Sunny beaches, ocean waves, but no cacti in sight.
"Burp." Ye Chuan lay sprawled on a beach chair, wearing swim trunks and sunglasses.
Not far away by the shore, a group of girls giggled and splashed in the water, their youthful energy giving Ye Chuan a sense of surreal nostalgia.
"Ah, this is what youth looks like," Ye Chuan mused aloud.
A voice chimed in from beside him, "You’re only twenty and already reminiscing about youth?"
"Something like that," Ye Chuan replied, glancing at the neighboring beach chair where Ke Ning lounged, a high-tech Rubik’s cube floating lazily above her.
"Not joining them in the water?"
"No. Just watching is enough. UV rays stimulate melanocytes," Ke Ning said flatly. "Besides, I don’t like sunbathing."
"Don’t like sunbathing, yet you’re dressed rather boldly," Ye Chuan remarked, eyeing her pink bikini—the most revealing swimwear among the group.
"Are you secretly a closet exhibitionist or something?" he teased.
"..." Ke Ning paused for a beat. "What do you think?"
"Never mind. Since we’re at the beach, might as well enjoy it." Ye Chuan reclined, his gaze lingering on the generous view Ke Ning seemed entirely unbothered by.
Turning his attention back to Luo Xi and the others, he saw they’d started a game of beach volleyball.
"Nice shot," Ye Chuan muttered under his breath as he watched.
Pulling out his phone, he checked the status of each tenant. But when he noticed Bai Qianshuang’s favorability had plummeted, he frowned. "Huh?"
What’s this…?
Scrolling through the logs, he saw Bai Qianshuang’s favorability had been dropping steadily. Once the highest, it had now fallen below even Lan Xiaoke’s, nearly matching Ke Ning’s.
"We’re here to relax—how is her favorability still dropping?" Ye Chuan pondered. Was it because of the volleyball game with Lan Xiaoke?
He could cut back on that.
The last thing he wanted was Bai Qianshuang awakening her empress memories and decapitating him.
"Nope." Ye Chuan stood abruptly and strode toward Luo Xi and the others.
"Chuan-Chuan, wanna join?" Luo Xi grinned, hugging the volleyball. The sunlight caught her smile, warm as a summer breeze.
"Sure. Four’s perfect for a match."
Ye Chuan caught the ball Luo Xi tossed his way, his eyes flickering toward Bai Qianshuang—only for her to avert her gaze the moment their eyes met.
She’s in a bad mood, huh?
"I’ll team up with Qianshuang!" Lan Xiaoke, ever the opportunist, immediately latched onto the strongest player present.
No way we’ll lose, right?
"Fine, you two pair up. Luo Xi and I will take you on," Ye Chuan said.
Plus, watching from the opposite side had its perks.
"Here we go." Ye Chuan served, deliberately aiming for Bai Qianshuang.
Bai Qianshuang: "..."
The volleyball soared toward her. After a brief pause, she leaped and struck.
A seemingly gentle tap unleashed terrifying force, sending the ball rocketing toward Ye Chuan like lightning.
"Whoosh—!"
It landed in the sand behind him, kicking up a towering spray.
"Uh…" Lan Xiaoke and Luo Xi gaped.
Since when did volleyball pack that much power?
"My apologies. I may have used a bit too much strength," Bai Qianshuang said coolly. "But given your cultivation, a hit like that shouldn’t harm you."
"No, it wouldn’t hurt," Ye Chuan admitted, scratching his cheek. With a flick of his fingers, the ball returned to his hand.
He gave it a light tap, this time directing it toward Lan Xiaoke.
"Hyah!" Lan Xiaoke sprang up to receive it, her energetic movements leaving Ye Chuan momentarily stunned.
"I got it!" Luo Xi intercepted the return pass.
"Chuan-Chuan!"
Ye Chuan followed up, again targeting Bai Qianshuang.
In a blur of motion, Bai Qianshuang vanished and reappeared mid-air, her palm striking the ball with spiritual energy. It shot back like a meteor.
"..."
Ye Chuan blinked. She’s really not holding back.
He could’ve phased out or teleported to dodge, but considering the aftermath, he simply closed his eyes and stood his ground.
Seeing him make no move to evade, Bai Qianshuang’s eyes flickered. At the last second, she extended her hand, channeling energy to halt the ball mid-flight.
It spun furiously in front of Ye Chuan’s face before dropping harmlessly to the sand.
Ye Chuan picked it up. When he looked up again, Bai Qianshuang had already turned away.
"I need a break," she said flatly, then vanished in a flash.
"Qianshuang…" Luo Xi and Lan Xiaoke exchanged glances before fixing their eyes on Ye Chuan. It was clear who was responsible for her mood.
"Chuan-Chuan, what did you do to her?" Luo Xi demanded, poking his cheek. "Did you do something bad?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Lan Xiaoke chimed in, nodding vigorously despite having no clue what was happening.
"Me?" Ye Chuan grimaced. Bai Qianshuang’s foul mood was indeed his fault, but not for the reasons they assumed.
Still, watching her retreating figure, he sighed and decided to follow.
---
"Crash…"
"Crash…"
Waves lapped against the rocks, sending up sprays of foam.
Seated atop a jagged outcrop, the raven-haired girl stared blankly at the horizon, her gaze distant and unfocused.
"Thud. Thud." Footsteps approached from behind, sinking into the damp sand.
Bai Qianshuang didn’t turn. Her spiritual sense had already identified the visitor.
Ye Chuan studied her back for a moment before teleporting beside her and sitting down.
"Qianshuang."
"..." Silence.
"I—"
"Liar." Bai Qianshuang cut him off, her voice icy.
"Uh, what did I lie about—?"
"We are cultivation partners. Yet you refuse to engage in dual cultivation with me, choosing Xiaoke instead," she said evenly. "Our compatibility would yield far greater benefits. With her, you gain nothing."
"Unless… you find me displeasing?"
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!
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
