Shen Qingshuang froze.
She stared at Ye Xuan in a daze, her face filled with utter disbelief.
The Sword Immortal Dao Fruit was not the strongest?
That was the ultimate Great Dao focused entirely on slaughter, after all! Apart from the legendary, utterly unattainable Creation Dao Fruit and Time Dao Fruit that no one had ever managed to condense, what else could possibly be more powerful than the Sword Immortal Dao Fruit?
Ye Xuan slowly stood up, releasing Shen Qingshuang's hand. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, walked to the edge of the throne, and looked down over the entire empty great hall.
"At the end of the day, the Sword Dao is nothing more than the pinnacle of techniques."
Ye Xuan's voice was low and resounding:
"Sharp as a sword is, it can slash through ten thousand laws, but it cannot sever the flow of the long river of time, cannot cut through the karmic cycle of all the myriad worlds, and even less can it break free from the shackles the vast Heavenly Dao places on all living beings."
"Sword cultivators are, after all, nothing but a sharp blade under the Heavenly Dao's control."
Ye Xuan spun around sharply, his dark golden eyes burning with madness and ambition that blazed like two scorching suns.
"I, Ye Xuan, have been through ten thousand cycles of reincarnation, endured endless betrayals and despair. How could I ever be willing to be nothing more than a blade at the mercy of the Heavenly Dao?"
"Now that I have been reborn, now that I possess the most tyrannical Devouring Demon Art in this world, now that I retain the memories of ten thousand lifetimes..."
Ye Xuan's right hand clenched tightly in the void, as if he was holding the entire world in his palm. His voice boomed like thunder from the nine heavens, exploding across the great hall.
"I am destined to walk a path no ordinary person could ever imagine!"
"I do not seek to be invincible within the rules set by the Heavenly Dao. What I seek is to leap beyond the Three Realms, to exist outside the Five Elements. I want to control the rules, even... devour the Heavenly Dao itself!"
"For that reason, the Dao Fruit I will condense will be unimaginably extraordinary!"
"It will never be limited to a single Sword Dao, or a single Demon Dao. It will fuse the most primordial powers of all the myriad worlds, be it time, space, reincarnation, chaos, or destruction..."
"What I intend to condense is a supreme Dao Fruit capable of crushing through eternity and suppressing all the myriad worlds under the heavens!"
Ye Xuan's words were like a cataclysmic storm, crashing violently against the very foundations of Shen Qingshuang's understanding.
Shen Qingshuang was completely speechless.
She knelt motionless on the spot, looking up at the overwhelmingly domineering man before her who seemed no different from a demon god, her mind going entirely blank.
Arrogant.
This was far too arrogant!
Yet as she met Ye Xuan's unshakable gaze, and felt the terrifying demonic might radiating off him that seemed capable of devouring everything, Shen Qingshuang could not bring herself to think for even a moment that he was spouting empty boasts.
It felt as if... he really could pull it off.
Shen Qingshuang said nothing.
She stood quietly in place, watching the man who seemed to gaze down upon the entire universe, her heart swelling with indescribable shock, bitterness, and a deep sense of inadequacy.
She had already reached the peak of the Great Vehicle realm, only one single step away from the legendary True Immortal realm.
Yet that seemingly trivial step had blocked countless outstanding, heaven-defying prodigies across all of ancient and modern history.
The reason was simple.
To break through from the Great Vehicle realm to True Immortal, one had to condense a Dao Fruit.
This required not just an immense amount of immortal spiritual qi, but also a level of near-obsessive comprehension and devotion to one's own path that bordered on oneness with the Dao.
Shen Qingshuang had cultivated for eight thousand years, with the Sword Dao as her primary path.
The only Dao Fruit she could possibly hope to condense, and the most promising one by far, was a Sword Immortal Dao Fruit.
Before she met Ye Xuan, she had always regarded condensing the Sword Immortal Dao Fruit as the highest lifelong pursuit of her faith, the supreme capital that would let her stand head and shoulders above her peers and ascend to immortality in broad daylight.
But now.
That highest goal she had been so proud of and struggled so arduously to reach had been dismissed by Ye Xuan as nothing special, a low-grade choice not even worth mentioning.
This massive gap in perspective made Shen Qingshuang keenly aware of the chasm between her and Ye Xuan, a divide as vast as that between cloud and mud, as unfathomable to a summer insect that could never understand what ice was.
"This servant is foolish..."
Shen Qingshuang lowered her head and gave a bitter, weary smile, her voice laced with complete submission and humility.
"My husband is a divine dragon from the highest heavens. How could the likes of this lowly frog at the bottom of a well ever presume to guess at your ambitions? My vision is far too narrow to even offer you suggestions."
Seeing Shen Qingshuang so thoroughly shaken, yet all the more obedient out of reverence, the icy harshness in Ye Xuan's eyes softened just a little.
He stepped in front of her, extended a long, slender finger, and gently lifted her stunningly beautiful, cool chin.
"There is no need to belittle yourself."
Ye Xuan looked down at her, his tone carrying a hint of patronizing comfort.
"The Sword Immortal Dao Fruit is indeed the best possible outcome for you. Your talent, while far inferior to mine, is passable enough in the lands of Central Province."
"When you have served me well enough to please me, I might, on a whim, deign to give you a few pointers. Helping you condense the Sword Immortal Dao Fruit you have dreamed of and guiding you into the True Immortal realm is no difficult feat for me."
At those words, which felt like a divine blessing bestowed upon her, Shen Qingshuang's entire body trembled.
Help her condense the Sword Immortal Dao Fruit?
Guide her to the True Immortal realm?
For any great cultivator stuck at the peak of the Great Vehicle realm, that was a promise enough to drive them mad with desire!
If anyone else had said such a thing, Shen Qingshuang would have scoffed and dismissed them as a lunatic. But coming from Ye Xuan, she believed every single word without the slightest doubt.
Because this man before her truly possessed the monstrous foundation to defy all common sense and turn fate against the heavens.
"Thank you for your great grace, husband!"
Shen Qingshuang's eyes instantly reddened. Without hesitation, her knees buckled, and she prostrated herself fully at Ye Xuan's feet, pressing her noble, exquisite cheek firmly against his boot. Her voice quivered with overwhelming excitement.
"From this day on, my life, my body, all belong only to you, husband! Qingshuang is willing to be the most humble servant at your side for all eternity, if only I may stay by your side and follow in your footsteps forever!"
Watching Shen Qingshuang cast aside the last of her dignity as a top-tier Great Vehicle realm powerhouse, prostrating at his feet like a fanatical worshipper, overwhelmed with gratitude, Ye Xuan savored the absolute feeling of being in control.
He stroked her soft, flowing hair casually, as if he was petting a gentle, noble Persian cat.
"Rise."
Ye Xuan spoke faintly, his gaze turning profound once more.
"Though I have not yet fully settled on exactly what forbidden Dao Fruit I will condense, I can vaguely sense that to reach the perfect outcome I envision, the meager resources of the Sword Immortal Palace, and even Ye Qingcheng's origin power, are far from sufficient."
"I need much more."
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
] [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!"
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...
