Chen Chang'an's words threw Nie Pengju and Ye Liuyun into a state of panic.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, how could they possibly save face now?
Run?
Back at the Gu Family, few had witnessed their humiliation, so fleeing had been an option. But now, with so many eyes on them, escaping would mean utter disgrace.
They were trapped—unable to advance or retreat, caught between a rock and a hard place.
"Who is this man? The sect master of the Wuji Sect actually addresses him as 'sir'?"
"And that powerhouse from the Gu Family—he actually calls him 'Little Gu'?"
"That Gu Family expert is no weakling among Great Emperor realm cultivators. His strength is second only to the Gu Family's ancestral patriarch, who stands at the peak of the Great Emperor realm. Damn, this man's identity is terrifying!"
"Have any of you heard of him before? I certainly haven’t."
"N-no… never seen him in my life."
"Wait, I think I have. His name is… yes, Chen Chang'an. I remember now—Chen Chang'an."
"Chen Chang'an?"
This was the first time the name "Chen Chang'an" had reached so many ears, the first time he had truly entered the awareness of the Central Heaven Domain's inhabitants.
"Deputy Palace Master Hua Wulei of the Luo Shen Palace greets the Palace Master."
At that moment, Hua Wulei arrived with the disciples of the Luo Shen Palace. While the disciples might struggle to compete in the Human Ranking, they could still participate in the Earth Ranking.
"Palace Master?"
"What the hell? How is this possible?"
"Isn’t the Luo Shen Palace exclusively for women? How is Chen Chang'an their Palace Master?"
This scene left everyone dumbfounded—even those who knew Chen Chang'an were stunned. No one had expected him to hold such a position.
Shortly after, members of the Qingyun Sect arrived to pay their respects.
"Hahaha! Master, your disciple has arrived!"
A booming laugh echoed as the Heavenly Sword Emperor, the ancestral patriarch of the Heavenly Sword Sect from Famous Sword State, appeared before the crowd.
"The Heavenly Sword Emperor?"
"What the—? The Heavenly Sword Emperor has a master? Since when?"
"This is insane! Absolutely insane!"
"Just who is this Chen Chang'an? Is he defying the heavens?"
The Heavenly Sword Emperor addressing Chen Chang'an as "Master" shattered everyone's expectations. This was the Heavenly Sword Emperor—the only Sword Emperor in the entire Tai Xuan Realm!
Chen Chang'an glanced at the Heavenly Sword Emperor and smiled. "Seems you’ve made some progress recently?"
"All thanks to Master’s guidance. My Sword Domain has finally taken shape," the Heavenly Sword Emperor replied excitedly.
"Good. Keep at it, and you might not be far from the peak of the Great Emperor realm."
"Yes, Master."
More and more familiar faces arrived—something Chen Chang'an hadn’t anticipated. Yet, many others were absent, likely uninterested in competing for the Earth Ranking.
Despite the distractions, Chen Chang'an hadn’t forgotten about Nie Pengju and Ye Liuyun.
"Well, you two?"
"Shall we begin?" Chen Chang'an said with a faint smile.
"W-wait! Let’s talk this over, alright? We were ignorant back then. Can we just let this go?"
"We owe you a favor. We’ll repay you properly in the future," Nie Pengju said nervously.
"Who gave you the right to decide for me?" Ye Liuyun shot Nie Pengju a disdainful look before turning to Chen Chang'an.
"Fine, no need to repeat yourself. I know what you’re going to say—just echoing his words, right?"
Chen Chang'an sighed. These two seemed like bitter rivals, but their relationship wasn’t as hostile as outsiders assumed.
"Exactly! My affairs are mine to decide. I don’t need him speaking for me," Ye Liuyun nodded.
"It’s not impossible."
"You two owe me a favor."
"When and how I call it in will be my decision—no objections."
"Either agree, or we proceed with the bet right now. Your choice," Chen Chang'an said calmly.
Nie Pengju and Ye Liuyun exchanged glances. This wasn’t a promise to make lightly.
It meant Chen Chang'an would have the right to command them once, without refusal.
"Relax. I won’t ask you to act against your own families."
Seeing their hesitation, Chen Chang'an added with a smile.
The two visibly relaxed. Their greatest fear had been Chen Chang'an ordering them to harm their own kin.
After all, a Great Emperor’s vow was not to be broken lightly—doing so could damage their cultivation or even invite divine retribution.
This was precisely why Great Emperors rarely made bets or promises.
Back then, these two had agreed to the wager only because they were certain of victory, never imagining they’d lose to someone they’d underestimated.
Fortunately, they’d found a loophole—as long as the bet remained unresolved, they weren’t technically in violation.
"Fine, I accept."
"Me too."
"Whenever you need me in the future, I won’t refuse."
"Same here."
"Damn it, speak for yourself! Stop piggybacking on my words!"
"I’ll do as I please. None of your damn business!"
Chen Chang'an ignored their bickering. Meanwhile, those unfamiliar with him—or who had never even heard of him—were buzzing with speculation.
Not only was he the Heavenly Sword Emperor’s master and the Luo Shen Palace’s Palace Master, but among the three great families, the Gu Family treated him with respect, while the other two seemed almost… afraid?
Even among the three great sects, the Wuji Sect and the Qingyun Sect regarded him with deference.
This spectacle was beyond what most could fathom.
Just what kind of person could command such reverence?
"So… he’s already reached such heights?"
In the distance, Changsun Xixue watched with a complicated expression.
After being repelled by Mu Yunyao, she had returned to the Changsun Family and questioned her ancestral patriarch, Changsun Wuwo.
Yet upon hearing her description, Changsun Wuwo had trembled in fear, offering only one piece of advice before falling silent:
"Xixue, some obsessions aren’t worth holding onto. This man… you cannot provoke him. No—no one in the entire Tai Xuan Realm can."
Those words had plunged her into despair.
Now, finally seeing Chen Chang'an again, she lacked the courage to approach.
Though the Changsun Family ranked among the top five powers, trailing only the three great families, she still felt unworthy to face him.
Perhaps he had long forgotten the past—maybe this was all just her own stubborn fixation.
"Look! Isn’t that Gu Xian'er and Gu Fengyao?"
"They're here!"
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
. 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!"
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
