Ross’s tone was grim to the extreme. “One of the people from our Number Zero Academy was eliminated by him with ease.”
“I saw it with my own eyes.” Ross swallowed, as if recalling a nightmare. “It took less than a minute for my junior to lose. A few paper dolls calmly removed the identification terminal from his wrist, then crushed it.”
Ross’s voice began to tremble.
“From start to finish, Xiang Qingbai never even closed the fan in his hand. He was smiling the entire time. His companion didn’t lift a finger.”
Chen Guan listened in silence. Ross’s description had indeed given the image of that gentle-looking young man a more vivid—and dangerous—shape in his mind.
After all, he was a fourth-year student. That he was powerful was well within Chen Guan’s expectations.
“So you want to work with me to deal with him.”
Chen Guan raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade. He had guessed what Ross had left unsaid.
“Exactly!” Ross nodded emphatically. “There’s a saying in China: when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold.”
“Before the match, Xiang Qingbai announced that he was going to sweep away all of us barbarians. He specifically called out your team from Huaqing.”
Ross’s gaze fell on Chen Guan as he fanned the flames without making it obvious. “You’re their primary target.”
“Chen, if we join forces, then at least we won’t be eliminated as pointlessly as my classmates were if we run into him. They’ve already formed a group. Until we find our respective teammates, we can travel together.”
Chen Guan’s eyes fell on the tactical belt around Ross’s waist. Several tubes of glowing liquid were tucked into it.
“Are those your latest toys?”
He pointed at the drugs.
Ross followed his gaze downward, then hurriedly pulled out one of the tubes and offered it with both hands, sincerity written all over his face.
“Second-generation genetic enhancers. They can activate the potential of your cells and instantly boost your combat ability by two levels. The only side effect is that you’ll be weak for a full twelve hours after the effects wear off.”
Ross spilled all his trump cards as readily as beans from a tipped bag.
He wasn’t worried. No matter how strong Chen Guan was, it was only in comparison to him.
In Ross’s eyes, the outcome of this competition would ultimately be decided by those fourth-year team captains. The underclassmen like them were merely there to make up the numbers.
Chen Guan didn’t reach for the tube. Baobao, however, leaned over and sniffed the red liquid. It immediately sneezed and turned its head away with a look of utter disdain.
“Even Baobao won’t eat it.”
Chen Guan offered the casual assessment. The muscles in Ross’s cheeks twitched, and he awkwardly stuffed the enhancer back into his belt, rubbing the mud from his gloves.
“Chen, your China values harmony and prosperity. We’re facing a common enemy now, so joining forces is the optimal solution.”
Chen Guan took hold of his scythe again. “We can cooperate, but I get to take the lead.”
He stared into Ross’s eyes, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“How we fight and which route we take—we do it my way.”
“Completely agreed, boss!”
Ross hurriedly accepted, then raised his right hand to swear an oath, as if afraid Chen Guan might change his mind.
The title of “boss” came rather naturally to him. Chen Guan shot him a glance, perfectly aware that the man merely wanted someone else to serve as a shield. The moment they encountered genuine mortal danger, Ross would undoubtedly run faster than anyone else.
But that was precisely what Chen Guan needed. Having another cannon fodder scout the way was better than blundering blindly through this bizarre forest with only Baobao at his side.
He wasn’t afraid of Ross stabbing him in the back, either. All fear came from insufficient firepower—and clearly, Chen Guan was the one holding the greatest firepower.
“Head for the abandoned city at the center of the map.”
Chen Guan brought up the offline map on his wrist terminal. Although there was no signal, the basic contours of the terrain were still clearly visible.
“My teammates should be heading there too. Once we regroup, that paper-doll-playing charlatan won’t be anything to fear.”
Ross followed just behind and to the side of Chen Guan as if granted a new lease on life. The two men and one beast began making their way through the dense jungle, where the air was heavy with the damp, cloying smell of rotting vegetation.
After about half an hour, the trees around them grew increasingly massive. Their canopies blocked out the sky and swallowed all the sunlight, plunging the surroundings into darkness and chill.
“Wait.”
Chen Guan came to an abrupt halt and raised a hand in a tactical signal, indicating that Ross should keep quiet.
Ross immediately froze in place like a wooden stake, his heart leaping into his throat as he nervously surveyed the surroundings.
“What is it?”
He lowered his voice, which came out tight with tension.
A threatening growl rumbled in Baobao’s throat. Purple fur shimmered with faint sparks of electricity in the gloom. It lowered its body, muscles taut, already poised to attack.
Chen Guan said nothing. His eyes were locked on the branches to the left front. There, amid the trees, was a patch of color that did not belong in the jungle.
A roughly cut yellow scrap of paper was quietly stuck to the tree bark. Strange symbols had been drawn on it in cinnabar, and in the dim light, they gave off a faint red glow.
“That’s it!”
The instant Ross recognized the object, his voice rose several notes, filled with the terror of someone who had narrowly escaped death.
“Xiang Qingbai’s shikigami scouts! That’s what detected my junior!”
Chen Guan narrowed his eyes as his perception silently spread outward.
In an instant, the surrounding forest seemed to come alive. Countless yellow scraps of paper drifted down soundlessly from every direction, carrying a suffocating murderous intent.
“There are quite a few of them.”
Chen Guan removed the scythe from his back. The pitch-black coffin slammed onto the ground with a boom, sending muddy water splashing into the air.
“Don’t just stand there. Get ready to work.”
He turned his head and issued the order to Ross, who was still trembling.
The moment Chen Guan finished speaking, the paper dolls pasted to the tree trunks turned in unison. They had no facial features, yet somehow gave the impression that countless icy gazes had locked onto the two men and one beast.
Sharp white light ignited along the edges of the paper. Spinning at high speed like blades, they sliced through the air with shrill whistles and shot toward the trio.
Baobao let out an angry roar and lunged forward in a streak of purple lightning.
It opened its jaws in midair and actually bit down on one of the flying paper dolls.
The cinnabar symbols on the paper doll erupted in scorching flames, but Baobao treated them as nothing more than popping candy. It chewed noisily and swallowed.
“Hungry, hungry.”
After finishing one, it immediately fixed its gaze on the swarm of papers in the air. Its purple slit pupils were filled with longing for more snacks.
Apparently, these paper dolls were exactly to its taste.
Ross’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. This little leopard was no ordinary beast. Both master and pet were monsters.
Then he swept back his robes, his fingers moving rapidly through a series of gestures. The metal fragments hidden inside his clothing instantly gathered together and launched a fierce assault on the swarm of paper dolls.
With such a powerful teammate, he couldn’t afford to embarrass himself!
At the very least, he couldn’t let himself be outdone by a little leopard!
They were only a few lousy paper dolls, not Xiang Qingbai himself. What was there to fear?!
Ross’s metal fragments whipped up a silver storm, striking the swarm of yellow paper with a constant clanging. The paper dolls closest to him were easily knocked from the air.
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.
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
