The first thing Chen Chang'an did upon returning to Neverreturn City was to have the lead guard at the city gate deliver something to the Joy Tower.
As a holder of the Platinum Medal, Chen Chang'an had the right, according to the city's rules, to order these guards to assist him with certain tasks.
The moment Chen Chang'an stepped into Neverreturn City, he immediately drew the attention of many.
"Chen Chang'an is back!"
"Holy shit, he actually returned?"
"Damn, I thought he'd run away."
"Good, good. This means today's spectacle won’t end anticlimactically."
"What a fool. If he already left, why come back?"
"Maybe... he wants to die in Neverreturn City. Hahaha!"
Ignoring the idle chatter, Chen Chang'an headed straight for the Medal Arena. Meanwhile, news of his arrival spread rapidly.
"Wasn’t Chen Chang'an supposed to be back? Where is he?"
"Right, he should’ve arrived faster than the news."
"Maybe something else delayed him?"
"Not sure, but since he’s back, he’ll show up eventually. Just wait."
The news reached the Medal Arena, yet Chen Chang'an still hadn’t appeared, leaving many puzzled.
No one expected that instead of rushing to the competition, Chen Chang'an would first visit the betting station at the arena.
"Can I still place a bet?" Chen Chang'an asked the attendant.
Without looking up, the attendant pointed to the side and said indifferently, "The odds are all listed here. Pick one, hand over your spirit stones, and you’re done."
Chen Chang'an scanned the options until he found his target.
"Chen Chang'an advancing to the Amethyst Medal—odds at 10,000 to 1?"
"Not bad odds," Chen Chang'an remarked with a faint smile.
"Indeed. Interested? Then place your bet," the attendant replied flatly.
"Alright. I’ll bet on Chen Chang'an’s success—10,000... top-grade spirit stones."
"10,000?"
"Just fill out the form. Honestly, your 10,000—"
The attendant suddenly froze mid-sentence. 10,000 what?
10,000 top-grade spirit stones?
At first, the attendant assumed Chen Chang'an meant 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones—a sizable but not outrageous sum. But the realization left him stunned.
10,000 top-grade spirit stones—what kind of fortune was this? Who in Neverreturn City possessed such wealth?
Moreover, the 10,000-to-1 odds meant the bet was practically a guaranteed loss. Was this sheer recklessness?
"You... you’re really betting 10,000 top-grade spirit stones on Chen Chang'an advancing?" The attendant finally looked up, his face a picture of shock.
"Exactly. 10,000 top-grade spirit stones."
"Here they are. I hope Neverreturn City has enough to pay out," Chen Chang'an said with a smile.
The attendant was utterly dumbfounded as Chen Chang'an produced the spirit stones without hesitation.
Incredible!
Absolutely insane!
This was the first time in his life he’d seen so many top-grade spirit stones, and the excitement made his hands tremble.
"Are you so certain Chen Chang'an will advance?" the attendant asked, still reeling.
"Yes. I believe in him as much as I believe in myself," Chen Chang'an replied calmly.
"Fine. The bet stands."
A guaranteed profit of 10,000 top-grade spirit stones? There was no way he’d refuse.
Only after finalizing the bet did the attendant notice the Platinum Medal gleaming on Chen Chang'an’s chest.
A Platinum Medal holder this young? Then this person was—
"You... you’re Chen Chang'an?"
The attendant finally understood—Chen Chang'an had bet on himself.
No wonder he’d spoken with such conviction.
"Tell your superiors to prepare the payout. I’ll be back to collect."
With a faint smile, Chen Chang'an left the betting station and strode toward the second floor of the Medal Arena.
The moment his figure appeared on the second-floor battlefield, the crowd erupted.
"He’s here! Hahaha! Chen Chang'an has finally arrived!"
"Damn, it took him long enough! How infuriating!"
"So that’s Chen Chang'an? He looks so young. How can someone his age possess such strength?"
"The real show is about to begin. I can’t wait to see if Chen Chang'an can actually advance."
"As much as I find him arrogant, I’d love to witness the birth of an Amethyst Medal holder."
"Same here."
Unlike the spectators, the other Platinum Medal holders regarded Chen Chang'an with far less warmth.
Their gazes bore into him, each filled with distinct emotions—some disdainful, some dismissive, others already treating him like a dead man.
"Yan Xiong, are you really not going to make the first move? If you don’t, you might miss your chance to teach this kid a lesson," Liu Yan asked.
Yan Xiong smirked. "Someone like him isn’t worth my time."
"If you want to fight, go ahead. Just don’t kill him outright. Toying with him would be more entertaining."
"Fine. I’ll have my fun with him."
Liu Yan’s eyes locked onto Chen Chang'an, his battle spirit blazing as he eagerly stepped toward the arena.
Wei Fengtang also rose slowly, casting a calm glance at Chen Chang'an before speaking. "It’s getting late. Let’s begin."
"As you command, Lord Wei."
With a wave of Wei Fengtang’s hand, the arena attendant formed hand seals, dispelling the barrier around the fighting platform.
Seeing the barrier open, Chen Chang'an flashed onto the stage in an instant—just as Liu Yan charged forward with equal fervor.
"Shit! Liu Yan is first? He’s starting right away?"
"Who’s Liu Yan?"
"You don’t know Liu Yan? He’s one of the top Platinum Medal holders, already at the seventh level of the Divine Transformation Realm. His strength is terrifying."
"Damn, starting with a seventh-level Divine Transformation expert? Then Chen Chang'an is doomed!"
"No question. These guys aren’t planning to let Chen Chang'an last long. They want to crush him immediately."
"Then my bet on Chen Chang'an winning ten matches in a row is hopeless?"
"Seriously? You actually bet on him winning ten times? Surviving Liu Yan is a miracle in itself!"
"Oh no... I put all my savings on this!"
Liu Yan’s appearance left many in despair. No one had anticipated such a formidable opponent in the very first match.
No one had high hopes for Chen Chang'an. Although he had defeated a Platinum Badge holder during his own promotion to the Platinum rank, his opponent was merely a first-level Divine Transformation Realm cultivator who had only recently advanced to Platinum.
The gap between the first and seventh levels was vast—could Chen Chang'an really keep laughing his way to victory?
Liu Yan glanced at Chen Chang'an, not sparing him a second thought.
"You’ve come this far and made quite a stir—impressive, I’ll admit."
"But alas, your journey ends here!"
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.
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
