Glasses clinked, laughter and cheerful banter filled the air.
The more beautiful something is, the more fleeting it tends to be—gone in the blink of an eye.
At the very least, Qinghe still felt unsatisfied and was subtly hinting to Cui Hao to suggest another round of games tonight.
Last night’s Monopoly session had been a losing streak for Qinghe… well, more accurately, Qinghe hadn’t won a single game.
The penalties were amusing, but Qinghe ended up bearing the brunt of them.
Say what you will about Qinghe, but they were a good sport. Though they might grumble a little when rolling a bad dice, they carried out the penalties without hesitation, putting in full effort.
The kind who could take a loss gracefully.
They were also a great hype person, contributing plenty of their own unique laughter to the atmosphere.
San Dong joined in for a round too, though they seemed a bit clueless while playing. But as the sect’s mascot, the others naturally cut them some slack.
And so, the grand sect gathering came to a perfect close.
The next day, at noon.
Sect Main Hall.
Chu Xingchen glanced sideways at Li Yingling. "Master has a question for you."
"Cultivation requires a balance of work and rest."
"...Do you really think that’s what I wanted to ask?"
Li Yingling shook her head calmly, a faint, carefree smile on her lips.
"Of course not. I just wanted to say that line."
No wonder Master loved preaching about balancing cultivation and leisure—once you reached a certain level, saying it really gave off an air of effortless superiority.
Like a top student claiming, "I just listen casually in class, play all day after school, and copy my homework."
My "casual" is a realm you could never hope to reach.
But before Li Yingling could bask in that feeling for long, Chu Xingchen abruptly reached out and flicked her forehead.
A crisp thwack—proof of a fine, solid skull.
Li Yingling clutched her forehead, eyes slightly aggrieved as she looked at Chu Xingchen. "Why’d you hit me?"
Chu Xingchen replied calmly, "Because you started talking nonsense."
"And Master, were you making sense?" Li Yingling retorted, shedding all dignity befitting a Nascent Soul cultivator, her tone equally aggrieved. "You asked, so of course I answered!"
"Shouldn’t I, as your master, respect my head disciple’s choices?"
"If I said ‘no,’ would you really drop it?"
"No. I’d flick you again so you understand just how heavy the virtue of respecting one’s master truly is."
Li Yingling fell silent for a moment. If "respecting one’s master" was described as "heavy"... then yes, it was indeed very heavy.
She quickly adapted, her tone so earnest it bordered on theatrical:
"Master, please ask away. This disciple will hold nothing back, sparing no detail."
Chu Xingchen ignored her exaggerated tone and instead pulled out a sheet of paper, writing down three words with his brush:
[Fortune’s Favor]
[Peerless Beauty]
[Keen Wit]
Li Yingling’s eyes followed the strokes of his brush, watching as her master finished writing. She lifted her gaze, a hint of pride in her voice.
"Is this Master’s summary of me? Quite fitting, I’d say."
Chu Xingchen ignored her self-praise and instead asked, "If you could upgrade one of these three, which would you choose?"
Li Yingling didn’t press further—perhaps wary of another lesson in the "weight" of respecting her master—and instead lowered her head, contemplating the three words.
First, "Peerless Beauty." Upgrading it wouldn’t change much. She was already stunning beyond compare; any further improvement would be negligible.
As her master would say, the cost-benefit ratio just wasn’t worth it.
As for "Keen Wit"...
Li Yingling prided herself on being second only to her master in intelligence. Most of the fools she encountered in the sect were so dim-witted that debating with them felt like lecturing pigs.
If her wit improved further, wouldn’t arguing with them feel like lecturing ants?
Leaving aside how much smarter she’d become, she wasn’t sure she could tolerate the sheer density of idiocy in the world.
Her gaze lingered on the final option—[Fortune’s Favor].
After all, who would ever complain about having too much luck?
Though Li Yingling already considered herself incredibly fortunate, wouldn’t a little extra be even better?
"If I had to pick, I’d upgrade Fortune’s Favor."
She didn’t know why her master was asking about such abstract things, but after careful consideration, she gave her answer.
Chu Xingchen nodded lightly. "You’re sure?"
"Why wouldn’t I be?" Li Yingling looked up curiously. "Master, what’s the point of this?"
"None. I was just curious if you were vain or arrogant." Chu Xingchen shrugged. "Turns out you just like dumb luck."
Li Yingling huffed. "Who doesn’t like dumb luck? Most people would kill for it. Don’t tell me you don’t, Master?"
Chu Xingchen leisurely rose to his feet, heading for the door.
"As long as you’re happy. Even though you’ve reached the Nascent Soul realm, as your master, I must remind you to keep practicing and strive for greater heights."
Li Yingling watched him go, sensing something oddly off about her master today.
Was this… some roundabout way of warning her not to get complacent?
Her eyes fell on the note left on the table, lost in thought.
Chu Xingchen stepped outside, greeted by the gentle noon sunlight.
[Target: Li Yingling]
[Cultivation: Early Nascent Soul]
[Golden Trait: Genius of Cultivation]
[Orange Trait: Heaven’s Fortune]
[Blue Trait: Peerless Beauty]
[Blue Trait: Keen Wit]
[White Trait: Confidence]
Though blessed by heaven’s fortune, caution was never amiss. Nothing in this world was absolute—there was always room for the unexpected.
Chu Xingchen glanced back, seeing Li Yingling still staring at the note on the table.
He chuckled softly, then turned and walked away without another word.
[Quest Complete]
[Reward: Mountain and River Diagram has been placed in the system inventory.]
Chu Xingchen’s carefree stride faltered. He silently opened his system inventory and examined the so-called reward—the Mountain and River Diagram.
Well…
How to put it? At first glance, the diagram was clearly no ordinary artifact. Chu Xingchen could roughly discern the flow of spiritual veins, with faint shifts visible now and then.
This meant it was, at the very least, a reliable real-time map of spiritual energy currents.
But that was likely just its most basic function—its true potential would require further study.
However… the thing looked like a child had torn a piece of paper in a tantrum. The diagram was visibly ripped, with many spiritual vein paths abruptly cut off at the jagged edges.
What was this?
Such a lofty name—Mountain and River Diagram—only to be a half-finished, torn scrap?
But then—
[Main Quest Issued]
[Have any disciple break through to the Divine Transformation realm]
[Reward: Mountain and Sea Diagram]
Chu Xingchen instantly understood.
Mountain and Sea Diagram? No—this was clearly Mountain and River Diagram: Part Two!
Was the system really so starved for rewards that it had to split one into two?
Would there be an Earth and Sea Diagram waiting for him after this?
Tch.
Li Yingling raised her head just in time to catch sight of her master’s slightly displeased and brooding figure walking away.
What…?
Had she been too smug? Or was her talent still somewhat lacking in her master’s eyes?
If you can’t find the book by its title, try searching for the author—it might have just been renamed!
. 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."
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
