Shili Slope.
In front of an old mountain god temple.
"Master... is this really the gate of our Top First Immortal Sect of the World?"
A fairy-like girl with jet-black hair tied by a red rope looked up at the dilapidated temple in front of her, her expression hesitant.
The young man in tattered Taoist robes turned around, looking at the spiritual prospect he had finally managed to lure.
Chu Xingchen's handsome face revealed a bit of a lofty demeanor as he said, "A mountain is famous not because of its height, but because of the immortals within it."
"You're still young, don't get caught up in superficial appearances."
The girl in pink flowy dress seemed enlightened,
"I understand now, Master! Is there actually something extraordinary inside?!"
"I read in the Qishan Cultivation Chronicles that behind a broken door lies a dazzling palace of gold and jade!"
Li Yingling excitedly ran over, full of anticipation, pushing open the creaky old door.
Expecting something extraordinary inside.
But what met her eyes was...
A destroyed statue with only half remaining, cobwebs still hanging from the beams.
The original altar had been moved in front of a broken wooden plank, repurposed as a desk.
But the altar was crooked and was stabilized with a stone.
Next to it was a simple makeshift stove made of stones, with a little iron pot on top.
Li Yingling thought this was just a neglected and old statue; it looked like a place where a beggar would live!
Chu Xingchen also walked into the dilapidated temple, looking calm, not feeling embarrassed at all,
"In the future, stop reading those human novels written by mortals; they might ruin your mind."
"Wait, I'll take off the sideboard of the statue for you to use as a bed. This temple is quite big; you can sleep anywhere you like."
Li Yingling felt blacked out, timidly asking,
"Master... is this how cultivation is supposed to be?"
Chu Xingchen confidently replied, "Cultivation! Is exactly like this!"
Li Yingling asked hesitantly, "But other immortal sects aren't like this, are they? Aren't they all grand and golden, with magnificent floating palaces atop towering mountains?"
"Have you ever seen it yourself, or did you hear it from some cultivator friend?"
"It's from novels... isn't it always described like that?"
"You know these are just novels, right? Nowadays, cultivation doesn't emphasize this. As long as you can achieve immortality, that's the essence of great cultivation."
Chu Xingchen emphasized, "Mortals know nothing about cultivation; do they understand what ultimate simplicity is?"
Li Yingling said weakly, "But... this is too simple, isn't it?"
"Stop the nonsense; do you want to cultivate or not?"
"...I do."
Chu Xingchen sat on the wooden plank, coughed lightly, and showed a slight smile,
"Then why don't you come over and kowtow to become my disciple?"
Li Yingling, though seeming unwilling, slowly moved her steps.
But there was no turning back now.
Going home would mean being married off by her father to the second son of Minister Wang.
That son was a complete idiot who even needed to be fed while eating.
Whenever he saw a woman in the street, he would babble incoherently.
A dilapidated temple was better than feeding an idiot, right?
Li Yingling knelt on both knees, suddenly gave Chu Xingchen a solid kowtow, and said,
"Master above, please accept disciple Li Yingling's obeisance!"
[Newbie Task Completed: Recruited one disciple.]
[Reward Distributed: Pristine Golden Core!]
[Detecting Li Yingling, spiritual roots are single-attribute water spiritual roots]
[Distributing Textbook]
[The Supreme Yin-True Art of Spirit Water Cultivation]
[Items have been sent to the backpack]
Chu Xingchen instantly felt refreshed.
Three years, it had been three whole years before successfully recruiting a disciple with sufficient qualifications as approved by the system!
This system required, that only those with immortal potential could be recognized as the ones who could be recruited.
This requirement was ridiculous right? To be considered a 'divine seed,' one had to have at least the second-grade spiritual roots.
First, not many people had such high attributes, and even if they did, they were treasured by large sects.
For me, a mere Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, where could I ever find such a blind disciple?
Those three years, I, with my Foundation Establishment stage cultivation level, traveled all around the Xuanwu Kingdom being as inconspicuous as possible.
Finally, I turned... Haha!
I finally received my first disciple!
Using the system panel, Chu Xingchen looked at Li Yingling in front of him.
[First Disciple: Li Yingling]
[Cultivation: None]
[Golden Trait: Cultivation Prodigy]
[Purple Trait: Great Luck]
[Blue Trait: Beautiful Appearance]
Although this little girl also saw me as her shield.
I knew she was only taking me as her master because she didn't want to marry Minister Wang's stupid son, but with traits like these, what more could I ask for?
Chu Xingchen chose to live in this dilapidated temple as a way to avoid any attention.
This thirty-mile radius around Shili Slope had no human presence, and it was only by chance that I found this broken temple.
Otherwise, who would want to live here?
It took three days to bring Li Yingling out successfully.
At last, the newbie task had been accomplished!
At the sound of the completed task, with a surge of world aura, I found my cultivation level surging upward.
A golden core slowly formed in my dantian.
Li Yingling, as a single-spiritual genius, was highly sensitive to the change of aura, despite not starting cultivation yet.
She could only feel Chu Xinghcen's aura have suddenly jumped a level.
"Master... you..."
Chu Xingchen casually replied, "I'm too happy after receiving such a talented disciple. My suppressed cultivation unintentionally leaked a little."
"Alright, you don't need to kneel anymore; get up."
Li Yingling nodded, enlightened, then stood up and asked with confusion upon taking her eyes from Chu Xingchen:
"Then where are other fellow disciples? As the Top Sect of Xuanwu Kingdom, I suppose master has recruited many disciples, right? Where are they?"
"There's only you right now."
Li Yingling was taken aback when she heard the reply: "Ah? Master, you..."
Chu Xingchen remained calm and said: "Your master takes the adept route, recruiting only lucky spiritual seedlings, never accepting bad apples."
"Then how can this sect be called the Top Sect of Xuanwu Kingdom?"
"Your master alone is enough to dominate the Xuanwu Kingdom; how can it not be called the Top Sect of Xuanwu Kingdom?"
Sigh... my mother was right to say that handsome men are always liars!
If it weren't for seeing how Chu Xingchen really quarreled with Minister Wang's family for myself, I really believed this looks like I've run into a scam or madness:
"Master... please don't trick me."
Chu Xingchen took out the Superior Yin-True Art Spirit Water Cultivation directly from the system backpack.
An old, yellow book appeared in his hand, the cover looking wrinkled.
The characters on the title were blurred but luckily the remaining three words were recognizable.
Chu Xingchen threw this book to Li Yingling before her next question fully blossomed out.
Li Yingling's hands caught it while her heart was half suspiciously saying: "You're... tricking me, aren't you master!"
"You just cultivate this, and you'll discover whether your master has deceived you or not."
Master's confident tone convinced Li Yingling with an indescribable feeling as she heard it; it was definitely top-level cultivation divine arts!
Upon hearing this, Li Yingling looked at the cover of the book with delight.
A large cluster of words on it had already become illegible.
Only three words remained.
Li Yingling read them aloud in shock: "The Water Heart Sutra?!"
Then, with a look that said, "Master, you’re tricking me again," he turned to Chu Xingchen.
What kind of top-tier immortal technique is called freaking "The Water Heart Sutra"?
Isn’t this just too... watery?! The cover’s already so blurry—could the content inside be just as messy?
Did Master pick this up from some random roadside stall or something?
If I practice this, am I going to go berserk or something?
In those storybooks, every top-tier cultivation technique makes a grand entrance with an aura of power and radiates five-colored divine light!
If this tattered book were thrown on the street, it’d probably end up being used as toilet paper!
Looking at the worn-out book in his hands, Li Yingling timidly asked,
"Master, can we… maybe switch to another one?"
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."
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
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.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
