Cangzhou.
In the heart of the great river, Qinghe’s small frame erupted with tremendous energy as several array foundations were buried beneath the water.
At this moment, Qinghe’s face was deadly serious, meticulously channeling spiritual energy to carefully link the newly placed array foundations with those previously laid.
Even without Xie Lingyu’s stern supervision, Qinghe didn’t dare slack off in the slightest.
This thing could genuinely explode if mishandled.
Qinghe had already been blown up several times.
The power of this interlinked array was no joke—though complicated, its might was undeniable.
Qinghe still remembered the first time it had carelessly set up the array. That brat Li Xingtian had been yammering from a distance—"Be careful! These interlinked array foundations explode easily, and the blast is no small matter!"
Back then, Qinghe had wanted to turn around and tell the kid to shut up, but just that tiny distraction was enough.
In an instant, the array foundations had erupted in a chain reaction.
The splash had been enormous!
Even as a Nascent Soul-stage cultivator, Qinghe had been stunned for several seconds, blasted over a hundred meters away.
The kid hadn’t been wrong—this thing really did explode easily, and damn, the power was insane!
After the first explosion, Qinghe had scrambled straight to Xie Lingyu, accusing them of abuse.
"Let someone else handle this! I’m done!"
As a lazy dragon by nature, Qinghe had never bothered much with array construction, having only dabbled in the basics.
It had never studied it seriously.
And now, the first practical test was this high-level setup—some kind of complex interlinked grand array? Never even heard of it! And if it failed, it’d blow you sky-high? Who could handle that?
Sure, as a dragon, Qinghe’s hide was tough, but pain still hurt!
Xie Lingyu had offered her perspective—"Would you rather go back to Tianyan Sect and let the master whip you like a spinning top, or stay here and get blown up a few times?"
Qinghe had argued back, but within a few sentences, Xie Lingyu had left it speechless.
"You’re embarrassing the entire dragon race."
"If your horns were as tough as your mouth, even the master wouldn’t have been able to chop them off."
"Or do you plan to just laze around Tianyan Sect as a mascot?"
At that, Qinghe had almost stubbornly agreed—being a mascot sounded nice.
Less work, better treatment.
But before Qinghe could fully commit to the idea, Xie Lingyu had delivered the final blow.
"Given the master’s temperament, a mascot is out of the question. She mentioned recently that she’s been wanting a draconic steed to pull her carriage."
Qinghe had weighed the options—short-term pain or long-term toil…
Better to endure the explosions. Pulling a carriage for Elder Bai would be even more humiliating.
Besides, Lingyu had definitely picked up bad habits from that brat!
Since when did she speak so bluntly?
These words—Qinghe didn’t like them!
But no matter how unwilling, the work had to be done.
Lacking foundational experience, even Qinghe’s most cautious attempts occasionally ended in failure—and another trip skyward.
After carefully placing the last of the array foundations, Qinghe finally exhaled in relief.
Sometimes, an explosion meant resetting not just one foundation, but several.
Starting over was the worst.
But at least this section was finally complete. No more getting blasted into the air here.
Qinghe burst excitedly from the water, gaze landing on the shore.
There, Li Xingtian stood, thoughtfully examining a map in his hands.
In a flicker of movement, Qinghe appeared before him, now harboring some resentment toward the kid who’d been bossing it around.
With a hint of irritation, it demanded, "Brat, the array foundations here are finally done! That’s all, right?!"
Li Xingtian, accustomed to this, first tucked away the map before turning to Qinghe—who stood a full head shorter—and clapped in practiced praise.
"As expected of Lord Qinghe. Swift and efficient as always."
Qinghe lifted its chin proudly. "Obviously!"
Li Xingtian inwardly marveled at how well his master’s methods worked, then forced a rehearsed smile.
"I’d love to say we’re finished, but unfortunately, there’s just a little more to set up."
"More?!" Qinghe’s voice cracked in disbelief. "For such a small water vein, I’ve already laid seven arrays! You call this an ambush setup?"
"Hand over that map! Are you planning to trap the entire water vein?!"
Naturally, Li Xingtian wouldn’t show the map.
If this dragon saw it, it would absolutely refuse to continue.
This dragon was hopelessly inept. A few simple interlinked array foundations—his master could set them up effortlessly in moments.
The setup along Chizhou’s water vein? Now that was precision work.
This dragon was not only slow but also prone to explosions every few steps.
Though the blasts never reached Li Xingtian, he still had to muffle the noise.
Otherwise, with all these explosions, even an idiot would come investigate.
Anyone unaware might think a Nascent Soul cultivator had nothing better to do than fish-bombing.
At this point, Li Xingtian had long given up on Qinghe completing the full design.
Whatever it could manage would have to suffice. Still, after all this time, he’d learned how to handle the dragon’s temper.
Calmly, he said, "Not much left. Push through today, and I’ll treat you to a meal."
"A meal?" Qinghe’s tone softened slightly. "Can we go to Wangyue Tower in Cangzhou City?"
"Ah…" Li Xingtian feigned hesitation before sighing. "Fine. But don’t tell my master. The funds will have to come from the sect’s treasury."
Qinghe eagerly nodded. "Of course! Everyone in Tianyan Sect knows I’m the soul of discretion!"
"Then let’s move to the next spot. And please, focus this time. No more explosions…"
"You’re so naggy! What’s with all the demands?"
"If Lord Qinghe performs well, I’ll cover dessert tonight too."
"Now you’re speaking my language! Don’t worry—the next phase will be handled by a fully committed Qinghe!"
Li Xingtian nodded quickly.
To Qinghe, Wangyue Tower was just an ordinary mortal restaurant—expensive by human standards, but for a Golden Core cultivator, a few pieces of gold or silver were nothing.
If he wanted, Li Xingtian could sell a minor treasure and buy the entire place.
So the meal itself didn’t bother him.
His exaggerated reluctance was just to make the dragon feel like it was getting a steal.
What truly pained Li Xingtian were the array foundations Qinghe kept blowing up!
Those were bought with real spirit stones!
Still new to the sect’s relative wealth, Li Xingtian couldn’t shake the habit of frugality.
His master had worked hard to save that money.
Just as the two arrived at the next water vein to begin work, Xie Lingyu—who’d been absent for some time, claiming urgent business—suddenly reappeared.
Xie Lingyu flew to Li Xingtian and said, "Your master sent word. He wants you to go to Chizhou now—he’s already waiting for you there."
Upon hearing this, Qinghe froze for a moment before hastily speaking up, "Can he go tomorrow instead?!"
Xie Lingyu gave Qinghe a puzzled look. Since when had these two—a human and a flood dragon—grown so close?
Her tone laced with suspicion, she asked, "Why?"
Qinghe replied urgently, "He promised to treat me to dinner at Moonview Pavilion tonight! There’s even dessert! If he leaves now, what am I supposed to eat?!"
Xie Lingyu nodded faintly and turned back to Li Xingtian.
"You may leave immediately."
Li Xingtian gave a slight nod, ignoring Qinghe’s utterly heartbroken gaze, and set off straight for Chizhou.
Hmph! Another tidy sum of gold saved for the master.
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?!
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!
] [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!"
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
