"After spending so much time, you finally look like you amount to something."
For the first time, a clear look of approval appeared in the crimson eyes of the little red-haired girl.
Her tone shifted, and a hint of disgust reappeared on her face.
"Going out now, you won't be an embarrassment to me."
Su Ji looked down at his Daoist robe, which had long been reduced to tatters, and gave a bitter smile.
Forget about being an embarrassment; looking like this, he would probably be treated as a beggar if he went out.
The aftermath of their battles had been too fierce. Even with intentional protection, ordinary clothing simply couldn't withstand this level of combat.
He took out a new outer sect disciple uniform from his storage ring and changed into it, his movements a bit slow.
To be honest, from the very beginning, his mind was filled with thoughts of ending this inhuman torture as soon as possible, and then ruthlessly leaving without a second thought.
But now that he had truly reached this point and learned he was about to graduate, his heart felt inexplicably empty, and he actually felt somewhat reluctant to leave.
Over the past four months, although he had been constantly teetering on the edge of getting beaten half to death every day, his strength had genuinely advanced by leaps and bounds.
There is no banquet in the world that doesn't come to an end; he understood this principle.
"Yeah, I'm leaving."
Su Ji slung his new spear onto his back, stretched his muscles, and looked at the senior before him who had taught him so many stances and techniques.
"Senior, is there anything you need my help with? For example, bringing back something interesting from the outside to relieve your boredom?"
Hearing this, the little red-haired girl waved her hand in sheer boredom, her demeanor returning to the laziness she had when they first met.
"No need."
Su Ji thought for a moment and asked again.
"Then is there any message you need me to pass on, or any errands?"
This time, the little red-haired girl fell silent for a moment.
Carrying her crimson spear on her shoulder, she turned and walked over to the bluestone she had sat on for four months, sitting down gently.
"No."
Her voice was very soft, carrying a trace of imperceptible desolation.
"I am a traitor to the Dragon Clan."
"I have long since had no ties or attachments..."
Su Ji's heart trembled.
A traitor?
He looked at that petite figure from behind, not knowing what to say for a moment.
"If you insist on thanking me..."
The little red-haired girl's voice sounded again, interrupting Su Ji's thoughts.
"Then help the master of that sword take revenge..."
The expression on Su Ji's face instantly froze.
That sword? Yinfeng?
He subconsciously reached for his waist, where that ordinary-looking ancient green sword still hung quietly.
"Is it strange?"
The little red-haired girl seemed to notice his surprise. She turned her head, her crimson eyes calm and unrippled.
"As if there are no traitors among you humans."
These words left Su Ji unable to retort.
He took a deep breath and nodded solemnly.
"This junior will remember."
Did this count as... taking on another quest?
But it also seemed like something he would be doing along the way anyway?
He looked at her petite figure, suddenly feeling that this True Dragon who had lived for countless tens of thousands of years didn't seem so unreachable after all.
She also felt loneliness, and she also felt hatred.
Su Ji walked to the edge of this space. Beyond the blurry streams of light was the molten cave he had come from.
He stopped and looked back.
"Pardon my presumption, but after so long, I still don't know Senior's name."
The little red-haired girl was slightly taken aback by his words.
It seemed like it had been a very long time since anyone had asked for her name.
She tilted her head up, looking at the eternally grayish sky, her gaze somewhat distant, as if recalling something extremely far away.
"I've forgotten my old name."
"Later... I was called Hui Xing."
Hui Xing?
Su Ji silently repeated the name in his heart.
It didn't sound particularly nice or roll off the tongue.
Nor did it seem to match her characteristics at all.
Hui Xing seemed to see through Su Ji's doubts: "Since I was a child, I was the least favored one in my clan."
"The world I saw was too dull in color, too monotonous."
She seemed to be speaking to Su Ji, yet also talking to herself.
"She was different."
Su Ji knew that this "she" referred to the master of the Yinfeng sword.
"She yearned for freedom and lived so brightly, as if nothing could bind her."
"No difficulty could stop her."
"She was the starting point of miracles and the incomprehensible."
The little red-haired girl's voice carried a trace of yearning and... loneliness that even she herself hadn't noticed.
"So brilliant that... it made me think that as long as I got close to her, I could be dyed in the same colors."
After she finished speaking, she said no more, only quietly looking at the sky, as if trying to find a different color amidst that eternal gray.
Su Ji stood in place, watching her quietly.
At this moment, he suddenly understood something.
He didn't speak to disturb her again, but simply gave a deep bow toward her back.
Su Ji turned around and took a step forward.
The sensation beneath his feet changed from the solid wasteland to a patch of nothingness.
The scenery before him began to distort, turning into streams of light—it was the very passage connecting this place to the molten cave outside.
He did not look back.
Partings inherently required no extra words.
He and Hui Xing were merely in a transaction where each took what they needed.
From now on, the mountains would be high and the rivers long; perhaps there would never be a day they met again.
Just as half of Su Ji's body had stepped into the flowing light and he was about to completely leave this dead space...
A faint, drifting voice caught up to his ears.
"She didn't let me interfere in the conflict between Great Xia and 'them'..."
"Even she, who yearned for freedom, confined me here and stripped me of my own freedom."
"I know she wanted to protect me, because I am not good at fighting."
"Later, they failed. And as a traitor to the Dragon Clan, the moment I show my face, I will naturally face a reckoning."
"But as things stand now, whether it's life and death, freedom, or miracles and dullness, I have no heart to care about any of it."
"If you ever need it, I can still clear an obstacle for you before the Dragon Clan comes to finish me off."
"But only this once."
Behind him, that crisp voice, now carrying a hint of anger, exploded without warning.
"Catch!"
] [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!"
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
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."
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?!
