After a long silence, someone finally snapped back to reality and hurried over to the stone monument to check. Instantly, they gasped in shock.
"The top spot on the Human Yuan Ranking has indeed changed! It's Gu Qingfeng now!"
Like a stone tossed into a calm lake, the news sent ripples through the crowd.
The area before the monument was soon packed with disciples, all pushing and shoving to catch a glimpse, as if witnessing history unfold.
To their astonishment, the name "Sword Heavenly Emperor," which had stood unchallenged at the pinnacle for tens of thousands of years, had now been relegated to second place. In its stead, the name "Gu Qingfeng" shone brilliantly at the very top, radiating golden light.
At the sight of this name, the crowd was left utterly stunned. Not a trace of envy remained in their hearts.
When they had first learned that Gu Qingfeng possessed dual Sacred Physiques and saw the Twin Jades of the Sword Sect accompanying him, many had burned with jealousy.
But now, all such feelings had vanished. Such is human nature—when the gap becomes insurmountable, envy gives way to awe.
Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "Look! Gu Qingfeng's cultivation level!"
The crowd turned their attention to the details, and their minds reeled, their Dao hearts nearly faltering.
"What?! He's only at the fifth level of the Human Yuan Realm!"
"How is that possible?! How could someone at the fifth level defeat Sword Heavenly Emperor, who was at the peak of Human Yuan?!"
It felt like listening to a fantastical tale—something so absurd that not even the wildest stories would dare to depict it.
Those cheap martial arts novels might write about reincarnated Heavenly Emperors who could effortlessly defeat opponents far beyond their level.
But here? The Heavenly Emperor, who had always been the one to surpass others, had been surpassed himself?!
This shattered all common sense!
The disciples' exclamations caught the attention of Dugu Wei and the others. They descended from the sky and made their way toward the monument.
A gentle force pushed the crowd aside, clearing a path.
The disciples, initially ready to curse, nearly fainted when they turned and saw the Sword Sect's leader and the seven peak masters approaching together.
Dugu Wei and the others reached the monument and gazed at the name in first place. Their pupils constricted sharply as their eyes locked onto the words "fifth level of Human Yuan."
A stunned silence fell over them all.
This defied all logic. Throughout history, young Heavenly Emperors had been defeated before—but never by someone of a lower realm. Only those one or even two major realms above them had ever managed such a feat.
For a young Heavenly Emperor, surpassing others was as natural as eating or drinking. They never deigned to compete with peers of the same level.
Yet now, a young Heavenly Emperor had been surpassed—and defeated—by someone beneath him?!
This overturned all conventional understanding.
It was like reading a web novel where the protagonist, who should always be the one to defeat stronger foes, suddenly found himself crushed by a weaker antagonist. The sheer absurdity of it was mind-bending.
"Does anyone remember what Gu Qingfeng's cultivation level was when he first joined the Sword Sect?" Dugu Wei suddenly asked, still staring at the monument.
One of the peak masters pondered before replying, "If I recall correctly, he was at the second level of Human Yuan."
"Exactly. The second level. And yet, in just one month, he has reached the fifth level. Such speed is unheard of!"
"Even with dual Sacred Physiques, this shouldn't be possible. The only explanation is that Gu Qingfeng has been cultivating day and night without rest since joining the sect. Only such relentless effort could allow him to break through three levels in a single month."
"This boy's talent and determination are truly peerless," another peak master remarked with admiration.
However, no one noticed Ling Fei'er in the crowd, who rubbed her slender jade-like legs when she heard this.
They felt stiff—after all, being stretched apart every day for extended periods would do that.
"Gentlemen, Gu Qingfeng has defeated Sword Heavenly Emperor despite being at the fifth level of Human Yuan. His talent is unparalleled in this era. I propose we initiate the Imperial Heir Trial for him."
"Agreed."
"Seconded."
The peak masters all nodded in unison. No one dared oppose such a suggestion.
Only Meng Yan seemed anxious, as he had yet to awaken Gu Qingfeng's "true kindness and virtue."
Just as Dugu Wei and the others were deliberating, another wave of murmurs erupted among the disciples.
"Hey, is it true that Gu Qingfeng defeated Sword Heavenly Emperor in just a few breaths?"
"Absolutely true! I was here at the Sword Tower since dawn and saw Gu Qingfeng enter. He first challenged the 100th-ranked opponent—within two breaths, golden light erupted from the monument, signaling his victory.
Then he challenged the 10th-ranked opponent. Again, in less than two breaths, he won.
And then... Sword Heavenly Emperor."
The disciple swallowed hard before continuing in a trembling voice, "Again... less than two breaths..."
"You're lying!" another disciple shouted, his face twisted in disbelief.
"We've all taken the Sword Tower trial. You know the projection takes time to form. If it was less than two breaths, subtracting the formation time... that means Gu Qingfeng defeated every opponent instantly?!
Defeating others is one thing, but Sword Heavenly Emperor?!"
This disciple, a fervent admirer of Sword Heavenly Emperor, was on the verge of collapse, his faith shattered.
But then, others stepped forward.
"He's not lying. I saw it too. Gu Qingfeng's arrival caused quite a stir—many of us witnessed it."
"Same here."
"Me too."
The disciples who had been present that morning all confirmed the account, leaving no room for doubt.
The Sword Heavenly Emperor fanatic paled, his legs giving out as he collapsed to the ground, muttering in despair, "But... but it's Sword Heavenly Emperor...
Sword Heavenly Emperor!!
How could a Heavenly Emperor be instantly defeated by someone weaker?!"
A strange silence settled over the crowd.
Dugu Wei and the others, being supreme experts, naturally overheard the disciples' discussion. They, too, were left speechless.
A lower-realm cultivator instantly defeating a young Heavenly Emperor? What did that even mean?
Not even a reincarnated Heavenly Emperor could accomplish such a feat!
And Sword Heavenly Emperor wasn't some late-blooming prodigy—he had been hailed as the foremost genius of the sword path, unmatched from the very beginning of his cultivation, invincible all the way to his ascension as a Heavenly Emperor.
Yet he had been surpassed—and instantly crushed—by someone beneath him?
Just how monstrous was Gu Qingfeng's talent and potential?
In the past, the highest praise one could receive was "this one has the makings of a Heavenly Emperor."
But how could one describe a genius capable of instantly defeating a young Heavenly Emperor?
No one had an answer.
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."
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
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?!
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
