The Green Snake lay lazily on a bed paved with spirit stones, though its outward appearance suggested a relaxed demeanor. In truth, it was diligently cultivating.
While the likelihood of being boiled into soup seemed low—after all, if they wanted to cook it, they would have done so when it was still an egg—there was no harm in putting in extra effort. After all, life was full of uncertainties.
Especially now, with only two people left in the sect, neither of whom seemed particularly bright.
The Green Snake coiled its tail around a piece of roasted meat and popped it into its mouth.
At this point, eating was more of a luxury than a necessity, but Ning Qianqian’s cooking was excellent, making it a nice reward after cultivation.
The sect was quiet, with few people around, and Ning Qianqian was always accommodating when it came to its cultivation needs.
The Green Snake had not been born ignorant. On the contrary, it had been aware of its surroundings even while still in the egg.
It also possessed innate memories, granting it an understanding of many things it had never personally experienced.
The Green Snake knew that such abilities were rare among creatures—only the most advanced, like dragons or those of higher lineage, possessed them.
Though it still didn’t know exactly what kind of divine beast it was, and its memories didn’t provide that knowledge, it wasn’t overly concerned.
Life as a demon was long, and knowing it was powerful was enough.
Yet, for some reason…
Despite being fully aware that this sect might not be reliable, and that there was still a risk of ending up as snake stew, the Green Snake had never considered leaving.
It felt almost like an instinct…
Could it be… that its ancestors had been domesticated, passing down this submissive trait?
Tch… what an unfortunate thought.
Still, there were perks. The sect leader had abandoned his old home, disappearing to who-knows-where, yet he still sent spirit stones and other resources back regularly.
The Green Snake had inspected those items earlier. While they were decent, none were particularly useful to it.
But this arrangement suited it just fine—no meddling, just financial support.
All it had to do was focus on cultivation.
After finishing its meal, the Green Snake sprawled contentedly across the spirit stones. Having an endless supply of resources was a luxury it could get used to.
Its cultivation progress was also coming along nicely…
Ning Qianqian picked up the plate and asked, "Would you like more tonight?"
The Green Snake kept its eyes closed and replied lazily, "No, but bring some more spirit stones later. I’ve nearly used up this batch."
"Understood. I’ll take my leave then."
"Mhm."
Ning Qianqian left with the plate, closing the door behind her.
The room fell silent once more.
But after a while, the door creaked open again.
The Green Snake sighed, eyes still shut. "What is it? Forget something?"
It sensed someone approaching but heard no response—just the weight of a scrutinizing gaze.
This wasn’t like Ning Qianqian’s behavior.
Was it Ning Kun?
Slowly, the Green Snake opened its eyes and looked at the newcomer—then immediately coiled its body defensively.
Chu Xingchen stroked his chin, studying the snake with curiosity.
[Target: Green Snake]
[Name: ???]
[Cultivation: Qi Refining, Ninth Layer]
[Gold-tier Trait: Golden Dragon’s Legacy]
[Purple-tier Trait: Karmic Burden]
[Other Traits: ???]
[Meets Disciple Recruitment Criteria]
"It hatched?" Chu Xingchen nodded in approval.
The Green Snake retracted its flickering tongue and nodded cautiously.
Chu Xingchen frowned. "Qianqian said you could talk. Why the silence? Are you stupid?"
The Green Snake hurriedly replied, "Not stupid… With your unparalleled aura, you must be the sect master, right?"
Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow. This system-gifted egg was interesting—it even knew how to flatter and provide emotional value.
And… a ready-made disciple?
He picked up a spirit stone and twirled it between his fingers. "Technically, I hatched you, and you’ve been cultivating with my resources…"
"I understand!" The Green Snake bobbed its head eagerly. Submitting wasn’t a flaw—if its ancestors had been domesticated, then bowing its head now wasn’t shameful!
Besides, this man’s methods were unpredictable. Even from within the egg, it had sensed something extraordinary about him.
Better to play it safe than end up in a soup pot.
Tilting its head slightly, the Green Snake said in a gentle tone, "Greetings, Master. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
Chu Xingchen blinked. Was this not a disciple but a pet now?
The system gave him an egg, and it hatched into something this spineless?
Not even a token resistance?
But the next moment—
[Disciple recruitment successful!]
[Adapted cultivation method issued—Dragon Transformation Art]
[Reward deposited in system inventory]
[Main Quest Completed—Cultivation Breakthrough]
[From Divine Transformation to Unity Realm, Early Stage]
Huh?!
Chu Xingchen was momentarily stunned.
So, in the system’s eyes, recruiting a disciple was the same as adopting a pet?
The Green Snake waited, but Chu Xingchen remained silent, staring at it intently.
Was… was its surrender too hasty? Did it seem cowardly?
Just as it considered explaining itself—
Chu Xingchen’s large hand reached out and patted its head.
Well, raising a disciple or a pet wasn’t so different. Both involved nurturing.
This snake might be timid, but judging by the cultivation method’s name—Dragon Transformation Art—it had the potential to become a true dragon.
He just hoped it wouldn’t be as troublesome as the egg had been, taking forever to hatch.
"Good, you’ve got wisdom. Though you can absorb spiritual energy on your own, it’s too slow."
Chu Xingchen retrieved the Dragon Transformation Art from his system storage.
The system space had its limits—only system items could be stored there.
He placed the manual in front of the Green Snake. "Practice this one."
The Green Snake hesitated but didn’t dare refuse. It flipped open the first page with its tail.
After a moment of careful reading, it cautiously lifted its head.
"I… I can’t read."
"Don’t worry, Master. Leave it to me. I have a way with animals—it’ll learn quickly."
The Green Snake stiffened, turning toward the voice.
Chen Baiqing stood at the doorway, a sweet smile on her lovely face.
At first glance, she seemed warm and friendly.
Yet for some reason…
The Green Snake shuddered uncontrollably.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
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?!
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."
] [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!"
