In the blink of two days, the foolish boy finally awoke from his deep slumber. The moment he opened his eyes, his once-dull and muddled gaze grew sharp and clear.
As he rose and looked around, his surroundings felt both unfamiliar and oddly familiar at the same time. Pushing open the door, he saw Chen Chang'an and Da Huang standing not far away.
The moment his eyes landed on Chen Chang'an, an overwhelming sense of familiarity washed over him—as if he had known this person for an eternity. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall anything beyond the fragmented memory of this man helping him during his days of foolishness, bringing him here.
But the boy sensed that his familiarity with Chen Chang'an couldn’t have stemmed from that alone. It was a strange, indescribable feeling, impossible to grasp or explain.
Chen Chang'an and Da Huang exchanged a glance. From the boy’s expression, they seemed to have discerned something.
"Do you know how to drink?"
Chen Chang'an’s sudden question caught the boy off guard. Drinking?
The boy stared at Chen Chang'an for a long moment. Why did those words stir something deep within him?
"I think… I’d like to down three hundred cups," the boy blurted out instinctively.
So it really is you!
Hearing this, Chen Chang'an was certain—this boy must be the reincarnation of Wu Mingdao. Perhaps the severe damage to his soul in the past, combined with the experiences of this life, had erased most of his memories from his previous existence.
But some deeply ingrained impressions still lingered.
"Xian'er."
"At your command, young master."
"Prepare wine and dishes."
"As you wish."
As Gu Xian'er went to arrange the food and drinks, Chen Chang'an studied the boy with a smile. "Do you have a name?"
"No. My memories don’t hold one."
"But… I remember the word ‘blade.’ I don’t know what it means." The boy shook his head in confusion.
Blade?
As in Wu Mingdao’s blade?
"How about I give you one?"
"Alright." The boy nodded. For some inexplicable reason, he felt an innate trust toward Chen Chang'an.
"Wu Mingdao. What do you think?"
Wu Mingdao?
Warmth and familiarity washed over him—as if this name had always belonged to him.
"Good. From now on, I am Wu Mingdao." Wu Mingdao grinned.
He loved the name instantly. At that moment, it felt like a rebirth.
Before long, the Happy House delivered the wine and dishes. Chen Chang'an and Wu Mingdao raised their cups in toast after toast.
Wu Mingdao, being only sixteen and never having tasted alcohol before—let alone possessing any cultivation—was already swaying before he could finish three hundred cups.
"Brother… Brother Chen, seeing you again… feels so good."
Before passing out completely, Wu Mingdao uttered these words from the depths of his subconscious—words whose origin even he couldn’t explain.
Watching the drunken Wu Mingdao, Chen Chang'an smiled faintly. "Yes, seeing you again truly is good."
Confirming the boy’s identity resolved a lingering knot in Chen Chang'an’s heart.
But now, the question remained—what path should Wu Mingdao take? Chen Chang'an hadn’t decided whether to reveal his past life or not.
"Some things don’t need to be said. Perhaps it’s better for him to rediscover those memories on his own."
"Wu Mingdao should walk a path that belongs to him now."
"What do you think?" Da Huang asked Chen Chang'an.
Chen Chang'an nodded. Indeed, Wu Mingdao’s journey should be his own to forge.
"Should he walk a new path or retrace the old one?" Chen Chang'an mused.
"A new man should take a new road. That’s only logical."
"He is Wu Mingdao, but not the same Wu Mingdao from before."
"Perhaps he’ll make his own choice."
"We can just ask him tomorrow."
"Right. We’ll ask him tomorrow."
"By the way, any news yet about your promotion to the Purple Gold Medal?"
"Surely they wouldn’t actually dig up someone you can’t defeat?"
"Just how strong are you in reality?" Da Huang couldn’t help but ask curiously.
His real strength?
Chen Chang'an had never clearly defined it, but he was certain of one thing—it definitely didn’t surpass the Hollow Void Realm.
Moreover, he had a feeling that as the power scaling of higher realms became more volatile, his own strength would be affected accordingly.
Once he broke through to the Divine Ability Realm, he wouldn’t experience the same overwhelming leaps in power that allowed him to surpass multiple realms before.
Even so, Chen Chang'an’s current strength was monstrous by any measure. Da Huang had long believed that Chen Chang'an wouldn’t even need to reach the Great Emperor Realm to stand unrivaled in this world.
"Whatever comes, we’ll face it."
"Whether I earn the Purple Gold Medal or not isn’t the most important thing. Don’t forget—my real goal is to meet the City Lord and gather information."
"I refuse to believe he’ll keep hiding forever."
Chen Chang'an had never lost sight of his true purpose—to uncover clues about the Embryonic Pearl. Creating legends or chasing glory had never been the point.
Just as Chen Chang'an and Da Huang were deep in conversation, the Happy House’s proprietress came looking for them again.
"Tell me, madam, am I the only guest in this establishment?"
"Could it be that you’ve taken a liking to me?"
"Are you secretly pining for me?" Chen Chang'an teased.
Hearing this, the proprietress flashed a coquettish smile and fired back without hesitation, "Why would I need to pine in secret?"
"If you’re willing, I could push you down right here and have my way with you."
"I’m not like that timid little maid of yours, too shy to admit her feelings even when she’s smitten."
Her words instantly flushed Gu Xian'er’s face crimson. She wanted to retort but didn’t dare utter a word.
"You think everyone is as brazen as you?"
"Out with it—what brings you here this time?"
"Hmph! What’s wrong with being brazen?"
"Chen Chang'an, are you looking down on me?"
Hm?
This woman—she was joking earlier, but now she’s actually getting serious?
Chen Chang'an could tell the anger in her eyes wasn’t feigned. She was genuinely upset.
"Not at all. It was just a jest."
"If I’ve offended you, I apologize."
Chen Chang'an was never one to stubbornly cling to pride, especially not with a woman. A soft word could easily resolve the matter—no need to escalate things unnecessarily.
This was wisdom he’d learned from his master—never give anger room to grow.
"Hmph, fine. I’ll let it go this time."
"The City Lord’s estate sent word. Your promotion battle will take place outside the city in three days."
Outside the city?
Chen Chang'an hadn’t expected this. The city was vast, and the Medal Arena was more than spacious enough—why move it beyond the walls?
After a moment of thought, Chen Chang'an understood the reason behind their actions.
"They're worried about collateral damage. It seems the ten participants sent by the City Lord's Manor this time won't be weak in strength."
"You're so well-informed—do you have any insider details?" Chen Chang'an asked with a smile.
"Insider details? How could I possibly have access to the City Lord's Manor's secrets? You overestimate me," the proprietress replied, chuckling.
"Is that so?"
Chen Chang'an gave her a deep look before saying calmly, "Seems like we’ll have to wait until the day itself to find out just how strong our opponents are."
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?"
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...
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
] [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!"
