"Young Master, the rewards I received, aside from cultivation progress, include an Emperor-tier cultivation method and an Emperor-tier martial skill."
"But I feel they aren’t particularly suited for me—not as good as the cultivation method I’ve been practicing."
"Chang'an Brother, mine is the same."
"However, this cultivation method seems slightly better than the one from our Gu Family."
"Should I cultivate this reward instead?"
Rewards of cultivation methods and martial skills?
Chen Chang'an pondered carefully, sensing something amiss.
If these were gifts from the Heavenly Dao, why weren’t they tailored to the individual?
Even if customization wasn’t possible, shouldn’t the rewards at least be somewhat compatible?
Gu Xian'er’s rewards were excellent, but they didn’t match her at all. As for Gu Fengyao’s, they were merely better than the Gu Family’s methods—nothing more.
"If they don’t suit you, don’t cultivate them."
"Fengyao, your family’s cultivation method is more suitable for you. There’s no need to switch midway."
"Just keep the rewards for now," Chen Chang'an said after some thought.
"Young Master, do you suspect there’s something wrong with these rewards?" Gu Xian'er asked, puzzled.
"It’s hard to say, but I just feel…"
"Something isn’t right."
Chen Chang'an couldn’t explain why, but the rewards gave him an uneasy feeling.
Still, since he couldn’t pinpoint the issue, the safest course was to advise against cultivating them.
Yet, another thought nagged at him. His master, Mu Yunyao, had once been a peerless genius who emerged victorious from the Heaven, Earth, and Man Rankings.
Were the cultivation methods she passed down to him also rewards from those rankings?
"Forget it. I’ll ask Master when I get the chance."
Though both might be Heavenly Dao-bestowed cultivation methods, the two gave Chen Chang'an entirely different impressions.
"What about Chen Yunxuan and the others?"
"Should we warn them as well?" Gu Xian'er asked.
"They likely won’t recklessly cultivate them."
"But Wu Mingdao…"
Chen Chang'an wasn’t worried about Chen Yunxuan and the other two, but Wu Mingdao was another matter.
Still, even if he wanted to warn him, it was probably too late. Fortune or misfortune—it would all come down to individual destiny. Best to let things take their course.
"The Man Ranking has ended. Does that mean the Earth Ranking will begin?"
"Yes, the Earth Ranking should be starting."
"The Man Ranking tested talent and cultivation speed."
"What will the Earth Ranking focus on?"
With the Man Ranking concluded, the five hundred most talented individuals in the Tai Xuan Realm had emerged, now eligible to compete in the Earth Ranking.
But few in the entire Tai Xuan Realm knew what the Earth Ranking entailed.
Though some did.
"The Earth Ranking begins!"
"Rules are as follows!"
Just as the crowd buzzed with discussion, the Earth Ranking was announced.
"Aside from the five hundred Man Ranking qualifiers,"
"All individuals in the Tai Xuan Realm aged thirty to one hundred may participate."
Huh?
What’s going on?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a competition among the five hundred Man Ranking participants? Why were more people being added?
This rule left many bewildered, but those previously barred by age restrictions now rejoiced.
"Hahahaha!"
"I thought I’d missed my chance with the Heaven, Earth, and Man Rankings, but it seems there’s still hope."
"I can join the Earth Ranking! Hahaha, I can join the Earth Ranking!"
"Damn, I’m exactly ninety-nine. With my strength, who could possibly rival me in the Earth Ranking?"
Excitement—pure excitement!
Yet many from the Man Ranking grew uneasy.
In the Tai Xuan Realm, the number of individuals aged thirty to one hundred likely far exceeded those under thirty.
Among them were countless experts, as every generation produced its share of geniuses. They hadn’t died—they’d simply aged out of the Man Ranking.
"In three years, atop Mount Taihua, the Earth Ranking Challenge will commence."
"Strength will be tested; combat prowess reigns supreme."
"The top fifty will advance."
Three years? Mount Taihua?
The Earth Ranking’s rules stunned many. No one had expected it to be a tournament-style challenge.
In other words, a battle royale?
Only the last fifty standing would qualify?
The Tai Xuan Realm had countless individuals aged thirty to one hundred. How long would this take?
This would be an unprecedented spectacle. Could Mount Taihua even accommodate so many people?
"This… doesn’t match my understanding of the Earth Ranking."
"If I recall correctly, the last Earth Ranking was limited to Man Ranking victors, wasn’t it?"
"Exactly. That’s how I remember it too. But this time, they’ve added those aged thirty to one hundred."
"Is it to increase the difficulty?"
"Hard to say, but with so many participants, Mount Taihua might not hold them all."
Though vast, Mount Taihua’s capacity was now in question.
"Wait, three years from now?"
"By then, I’ll be over a hundred. Can I still participate?"
"Damn it, false hope? Why not start now? We’re ready to head to Mount Taihua immediately."
"Ah, might as well try my luck then. Maybe they’ll make an exception."
The rules clearly stated that aside from the five hundred Man Ranking participants, those aged thirty to one hundred could join.
But it didn’t specify whether "one hundred" referred to the current age or three years later, leaving those on the borderline anxious.
"Three years."
"It seems this is to give the Man Ranking participants time to grow," Chen Chang'an remarked with a faint smile.
"But three years might not be enough to bridge the gap."
"Progress slows in the later stages."
"Time alone can’t easily close the disparity."
"Just within our Gu Family, there are many under a hundred who’ve reached the Supreme Realm."
"Let alone the entire Tai Xuan Realm?"
"The gap between the Cave Void Realm and the Supreme Realm is still considerable," Gu Fengyao said, frowning.
They were geniuses, but others weren’t all mediocrities.
Gu Fengyao knew well that the previous generation’s two prodigies in the Gu Family had reached the peak of the Supreme Realm by their nineties.
They just hadn’t yet touched the threshold of the Immortal Realm.
But who could say for sure that no one in the Tai Xuan Realm under a hundred had reached the Immortal Realm?
True prodigies were never in short supply—they just rarely made themselves known.
In a realm as vast as Tai Xuan, news didn’t travel easily.
"It seems the Heaven Ranking will be the true battleground for the strongest."
"As for the Earth Ranking…"
"Consider it a participation trophy."
"The top fifty—I believe you’ll all make it," Chen Chang'an said with a light chuckle.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
] [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!"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
