Gu Changge's gaze was still resting on Ling Xi's fleeing figure when the clear chime of the system suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Ding! Special disciple-acceptance target detected: Reincarnated Empress of the Tianlan Great World, Ling Xi. Disciple-acceptance mission triggered: Take Ling Xi as your third disciple."
"Mission Reward: Laws of the Great Dao of Time."
"Reward: Invincible Domain radius expanded to ten million miles."
"Reward: Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon, the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Jar."
"Hmm?"
Gu Changge's brow abruptly arched. Expanding the Invincible Domain to ten million miles was merely icing on the cake for him, but the words 'Laws of the Great Dao of Time' sent ripples through his heart.
The Great Dao of Time! That was the absolute zenith among the myriad Daos of the universe!
For ordinary cultivators, let alone mastering it, even catching a glimpse of it was as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Countless Emperors had exhausted their entire lives only to capture a fleeting shadow at the edges of the River of Time. Yet, the system was directly offering the complete Great Dao of Time. This generosity was simply too immense.
And when he saw the Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon, the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Jar, Gu Changge could not help but internally roast the system.
Good heavens, System, are you not even going to pretend anymore?
The Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Jar perfectly matched the origin of Ling Xi's past life's Heaven-Swallowing Dao Art. This was blatantly tailor-made, as if the system was terrified he would refuse to take this disciple!
On his shoulder, Little Black seemed to sense the shift in his mood. It gently pecked at his collar with its sharp beak, its black bean-like eyes staring in Ling Xi's direction.
It was clearly curious whether Gu Changge would accept her as a disciple.
Gu Changge chuckled, flicking Little Black's head with his fingertip. "Let us observe this girl's temperament first."
Just as he spoke, Ling Xi suddenly halted her steps ahead. Afraid that her father might trip from chasing too frantically, she subconsciously turned her head to check on Ling Kun.
However, unable to stop her momentum, her body stumbled forward like a kite with a broken string. And a mere three steps ahead stood Gu Changge and his two companions, quietly watching!
Ling Xi's pupils slightly contracted. In a rush, her Foundation Building realm spiritual energy surged toward her toes, attempting to use the afterimages of the Tianlan Steps to stabilize her posture. But the spiritual energy of this physical body simply could not keep up with her soul's reaction speed. Feeling a lightness at her waist, she continued crashing right toward Gu Changge!
Right at the instant her sleeve was about to brush against Gu Changge's moon-white robes, Gu Changge slowly raised his right hand and gently pressed his palm forward in the air.
There was no earth-shattering fluctuation of spiritual energy, yet the rapidly charging Ling Xi felt as if she had crashed into a soft, warm wall of cotton. Her figure came to an abrupt halt, and even the residual force of her stumble was quietly dispersed, leaving her standing steadily in place.
"I am so sorry! I apologize! My daughter is truly reckless and nearly disturbed you three young masters!"
Ling Kun finally caught up, panting heavily. The sweat at his temples had soaked the collar of his brocade robe. He cupped his hands in apology while reaching out to grab Ling Xi's arm, his face full of embarrassment.
"This child has been spoiled by us. She acts so rashly and made a fool of herself before everyone! I will have her apologize to you right now!"
"It is no matter."
Gu Changge withdrew his hand from mid-air, his gaze landing on Ling Xi's slightly flushed cheeks. "Just keep an eye on the road the next time you run."
Ling Xi broke free from her father's grasp and took a half-step back, the soles of her shoes scraping softly against the bluestone slabs.
The tips of her fingers, hanging by her side, quietly curled up. Taking advantage of everyone's distraction, she stealthily activated her newly awakened soul perception.
When Gu Changge had made his move just now, that gentle yet irresistible force had actually caused the lingering echoes of the Emperor Dao deep within her soul to tremble slightly. This was absolutely not something an ordinary cultivator could achieve.
Gu Changge took in the doubt in her eyes and the slight twitch of her fingertips, secretly finding it amusing. Little girl, with your fractured soul still unhealed and not completely fused with your physical body, you want to pry into my true cultivation? These little tricks are far from enough.
With a mere thought, the aura surrounding him instantly transformed, concealing the cultivation levels of all three of them.
"Strange..."
A trace of confusion rippled through Ling Xi's mind as she raised a hand to rub her somewhat heavy temples.
When she focused her gaze on Gu Changge and the other two again, they felt as ordinary as could be.
She muttered to herself inwardly: Could it be that because I just awakened my memories and my divine soul has not yet fully merged with my body, I experienced an illusion?
That made sense. She had only been awake for three days and had not even sorted out her Emperor Dao comprehensions yet. It was normal for her perception to be flawed.
Although she only possessed a Foundation Building realm physical body, the foundation of her Emperor-level soul was still present. The cultivation fluctuations of ordinary cultivators could not possibly hide from her perception.
The two youths beside him were indeed at the Foundation Building realm. Their auras were solid but held nothing particularly special. Yet, the man in the moon-white robes standing at the front actually only had a Purple Mansion realm cultivation?
Amidst her doubts, she concentrated and probed again. The aura around Gu Changge had changed!
The previously clear Purple Mansion realm fluctuation had transformed into the Cave Heaven realm in the blink of an eye. Although the flow of spiritual energy was deliberately restrained, she could still detect a trace of profound weightiness that far exceeded those of the same realm.
A flash of understanding crossed Ling Xi's eyes. So he was hiding his cultivation.
However, what difference was there between such tricks and being completely exposed before her Emperor soul, which had once ruled an entire domain?
She chuckled inwardly: Just a Cave Heaven realm cultivator skilled at concealing his aura, and he wants to play tricks in front of me? Little does he know I have already seen right through him.
Watching her constantly shifting expressions, a faint curve appeared at the corners of Gu Changge's mouth: Keep guessing. If you guess right, I lose.
He had originally been hesitating. The reincarnation of a generation's Empress would surely possess an untamable and arrogant temperament. Taking her as a disciple would undoubtedly bring a lot of trouble.
But upon second thought, he found it rather interesting. Nurturing an Empress who once stood at the pinnacle of the world to grow anew, watching her break free from the shackles of her past life, reprove her Emperor Dao, and perhaps even surpass her former limits to step into the Immortal Domain—that would be quite a fun endeavor.
Furthermore, the Laws of the Great Dao of Time offered by the system was truly something he could not refuse.
"Whatever, raising an Empress for fun is not a bad idea."
Gu Changge made his decision internally, his gaze falling upon Ling Xi.
At this moment, Ling Xi was also staring at Gu Changge, pondering in her heart.
To reach the Cave Heaven realm at such an age, even when looking at the younger generation of the entire Tianlan Great World, he was a rarity like phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
If she could take him under her tutelage and guide him with her remaining Emperor Dao comprehensions, given time, he might become a great asset. It was not a bad idea.
Her gaze swept over the two people beside Gu Changge, her brows slightly relaxing.
Although these two only possessed Foundation Building realm cultivation, their auras were steady and solid. There was not a trace of shallowness in the spiritual energy flowing around them. Evidently, they had laid extremely solid foundations and were absolutely incomparable to those mundane cultivators who piled up their cultivation using pills.
"I am the Peak Master of the Purple Bamboo Peak of the Azure Profound Sect. I see that although your cultivation is not high, you possess an unyielding tenacity. You are unwilling to accept an arranged marriage and wholeheartedly wish to walk the path of cultivation. Are you willing to take me as your master?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned.
Ling Kun stood with his mouth agape, unable to speak for a long time.
Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes—Master is actually taking the initiative to accept a disciple? It seems this woman is extraordinary!
Ling Xi's eyes widened in even greater shock, suspecting she had misheard.
She had just been calculating whether or not to take this Cave Heaven realm cultivator as her disciple, but she never expected the other party to directly propose taking her as his disciple!
This plot twist came far too suddenly, making her momentarily forget how to react. She only felt the temperature of her cheeks rise a few degrees higher.
This chapter is a bit late. I am truly sorry for keeping you all waiting.

Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"

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."

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”

] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"