Early the next morning, a considerable crowd had already gathered outside the auction house.
Every individual present was someone of status and reputation within the Fengtian Imperial Dynasty—though, admittedly, a portion of them had since become wandering spirits, having met their end at the hands of Chen Chang'an. Otherwise, the turnout would have been even larger.
"No way, the emperor himself is here?"
"Who would’ve thought Emperor Yin Gongyu would make an appearance?"
"At a time like this, his presence surely isn’t just to give face to the Gu Family, right?"
"Could it be… His Majesty is seeking the Gu Family’s assistance?"
"Hard to say. But the Gu Family is no ordinary force—why would they care about some minor Fengtian Imperial Dynasty?"
"I heard the Gu Family sent someone for this auction. Naturally, the Emperor had to show up in person. After all, this is the Gu Family we’re talking about."
"What? The Gu Family sent someone? How do you know?"
"Just rumors."
If the Gu Family had indeed dispatched someone, then today’s grand spectacle made perfect sense. Who would dare disrespect the Gu Family?
Even if you were the emperor of the Fengtian Imperial Dynasty, in the eyes of the Gu Family, you were nothing more than an insignificant figure to be manipulated at will.
Not just the emperor—even if the Son of Heaven himself came, the Gu Family might not even spare him a glance.
Within the Gu Family, there wasn’t just one peak-level Great Emperor. Rumor had it that the family boasted three more experts at the Great Emperor level.
By the time Chen Chang'an and Gu Xian'er arrived, the area outside the auction house had quieted down considerably, as most attendees had already entered.
True to the prestige of the Gu Family’s auction house, there were no snobbish gatekeepers. Despite the two appearing young, the attendants greeted them with polite smiles and ushered them inside.
"You two seem unfamiliar—first time here?"
"To participate in our auction, no special status is required. However, there is one crucial condition: assets."
"If your assets are insufficient, entry is impossible. So, if you don’t mind, could you provide proof?"
Without wasting words, Chen Chang'an retrieved 10,000 top-grade spirit stones and asked, "Is this enough?"
"If not, I have more."
While 10,000 top-grade spirit stones was no small sum, this was the Gu Family’s auction house. The attendants had seen their fair share of wealth and didn’t react with shock.
"That should suffice. However, with just this amount, you’ll only be seated in the main hall—not a private booth."
No private booth?
"What’s the requirement for a booth?"
"More spirit stones? How about these?"
Chen Chang'an then produced another 100,000 top-grade spirit stones. The attendant’s eyes widened slightly as he realized that if this still wasn’t enough, Chen Chang'an would keep pulling out more.
While 100,000 top-grade spirit stones wasn’t an astronomical sum, within the Fengtian Imperial Dynasty, few could produce such an amount in one go.
And Chen Chang'an’s demeanor made it clear—he had even more.
"That will do."
"This is more than enough."
"Please follow me."
"Very well."
Chen Chang'an nodded and followed the attendant to the third floor of the auction house.
Suddenly, a woman caught Chen Chang'an’s attention.
She appeared young, yet her beauty was striking—comparable to Gu Xian'er’s, though her aura was far colder, creating a stark contrast to Gu Xian'er’s gentle demeanor.
Young, at the Divine Transformation Realm’s third layer, and in the Gu Family’s territory?
Could she be…?
Chen Chang'an immediately connected her to Gu Fengyao but found it curious. As the Gu Family’s prodigy, why would she be here?
At that moment, Gu Fengyao also glanced over. Her expression remained indifferent upon seeing Chen Chang'an—but when her gaze landed on Gu Xian'er, her brows furrowed slightly.
She could tell that Gu Xian'er seemed even younger than herself, yet her cultivation…
Also at the Divine Transformation Realm’s third layer?
"Gu Xian'er?"
"You’re Gu Xian'er?"
Gu Fengyao’s expression shifted as she quickly approached, her emotions visibly stirred.
"Gu Fengyao?"
Gu Xian'er wasn’t slow-witted either. If the other party didn’t know her yet called her name, it could only mean one thing—she had seen her on the Human Rankings.
Given Gu Fengyao’s age and cultivation, Gu Xian'er quickly pieced it together.
"Never thought I’d meet you here."
"I recall when the Human Rankings were first unveiled, you weren’t even in the top hundred. Back then, your cultivation was likely just breaking into the Divine Ability Realm—if not weaker."
"How did you break through so many realms in just a year?" Gu Fengyao asked, puzzled.
As a woman, Gu Fengyao had initially been displeased yet secretly pleased to rank third on the Human Rankings—after all, she was the only female in the top three.
But within a year, she had fallen out of the top five, while the previously unknown Gu Xian'er had surged to third place.
However, as soon as she spoke, Gu Fengyao realized her impropriety. Cultivation methods were personal secrets—how could she pry so directly?
"My apologies. I’m here accompanying my Young Master to the auction, so…"
Young Master?
What did that mean?
"What do you mean by ‘Young Master’?"
"Him?"
"You’re his maid?"
Gu Fengyao could hardly believe her ears. The third-ranked genius on the Human Rankings, a true prodigy, was actually this young man’s maid?
Was there no justice in the world?
How could someone with such achievements willingly degrade herself as a servant?
"Is there a problem?" Gu Xian'er frowned.
"You… You don’t see a problem with this?"
"How could you debase yourself like this?"
"You’re third on the Human Rankings—a true genius!"
"What right does he have to make you his maid?"
"What qualifications does he possess?"
Gu Fengyao’s inexplicable anger left Gu Xian'er baffled.
I’m the one serving as a maid. If I don’t mind, why do you care?
Are you… jealous?
Gu Fengyao couldn’t fathom how a woman more talented than herself could willingly submit as a servant.
The thought drove her mad. If someone stronger than her was a maid, what did that make her?
Inferior to a maid?
The blow to her pride was unbearable.
"My current cultivation is entirely thanks to my Young Master."
"You ask what right he has?"
"You have no standing to criticize. I don’t know you, and we’re not acquainted."
"If you dare disrespect my Young Master again, don’t blame me for being impolite," Gu Xian'er said coldly.
All given by him?
Him?
His own cultivation was only at the first layer of the Divine Transformation Realm—what could he possibly offer?
Was this girl out of her mind? So easily deceived?
"If your Young Master is so impressive, then I’d love to know—just who is this great figure?" Gu Fengyao sneered.
"Chen…"
"Chen Yunxuan?"
Chen Chang'an had just uttered the surname "Chen" when Gu Fengyao impatiently interrupted him. But then she reconsidered—Chen Yunxuan was at the fourth level of the Divine Transformation Realm, not the first.
"Chen Chang'an!"
So, it wasn’t him after all.
"I thought it was Chen Yunxuan. Turns out, your name is Chen—"
"You’re Chen Chang'an?"
"No, you can’t be. The Chen Chang'an who wreaked havoc in the Fengtian Imperial Dynasty couldn’t possibly have such meager cultivation."
Since arriving in the Fengtian Imperial Dynasty, Gu Fengyao had naturally heard about the recent uproar.
But she never once connected the man standing before her to the infamous slaughterer.
"Regardless, she can’t remain your servant."
"Name your price to set her free."
"Surely you’ve heard of the Gu Family. Rest assured, we won’t shortchange you," Gu Fengyao said coldly.
Huh?
Gu Xian'er stared at Gu Fengyao as if she were a madwoman. They weren’t even acquainted, yet this woman was so adamant about keeping her from being a servant?
But Chen Chang'an saw through it—Gu Fengyao was doing this for her own sake. She couldn’t bear the thought of someone stronger than her serving another. How would that reflect on her reputation?
"Gu Fengyao, this is my own affair. Stay out of it."
"Besides, we’re here for the auction, not to listen to your nonsense."
"Move aside," Gu Xian'er snapped.
Gu Fengyao shot her an irritated glare. Was this girl really so ungrateful? She was trying to help, and this was the attitude she got?
Meanwhile, the auction house attendant stood awkwardly between them, unsure what to do. One was the young mistress of the establishment, the other a guest. Should he intervene? Say something?
"Let’s go. No point wasting words on her."
"We were never on the same path to begin with."
Chen Chang'an chuckled, patting Gu Xian'er’s shoulder before continuing upstairs.
As she watched him leave, Gu Fengyao’s frustration only grew.
No!
"Today, I will free you from this misery!"
"Gu Xian'er, I swear I’ll save you!"
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!
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
] [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!"
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?!
