mistake? Someone at Qi Gathering Third Level competing for the position of Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator? This must be a joke!"
"You heard right, and the official didn't make a mistake. That Gu Qingfeng is indeed at Qi Gathering Third Level. I was there when he registered. That kid listened to Ye Xuan's nonsense about how if matches were all about cultivation levels, why bother fighting at all? Why not just compare levels and be done with it? Then this kid went ahead and registered."
"Hahaha... To think our Demon Suppression Bureau has such a reckless rookie! Qi Gathering Third Level against Qi Gathering Ninth Level? This isn't just a case of having his head stuck in a door - this is clearly having no brain at all!"
Soon, under everyone's watchful gaze, Lin Xiao gracefully flipped onto the stage.
On stage, Lin Xiao's face was cold, but inside he was overjoyed.
His strength wasn't particularly outstanding among those at Qi Gathering Ninth Level, and he knew his chances at becoming a Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator were slim. But people are like that - they'd always regret not trying.
However, he never imagined his first opponent would be at Qi Gathering Third Level!
This was heaven-sent help - how was this any different from being handed a free win?
Defeating someone at Qi Gathering Third Level would leave him completely unscathed, allowing him to face tomorrow's matches in peak condition. His opponents tomorrow would all be exhausted from today's intense battles. With this advantage, he might actually win!
Thinking of it this way, who knew? The position of Yellow-rank Demon Eliminator might end up being his!
This foolish Gu Qingfeng was truly his lucky star.
Lin Xiao waited for a while, but his lucky star didn't appear on stage.
He thought, perhaps he's forfeiting? That would make things even easier.
Discussion broke out below the stage.
"Could it be that this Gu Qingfeng is too scared to come up?"
"Probably. A Qi Gathering Third Level cultivator probably watched a few matches earlier, realized the gap, and chickened out."
"Ah, how disappointing. I was looking forward to some entertainment."
The official frowned and called out coldly: "Gu Qingfeng! Get on stage!"
But there was no response.
After waiting quite a while longer, Lin Xiao grew impatient and said to the official: "Official, just announce the result. Whether he shows up or not, it's a loss either way. No point wasting time."
The official agreed and began to announce the match result.
"As contestant Gu Qingfeng failed to appear for the match in time, this counts as a forfeit. I hereby declare Lin-"
"Wait!"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the official's declaration.
"I'm here! I'm here! Don't rush! The roads were congested with horses, that's why I'm late."
This voice immediately drew everyone's attention. Looking toward its source, they saw a young man jogging over.
His face wore an apologetic smile.
It was Gu Qingfeng.
The crowd erupted in commotion.
"Wow, this kid actually dared to show up!"
"Truly a newborn calf unafraid of tigers."
"The kid's quite handsome, but turns out he's an idiot."
"Want to bet how many moves he'll last on stage?"
"Excuse me everyone, please make way. I have a match to fight, please let me through." Gu Qingfeng squeezed through the crowd to reach the front of the stage.
The official gave Gu Qingfeng a cold look, clearly impatient: "Gu Qingfeng, get on stage quickly."
Gu Qingfeng nodded in agreement, then jumped onto the arena. Looking at Lin Xiao standing proudly in the center, he scratched his head and said, "Sorry for keeping you waiting."
Lin Xiao gave a cold smile: "What's the point of coming up? The result will be a loss either way."
Gu Qingfeng remained unfazed: "Brother, you're wrong about that. Without fighting, how can we know the outcome?"
"Hmph, nonsense." Lin Xiao shook his head: "I won't be accused of bullying the weak. I'll give you a chance - draw your weapon."
After speaking, Lin Xiao stood with his hands behind his back, not touching the long sword at his waist. Clearly, he had no intention of using his weapon.
Lin Xiao had his reasons - he thought using a weapon against someone at Qi Gathering Third Level would make him a laughingstock, so he decided not to use one. He'd win either way.
"You're not using a weapon?" Gu Qingfeng asked.
"Against you, I won't need my sword," Lin Xiao said coldly.
Gu Qingfeng protested: "That won't do. I'm a principled person - I never take advantage of the unarmed. If I win using a weapon, you'll surely say it wasn't a fair victory."
Lin Xiao laughed in disbelief. He never imagined someone could be so presumptuous. Qi Gathering Third Level? Beat me? Even someone drunk on peanut wine wouldn't say something so outrageous.
"Don't worry, use whatever weapon you want. Forget about winning - if you can make me move even one step, I'll count it as my loss, and I absolutely won't say it wasn't a fair fight."
"You said it yourself." Gu Qingfeng smiled, having achieved his goal. This was exactly what he'd been waiting for.
Then, Gu Qingfeng solemnly drew out the Wood King Sword from his back.
As soon as the sword appeared!
The crowd was truly stirred, their expressions changing!
Everyone burst into an uproar!
"Holy crap! Am I seeing things? That kid's weapon is just a wooden sword?"
"Wooden sword? How can that even be called a sword? It's clearly just a chunk of wood!"
"Mystery solved! No wonder this kid at Qi Gathering Third Level dared to join the competition - he's actually insane!"
On the judge's platform, both the Dark-rank and Yellow-rank Demon Eliminators were suddenly wide awake. In all their years, they'd never seen someone use a wooden sword in combat.
As his opponent, Lin Xiao wore an expression that seemed to say 'are you kidding me?' as he looked at Gu Qingfeng and his wooden sword.
Amidst the noise and skepticism, Gu Qingfeng spoke up, his expression completely serious: "This sword is three feet and three inches long, one inch and eight tenths wide, weighs four and a half taels, made entirely of wood. It was forged over eighteen years using the heart of a thousand-year-old imperial willow from the extreme north. This sword is named the Wood King Sword, a Dark rank Inferior Spirit Weapon. Please, brother, take a good look!"
After Gu Qingfeng's introduction, the scene fell into an eerie silence.
Then suddenly, the crowd burst into explosive laughter!
"Hahaha... This is hilarious!"
"This kid's really something! Holding a wooden sword and claiming it's a Dark rank Spirit Weapon?!"
"By that logic, wouldn't my iron sword be a Heaven-grade Spirit Weapon?"
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! I'd say this is the most entertaining match of the day!"
By now, Lin Xiao was speechless. Standing on stage, he felt a sense of embarrassment. Although he wasn't the one being mocked, for some reason, his feet couldn't help but fidget.
At this point, Gu Qingfeng spoke again: "Brother, I'm using a Dark rank Spirit Weapon - you won't say it's an unfair advantage, right?"
Lin Xiao's mouth twitched: "No... I won't. Do as you please."
"Good, brother, you're truly magnanimous. Then I'll make my move - here I come!"
Gu Qingfeng raised the Wood King Sword and charged straight at Lin Xiao with a thrust.
Watching the wooden sword approaching step by step, Lin Xiao thought to himself, should I defend or not?
Never mind, no need to defend - the wooden sword will break on its own.
Just as Lin Xiao was thinking this, in the next moment, the wooden sword struck his chest!
And then, an unexpected change occurred!
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
