Lao Lian, the master of Divine Sword Island, smiled and said.
"No matter, teaching students according to their aptitude is the true intention of our Xiaoyao Holy Land. It's not your fault you made the wrong choice."
With that, Lao Lian's divine sense enveloped Nine Palaces Island, pinpointing your location before arriving by your side.
"Chen Dong, now that Long Yang is coming to cultivate with me on Divine Sword Island, you should come along too."
You were in an open clearing by the sea, studying a new array formation method. The sudden appearance of two Martial Kings caught you slightly off guard.
"Me too?"
Lao Lian smiled.
"I heard you only possess a high-grade bone structure, yet your cultivation realm advances faster than anyone else in your batch. Isn't it a waste of time for you to stay on Nine Palaces Island studying arrays? Come to my Divine Sword Island; we can help you raise your realm even faster and make your combat prowess even stronger!"
Before he could even finish his sentence, the furious voice of your direct master, Zhao Hanzhou, echoed from the island's palace.
"Long Yang is a useless piece of trash! If your Divine Sword Island wants him, take him! But if anyone dares to touch the Young Island Master of my Nine Palaces Island, don't blame this old man for putting his life on the line!!"
Zhao Hanzhou's voice arrived before he did.
It wasn't just him; the Island Master of Nine Palaces Island, Xie Guihong, along with over a dozen resident masters, all rushed over. Each of them wore expressions of deep displeasure, and the atmosphere instantly became tense and explosive.
Zhao Hanzhou shielded you behind him.
"Master, since when did I become the Young Island Master?"
"Just now."
Your mouth twitched.
These old men on Nine Palaces Island, who didn't have much lifespan left and had dedicated their entire lives to array formations, truly treated you like an absolute treasure.
For Divine Sword Island to try and poach you was akin to trying to rip out their hearts.
Lao Lian and his companion were sword cultivators, so they weren't afraid of a bunch of array masters.
Moreover, although Zhao Hanzhou and the others had the numbers advantage, only Island Master Xie Guihong was at the Martial King realm.
This couldn't be helped.
To study arrays, one inevitably had to sacrifice their own cultivation time. Naturally, the proportion of Martial Kings among array masters was the lowest.
The two sides engaged in a fierce war of words over you.
Since it was an internal conflict, they couldn't actually come to blows.
After arguing to no end, the Divine Sword Island side finally stated:
"No matter how much we argue, it's useless. It all depends on what Chen Dong himself decides! Chen Dong, we have already explained the pros and cons of both islands to you. We trust you will make the right choice."
You couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
You never expected your damn charm to not only be lethal to the opposite sex.
Even these men, and old men at that, were fighting tooth and nail over you.
You had your own plans.
In this life, the Seven Luminaries Immortal Array was your top priority. By exchanging knowledge and learning from the old masters of Nine Palaces Island, you could progress faster and save more time for researching arrays.
Seeing that you were about to speak, and noticing that your expression seemed to lean toward Nine Palaces Island, Lao Lian hurriedly interjected.
"Chen Dong! If you are willing to join Divine Sword Island, the Island Master is willing to gift you the battle sword he used in his youth—a Heaven-tier spirit sword with a fully matured artifact spirit, Wind Piercer!"
Hearing this, Long Yang, who was standing to the side, was filled with envy.
"Wind Piercer? That sword once had an illustrious reputation across the three great Holy Lands. It's not inferior to an ordinary Immortal Artifact!"
Zhao Hanzhou, Xie Guihong, and the others burst into roaring laughter.
"Not inferior to an Immortal Artifact? Well, what if I just take out an actual Immortal Artifact? How will you deal with that?! Arrows, come!!"
Lao Lian sneered.
"As if your Nine Palaces Island has any good swords. You're just bluffing!"
"I said arrows, not swords!"
A chorus of crow caws echoed in the sky above the island.
"Caw— Caw— Caw—"
Nine black crows flew out of the sky. They were massive, completely unlike ordinary birds.
The nine crows circled in the air, connected head to tail. A profound black light radiated brilliantly from them, and waves of chilling killing intent seeped out, forming a vast, intimidating pressure that inspired awe and fear.
Following that, the nine black crows underwent a massive transformation, turning into nine black arrows, each over three meters long. They flew to your back and attached themselves firmly to you.
At the same time, you heard the voices of the artifact spirits within.
"Crow No. 1 in position!"
"Crow No. 2 in position!"
"Crow No. 3 in position!"
...
You were a bit dazed.
"Master, Island Master, this is..."
Xie Guihong chuckled lightly and brushed his right hand over his storage ring. A massive bow, colored in black and gold, appeared in his grasp.
"Catch!"
He tossed the bow to you, and you raised your hand to catch it.
The moment you touched it, it felt bone-piercingly cold—not a physical chill, but the coldness of pure killing intent seeping into it.
The bow itself was incredibly sturdy and heavy. You felt that even if you just used it to smash things, it could easily shatter metal and crack stone.
"The Nine Crows Divine Bow! The guardian Immortal Artifact of my Nine Palaces Island! Today, I pass it on to the Young Island Master, Chen Dong!"
Long Yang, standing nearby, was absolutely green with envy.
His family background was indeed affluent.
But wanting to own an Immortal Artifact?
That was nothing more than an idiot's daydream.
One must know that during the fourth simulation, when the Ten Thousand Souls Banner incited the spirit artifact rebellion, the total number of Immortal Artifacts gathered in Xiliang from the entire human realm was less than twenty.
Of course, that wasn't all the Immortal Artifacts in the human realm; some surely chose to stay by their original masters' sides.
But this alone showed how exceedingly rare Immortal Artifacts were. They were absolutely not something just anyone could easily possess.
Lao Lian pointed a trembling finger at the old men of Nine Palaces Island.
"Island Master Xie, you really spared no expense! Giving away an Immortal Artifact for a mere Golden Body Realm disciple?"
Xie Guihong stood with his hands behind his back, stroking his beard with a disdainful gaze.
"What Golden Body Realm disciple? Please address him as the Young Island Master!"
Lao Lian and his companion completely lost their temper.
"Fine, fine! With Nine Palaces Island paying such a heavy price, I doubt any lineage could poach this precious disciple of yours. Let's go!"
After they left, you knelt on one knee and offered the bow and arrows with both hands.
"I ask Master and the Island Master to take back this treasure."
Seeing how sensible you were, the old men grew even fonder of you.
"Silly boy, I am the master of a Holy Land lineage. How could I possibly take back something I've already given away?"
"This disciple understands that earlier, it was merely to anger the people from Divine Sword Island into leaving. This disciple has just arrived on the island, has made no contributions, and lacks seniority. Let alone receiving this Immortal Artifact, even taking the position of Young Island Master would absolutely fail to convince the masses."
"This Island Master would like to see who on Nine Palaces Island dares to be unconvinced!"
Well then, it seemed the Immortal Artifact and the position of Young Island Master were now permanently welded to you.
After the Nine Crows Divine Bow recognized you as its new master, it realized that you already had a whole big family inside your body.
The artifact spirit of the Nine Crows Divine Bow was very unique. It wasn't just one spirit, but nine, like nonuplets.
Ten Thousand Souls Banner: "New guys, call me Eldest Senior Brother!"
Demon Refining Pot: "Hey! Just taking a quick look, it seems we've got a bunch of esteemed guests! Our little world just got a bit livelier!"
Universe Mirror: "There's no more room in the Star Source to soak! You new guys, if you have nothing to do, go weed the Cauldron Realm, got it?"
Nine Provinces Cauldron: "Do you guys eat peaches?"
Having the artifact spirit split into nine had its pros and cons. Never mind the pros for now; here came the cons.
Replying to the Ten Thousand Souls Banner: "Eldest Shit Brother! Eldest Shit Brother!"
Replying to the Demon Refining Pot: "Hey! Eunuch!!"
[Replying to the Heaven and Earth Mirror: "Come out! Go weed the garden! Weed the grass!", it knocked the Heaven and Earth Mirror right out of the Star Source.]
[Replying to the Nine Provinces Cauldron: "All the peaches are mine!!"]
[Watching the nine crow artifact spirits babble nonsense and run completely amok, the Myriad Soul Banner and the other veteran artifacts exchanged dismayed glances.]
["Demon spawns have descended upon the world!"]
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
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!
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
