The fire dragon's assault was ferocious beyond measure.
The Joyful Union Sect's female disciples, who prided themselves on their charm techniques, found them utterly useless against the beast.
"Ah!"
Another disciple was seized in the fire dragon's furious maw, its razor-sharp teeth shredding her protective spiritual barrier with ease.
The sickening crunch of bones echoed as half her body vanished into its gullet, blood staining the ground crimson.
The remaining disciples, their faces drained of color, had long lost formation, scrambling desperately to evade the onslaught.
At this rate, total annihilation was only a matter of time.
Gu Ranran's expression darkened to the extreme.
Continuing this fight would achieve nothing but her own demise.
They had to retreat!
The [Dragon's Saliva Stone] wasn't going anywhere—they could return another day.
But the fire dragon had locked onto them, and escaping under its watchful gaze was easier said than done.
Then, an image flashed through Gu Ranran's mind: Su Ji, scrambling away in a pathetic, undignified retreat.
Though humiliating, he had successfully slipped the beast's notice.
A shameful yet undeniably practical idea took root.
Copy him?
Gu Ranran wasted no time. She sent a covert message to the four remaining disciples.
"Buy me one breath of time! I have a way to slay this beast!"
Among the four was the disciple who had pretended to break the formation earlier.
Hearing this, their faces hardened with resolve.
If this was their last stand, so be it.
"As you command, Holy Maiden!"
With a unified cry, they burned their life essence, unleashing their final trump cards. Four streaks of light shot fearlessly toward the fire dragon.
Enraged by the sudden counterattack, the beast roared and unleashed a torrent of molten lava thicker than before.
Now!
Seizing the fleeting opportunity, Gu Ranran didn't retreat—instead, she lunged into the aftermath of the blast.
BOOM!
The impact sent her flying backward, a spray of blood arcing from her lips, her posture as graceless as it was deliberate.
Her trajectory landed her perfectly toward a cluster of scattered boulders.
If she could just reach the largest rock, conceal her aura, and evade the dragon's senses, she might yet escape.
She hit the ground, rolled—
Every motion fluid, every tumble calculated despite the dust coating her robes.
Salvation was within reach.
A flicker of relief sparked in Gu Ranran's heart.
But just as she was about to vanish into the rock's shadow—
A foot extended from behind the boulder.
Plain cloth shoes, smudged with dirt.
It kicked her.
Right in the backside.
THUD.
The force wasn't strong.
Just enough to disrupt her momentum, sending her rolling in the opposite direction.
Gu Ranran tumbled, disoriented.
Then—clarity.
That trash Qi Condensation cultivator!
He dared kick her?!
Instinct screamed at her to steady herself with spiritual energy, then tear the coward hiding behind the rock limb from limb.
But the fire dragon's enraged bellow froze her in place.
She couldn't.
Any surge of energy would draw the beast's attention—and certain death.
This grudge would have to wait.
Gritting her teeth, Gu Ranran let herself roll until—
SPLASH.
The icy embrace of an underground river swallowed her whole.
The currents swept her away without a trace.
Behind the boulder, Su Ji leisurely retracted his foot, wiping it against the rock.
"Tch."
"Trying to copy my survival tactics? You're decades too early."
He almost regretted not kicking harder—straight back into the dragon's jaws would've been poetic.
ROAR—!
Having disposed of the last Joyful Union Sect disciples, the fire dragon realized its primary target had vanished.
It coiled, crimson eyes scanning the empty cavern.
A low, displeased rumble vibrated in its throat.
But the fleeing insect wasn't worth abandoning the [Dragon's Saliva Stone].
Slowly, its massive form submerged into the dark waters, leaving only its head above, gaze fixed on the treasure.
……
Fifteen days later.
Love-Longing Sect.
A travel-worn figure alighted at the mountain gate.
Su Jiu brushed the dust from her robes.
Despite the setbacks, this expedition had been fruitful—she'd secured all materials needed for Su Ji's Heavenly Foundation breakthrough.
Yet instead of returning to her quarters, her feet carried her toward the outer disciples' lodgings.
The dilapidated wooden hut stood unchanged.
The door creaked as she pushed it open.
"Senior Brother, I'm back."
Silence.
Only motes of dust danced in the slanted sunlight.
No reply.
An inexplicable pang of disappointment settled in her chest.
Where was he?
Her brow furrowed.
Then—a thought.
Had Su Ji... gone to sleep in her bed instead?
Absolutely something he'd do.
In a flash of white light, she vanished, reappearing directly in her courtyard.
She didn't bother with the front door, barging straight into her chambers.
"Su Ji, who told you to—"
The words died.
The room was empty.
Gone.
The hollowness in her chest grew sharper.
She placed the shattered, fracture-lined Bright Glimmer Spear on the table.
Only then did she notice the palm-sized lacquered box beside it.
Beneath it—a folded note.
Her fingers snatched it up.
Two lines of atrocious handwriting greeted her, characters so crooked they looked drawn by a drunkard with his feet.
[Phoenix Rest Gorge. Underground.]
[Don't use the Contribution Hall's map.]
Phoenix Rest Gorge?
Her breath hitched.
That place?
But it's—
Bastard!
So much for "lying low"!
Her grip whitened around the paper.
After a moment's hesitation, she pocketed the box and stormed out.
+ Slow Paced + Main Character Thrives Together with His Disciples】 Transmigrated into a cultivation world, Chu Xingchen awakens a discipleship system that reveals the tags of his disciples! Starting from scratch, he builds the strongest sect. Disciple One: Li Yingling 【Gold Tag: Genius Cultivator】【Purple Tag: Extremely Lucky】【Blue Tag: Bewitchingly Beautiful】 Disciple Two: Li Hangtian 【Gold Tag: Reincarnated】【Purple Tag: Ruthless and Decisive】【Blue Tag: Loyal and Noble】 Disciple Three: ??? 【Orange Tag: Alluring Demoness】【???】【???】 Thus, in the cultivation world, an unremarkable little sect appears out of nowhere, but little do others know that each member of this sect is a powerhouse in their own right. The book is also known as: Cultivation? It's Exactly Like This!
] [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!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
transmigrates into the role of a villainous rich second-generation kid in an urban fantasy novel, and gets bound to a god-tier choice system. Right at the start, he catches the female lead stealing exam papers! This triggers the villain's choice options! [Choice 1: Pretend you didn't see anything] [Choice 2: Loudly call her out, drawing everyone's attention] [Choice 3: ...] And thus, a twisted villain is born. To avoid getting killed by the protagonist, he has no choice but to take down all the protagonists first. Jiang Che: Nobody understands being twisted better than me!
