Chen Chang'an stepped into the barrier and indeed sensed the presence of oppressive pressure. However, this pressure was utterly insignificant to him.
With a light tap of his toes, he had already appeared atop the peak of Taihua.
Hmm?
Strangely, there was no oppressive pressure at all at the summit of Taihua.
Chen Chang'an had initially assumed that the strongest pressure would be found here, yet upon arriving, he discovered none.
It seemed that once one reached the peak, the pressure would vanish entirely.
Could it really be as simple as whoever arrived first claiming first place?
Was it really this arbitrary?
If Mu Yunyao were here, Chen Chang'an would have loved to ask whether the previous Earth Ranking had been the same.
"He's back already?"
"How did Chen Chang'an return so quickly?"
"Damn, did he already reach the summit of Taihua and come back down?"
"That fast? The pressure had no effect on him at all?"
"Of course not. Who do you think Chen Chang'an is? Even the Heavenly Sword Emperor is his disciple. His strength must be at the pinnacle of the Emperor Realm—how could such trivial pressure affect him?"
"Well, that makes sense."
Though surprised by Chen Chang'an's swift return, the onlookers found it perfectly reasonable.
"How was it?" Da Huang asked, looking at Chen Chang'an.
"Mediocre. No challenge at all. And there’s no oppressive pressure at the summit of Taihua."
"But for Chen Yunxuan and the others, it’ll be a significant trial."
"The further they climb, the pressure will multiply by dozens, even hundreds of times."
"Unless they break through to the peak of the Ninth-Level Sovereign Realm—or even the Undying Realm—they won’t be able to reach the top."
What?
The Undying Realm?
Even with their monstrous talent, they’d need to reach the peak of the Ninth-Level Sovereign Realm or even the Undying Realm to summit?
How long would this Earth Ranking take, then?
Would they be trapped here for centuries?
"Da Huang, let’s go."
Go?
Da Huang was taken aback. Were they leaving already? Not even waiting a little longer?
"Even with their exceptional talent, it’ll take Chen Yunxuan and the others some time to break through to the Ninth-Level Sovereign Realm, let alone the Undying Realm."
"Surely we’re not going to sit here idly for years, are we?" Chen Chang'an said with a faint smile.
"Ah? No way, absolutely not!"
"That’d be so boring."
The thought of doing nothing for years reminded Da Huang of its past life in the Forbidden Forest—dull and torturous.
No, absolutely not!
"Let’s go, let’s go explore… ahem, let’s go wander around."
With so many people around, Da Huang had grown more conscious of its image. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have swallowed the words "brothel" at the last moment.
"Palace Master, where do you plan to go next?"
"Will you continue searching for the beads?" Hua Wulei asked.
"Yes, that’s still the priority," Chen Chang'an nodded.
"Understood. I’ll stay here, cultivating while waiting for the Earth Ranking to conclude."
"You can rest assured, Palace Master."
"I’ll stay as well, Master. Don’t worry," the Heavenly Sword Emperor said with a smile.
Apart from Chen Chang'an, everyone else chose to remain. For them, cultivating for a few years was nothing.
But for Chen Chang'an, staying here without being able to cultivate would be unbearably tedious.
Under the puzzled gazes of many, Chen Chang'an and Da Huang departed from the peak of Taihua.
The vast Central Heaven Domain stretched before them, yet Chen Chang'an found himself unsure of where to go next.
Before the Earth Ranking began, Chen Chang'an had already searched extensively but found no trace of the fetal beads.
As he and Da Huang wandered aimlessly, Chen Chang'an suddenly frowned and looked into the distance.
"Someone from Tianji Pavilion?"
"Could it be that Wang Tianji has a lead on the beads?"
The newcomer was none other than Know-It-All Wang Budiao, who had previously followed Chen Yunxuan.
Since Chen Yunxuan was participating in the Earth Ranking, Wang Budiao had returned briefly to Tianji Pavilion.
"Know-It-All pays his respects to the senior," Wang Budiao greeted respectfully.
"Did Wang Tianji send you to find me?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"Yes."
"I was heading to the peak of Taihua anyway, so the Ancestor asked me to relay a message to you."
"What message?"
"The west… may yield results."
The west?
Was Wang Tianji pointing him in a direction?
Though Wang Tianji’s strength was modest, his expertise in divination was profound.
He couldn’t deduce matters related to Chen Chang'an, but he could employ other methods to predict where the beads might be found.
"Anything else?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"No. But… after saying this, the Ancestor seemed unusually grave."
"I suspect whatever you seek may prove difficult, though the Ancestor didn’t elaborate."
Chen Chang'an nodded. He didn’t need to be told—he already knew it wouldn’t be easy.
But with a clear direction now, at least he wouldn’t have to search blindly.
The west?
It was a region Chen Chang'an had rarely ventured into.
"You’re from Tianji Pavilion, so you must know more than most."
"What can you tell me about the west?" Chen Chang'an asked.
"Senior, the most notable feature of the west is undoubtedly the Temple of Heavenly Sound."
"The Temple is immensely powerful, with countless devotees. It operates independently, never interacting with other factions or individuals in the Central Heaven Domain."
"As for its exact strength… that remains unknown."
The Temple of Heavenly Sound?
A monastery?
Chen Chang'an had never encountered monks in the Central Heaven Domain before, suggesting the Temple seldom ventured beyond its borders.
But whether the beads were there remained uncertain.
For now, heading west was the only option.
"Very well. If you return to Tianji Pavilion, convey my thanks to Wang Tianji for this information."
"Senior, the Ancestor said thanks are unnecessary. He only seeks to ensure Tianji Pavilion’s prosperity and a reliable ally."
"I understand. But gratitude should still be expressed."
"Go attend to your affairs."
"Yes, Senior. This junior takes his leave."
After Wang Budiao departed, Chen Chang'an glanced at Da Huang and smiled.
"Seems like we’re heading west."
"Let’s go! I’ve never visited a brothel in the west before."
"Is that all you ever think about?"
"Well… there’s plenty else, but nothing as important."
"Already forgotten the female disciples of Luo Shen Palace?"
"Ah, now that’s unfair. How could I forget them? But there are countless other damsels in distress awaiting my salvation."
"This is a noble endeavor—you wouldn’t understand."
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?"
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?!
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...
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
