Jiang Xinyao glanced at the elders pressuring Qin Hao, then at Qin Hao who was suppressed on the ground with a pained expression. She immediately spread her arms and stood in front of him:
"Elders! Perhaps there is some misunderstanding here. I do not believe Ye Hao is that kind of person."
An elder with a stern face and bristling hair and beard snorted coldly, his eyes full of disdain and anger:
"Misunderstanding? Imperial Daughter! You are inexperienced in the ways of the world. Do not let this sweet-talking scoundrel blind you. What misunderstanding could there be? He stole our clan's supreme treasure right in front of all of us. This is an indisputable fact."
Jiang Xinyao's two uncles also stepped forward: "Xinyao, step aside! This matter is of great importance and is not something you can interfere with!"
"Enough, disperse."
Suddenly, a calm voice drifted over. Everyone looked toward the source. The speaker was none other than the First Ancestor of the Jiang family, Jiang Qitian.
Under everyone's gaze, Jiang Qitian slowly walked up to Qin Hao. He reached out and gently lifted his hand. The pressure on Qin Hao vanished instantly, and his entire body was supported by a gentle force.
"Did you... see her?"
As he asked this, a look of reminiscence appeared on Jiang Qitian's face.
"Yes," Qin Hao replied softly. He knew Jiang Qitian was referring to Liu Ruyan.
Hearing this, Jiang Qitian nodded: "I see. It seems my Jiang family's destiny with the Luck-Plundering Stele has come to an end. Since that is the case, you should take this Hongmeng Luck-Plundering Stele. She was waiting for you all along; my Jiang family merely kept it safe on her behalf for all these years."
Upon hearing this, the members of the Jiang family were immediately displeased.
"Ancestor! This Hongmeng Luck-Plundering Stele is our Jiang family's supreme treasure, the very foundation of our clan! How can you just hand it over to someone else?"
Jiang Qitian raised his hand, and a terrifying pressure swept across the entire Jiang family estate:
"This Hongmeng Luck-Plundering Stele never belonged to our Jiang family. At the end of the Immortal Antiquity Era, I was fortunate enough to earn the trust of Fairy Miejue, who entrusted it to me. Today, it is simply returning to its rightful owner."
"Speaking of which, we all owe her our gratitude. If not for her, I would never have become an Immortal Emperor. If not for this Luck-Plundering Stele, I would have died countless times over. Today, it returns to its owner. Speak no more of this."
As he spoke, a trace of awe and nostalgia flickered in Jiang Qitian's eyes. Back then, he was just a minor cultivator in the Qi Condensation Realm, while she was already an existence standing at the absolute pinnacle of the Three Realms and Nine Heavens.
Even though Jiang Qitian was now an Immortal Emperor himself, in his heart, that peerless and magnificent woman remained a monument he could only look up to.
"Young friend Ye, I can give you this Hongmeng Luck-Plundering Stele, but I have one request."
As soon as these words were spoken, a dead silence fell over the area. That was the First Ancestor of their Jiang family, a supreme mighty figure at the Immortal Emperor level! Yet he actually addressed this outsider as young friend and even made a request. This...
Qin Hao quickly cupped his hands: "Senior, you are too polite. If there is anything this junior can do for you, please speak freely."
"The Hongmeng Luck-Plundering Stele does not generate destiny out of thin air. Instead, it plunders the destiny of those who fail its trials and rewards it to those who succeed."
"I hope that, every thousand years, you can allow the disciples of my Jiang family to enter this Hongmeng Luck-Plundering Stele for trials. How about it?"
"Of course, in return, my Jiang family will be your most steadfast ally."
In truth, even if Qin Hao refused, Jiang Qitian would still try to win him over. After all, Qin Hao was the person she had chosen.
Qin Hao had thought Jiang Qitian was going to raise some difficult condition, but it turned out to be just this?
"No problem, I agree."
Without any hesitation, Qin Hao nodded and agreed directly. The Hongmeng Luck-Plundering Stele could not grant destiny repeatedly. Right now, he could only obtain destiny by breaking through Liu Ruyan's projection on the one hundredth floor.
To the current Qin Hao, the Hongmeng Luck-Plundering Stele was just a tool to continuously spar with geniuses and improve his combat experience. Allowing Jiang family disciples to enter for trials during his spare time would not affect him at all.
After receiving Qin Hao's consent, Jiang Qitian waved his hand at the surrounding crowd: "Alright, disperse."
Since the Ancestor had spoken, the Jiang family members could only forcefully accept the reality that their clan's supreme treasure was being taken away by this outsider, Qin Hao.
A group of people glared at Qin Hao with eyes full of indignation before storming off angrily.
"Young friend Ye, the function of this Hongmeng Luck-Plundering Stele is not merely to obtain destiny. You will have to explore it slowly yourself. I hope that in your hands, it will not disgrace the reputation of its master, Fairy Miejue."
Qin Hao cupped his hands and said with a solemn expression: "I will definitely not let her down!"
Jiang Qitian nodded, and then his figure vanished.
Before long, only Jiang Xinyao and Qin Hao were left in the massive plaza.
At this moment, Jiang Xinyao was puffing her cheeks, staring at Qin Hao with a depressed expression.
Seeing this, Qin Hao could not help but pinch her rosy cheeks:
"What's wrong? I was quite surprised by this matter too."
"I didn't expect that I was inviting a wolf into the house this time! You obtained a heaven-defying opportunity in our Jiang family. I don't care, you have to compensate me properly!"
Qin Hao looked at Jiang Xinyao. Right now, she was pouting angrily, yet carrying a hint of coquettishness.
"Compensate?" The corners of Qin Hao's mouth curled up slightly as he played along: "I wonder what kind of compensation my Lady Imperial Daughter desires?"
"I want to go out and stroll around. Since I was little, I've spent almost all my time cultivating in the clan estate. The farthest place I've ever been was the forest where I met you. I want to see the outside world and how those rogue cultivators live."
"Just you and me. And don't treat me like an Imperial Daughter, just like... like normal friends."
Jiang Xinyao wanted to say normal Dao companions, but she was too embarrassed to say those words out loud.
This Jiang family Imperial Daughter, who was noble and aloof in front of outsiders, was acting like a little girl begging for candy in front of Qin Hao. The contrast was striking.
Qin Hao saw through Jiang Xinyao's little thoughts at a glance. It seemed that a high-star rating from this client, Jiang Xinyao, was definitely in the bag.
Thinking of this, Qin Hao wrapped an arm around Jiang Xinyao's waist:
"What do you mean normal friends? Are we just normal friends?"
Feeling the warmth of Qin Hao's palm on her waist, Jiang Xinyao's gaze drifted erratically, not daring to meet his eyes at all:
"No, not normal friends... then what are we?"
Looking at Jiang Xinyao's shy little appearance, Qin Hao couldn't suppress his rising smile. He leaned close to her ear and gently exhaled:
"Did you forget? We are Dao companions. How about it? Do you need me, your Dao companion, to fulfill my duties and take you to properly experience the daily life of normal Dao companions?"
The flirtatious words and warm breath made Jiang Xinyao's face turn bright red in an instant. Feeling both shy and anxious, she raised her hand to lightly pound Qin Hao's chest, only to find that because he was so close, feeling the aura radiating from him, her entire body went soft and devoid of strength.
"N-nonsense... What are you saying? W-we are just... n-normal friends. I-I don't want to... experience... any... d-d-daily life!"
Hearing this, Qin Hao quickly took a half-step back, putting some distance between himself and Jiang Xinyao. "Alright. Since that is what you want, we will just be ordinary friends then."
As he stepped away, the heart-stirring, intimate tension that had just lingered between them instantly cooled. Jiang Xinyao felt a sudden, sharp emptiness in her chest.
Watching Qin Hao turn his back to deliberately keep his distance, acting as if he truly intended to escort her out strictly as an "ordinary friend," the secret anticipation and sweetness in her heart were instantly replaced by a wave of disappointment.
"Wait a minute!"
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.”
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
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."
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'!"
