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!"
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
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...
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?"
