After Jiang Yunhuang broke through to the Shattering Heaven realm, it was as if he had undergone a nirvanic rebirth.
Like a dormant tiger now awakened, the internal energy within him surged like an endless ocean.
"Grandfather... have you... reached the Shattering Heaven realm?" Jiang Ruoxu asked, his voice trembling. The oppressive aura radiating from Jiang Yunhuang's martial domain had nearly scared him out of his wits.
"Hmm." The old man nodded slowly.
Jiang Ruoxu’s expression became ecstatic. This was the Shattering Heaven realm—a legendary cultivation level, surpassing all martial artists in the entire Dragon Nation's ancient martial world!
Jiang Yunhuang’s gaze settled on Jiang Che, his aged eyes brimming with gratitude.
"Che'er, with a prodigy like you in our Jiang family, the future looks bright indeed."
Jiang Che sighed inwardly. What else could he do?
To ensure he could continue living carefree as a pampered young master, he had no choice but to "elevate" his family’s cultivation levels.
Everyone looked down on spoiled heirs—yet secretly, everyone wanted to be one.
...
Not long after Jiang Yunhuang’s breakthrough, the Jiang family’s courtyard soon filled with visitors.
Leading them was an old Taoist priest holding a horsetail whisk, his demeanor ethereal and sage-like.
"Old Jiang, you broke through again?"
Li Changfeng of the Kunlun Sect leapt gracefully over the courtyard wall, his movements light as a feather.
"Haha, just a stroke of luck," Jiang Yunhuang replied with false modesty, though his tone dripped with unmistakable smugness.
Li Changfeng rolled his eyes. As the leader of the Kunlun Sect, he was actually several decades older than Jiang Yunhuang.
Having ascended to the Grandmaster realm around the same time, their titles for each other had evolved over the years—from "Little Jiang" to "Jiang Yunhuang," then to "Brother Jiang," and finally, "Old Jiang."
As a peak Grandmaster, Li Changfeng could keenly sense the terrifying depth of Jiang Yunhuang’s power. This old fox… his strength had grown even more unfathomable!
Soon, another figure soared into the courtyard.
"Grandmaster Jiang, have you truly taken that step?"
The speaker was Ai Kun, a late-stage Grandmaster from the Ancient Martial Arts Ai Family—a top-tier martial clan specializing in body tempering, renowned for their Iron Mountain Stance and Eagle Claw Technique...
With newfound power, it was only natural to show off a little in front of old friends.
"Grandmaster Jiang, how did you achieve this breakthrough? Could you share some insights?" Ai Kun asked eagerly.
"Haha, today is my grandson’s academic celebration banquet. I’m in high spirits—when one’s mood is good, breakthroughs come naturally."
Of course, Jiang Yunhuang wouldn’t reveal Jiang Che’s Shattering Heaven Pill. Despite their decades-long friendship, he wasn’t foolish enough to spill such secrets.
Li Changfeng and Ai Kun: "..."
"Good mood? Pah! This old man spends every day at foot massage parlors with his juniors, living the happiest life possible—yet I’ve never seen my cultivation improve!"
Ai Kun shot Jiang Yunhuang a look of utter disdain.
...
Jiang Yunhuang soon left the Jiang residence with the other Grandmasters.
Now that he had reached the Shattering Heaven realm, the power dynamics of Dragon Nation’s ancient martial world were about to shift.
Meanwhile, Jiang Che prepared to leave as well—after all, he had plans to party with some ladies in the afternoon!
"Brother… Brother, wait!"
Jiang Ruoxu chased after Jiang Che’s retreating figure.
Jiang Che glanced sideways. "What is it?"
"Brother… thank you for everything you’ve done for the Jiang family," Jiang Ruoxu mumbled, his face flushed.
For a prideful young man like him to express gratitude so openly was no small feat.
"It’s nothing. What did you want to ask?"
Jiang Ruoxu awkwardly rubbed his hair. "Brother… I have a question."
"Go on."
"If you can even refine a Shattering Heaven Pill… do you know any methods to nourish the soul? My… my spiritual energy has been unstable lately."
Jiang Che narrowed his eyes, a knowing smirk playing on his lips.
His gaze drifted before finally settling on the ancient ring adorning Jiang Ruoxu’s finger—his smile deepening.
If he’d only suspected before that Jiang Ruoxu had a "ring-bound elder," now he was almost certain. His little cousin had a 90% chance of harboring a secret mentor in that ring!
Asking about soul-nourishing techniques?
Oh, little brother… you’ve just given yourself away.
Only one kind of person would ask such a question.
It reminded him of a novel he’d once read, where the protagonist also had a ring-bound elder. It seemed Jiang Ruoxu’s luck stat was impressively high to possess such a trope!
Generally speaking, a soul powerful enough to reside in a ring must have once been a mighty figure… who’d since fallen from grace.
Jiang Che’s lips curled into a faint smile.
"Soul-nourishing elixirs? As far as I know, only those who surpass the Shattering Heaven realm can manifest their divine soul. Have you… already cultivated one?"
His deliberately shocked tone left Jiang Ruoxu speechless.
[Disciple, stop talking! I suspect he’s onto us!]
Jiang Ruoxu’s master panicked internally.
"Brother… no, I just read about it in an ancient text. I was curious about the soul and wanted to start nurturing my divine soul early… to lay a foundation for future cultivation."
After all, Jiang Ruoxu was just a little brat, and his lies were so flimsy they fell apart the moment he opened his mouth.
Jiang Che smirked, his lips curling slightly. Sweating bullets now, huh, kid?
Naturally, he wouldn’t let this opportunity slip. With a half-smile, he fixed his gaze on Jiang Ruoxu’s ring for a solid ten seconds.
Jiang Ruoxu seemed to catch on, nervously clasping his hands behind his back—hiding that ancient-looking ring.
“Ruoxu, you may be my cousin, but you’re also the only younger brother I have. I don’t want to see you stray down some crooked path.”
“From what I know, in ancient times, there were many powerful beings whose bodies decayed but their souls endured. They hide inside artifacts, waiting for so-called ‘fated ones,’ offering petty favors… only to seize their bodies when the time is right.”
That’s right—Jiang Che was sowing discord!
Halfway through Jiang Che’s words, Jiang Ruoxu’s face paled slightly.
How did he guess so accurately?
No… Jiang Che must’ve noticed something! He was staring at my ring just now—he must know about Master!
Meanwhile, the “granny” inside Jiang Ruoxu’s ring was fuming.
[Pah! You’re the one who seizes bodies! I’m just… going through a rough patch! A tiger bullied by dogs, that’s what this is!]
[And ‘hiding’ in an artifact? This ring’s got plenty of space! I can lie down, stand up, even do a little jump~~~]
Jiang Ruoxu: “……”
This was the first time he realized his master had… this side to her.
She’d always been aloof before, only sparing him a word or two of guidance. But now—
“Brother, I’m fine. Thanks for the spatial storage pouch.”
“No problem. I can refine Soul-Nourishing Pills—and even Body-Forging Pills, the kind that can reshape a physical form.”
Jiang Che gave Jiang Ruoxu’s shoulder a light pat.
In an instant, the ring’s “granny” stopped her grumbling—replaced by sheer disbelief.
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.”
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
