"Kekeke... my little darlings, come on! Let’s have some fun!" Gu Qingfeng looked down at the horde of demons and monsters, laughing wildly.
The demons roared in fury and surged forward in a frenzied rush.
Gu Qingfeng watched their murderous onslaught with ecstatic delight. He didn’t dodge or move an inch, firmly blocking the exit, clearly intending to take their attacks head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless surges of demonic energy erupted, causing the heavens and earth to tremble violently!
Gale winds, scorching suns, towering mountains—various supernatural phenomena manifested from the demons’ hands, relentlessly crashing toward Gu Qingfeng.
"Kekeke... level up for me, damn it!"
Gu Qingfeng cackled madly as his figure was swallowed by the demonic energy. But then...
Something bizarre happened.
The system’s notification sound didn’t ring.
"What’s going on?!" Gu Qingfeng shuddered in shock.
Did the damn system malfunction? Where’s the notification?
But then he reconsidered—if the system really had malfunctioned, why was he still completely unharmed?
"System, System, are you there?" Gu Qingfeng hurriedly called out in his mind.
"Here." The system’s cold, aloof voice responded promptly.
Hearing its voice, Gu Qingfeng immediately relaxed. The system was his greatest trump card—if it disappeared, he’d be screwed!
"System, were you napping just now? So many divine-level demons attacked me, why didn’t my stats increase?"
"This system is named the Become Stronger When Attacked by Demons System. Please comprehend its function yourself."
Damn it!
Gu Qingfeng cursed out loud. Ever since he got this system, the brain-dead thing seemed capable of only spouting that one sentence.
Still, the system’s words gave him a clue. If the system only worked when attacked by demons, and he wasn’t getting stronger despite being ganged up on, then there was only one explanation.
The ones attacking him weren’t demons.
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the circle of ferocious monsters around him. If these weren’t demons, then what the hell were they?
Just as he was racking his brain in confusion—suddenly!
The entire blood-red space shattered like a mirror, countless cracks appearing out of nowhere. The grotesque demons burst apart one after another, vanishing like bubbles.
Once the space fully collapsed, an entirely different scene was revealed.
It was as if Gu Qingfeng had traveled through time and space, abruptly shifting from a demon-infested hellscape to the immortal realm.
Lush green mountains, crystal-clear waters, and layers of mist-shrouded peaks stretched before him. White cranes soared through the skies, while deer darted through the forests.
A waterfall cascaded down as if pouring from the heavens, its source invisible. Majestic palaces stood atop mountain peaks, veiled in white mist like celestial abodes.
Immortals occasionally flew past—some riding swords like exiled deities, others drifting on clouds, chasing rainbows.
Everything was exactly as one would imagine the immortal realm to be.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Gu. You have passed the Trial of Heart’s Reflection."
A voice came from behind Gu Qingfeng. He turned to see Jue Mingzi, the speaker, standing there with the same warm, gentle smile as before—so comforting it could make one feel bathed in spring breeze.
Yet, looking at that smiling face, Gu Qingfeng had the overwhelming urge to punch it.
He wasn’t stupid. Putting together the system’s earlier behavior and Jue Mingzi’s mention of the "Trial of Heart’s Reflection," he understood exactly what had just happened.
And now he was furious—not just because Jue Mingzi had deceived him, but because that whole demon feast had been fake!
It felt like winning the lottery, only to find out the numbers were from last week’s draw—pure disappointment!
Seeing Gu Qingfeng’s dark expression, Jue Mingzi quickly explained, "Fellow Daoist Gu, please don’t take offense. The Trial of Heart’s Reflection is a test every newcomer must undergo. With the demonic forces growing stronger, we in the Hidden Realm must take precautions to prevent traitors from infiltrating. This was a necessary measure."
I’ll endure it!
Gu Qingfeng suppressed the urge to beat Jue Mingzi senseless. He kept reminding himself—this was the territory of human divine-realm experts, not demons. He had to stay low-key.
While he understood the Hidden Realm’s reasoning—after all, a demon-revealing mirror could only confirm if someone was human, not whether they had sided with demons—adding a heart trial made sense. But understanding didn’t mean he wasn’t pissed.
Once he became invincible, he’d make sure Jue Mingzi learned why flowers were so red!
"Alright, Fellow Daoist Gu, come with me to meet the Dark Emperor."
Huff.
Gu Qingfeng took a deep breath. "Let’s go."
Jue Mingzi nodded, then raised his hand toward the sky. A cloud drifted down to his feet, and he stepped onto it, soaring away.
Gu Qingfeng watched enviously. Speed aside, the sheer coolness factor was undeniable—and being cool was a lifelong pursuit!
Unable to summon clouds himself, Gu Qingfeng had to rely on brute-force flight to catch up. "Fellow Daoist Jue Mingzi, I’ve noticed many in the Hidden Realm can ride clouds. Is this a divine-realm-exclusive ability?"
"Fellow Daoist Gu, you reached the divine realm through sheer effort, without inherited teachings, so it’s natural you wouldn’t know these minor techniques. Divine-realm cultivators can borrow the power of heaven and earth through their divine souls to cast spells—cloud-riding being one of them. The Hidden Realm has a Scripture Pavilion containing many divine-realm techniques. After meeting the Dark Emperor, I’ll take you there."
Gu Qingfeng was intrigued. During his battle with Silver Prince, he’d noticed that divine-realm combat was entirely different from that of ordinary martial artists. With a wave of his hand, Silver Prince summoned gale winds, while pre-divine-realm fighters relied on brute swings of swords and fists.
It was like transitioning from warrior to mage.
What excited him wasn’t the power of spells—nothing could surpass his Indestructible Demon-Dragon Body—but the sheer coolness factor.
Summoning clouds and commanding wind and rain with a flick of the wrist was infinitely more stylish than just swinging fists.
He’d definitely visit the Scripture Pavilion later. At least then this trip to the Hidden Realm wouldn’t be a total waste.
Soon, the two arrived before a grand palace.
Descending, they entered the hall.
Inside, over a dozen figures stood waiting. At their forefront was a man clad in dark golden robes, his face hidden behind a golden mask. Each exuded an ethereal aura, like immortals descended from the heavens.
Gu Qingfeng’s heart tightened. Among them were several peak divine-realm experts, and the masked leader’s power was utterly unfathomable—even his divine soul, enhanced to peak divine-realm level by Silver Prince’s sacrifice, couldn’t pierce through!
This defied logic. If even peak divine-realm perception couldn’t gauge this man’s strength... did that mean he had surpassed the divine realm?
"Dark Emperor, this is the newcomer, Fellow Daoist Gu Shenghui," Jue Mingzi introduced.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
invincible power, Gu Changge transmigrates into a fantasy world, bound to a sign-in system that grants him cultivation rewards and various peerless treasures daily. While others struggle desperately to break through their cultivation realms, he has long since reached the pinnacle of the Great Dao, becoming a reclusive Emperor whose true strength even he himself cannot fathom. Originally planning to lie low and retire peacefully on Purple Bamboo Peak, the system suddenly issues a new task — take on disciples. With no other choice, Gu Changge casually picks up a few disciples: The eldest disciple, born with a War God Constitution, is thrown a copy of "War God Stratagems" by him, and ends up conquering the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, becoming a peerless War God who sweeps across the cosmos. The second disciple, possessing a Chaos Sword Body, can break all techniques with a single sword, his swordsmanship unmatched throughout history. He points his sword at the heavens: "My master said, the sword and the man stand together. If the sword perishes... my master will give me another one." The third disciple, a reborn Empress who returns to her throne, her elegance and grace overshadowing all beings. And without anyone noticing, his own sect, the Qingxuan Sect, has become the number one sect on the continent. Looking at these unbelievably formidable disciples, Gu Changge, holding the "Primordial Purple Qi" he just signed in for, falls into deep thought: — Wasn't this supposed to be a peaceful retirement? How did I become the ultimate master?!
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.
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
