Words once spoken are like water spilled—impossible to take back.
There was no way around it.
Since he had already promised Maomao, Lin Yu had no choice but to steel himself and accept the challenge.
Ying'er was unusually enthusiastic.
She thoroughly explained the duel rules that Lin Yu and Maomao had privately agreed upon to everyone present.
Those who had attended the food street gathering had all witnessed Maomao's abilities before.
They instantly grasped what the competition would entail.
What surprised them, however, was that someone as terrifyingly skilled as Maomao would use the word "challenge."
Didn’t that imply…
She acknowledged Lin Yu as even more formidable than herself?
The scattered sect members who weren’t fully familiar with the rules only understood what they were competing over once the two opened the app to draw a random topic.
The randomly selected question turned out to be an old classic:
[Identifying the source of quotes from movies, TV shows, and novels!]
To liven up the atmosphere, Ying'er even set up a makeshift "stage."
She played bookmaker, letting everyone bet on who would win.
Huang Feirong: "Ying'er, so the rules are—one person quotes a line from a show or book, and the other guesses where it’s from? If they get it right, they take over as the questioner?"
Chi Qingchi: "Exactly! Big sis, that’s how it works. I’m betting on Maomao—five bucks!"
Chi Qingshui: "Qingchi! You’re seriously…?"
Ying'er: "Qingshui, today’s a special occasion—just join in the fun!"
Chi Qingshui: "I… fine. Then I’ll bet on Lin Yu—ten bucks."
Chi Qingchi: "Sis, you’re criticizing me, but you’re betting even more!"
Chi Qingchi: "…"
Shen Jiuyi: "I trust the computer whiz. I’m betting on Maomao… What’s the max bet?"
Ying'er: "The limit… hmm… let’s say a hundred."
Shen Jiuyi: "Alright, I’ll put down ten."
Shen Buyao: "Big cow, if you’re not playing, get out! I’m going all-in on Lin Yu—fifteen!"
Ye Mengfu: "Lin Yu… five bucks."
Tang Yimian: "Then I’ll balance it out—five on little sister Maomao."
"…"
Lin Yu: "…"
These people were really getting into it!
Ying'er sure knew how to hype things up!
More people bet on Lin Yu.
Ying'er was practically losing money just to keep the energy high—what a shame…
Fine, fine.
Today, he’d let them indulge a little.
And while he was at it…
He’d show them who the real mastermind was!
Before long, Ying'er finished tallying the bets and announced:
"Alright, alright, no more changes, bets are closed!"
"Now, let the competition… begin~"
"The challenger, Maomao, will go first!"
Lin Yu didn’t mind who started—he had no objections.
After all, he had already quietly crushed a [Void Array Talisman] in his hand!
Unlike Maomao, who had terrifyingly broad knowledge from her idle time, he couldn’t possibly remember so many things.
His previous victory over her had only been because she hadn’t caught on yet—he’d led her by the nose the whole time.
But now, the little genius had awakened.
And she had openly issued this challenge in front of everyone.
Clearly, she had come prepared.
How could Lin Yu afford to let his guard down?
He had to give it his all… in cheating.
Maomao steadied her racing heart and spoke first:
"I just want to kill two people. Or be killed by them."
For the first question, Maomao opted for a probing strategy.
This line wasn’t particularly obscure.
Even without resorting to his virtual computer search, Lin Yu could answer effortlessly.
Calmly, he replied:
"Kung Fu Hustle!"
"My turn…"
"Did you come here just to take a dump?"
Maomao didn’t hesitate either, answering:
"My Memories of Old Beijing."
"Next up…"
"If I like a flower, must I pluck it to prove it?"
This one sounded familiar to Lin Yu.
Wasn’t it something Chow Yun-fat said? But what was the movie called again?
Lin Yu quickly searched his virtual database.
A second later, he had the answer.
"Once a Thief!"
"Not bad, Maomao…"
"There were too many people outside earlier. Brother was wrong."
Maomao remained unfazed:
"Hello Mr. Tree—the kneeling line."
"Next question…"
"Don’t ever let someone tell you you can’t do something. Not even me."
Lin Yu had long given up on thinking for himself.
The moment Maomao finished speaking, his virtual computer had already scoured the depths of the internet at lightning speed.
"The Pursuit of Happyness."
"Then I’ll go with…"
"Hold on a sec—I’m here to rob… and to flirt."
Maomao: "A World Without Thieves."
"…"
While marveling at the two’s encyclopedic knowledge of films and literature, the crowd began murmuring among themselves.
Huang Feirong: "Pfft—ha! Maomao’s quotes are all iconic, but Lin Yu’s lines are just shameless!"
Shen Jiuyi: "True enough."
Shen Buyao: "Probably hasn’t watched a single proper film in his life."
Chi Qingchi: "It’s not surprising Lin Yu’s seen so many movies, but how does he remember them all? My five bucks… sob…"
Chi Qingshui: "His memory is seriously impressive."
"…"
Five minutes later, the back-and-forth between Lin Yu and Maomao grew even faster.
From mainstream cinema, they gradually veered into obscure titles and other mediums.
Maomao, expression stern:
"Either live properly, or die quickly. Truer words were never spoken."
Lin Yu furrowed his brows:
"Waiting Alone—damn, that’s niche. Alright, listen up…"
"If you get the chance, go ahead and be bad. Being bad is also an experience, a test."
Maomao’s eyes flickered:
"Himalaya Singh…"
"Do not return. This is not home."
Lin Yu:
"The Three-Body Problem!"
"Switching to novels now, huh…"
"We’re all little monsters. One day, we’ll be slain by the righteous Ultraman."
Maomao: "Dragon Raja…"
Lin Yu: "Holding the sun and moon, plucking the stars—no one in this world is like me…"
Maomao: "This book is dedicated to the childhood I once had…"
Lin Yu: "…"
Maomao: "…"
The intense battle raged on for what felt like an eternity.
So long that the murmuring spectators collectively gaped, jaws nearly hitting the floor.
What kind of monstrous memory was this?!
People were starting to wonder…
Did these two do anything productive at all?
Were their lives just movies and books?
How could anyone remember this much?!
As the duel oscillated between mainstream and obscure, popular and niche, both sides searched for that one fatal blow.
Lin Yu had practically exhausted his virtual computer’s database of obscure quotes and classic lines.
Yet Maomao stood unshaken.
Now, he truly understood the depths of Maomao’s terror.
Lin Yu was cheating—but Maomao wasn’t!
Was there really no corner of literature or media she hadn’t explored?!
Lin Yu: "!!!"
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
He remembered how, in her dreams, a single poke would overload Maomao’s mind…
After a brief pause, Lin Yu blurted out from memory:
"Bin’s high school grades weren’t great."
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
