The sun dipped low on the horizon.
Zheng Xiaofeng took a deep breath. At this moment, he had no choice but to resort to that one move. He let out a bitter laugh and said,
"Following you will lead to a way out? You're disciples of the Tianyan Sect from the Central Continent. Naturally, the Qingfeng Sect wouldn’t dare to touch you. But what about me?" Zheng Xiaofeng raised his head, gritting his teeth. "I’m just a cultivator who’s clawed my way up from the very bottom. Every step I take is a struggle..."
This kind of clumsy persuasion was nothing but nonsense.
Chu Xingchen had no patience for it and cut him off directly.
"Blame your bad luck for your birth if you must. Some people can’t even reach the Golden Core stage. Why don’t you compare yourself to them?"
"Do you think just because we were born with better circumstances, we don’t face fierce competition? Do you think we reached the Golden Core stage by drinking water?"
"Do you think it’s only hard for you? Do you think my senior sister and I had it easy?"
Zheng Xiaofeng saw the lack of pity in Chu Xingchen’s expression, and even his counterarguments were logical. He realized that his plea wouldn’t sway this elite disciple of the Tianyan Sect.
Who said the pampered disciples from the Central Continent were naive?
This guy’s words weren’t any less sharp than his own.
Chu Xingchen spoke with a sincere expression, "Little Zheng, you haven’t seen the bigger picture yet. You’re just afraid of dying. But not dying is actually an easy problem to solve."
Zheng Xiaofeng was taken aback and looked at Chu Xingchen suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
Chu Xingchen replied gravely, "From now on, you’re an external hire for the Tianyan Sect, assigned to sweep the mountain gates."
Hearing this, Zheng Xiaofeng frowned and thought deeply—an external hire to sweep the Tianyan Sect’s mountain gates?
After a moment of contemplation, he reached a conclusion—what the hell is the use of that?
Isn’t that just a glorified janitor for the Tianyan Sect?
Chu Xingchen saw through Zheng Xiaofeng’s expression and explained seriously, "If you encounter an old man sweeping at the Tianyan Sect’s gates, and he calls you a grandson, would you dare to lay a hand on him, even if he’s only at the Qi Refining stage?"
Zheng Xiaofeng quickly came to a conclusion and admitted honestly,
"I wouldn’t dare."
After all, anyone sweeping the gates of the Tianyan Sect, regardless of their cultivation level, was backed by the might of the Tianyan Sect. He wouldn’t dare to provoke them.
Zheng Xiaofeng then added, "But this isn’t the Tianyan Sect’s mountain gates. Even if I were the head janitor, it wouldn’t matter here."
"Your perspective is too narrow," Chu Xingchen said, slinging an arm over Zheng Xiaofeng’s shoulder. "Think about it. Are you afraid of the name ‘Tianyan Sect,’ or the cultivators behind that name?"
"Well, naturally..." Zheng Xiaofeng’s face showed a flicker of realization, but he still looked at Chu Xingchen with suspicion.
The words sounded nice now, but if a conflict broke out and the elders started killing, wouldn’t they still come after him?
Words are cheap, but life is precious!
Facing Zheng Xiaofeng’s doubtful gaze, Chu Xingchen sighed.
"Little Zheng, you need to understand one thing. Right now, you don’t have the power to choose. You’re the one being chosen. This is your last chance. If you keep hesitating, you’ll have to face your sect leader on your own."
With that, Chu Xingchen turned and walked away without hesitation, Yaoqin following closely behind.
As they walked, Yaoqin sent a voice transmission to Chu Xingchen, "Do you think he’ll take the bait?"
"With people like him, the more perfect the promise, the more suspicious they become. It’s the explanations that are slightly flawed but still reasonable that hook them," Chu Xingchen replied via voice transmission.
"Besides, he has no other options left. Trust me, in ten seconds, he’ll be begging to sweep the gates."
Yaoqin nodded half-believingly and began counting in her head.
One...
Two...
Before she could reach three, an urgent voice called out from behind.
"Wait! I surrender! I surrender!"
Zheng Xiaofeng’s voice came rushing forward as he hurried to catch up with Chu Xingchen.
"But you have to promise me that I’ll get to sweep the Tianyan Sect’s gates afterward!"
Yaoqin glanced at Zheng Xiaofeng and replied indifferently, "I promise."
Zheng Xiaofeng looked at Yaoqin, then quickly locked his gaze back on Chu Xingchen.
From the beginning, this man had been the one calling the shots. Although he was nominally a junior disciple, Zheng Xiaofeng suspected that this "junior disciple" held a higher status within the Tianyan Sect.
He needed his approval!
Chu Xingchen almost laughed. The one with real authority was standing right there, but Zheng Xiaofeng was fixated on him, someone who wasn’t even a formal member of the Tianyan Sect.
"Of course, that’s not a problem," Chu Xingchen nodded in agreement, then added with a serious expression, "But you understand the consequences of betraying your sect now, right?"
Zheng Xiaofeng blurted out, "From now on, I’ll be loyal to you with every fiber of my being!"
Chu Xingchen nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Remember, when we go back, I’ll send you a voice transmission, and you’ll repeat exactly what I say. From now on, you’re a member of the Tianyan Sect. Act tough."
"Tough? I don’t know how to act tough."
"Don’t worry, you’ll learn quickly."
Qingfeng Sect.
Inside the council chamber.
As soon as Chu Xingchen entered the room, he barked at the Qingfeng Sect disciple by the door,
"Go! Fetch your damn sect leader for me!"
The disciple was momentarily stunned but quickly turned to summon the sect leader.
Chu Xingchen glanced at the visibly nervous Zheng Xiaofeng beside him and reassured him, "Don’t panic!"
Zheng Xiaofeng nodded instinctively.
Yaoqin observed Zheng Xiaofeng’s nervous demeanor and couldn’t help but feel he was unreliable.
Is this guy really up to the task?
He’s already this scared before even seeing the sect leader. If he actually faces him, will he even be able to speak, or will his legs give out first?
There wasn’t much time for Zheng Xiaofeng to compose himself. The sect leader, having received the message, arrived in a rush, stepping into the council chamber with a gust of wind.
His eyes swept across the room.
Chu Xingchen, his expression cold and accusatory.
Yaoqin, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, her gaze icy.
And Zheng Xiaofeng, visibly flustered.
The sect leader clasped his hands and asked, "What urgent matter brings you here?"
Chu Xingchen snorted coldly. "We’ve received intelligence from the Central Continent suggesting that someone from your Qingfeng Sect is involved with demonic cultivators. We’re here to get some answers!"
"Intelligence from the Central Continent? May I see it? If this is true, the Qingfeng Sect will handle it internally!" the sect leader replied with utmost seriousness.
But instead of Chu Xingchen, it was Zheng Xiaofeng who spoke up, his voice lacking confidence.
"The... the intelligence from the Central Continent isn’t for your eyes!"
The sect leader’s gaze instantly shifted to Zheng Xiaofeng, his eyes narrowing.
That accusatory look was one Zheng Xiaofeng had seen countless times, and he had endured it countless times.
But now, for some reason, a surge of anger rose within him.
Zheng Xiaofeng roared, "What the hell are you looking at?! I said the intelligence from the Central Continent isn’t for your eyes!"
As the words left his mouth, Zheng Xiaofeng felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
It was as if all the pent-up frustration had been released.
The sect leader suppressed his anger and growled, "Xiao Zheng! Have you lost your mind?!"
Without hesitation, Zheng Xiaofeng shouted back,
"I haven’t lost my mind! I’m a member of the Tianyan Sect now, you old dog! Show some respect!"
"You? The Tianyan Sect?"
"That’s right! I’m the gate sweeper for the Tianyan Sect! What are you gonna do about it?!"
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.
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...
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!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
