The scene was momentarily silent.
Zhang Yuanshan looked somewhat uneasy at the unfamiliar Qi Condensation cultivator bowing before him.
He quickly glanced at Li Xingtian beside him, his eyes questioning—what was the meaning of this?
Could it be that they weren’t here for treatment, but to join the sect instead?
Before even meeting the person, they’re already calling him "senior brother"?
Li Xingtian, who had been about to present gifts, now hesitated, his hand frozen mid-motion.
Ning Qianqian swiftly assessed the situation and let out a loud, deliberate cough.
Cui Hao looked up at her, only to see her brows tightly furrowed, her eyes darting frantically toward Li Xingtian beside her.
Huh?!
Had they mistaken their senior brother?!
Cui Hao seamlessly pivoted on his feet, turning the direction of his bow from Zhang Yuanshan to the slightly awkward-looking Li Xingtian.
Lin Luoyu, unlike Cui Hao, lacked his impenetrable thick skin and couldn’t simply shrug off embarrassment.
She straightened up, offering Zhang Yuanshan an awkward smile before properly bowing to Li Xingtian.
Her voice tinged with discomfort, she said, "Second Senior Brother… I’m the fourth junior sister."
Hearing the commotion beside him, Cui Hao remained unperturbed, as if Lin Luoyu’s mistaken bow had never happened.
Calmly, he added, "Second Senior Brother, I’m the fifth junior brother, Cui Hao. Please forgive any shortcomings on my part."
Li Xingtian studied Cui Hao. Based on that flawless, effortless pivot just moments ago, he already had a good idea of what kind of person this fifth junior brother was.
Still, his hand, previously stuck in his spatial ring, finally managed to retrieve the gifts.
He took a deep breath and handed each of them a few artifacts and tools he had obtained from a secret realm.
"First meeting gifts from your senior brother," he said.
Cui Hao eagerly accepted them—when an elder bestows a gift, it would be disrespectful to refuse. Taking it was a sign of respect.
Lin Luoyu, still visibly embarrassed, took the items from Li Xingtian.
Looking at the two Qi Condensation cultivators before him, Li Xingtian gave a slight nod.
Cui Hao discreetly observed Li Xingtian. He realized he had been too trusting of their eldest senior sister’s words.
In her eyes, aside from their master, everyone else was probably an idiot.
This second senior brother, with his calm yet murderous aura, was anything but a fool—more like a Bai Xuanling, ready to draw blood at the slightest provocation.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yuanshan had finally pieced together what was happening.
How could Li Xingtian’s own sect members not recognize him? And how could they mistake someone else for him?
Was this the "deep bond between master and disciple" Li Xingtian had spoken of?
But then again, Zhang Yuanshan reasoned, a strong master-disciple bond didn’t necessarily mean strong bonds between fellow disciples.
They could each have their own relationships without conflict.
Still, the thought made it hard for Zhang Yuanshan to suppress his laughter.
Especially seeing Li Xingtian—normally unshakably composed—wearing an expression of indescribable awkwardness.
This was hilarious! Brother Li!
He clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to burst out laughing. Doing so would be incredibly rude.
The young man might handle it—his face seemed thick-skinned enough—but the girl, whose ears were already turning red, would probably blush furiously.
Lin Luoyu glanced at Cui Hao, who stood there completely unbothered, and felt a pang of inadequacy.
He had spoken so smoothly, even introducing himself by name, while she had only said she was the fourth junior sister.
Steeling herself, she forced down her embarrassment and spoke again:
"Second Senior Brother, my name is Lin Luoyu. I joined the sect recently. I hope you’ll guide me well."
Li Xingtian hastily nodded with a strained smile. He had little experience with sect dynamics, and now that his junior siblings were introducing themselves, he realized—
Their master, with his lazy and carefree nature, had probably never even told them his name.
Li Xingtian knew he didn’t exactly look approachable. Even Little Baiqing, usually so obedient, sometimes gave him a "you’re scaring me" look.
But now, the sect felt more like a warm home to him, and Lin Luoyu and Cui Hao like his own younger siblings.
He didn’t want to act stern or imposing—that was for outsiders.
Taking a deep breath, he awkwardly added:
"I’m… Li Xingtian. Your second senior brother."
Zhang Yuanshan’s eyes snapped shut. He had clearly seen it—Li Xingtian’s ears had reddened, just a little!
This was Li Xingtian we were talking about!
The sheer absurdity of the situation, the contrast, was too much.
He had closed his eyes to steady himself, but the moment he did, Li Xingtian’s awkward face flashed in his mind again.
The harder you try not to think of something, the more it forces itself into your thoughts.
Especially when your eyes are closed.
Zhang Yuanshan lost it.
He burst into uproarious laughter, slapping Li Xingtian’s shoulder repeatedly, his guffaws unrestrained.
Lin Luoyu’s ears burned crimson. Li Xingtian’s face twisted into something resembling a pained mask.
That laugh—it was just as grating as the one their master had let out after asking why he had been reborn before leaving that day.
Ning Qianqian looked mildly embarrassed. Only Cui Hao remained unshaken, as steady as a rock.
Having been caught drawing… less-than-proper illustrations before, Cui Hao thought—this was nothing.
But soon, even his composure cracked.
Zhang Yuanshan, still laughing, suddenly coughed violently—and sprayed a mouthful of blood.
Cui Hao stared at him in horror.
Was it really that funny?!
He’s laughing so hard he’s vomiting blood?!
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.
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
