Chen Chang'an was just about to head to Gu Fenghua's residence when he stood up and saw a disheveled, unkempt man with a wild beard and unkempt hair burst into his courtyard.
The man was dressed like a rural blacksmith, and from his current appearance, it seemed he was a particularly down-on-his-luck one at that.
This was the Hammer Emperor?
This… was certainly a unique personality.
"Are you the Hammer Emperor?"
"That's me. So, you’re the one who knows how to deal with this bead?"
"Exactly. Where’s the bead?"
"How are you going to handle it?"
"Give me the bead first."
"Tell me how you’ll handle it first."
"Damn it, are you insane? Is the bead even yours?"
"I don’t care. Tell me first."
Chen Chang'an hadn’t expected the Hammer Emperor to be so stubborn.
But then again, when he thought about it, a man who had reached the level of an Emperor yet still insisted on living like a blacksmith probably had a few screws loose.
Chen Chang'an glanced at Gu Fenghua, and the moment he opened his mouth, Gu Fenghua felt a shiver run down his spine.
"You handle it."
Seeing that Chen Chang'an didn’t call him "Little Gu," Gu Fenghua let out a sigh of relief.
He was even somewhat grateful—Chen Chang'an wasn’t so bad after all, at least giving him some face in front of outsiders.
But the moment this thought crossed his mind, Gu Fenghua froze.
Why the hell should I be grateful to him?
Damn it, what’s wrong with me?
"Just give him the bead. If you don’t, how will you see how he deals with it?" Gu Fenghua advised from the side.
Hearing this, the Hammer Emperor felt there was some logic to it.
"Fine, kid, here’s the bead."
"Show me what you’ve got!"
"I’m watching."
After tossing the bead to Chen Chang'an, the Hammer Emperor stood motionless, staring at him as if afraid Chen Chang'an might vanish into thin air the next second.
Seeing the Hammer Emperor’s expression, Chen Chang'an was annoyed. I’m not some damn thief—this thing belongs to me in the first place. What’s with the look? Like you’re guarding against a robber?
Chen Chang'an ignored the clearly unhinged Hammer Emperor and focused on the fetal bead in his hand, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
The sixth one. This was already the sixth fetal bead.
Just three more, and everything would be complete.
Taking a deep breath, the fetal bead in Chen Chang'an’s hand transformed into a surge of energy that rushed straight into his body.
Witnessing this, both Gu Fenghua and the Hammer Emperor’s eyes widened in shock.
What the hell?
Where’s the bead?
Did he just… eat it?
"Hold on a second!"
Gu Fenghua reacted quickly, intercepting the Hammer Emperor before he could act.
"The… the bead’s gone."
"He made the bead disappear!" the Hammer Emperor said anxiously.
"Wait, that thing was his to begin with," Gu Fenghua said helplessly.
"I—"
The Hammer Emperor was itching to smash Chen Chang'an with his hammer right then and there!
You just wiped out the bead I’ve been struggling with for a hundred years?
But what happened next left even the Hammer Emperor dumbfounded.
"What’s going on?"
"This kid…"
"Who absorbs spiritual energy like this?"
It wasn’t just the Hammer Emperor and Gu Fenghua—the entire Gu Family was stunned, especially those in the middle of cultivation.
They could sense the spiritual energy around them vanishing completely. The energy they had just gathered hadn’t even been absorbed into their bodies before it was gone.
Where did it go?
Stolen?
"What’s happening? Where’s the spiritual energy?"
"Damn it, why can’t I sense any spiritual energy? Did… did my body malfunction?"
"Is everyone else unable to sense it too?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Where did all the spiritual energy go?"
"Wait, something’s off. The energy seems to be…"
"Chen Chang'an?"
The Gu Family members realized that the spiritual energy seemed to be converging toward Chen Chang'an’s residence, making them all wonder—what the hell was happening over there?
Gu Fengyao was the first to rush toward Chen Chang'an’s courtyard. After all, he was her fiancé—how could she just stand by?
Though, deep down, she wasn’t entirely sure how she felt about him.
"Ancestor, you’re here too?"
"What’s going on?" Gu Fengyao asked Gu Fenghua as soon as she saw him.
Seeing her, Gu Fenghua instinctively felt a sense of resistance—yes, resistance.
Two words kept flashing in his mind:
Big Sister.
But he quickly suppressed that horrifying thought.
"Chen Chang'an seems to be… cultivating."
"Except his method is a bit… unusual."
"I’ve never seen anyone absorb spiritual energy this fast or this ruthlessly before."
That’s right—in Gu Fenghua’s eyes, Chen Chang'an was downright brutal.
As a peak-level Emperor, Gu Fenghua’s perception was terrifyingly sharp.
Yet, within the range of his perception, he couldn’t detect even the slightest trace of spiritual energy.
Not a single wisp remained.
What did that mean?
It meant that in just a few short moments, Chen Chang'an had absorbed all the spiritual energy within his perception range directly into his body.
No lingering, no buildup—just straight into his system.
Wasn’t he afraid his body would explode?
"His body… is incredibly strong. And tough!"
"I… want to hammer it."
The Hammer Emperor stared at Chen Chang'an’s physique like it was some kind of treasure, his eyes gleaming with excitement. His hammer twitched in his grip, barely restrained.
"Stay put."
"If you hammer him, do you really think someone won’t hammer you to death?" Gu Fenghua quickly intervened.
The Hammer Emperor paid no attention to Gu Fenghua’s words, completely fixated on Chen Chang'an’s body.
This physique… it’s too damn solid!
One good hammer strike—wouldn’t that feel amazing?
"It’s over!"
"He’s obsessed with Chen Chang'an’s body now!"
Gu Fenghua recognized that look in the Hammer Emperor’s eyes—he had already forgotten about the bead. Now, all he saw was Chen Chang'an.
Headache!
Why did this guy even come here?
Isn’t he just making trouble for me?
The scene was almost comical—the Hammer Emperor stood motionless, staring at Chen Chang'an, while Gu Fenghua stood motionless, staring at the Hammer Emperor.
One wanted to hammer someone, the other was terrified that someone was about to get hammered.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Gu Family had gathered around Chen Chang'an’s courtyard. But seeing Gu Fenghua and the Hammer Emperor present, they didn’t dare enter, instead watching from outside.
Right now, Chen Chang'an was like a terrifying vessel of spiritual energy, his body brimming with an overwhelming concentration of it.
So much so that the Gu Family members felt that if they had that much energy inside them, they’d explode instantly.
"Senior Da Huang, why is Young Master’s breakthrough different this time compared to in Alchemy Emperor City?"
Gu Xian'er remembered clearly—back in Alchemy Emperor City, when Chen Chang'an broke through, there had been a massive surge of spiritual energy, but it hadn’t rushed directly into his body.
Instead, it formed a swirling vortex above him, eventually manifesting into a tangible form.
But this time, the energy didn’t linger at all—it went straight into Chen Chang'an’s body.
"I'm not sure either. This kid's breakthroughs are always a bit different."
"But this time feels strange. Why hasn't he broken through yet?"
"With so much spiritual energy surging into his body, he should have broken through by now, right?"
Da Huang found it odd. Back in Alchemy Emperor City, the delay in breaking through was due to the spiritual energy taking form before finally merging into the body.
But this time, the energy had already flooded into his body—why was there still no breakthrough?
Just as Da Huang finished speaking, Chen Chang'an's cultivation… finally began to rise!
"Did he break through?"
"He… has truly reached the first level of the Divine Transformation Realm?"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
