Inside, there was actually a sealed space, so quiet that only the sound of his own heartbeat could be heard.
Lin Ran slowly raised his head and noticed an opening above, through which the light revealed the dazzling crimson clouds of dusk.
Those clouds resembled a raging fire, or perhaps a painting drawn with the most vibrant colors, unfurling above him like a dream.
Turning his gaze to the dim walls, he noticed faint carvings etched into them.
Lin Ran frowned, a flicker of confusion flashing in his eyes.
He quickly pulled a flashlight from his bag, its beam slicing through the darkness like a sharp blade.
As he directed the light toward the stone wall, he saw a carving of a rock with two indistinct figures gazing upward.
The blurred outlines seemed to carry a mysterious power, drawing Lin Ran’s attention.
One appeared to be an adult, while the other was a child—small and exuding an air of innocence.
This is… A strange sense of familiarity washed over Lin Ran, his mind swirling with thoughts.
[Little Black: "Damn, I gotta say, pure love really is unbeatable."]
Little Black’s exaggerated voice echoed in Lin Ran’s mind, laced with playful mockery.
Lin Ran recognized it now—this was the scene from that night when he and Luo Yao had stargazed together!
Back then, just like the figures in the carving, they had looked up at the stars, as if the world existed only for the two of them.
This place was likely Luo Yao’s secret hideout, and the realization made his heart race.
Just then, a sound came from outside.
"Ungrateful brat, we’re not lying—we really found Sun Wukong, but he disappeared somewhere."
The voice carried a mix of urgency and excitement, reverberating through the trees.
Lin Ran’s pulse quickened. Luo Yao must have returned.
Without hesitation, he dropped to the ground and peered through the opening.
Sure enough, he spotted the Luo Shuigou brothers and the person who had haunted his thoughts—little Luo Yao.
Luo Yao had grown since he last saw her, taller now, her once-short black hair now cascading past her shoulders.
She stood there, posture straight, already exuding the aura of a leader—though her tattered clothes made her look like a wildflower stubbornly blooming in the storm.
"There’s no Sun Wukong in this world…" Luo Yao frowned slightly, her bright eyes tinged with skepticism.
Just as she was about to speak, a sharp screech pierced the sky—an eagle’s cry—and the three of them fell silent.
Their expressions instantly turned wary, as if sensing an unseen threat.
"The drill has started. Let’s set up our ambush first. We’ll talk after it’s over."
Luo Shuimao’s voice was low and steady, his gaze firm.
They all knew the risks of this exercise and couldn’t afford to be careless.
With a shared glance, the three of them dashed toward a pine tree, scaling it with the agility of monkeys.
Lin Ran’s eyes widened in disbelief before he could even crawl out of the opening.
"Seriously, are these three part monkey?"
Lin Ran marveled inwardly. That tree was tall, its bark rough and scaly, the branches tangled—yet they climbed it effortlessly?
Anyone who’s climbed a tree knows pines are among the hardest to scale, requiring immense skill and strength.
Lin Ran had planned to greet them, but realizing they were in the middle of a tense drill, he held back, not wanting to disrupt their plans.
Before long, another figure emerged in the woods.
A girl, slightly older than the rest, strode toward the opening with deliberate steps.
Her eyes were sharp and ruthless, like a prowling leopard, scanning everything with piercing intensity.
After circling the cave and finding no one, she stepped back out, her expression unchanged—cold and calculating.
Then she began inspecting the surroundings.
When she reached a tree root, she suddenly froze.
Her gaze locked onto a rope half-hidden in the grass, her keen eyes missing nothing.
Above her, Luo Shuimao, perched on a branch, tensed up. He cursed inwardly—he’d forgotten to reset the trap.
His palms grew clammy, his breath held as he watched the girl below.
The girl smirked but didn’t look up. Instead, she stared into the distance, as if plotting something.
Lin Ran followed her line of sight and broke into a cold sweat.
Hidden in the grass was a sniper, completely concealed except for a pair of sharp, sinister eyes.
Worse, he already had an arrow nocked, aimed directly at Luo Shuimao in the tree—the bowstring taut, ready to release at any moment.
[Lin Ran: "Holy crap, how did you miss this sniper in the grass earlier?"]
Lin Ran’s mind screamed in panic.
[Little Black: "He just got here, okay?"]
Little Black’s exasperated voice echoed back.
Lin Ran was about to warn them, but Luo Yao acted faster.
"Idiot, you’re being targeted!" Luo Yao’s voice cut through the air.
Though quiet, it carried undeniable force.
About ten meters away, Luo Yao leaped down, her movements as graceful as a swallow’s.
She landed in a crouch, then shot forward like an arrow, charging toward the sniper.
The girl on the ground scowled, irritation flashing in her eyes.
She hurled a throwing dagger at Luo Yao—its blade glinting coldly in the sunlight, swift as lightning.
Luo Yao’s eyes narrowed as she tilted her head slightly, effortlessly dodging the deadly strike.
The momentum sent the girl stumbling forward a step.
Seizing the opportunity, Luo Shuigou grabbed one end of the rope and jumped down.
His movements were swift and precise, yanking the girl off her feet.
Yet even as she was hoisted into the air, her composure didn’t waver.
Mid-swing, she flung another dagger at Luo Shuigou from an impossible angle—its trajectory vicious, like a beast lunging for the kill.
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)
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
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'!"
o a martial world and obtained a system that allowed him to draw one entry per year. Unfortunately, all he drew were useless white-tier entries. The probability for high-quality entries was extremely low, with the highest-tier mythic entry having a mere 0.001% chance! To increase the probability, he had to improve his martial realm, but he lacked the innate talent for cultivation. At the age of eighteen, Chen Yi fell into the hands of a gang and was forced into hard labor. Just as his life seemed destined for a bleak end, on his 18th entry draw, he actually pulled a mythic entry—Simulator! In the simulation, he could also draw one entry every year that passed, and upon ending the simulation, he would inherit all entries and his martial realm! In his first simulation, Chen Yi struggled desperately just to survive, knowing that living one more year meant one more entry draw! Finally, with hair turned white, he drew the entry he had longed for—Low-Grade Innate Talent! "Hahaha! Don't bully the old and poor! Time to cultivate and inherit my cultivation base!" ... From then on, Chen Yi continuously simulated and drew entries, his martial realm soaring higher and higher! Epic, legendary, and even mythic entries were gathered into his collection one after another! "What demon race or devil race? What dark turmoil? I don't know anything about that. They just charged at me screaming 'How can you possibly ascend to immortality?!' and got stuck to my fists, unable to be shaken off. Blind spots, speed bumps... go talk to my simulator. We're all struggling to survive out here. I'm trying so hard, so how are they still alive?"
