Grandpa Tong abruptly thrust his spear forward in a feinting motion.
Truth be told, his expertise wasn’t in spears—it was in swords.
But due to certain circumstances, he had mastered a martial art blending spear and staff techniques.
As the saying goes, "A spear pierces a single line, a staff sweeps a wide area."
This martial art combined the crowd-control prowess of staff techniques with the precision of spear strikes.
In short, it was devastating whether facing one opponent or many.
A fusion of spear and staff strengths, it was an exceptionally formidable foundational martial art.
At the same time—
"‘Mountain-Lifting Moon’… the first stance of the Thousand-Army Spear Technique."
The moment Wang Xian saw his opponent’s opening move, he understood.
A flicker of nostalgia crossed his mind…
Yet his speed didn’t waver in the slightest.
Unfortunately, Grandpa Tong’s mastery of this spear art was barely at the "small achievement" level.
Had it reached the pinnacle of perfection, perhaps he could’ve given Wang Xian a decent fight.
Otherwise, the only way to defeat him would be to break through the limits of vitality and defy the rules.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Xian closed the distance to just five paces.
A perfect range.
Grandpa Tong’s eyes widened, a smirk curling at his lips.
Everything was going exactly as planned.
This distance was precisely within the attack range of the first stance, ‘Mountain-Lifting Moon.’
The next instant, the spear tip seemed to hoist an entire mountain, carrying the weight of ten thousand jun as it carved a crescent arc through the air, descending like a blade of frost!
Wang Xian smiled, his movements never faltering.
With effortless ease, he used the back of his blade to parry, releasing the hilt the moment the spear tip descended—as if he’d predicted it all along.
The blade spiraled along the spear’s trajectory, coiling around it in a rising arc!
Grandpa Tong froze.
He could feel his spear trembling violently in his grip.
After a few rapid rotations, the blade was flung away—only for Wang Xian to leap, catch it mid-spin, and unleash a seamless, storm-like flurry of slashes.
Before Grandpa Tong could even transition into the second stance, ‘Storm and Darkness,’ he was utterly overwhelmed by the relentless onslaught.
The entire exchange lasted mere seconds.
Instant defeat.
[Damn, that was cool!]
[Was that ‘Mountain-Lifting Moon’ from the Thousand-Army Spear Technique? First time I’ve seen someone counter it with a blade like that.]
[Lao Tong, bro, you got exposed down to your underwear.]
[This feels kinda unreal. The Thousand-Army Spear Technique is rare enough as it is. Even if he knew about it, spotting flaws mid-combat isn’t something you can just do from theory…]
[And the way he made it look so effortless makes me think I could do it too…]
[At least he lasted longer than last time. Back then, he got wrecked by a basic mid-level spear stance. This time, he actually pulled off a martial technique!]
[Trash!]
The live chat was having a field day.
Grandpa Tong, however, fell silent, momentarily lost in thought.
Am I really this bad?
It took me half a year just to learn the Thousand-Army Spear Technique, and two years to reach small achievement.
At school, aside from those few freaks, barely anyone could withstand the first stance.
Let alone counter it outright.
And not just counter—completely dismantle it.
What does it mean to dismantle a technique?
It means overwhelming your opponent’s skill level, rendering their moves useless.
Especially when using a blade against a spear.
A spear’s advantage lies in its reach and momentum.
To have that advantage nullified was downright absurd.
"Hurry up, next round," Wang Xian said.
After a few matches, he felt his grasp of the Overlord's Blade Intent deepening.
Too bad none of his current opponents could push him to fully execute his Flowing Water Blade Art.
Without that, he couldn’t fully harmonize it with the Overlord's Blade Intent.
No helping it—the Flowing Water Blade Art at its peak was simply unstoppable.
He needed stronger opponents.
Let’s wrap this up and get to the real challenges.
"Hold on."
Grandpa Tong coughed, glancing toward a black-clad spectator in the stands before checking his messages.
[‘Graceful Crane’ has sent a voice call request.]
He exhaled in relief.
The moment the call connected, a voice cold yet melodious as a celestial chime spoke:
"Worthless."
[Yes!]
[Scold me more, sis!]
[Two months of waiting, and I finally hear Tong-jie’s voice again!]
[One more line, and I’m done for!]
[You guys are degenerates… Wait, where’s my tissue?]
[I can already imagine the look on his face…]
[Low-key shameless, though. Calling for outside help?]
[He’s just messing around. Knowing Lao Tong, even if he loses, he’ll still honor the bet.]
Old Tong cleared his throat, whispering into the mic:
"Big sis, how do I fight him next?"
At this point, his confidence was shattered.
He was starting to doubt whether this guy was even a high schooler.
What high schooler these days still trains with spears?
And not just trains—understands them this well?
You’re a blade user, damn it. Stick to blades. Why study spears?
"He does know spears—well enough to be dangerous. You got countered because your spearwork is stuck at the first tier. Pathetic." The icy voice continued, "Your fundamentals are garbage, so your techniques are full of holes."
"Next round, the moment he closes in… use the final stance of the Thousand-Army Spear Technique: ‘Sweeping a Thousand Armies.’"
"No other moves."
"If he presses the attack, immediately follow up with the second stance, ‘Heaven-Earth Reversal.’ At close range, it’s unavoidable—no way to counter it."
"But what if I can’t chain ‘Sweeping a Thousand Armies’ in time? He might exploit the opening."
"I know."
The voice coldly interjected, "Let me finish. After ‘Sweeping a Thousand Armies,’ unless he’s an idiot, he’ll target your exposed back. The moment he does, don’t hesitate—use the foundational spear stance ‘Returning Horse Spear.’"
"Trash like you only knows how to rely on flashy techniques."
"You’ve forgotten that foundational spear stances are the backbone of all spear arts. They can be combined with any technique."
Old Tong’s eyes lit up.
"Big sis, you’re a genius! This combo is downright dirty!"
He turned back to the chat, grinning.
"Boys, take notes! New strat just dropped!"
"This time, victory’s guaranteed!"
Without delay, he readied up.
The next round began instantly.
Wang Xian, of course, didn’t hesitate. The moment the match started, he charged forward.
To fully unleash his blade art, aggression was key.
He had no interest in playing defense.
Besides—
Most blade techniques thrived on offense.
But this time…
"‘Sweeping a Thousand Armies’… leading with an ultimate move?"
As Wang Xian closed in, he saw Grandpa Tong whirling his spear into an impenetrable barrier.
"Trying to bait me into attacking so you can hit me with ‘Heaven-Earth Reversal’?"
Wang Xian shook his head.
‘Heaven-Earth Reversal’ was one of the Thousand-Army Spear Technique’s deadliest moves. At close range, it was unavoidable—transforming the spear into a staff mid-motion.
"A staff sweeps a wide area." Leveraging the momentum of ‘Sweeping a Thousand Armies,’ the reversal could send multiple attackers flying.
This was what made the Thousand-Army Spear Technique so formidable.
Naturally, no sane fighter would rush in recklessly.
"If I don’t attack head-on, the only option is to flank his exposed back… but then he’d counter with ‘Returning Horse Spear’…"
Wang Xian raised an eyebrow.
This streamer couldn’t possibly be this sharp, could he?
Only one way to find out.
Wang Xian leaped behind his opponent, waiting for a gap in their spear strikes before swinging his blade.
As expected, the moment he landed, he saw the enemy’s spear twist like a living thing, curving around their shoulder to thrust toward his back.
The wielder hadn’t even turned, yet the spearhead was already there.
A textbook Returning Horse Spear.
Wang Xian smirked.
"Had some coaching, huh?"
"Too bad."
"Still not that impressive."
"Just some cheap tricks from real combat."
He didn’t panic. With a casual sidestep—as if he’d seen it coming—he brushed past the spear’s tip.
Perfectly timed.
As if rehearsed a thousand times.
Then, with a single slash, "Storm and Gloom," countless blade shadows swallowed his foe whole.
[You Have Died]
"No way!" Grandpa Tong blurted out. "You knew every move I was going to make?"
"Damn, you’re this good? Are you some kind of mind-reading parasite from my sister’s gut?!"
His eyes flicked instinctively toward the black-clad figure in the spectator stands.
"Done already?" Wang Xian yawned. "These little tricks are boring… Where’s that ‘master’ you mentioned?"
L-little tricks?!
Grandpa Tong shuddered. Even though this was just a game, he felt a chill crawl through the internet cable and seep into his bones.
"Uh-oh, Sis looks pissed!" he typed into the chat.
His proud, arrogant sister had never been humiliated like this—let alone had her skills dismissed as "cheap tricks."
This wasn’t good…
Then—
The black-clad figure in the stands leaped down.
"Then I’ll fight you myself."
A notification popped up before Wang Xian:
[Player ‘Graceful as a Crane’ has sent you a duel invitation.]
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
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?"
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...
] [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!"
