"Da Huang, has my master arrived?"
Seeing Chen Chang'an's nervous expression, Da Huang merely gave him a disdainful glance.
"Weren’t you acting all high and mighty earlier? Now you’re scared?"
"All I can say is, your master hasn’t come."
"But..."
"Given your master’s abilities, it wouldn’t be hard for him to check in on you occasionally and see how you’re doing."
"So, kid, you’d better be careful." Da Huang’s dog face was full of mischief.
"I do need to be careful. Though I won’t die, my master has plenty of ways to make life miserable." Chen Chang'an nodded with lingering fear.
"Alright, I won’t keep you. That kid from your Chen Family is coming."
"By the way, why are you training him?" Da Huang asked curiously.
"The Chen Family and I share the same roots. This generation needs someone to carry the weight."
"I can’t stay here forever—that’d be too boring."
"He’s the right fit."
"So that’s it. I knew you weren’t the type to settle down quietly."
"Go on, I’ll take a nap."
After Da Huang left, Chen Chang'an waved toward the door and said, "Come in."
"Yes, Ancestor!"
Chen Yunxuan was also filled with shock. He never expected that the dog following Chen Chang'an could speak human language.
After all, even ordinary demonic beasts couldn’t do such a thing, let alone a dog.
With reverence, Chen Yunxuan approached Chen Chang'an. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn’t resist asking, "Ancestor, were you... talking to it just now?"
"Oh? You mean Da Huang?"
"Indeed, we were having a conversation. Don’t underestimate him—he’s no ordinary dog." Chen Chang'an said mysteriously.
Not an ordinary dog? Then could it be...?
"Ancestor, what is Da Huang?"
"The King of Dogs."
Huh?
Hearing this, Chen Yunxuan’s lips twitched. So... he really wasn’t an ordinary dog!
Da Huang also heard Chen Chang'an’s words, but it couldn’t be bothered to respond. It simply turned its head away, pretending not to hear, and went back to sleep.
"Let’s get to business."
"Among the younger generation of the Chen Family, your talent and potential are the best."
"Starting today, you’ll train under me."
"Based on your performance yesterday, I’ve decided to teach you the Emperor-tier cultivation method—the Supreme Tyrant Body Art."
Earth-tier cultivation method?
Not Heaven-tier, but still decent.
Chen Yunxuan had no idea that this "Emperor-tier" was not the same as "Earth-tier."
As Chen Chang'an imparted the technique, Chen Yunxuan realized it was far more profound than he imagined.
"Ancestor, is this really an Earth-tier technique?"
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"It feels... even more profound than a Heaven-tier technique. How is that possible?" Chen Yunxuan asked in astonishment.
"Hmm..."
"Could it be that this Emperor-tier technique isn’t the ‘Earth’ of ‘Earth and Heaven,’ but the ‘Emperor’ of ‘Great Emperor’?"
The Emperor of Great Emperor?
Emperor-tier?!
Chen Yunxuan was so shocked that he froze like a statue.
In the entire Great Zhou Kingdom, no one likely even knew what an Emperor-tier technique was—such knowledge was beyond their reach.
In fact, most wouldn’t even understand what a Great Emperor was.
But the Chen Family was different. They had once been glorious, so some secrets were still passed down within the family.
Such as the existence of top-tier Emperor-tier techniques!
"No need to be surprised. I don’t deal in low-grade things."
"Train well. This generation of the Chen Family will rely on you."
These words from Chen Chang'an filled Chen Yunxuan with excitement.
He had entertained such thoughts before, but hearing them from the Ancestor himself carried a different weight.
It meant the Ancestor had high expectations of him.
"With the Ancestor here, I dare not overstep." Chen Yunxuan said nervously.
"My strength is too great, and my seniority too high. It wouldn’t be fitting for me to intervene directly."
"In that case, I swear to work hard and never disappoint you, Ancestor."
"Good. That’s the right attitude."
Chen Yunxuan threw himself into rigorous training, and the entire Chen Family followed suit, diving into a frenzy of cultivation.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
In that time, the Chen Family’s overall strength had skyrocketed, advancing by leaps and bounds!
"What arrogance from the Chen Family!"
"Who do they think they are? Do they really believe they’re the top family in Swallow Return City, ruling unchallenged?"
"How dare they shut their doors and refuse to receive guests, even snubbing our two families?"
Swallow Return City had three major cultivation families. Among them, the Xu and Ning Families were the local powers, while the Chen Family was an outsider.
Though they had managed to settle in the city, the Chen Family was the weakest.
And since the Xu and Ning Families were allied by marriage, they often oppressed the Chens.
A family they could once crush at will had now closed its doors for a full month, refusing even their envoys. How could they not be furious?
"Tell me, what exactly happened in the Chen Family a month ago?"
"Have you heard of any newborns in the Chen Family recently?" The Head of the Xu Family frowned.
Newborns?
"I know the Chen Family well. There haven’t been any pregnant women there in the last two years—no newborns." The Head of the Ning Family shook his head.
If not a newborn, then what caused this sudden change?
Chen Zhengyuan breaking through? Impossible!
Given his talent and the Chen Family’s resources, he couldn’t possibly be the reason.
"First, an anomaly appeared at the Chen Family’s estate. Then they shut their doors for an entire month."
"What could possibly make them act like this?"
After a pause, the two family heads exchanged glances, their confusion slowly turning into excitement.
"Treasure!"
They spoke in unison.
"Exactly! The Chen Family must have obtained some incredible treasure!"
"That’s why they’ve been so bold as to disregard our two families."
"Damn it, why did it take us so long to realize?!"
Regret!
The two family heads were filled with regret for not figuring it out sooner.
If it really was a treasure, a whole month had already passed—was it even still there?
"Brother Xu, I think... we still have a chance!"
After a moment of contemplation, the Head of the Ning Family looked at the Xu Family Head with burning eyes.
"Oh? What makes you say that, Brother Ning?"
"I believe what the Chen Family obtained isn’t something like a top-grade pill."
"It’s more likely to be a weapon or an artifact that aids cultivation."
"Given their recent behavior, I’d say the latter is most probable."
"That’s why they’ve shut themselves away, refusing all visitors."
"The treasure must be gathering all the surrounding spiritual energy, which the Chen Family is using to boost their cultivation."
"It has to be!"
"Brother Xu, if our two families can seize this treasure, in time, we might even secure a place in Beiyuan Prefecture."
"Who knows? We could even make a name for ourselves in the Great Zhou Kingdom!" The Ning Family Head said excitedly.
Upon hearing the analysis from the Head of the Ning Family, the Head of the Xu Family also grew excited.
He found the other's reasoning quite convincing—if they could obtain such a treasure, wouldn't it be a tremendous boon?
"However..."
"The Chen Family has possessed this treasure for a month now. Their strength has likely improved by this point. Seizing it won't be easy," the Head of the Xu Family said with a frown.
"What is there to fear? Even after a month, how much could the Chen Family possibly have grown?"
"With our two families joining forces, why should we fear a single Chen Family?"
"That makes sense. Gather our men and strike swiftly to avoid unexpected complications."
"Agreed!"
] [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!"
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
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?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
