Qin Wu let out a breath of stale air, his gaze firmer than ever. After shedding the burden of having to be the strongest, he wanted even more to use this battle to prove his worth as a team captain.
The scrolling speed of the screen began to slow.
The first portrait came to a stop.
Then the second.
“First match: Zhao Qian of North City Academy versus Rick of Number Zero Academy.”
Several matchups appeared in succession, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
In the Huaqing rest area, An Changqing’s gaze remained calm. Su Yuehe leaned against him with her eyes closed, as if none of this had anything to do with her.
On the enormous holographic screen, streams of light flashed rapidly before slowly coming to a halt.
“Next match: An Changqing of Huaqing Academy versus Roy of Number Zero Academy.”
An Changqing gave his teammates a slight nod, rose calmly, and walked toward the arena.
Shan Heng clenched his fists nervously, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the arena behind his glasses. He murmured under his breath, “Go, Senior Changqing! Senior Changqing will definitely win.”
Su Yuehe leaned back in her chair. Though her eyes were closed, the faint smile at the corners of her lips said everything.
She believed An Changqing would not lose.
The battle ended quickly. An Changqing’s sword became nothing more than a series of afterimages. The burly fighter from Number Zero Academy never even managed to get close before being forced out of the arena by layer upon layer of sword qi.
“Winner: An Changqing of Huaqing Academy.”
There was no hint of favoritism in An Changsong’s voice, but Principal Ren Ping’s grin was already stretching almost to his ears.
Sparse applause broke out in Huaqing’s rest area. Qin Wu watched An Changqing return with an air of effortless calm, envy and relief mingling in his eyes.
Once upon a time, he had believed that he had to be the brightest star of them all. But now, he was more willing to become the sturdy shield that protected those lights.
At that moment, Chen Guan’s gaze collided in midair with that of Hiiragi Qingbai from Kamitani Academy, igniting invisible sparks.
[Oh? Brother Coffin’s been targeted.]
[This Japanese player really holds a grudge. It was only one elimination—does he really have to take it this seriously?]
[The person above got it wrong. It wasn’t just one elimination. He humiliated all of Kamitani in the first round. How could he not hold a grudge?]
[Fast-forward to Brother Coffin turning him into a prisoner too.]
Unfortunately, the barrage was disappointed. The two did not meet in the first round.
The portraits on the screen began to roll again.
Light swirled before finally coming to a stop.
On the left was Chen Guan’s calm, impassive face.
On the right was a pretty girl with a high ponytail.
“Seventh match: Chen Guan of Huaqing Academy versus Yan Feiyan of North City Academy.”
The moment this matchup appeared, the atmosphere throughout the stadium became rather peculiar.
The atmosphere in North City Academy’s rest area turned oppressive.
Yan Feiyan.
Among North City Academy’s second-year students, she possessed the purest swordsmanship and the steadiest temperament. She was also the one Bai Huanran had planned to use against their toughest opponents.
But now, she had drawn Chen Guan, one of the standouts among Huaqing Academy’s group of monsters.
Though they were both second-year students, Bai Huanran saw no suspense left in the outcome.
Yan Feiyan paid no attention to the commotion behind her. She simply rose in silence, tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and walked step by step toward the center of the arena with her sword in hand.
[So this is Brother Coffin’s opponent? This young lady looks so cool.]
[What a shame about her luck. She ran into Brother Coffin, so she’s destined to be eliminated in the first round.]
[What if your Brother Coffin gets upset?]
[Are you underestimating the show’s notorious cheater?]
Amid the discussion in the barrage, Chen Guan also stood up. He gave An Changqing and the others a slight nod, then walked toward the arena.
The two stood facing each other at the center of the field, ten meters apart.
The referee raised his hand high, then brought it down sharply.
“The match begins.”
There was no opening remark and no probing exchange.
The instant the referee’s voice fell, Yan Feiyan’s figure transformed into a streak of white light. The sword in her hand shot silently toward Chen Guan’s throat, moving with astonishing speed.
This strike abandoned all flashy techniques in pursuit of one thing alone: speed.
“What a fast sword.”
One of the sword experts in the stands could not help exclaiming softly.
Yet in the face of that thunderbolt-like thrust, Chen Guan casually raised the scythe in his hand and held it horizontally before him.
Clang!
With a crisp ring, the tip of Yan Feiyan’s sword—aimed to strike with absolute certainty—was firmly stopped by the broad back of the scythe. It was less than a fist’s distance from Chen Guan’s throat, but could advance no farther.
Yan Feiyan’s pupils contracted slightly, but her movements did not pause. With a flick of her wrist, her sword twisted like a snake flicking out its tongue, sliding along the back of the scythe toward Chen Guan’s weapon-wielding wrist.
A strike aimed at the hand—basic, but highly effective.
However, just as her blade reached the middle of the scythe, Chen Guan’s figure vanished before her eyes.
Yan Feiyan lost sight of her target. Her thrust, carrying its own momentum, fell into empty space, and the fierce wind it generated tousled the hair above her brow.
Her body did not hesitate in the slightest. Her waist twisted like a winch, and she slashed diagonally into the empty space behind her with a backhanded stroke. The motion flowed as naturally as water, as though she had eyes in the back of her head.
Empty. Still empty.
Yan Feiyan’s heart shuddered. Her combat instincts overrode conscious thought. She abandoned her attack, rolled backward in a split second, and instantly put distance between them.
She landed awkwardly and looked up.
Chen Guan was standing where she had been moments earlier. At some point, he had returned there. The enormous scythe rested casually on his shoulder, and his body was utterly motionless, as though he had never moved at all.
In North City Academy’s rest area, Bai Huanran’s expression sank completely.
He knew better than anyone how terrifying Yan Feiyan was. Her sword was fast, precise, and ruthless, and her heart was as still as an ancient well.
Yet now, she had not even managed to touch the edge of her opponent’s clothes.
Just how could this guy move so nimbly while carrying a ridiculously heavy coffin?
Wasn’t this game supposed to be played with an ordinary weapon?
“Junior Yan…”
A North City student had just begun speaking nervously when Bai Huanran pinned him in place with a cold glance. Not another word escaped him.
Even when the situation was unfavorable, Bai Huanran would not allow anyone to voice discouragement. Against Chen Guan, no one could be blamed for losing.
On the arena, Yan Feiyan said nothing. She merely held her sword horizontally before her chest and assumed the most basic opening stance. Yet her aura had become even calmer than before, like a deep, bottomless well.
The next moment, her figure vanished again.
This time, she did not launch a straight thrust as swift as thunder. Instead, she transformed into several blurred white figures that charged at Chen Guan simultaneously from every direction. Each afterimage dragged a silent streak of sword light behind it, completely sealing off all possible routes of escape.
The blades sliced through the air without making the slightest sound.
This was Yan Feiyan’s ultimate technique—Silent Sword.
Facing this all-encompassing encirclement, Chen Guan still stood where he was. He simply took the scythe off his shoulder and gripped its handle with both hands. With what appeared to outsiders to be an exceedingly clumsy motion, he swung it in front of him, creating a black ring that seemed capable of devouring everything.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
A dense series of crisp impacts suddenly erupted, like a torrential downpour hammering banana leaves.
Without exception, every streak of sword light was precisely knocked away by the enormous scythe.
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?"
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!
] [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!"
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.
