Jiang Chulong cradled the little rabbit with demonic bloodline in her arms, gently playing with the two tiny leaves sprouting from its head. When she looked up, she saw Brother Li and the others—even Sister Bing—staring at her with solemn expressions.
"What's wrong?"
"Chulong, if you defeat Brother Murong, you'll have to face Jiang Yu next."
A cryptic glimmer flickered through Li Mo's eyes—the divine light of his Heavenly Destiny Sight.
At those words, Jiang Chulong visibly paled, her small face dropping as she shrank into herself, her timid demeanor reminding Li Mo of the first time he had met her—back when she was still a little beggar named Xiao Jiang...
In the vision of his Heavenly Destiny Sight, Xiao Jiang's golden fate was suddenly clouded by a layer of murky gray.
Her recent fortune read: "Terrified of facing Jiang Yu, she dared not draw her sword on stage. More than Jiang Yu, she feared the Sword Bone—inherited from her mother but later stolen from her. From then on, the gap between her and Jiang Yu only widened..."
"How was this bracket drawn? How is it this unlucky?"
"Chulong just entered the Hidden Dragon Ranking. How is she supposed to fight Jiang Yu?"
"I recently concocted a particularly vicious poison—one that just so happens to comply with the tournament rules. But I hope it won’t come to that," Huang Donglai said with a grave expression.
Xiao Qin shook his head. "Xiao Jiang, just forfeit when the time comes. Let Brother Murong fight Jiang Yu instead. My master said you stand no chance."
"Me?"
Murong Xiao pointed at himself, eyes wide.
Do monks' lives not matter?
Everyone agreed that Xiao Jiang should simply give up.
But Jiang Chulong could only look helplessly at Li Mo and Ying Bing.
A flicker of calculation passed through Ying Bing's serene gaze before she sighed and parted her lips to speak—
But Li Mo cut in first. "I think she should give it a try."
The others stared at him in confusion.
Jiang Yu had long since reached the Ninth Aperture of the Observation Divine Realm. And ever since he claimed the top spot on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, he had never fallen from it.
Xie Xuan couldn't help but add, "To be honest, the gap between Jiang Yu and me has only widened over the years."
"The first time, I lost by half a move. The second time, I couldn't last past fifty moves. This time, the difference might be even greater—because I sense... he's gradually mastering some divine artifact within him."
"Perhaps, from now on, no swordsman will ever defeat him again."
Setting that aside, the sheer disparity in cultivation alone was enough to crush any hope.
They say a swordsman can be defeated but never broken.
But that doesn’t mean you should throw an egg at a boulder.
Jiang Chulong, however, ignored all that and tried to psych herself up.
Meanwhile, Li Mo subtly exchanged a glance with Murong Xiao. The "Master of Buried Love" caught his drift and followed him aside.
"Brother Li, what are you thinking? Do you have another scheme?"
Murong Xiao had grown steadier since joining the Buddhist sect.
And as everyone knew, Li Mo was the "King of Schemes" in Qingyuan Sect.
Li Mo raised an eyebrow. "A swordsman must draw their blade when facing an opponent, right? If Xiao Jiang backs down before the fight even begins, it’ll damage her mindset."
Murong Xiao thought back—among all the opponents he'd faced, swordsmen were indeed the most prone to recklessness.
"But if she loses her life—"
"No worries. That’s when you, the Master of Buried Love, come into play!"
"?"
"If Xiao Jiang can’t break through your defense, she’ll never have to face Jiang Yu. I’ve already prepared something for you..."
The two whispered for a while longer.
Soon after, battles began across the various arenas.
Li Mo’s match ended the fastest.
Zhong Zhenyue stepped onto the stage, saw Li Mo’s serious expression, and broke into a cold sweat.
"Brother Li, don’t fight—it’s me!"
Then he immediately jumped off the platform.
The Qingyuan Sect disciples found the scene oddly familiar—except this time, no one cried foul, since it was obvious Zhong Zhenyue stood no chance to begin with.
The crowd was more disappointed that the "Wife-Blessing Battle Soul" commentator wasn’t storytelling this time.
Meanwhile, the judges’ attention was fixed on another arena.
As the top-ranked on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, Jiang Yu was the second to defeat his opponent.
"That Qu Songyun is a rogue cultivator, yet her skills are truly impressive. She actually blocked the Crown Prince’s first move?"
"For a woman, her body-refining techniques have reached perfection. Did she eat some Celestial Instant Noodles or something?"
"Pity. If she hadn’t met Jiang Yu so early, she might’ve gone further."
On the Rivers and Mountains Scroll, Qu Songyun appeared as a woman with half her face obscured by hair, her skin a deep bronze, her build resembling a smaller version of Guo Jing.
Yet against Jiang Yu, she dared to strike first.
But in a blink, a palm suddenly appeared before her—accompanied by a dragon’s roar—expanding rapidly in her vision. She tried to evade, but no matter how she moved, she couldn’t escape its reach.
In her eyes, Jiang Yu’s figure vanished, replaced by a golden dragon. His True Dragon Physique allowed his body and spirit to merge as one.
Her arm twitched, but she restrained herself, watching helplessly as she was sent flying off the stage.
"The True Dragon Physique truly lives up to its name as the pinnacle of bodily cultivation," Qu Songyun muttered, swallowing back blood.
Jiang Yu said indifferently, "A rare sight—body-refining mastery."
The victory meant nothing to him.
And rightly so—his gaze had been fixed on another arena the entire time.
......
The match between Jiang Chulong and the Master of Buried Love nearly put the audience to sleep.
"Master, could you at least move a little?"
"He practices the Vajra Indestructible Body of the Immovable King. The Hanging Temple hasn’t seen anyone master it in centuries. Even the Black Tortoise Clan of the North Sea admits inferiority."
"If he won’t move, why’s he chanting? I kind of want to rush up and punch him."
The young talents and rogue cultivators in the crowd talked big, but they all recognized Murong Xiao’s strength.
Few in the entire venue had the confidence to break his defense—and even if they did, it wouldn’t matter, since his recovery outpaced any damage dealt...
"If you can’t break my Vajra Indestructible Body, you likely can’t break the True Dragon Physique either."
Murong Xiao sat with solemn dignity.
The Green Leaf Sword struck his body, sending sparks flying—yet not even a scratch remained.
"I see..."
Strangely, Jiang Chulong felt a little relieved.
Perhaps even Murong Xiao found it dull, because he suddenly asked, "Xiao Jiang, didn’t Brother Li become the owner of the House of Moonlit Pleasures? What exactly does it do?"
Li Mo: "!"
Oh no!
"Chulong, don’t tell him!"
Jiang Chulong obediently kept quiet, but someone in the crowd smacked their lips and said:
"What’s the big deal? It’s just a brothel. Hey, Master, ever been with a woman? Heh..."
A few men who had visited the House of Moonlit Pleasures chuckled suggestively.
Murong Xiao stiffened.
....
On the judges’ platform, the Violet-Robed Eunuch, Xie Yiding of the Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor, and the Divine Artisan Elder Du presided.
"Elder Du, what are your thoughts?" the eunuch asked.
Xie Yiding observed carefully before replying, "At her age, her swordsmanship far surpasses what I could ever achieve. And this sword technique... seems especially lethal against certain divine intents—or perhaps certain demonic beings?"
"Jiaos, snakes, and the like," Elder Du chuckled.
He was practically hinting at dragon-related kin, but since the imperial family was often said to possess the bloodline of true dragons, he couldn't outright say it.
Xie Yiding shook his head and said, "This Tibetan... er, Master Zang Ai is a man of Buddhism. Naturally, he couldn't have observed divine beings like true dragons or jiaos, let alone anything about bloodlines..."
"Hey! Manor Lord Xie!"
"What is it?"
"Master... he's grown horns on his head!"
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."
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
] [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!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
