"Now, can you take me to see your city lord?"
Wei Fengtang slowly rose from the ground, thoroughly convinced by his defeat. The look he gave Chen Chang'an shifted from admiration to outright respect.
If Wei Fengtang had previously regarded Chen Chang'an as merely a rising star, now, in his eyes, Chen Chang'an had surpassed him as a true powerhouse.
"You've won. You're the only one in No-Return City to possess the Violet-Gold Medal. You have the right to meet the city lord."
"Are you going to see him now?" Wei Fengtang asked, puzzled. Why was Chen Chang'an in such a hurry? Was there something urgent?
Or perhaps...
"Chen Chang'an, you’re not worried that City Lord Asura might skip out on paying your bet, are you?" Wei Fengtang asked helplessly.
Hmm?
Wei Fengtang’s assumption took Chen Chang'an by surprise. After all, he hadn’t given the bet a second thought—spirit stones were hardly something he lacked. This had just been a way to increase his leverage in meeting City Lord Asura.
But Wei Fengtang’s concern made sense—these people were poor and hadn’t seen much of the world.
"Never mind why I want to see him. Just take me there."
"Is he even in No-Return City?" Chen Chang'an asked impatiently.
"He is, but... I’ll need to report first and see if the city lord is willing to meet you today."
"You might have to wait a while."
Wait again?
Meeting the city lord was proving to be a hassle. But after waiting so many days already, Chen Chang'an could spare a little more time.
"Fine. I’ll head back to Joyful Pavilion first. Try to make it quick."
"Just tell him I have something to ask him."
Ask him something?
Wei Fengtang nodded. "I’ll relay your message to the city lord."
Without another word, Chen Chang'an’s figure blurred as he soared back toward No-Return City.
"That kid… truly does as he pleases," Wei Fengtang muttered with a wry smile.
"Uh… Lord Wei, the barrier… the barrier wasn’t open."
"If it wasn’t open, then open it. Do I need to tell you that?"
"No, what I mean is—if the barrier wasn’t open, how did Chen Chang'an leave?"
"Huh? That’s…"
Wei Fengtang froze. Right—how had Chen Chang'an passed through the barrier without it being opened?
That barrier had been personally erected by the city lord to contain the aftermath of their battle. Yet Chen Chang'an had come and gone as he pleased, completely unaffected. To him, the barrier might as well not exist.
"Just how many more tricks does Chen Chang'an have up his sleeve?"
"Is he even human?"
Every encounter with Chen Chang'an left Wei Fengtang stunned by his abilities. It was as if the man carried endless secrets.
"Wait… did that kid just leave without taking the Violet-Gold Medal? Ah, forget it. The city lord can hand it to him personally later."
Only after Chen Chang'an left did Wei Fengtang realize the medal hadn’t been given to him.
Back at Joyful Pavilion, the first person Chen Chang'an saw was, unsurprisingly, the proprietress.
It was as if she had nothing better to do than wait for him all day.
"Does this place even have any business?"
"Are you always this free?" Chen Chang'an asked bluntly.
"What business could be more important than a guest like you?"
"Come on, show me the Violet-Gold Medal. I’ve never seen one before," the proprietress said with a coquettish pout.
"The medal? I didn’t take it. If you like it, I’ll give it to you later," Chen Chang'an replied dismissively.
Give it to her?
"Would that count as a love token?" she asked, her eyes brimming with affection.
A love token?
Are you dreaming?
"Do you have to talk like this all the time?" Chen Chang'an sighed.
"Oh? Isn’t this what men like? Don’t play the saint—you might act reluctant, but deep down, you’re thrilled, aren’t you?"
"There’s no such thing as a true gentleman. They’re all just putting on an act."
"If a man resists, it’s only because the temptation isn’t strong enough."
Her words weren’t entirely wrong—most men probably were like that. But exceptions did exist.
Chen Chang'an, however, had no interest in debating the matter. It was a pointless argument with no clear answer.
"Everyone has their own perspective. You’re not entirely wrong."
"But don’t you find it exhausting?"
Exhausting?
The proprietress merely chuckled and shook her head. "Living is what matters, isn’t it?"
True. For many, survival took precedence over everything else. Why bother fussing over how one lived?
People had different understandings and made different choices.
As the two conversed, Wei Fengtang strode into Joyful Pavilion, moving so swiftly that even Chen Chang'an was taken aback.
Ignoring the proprietress, Wei Fengtang headed straight for Chen Chang'an.
"Lord Wei, this humble establishment is still my place. Isn’t it a bit rude to walk in without even greeting me?" the proprietress teased with a smirk.
"I’m here on business. Otherwise, who’d want to step foot in this dump?"
Wei Fengtang still refused to look at her, as if he held some deep grudge against both Joyful Pavilion and its owner.
Chen Chang'an’s curiosity was piqued. There was clearly history here.
"Got a story?" he asked the proprietress.
"He pursued me once. I turned him down."
"Don’t mistake my flirtatious exterior for actual promiscuity. I have my standards," she said with a laugh.
Wei Fengtang’s face flushed. There was a saying: when striking, avoid the face; when insulting, avoid sore spots. The proprietress had just laid bare his deepest embarrassment without hesitation.
"I was young and foolish back then," Wei Fengtang snapped.
"Young and foolish? How shameless."
"You were nearly a hundred when you chased after me. That counts as ‘young’?" she retorted scornfully.
"I—"
"Whatever. I won’t lower myself to argue with a woman."
"Chen Chang'an, the city lord has agreed to see you. Come with me to the City Lord’s Manor."
City Lord’s Manor?
Had City Lord Asura been there all along?
"There was indeed an unusual aura in the City Lord’s Manor earlier, but it vanished too quickly for me to track," Da Huang’s voice echoed in Chen Chang'an’s mind.
"This city lord is too mysterious. Either he’s at the Emperor Realm, or he has treasures that conceal his presence."
"Want me to come with you?"
Chen Chang'an didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at Wei Fengtang and smiled. "Has the city lord always been in the manor?"
"I can’t disclose the city lord’s affairs. If you’re curious, ask him yourself."
"Fine. Lead the way."
Chen Chang'an asked no further questions. Soon enough, he would meet City Lord Asura face to face.
Chen Chang'an followed Wei Fengtang all the way to the City Lord's estate. The estate was grand and imposing, sprawling across a vast area.
However, Chen Chang'an couldn't shake the feeling that the place lacked vitality—such a massive compound, yet so few living souls.
Even if maintaining an air of mystery was the goal, was it really necessary to go this far?
Wei Fengtang led Chen Chang'an through the winding paths until they reached a secluded garden at the very back of the estate.
"Beyond that rockery ahead lies a passage. Follow it to the end, and you'll find a hidden chamber," Wei Fengtang said.
"The City Lord is waiting for you there."
So secretive?
"Your City Lord... must have quite a guilty conscience, huh?"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
