The mobilization capability of Qiangsheng Group was swift. Within just three days, the first batch of "Equalizer Devices" was manufactured—a total of 1,000 units, all purchased by the Dragon Country government and quickly put into use.
The results were astounding. Once activated, the Equalizer Device could instantly disrupt all ancient martial artists within a radius of several dozen kilometers. Those who refrained from using internal energy were unaffected, but the moment they tried to channel it, their meridians would instantly become chaotic, causing unbearable discomfort throughout their bodies. Even grandmaster-level practitioners were suppressed, let alone those at the Dark Force or Transforming Force stages.
In no time, the Equalizer Device became infamous across the entire ancient martial arts world of Dragon Country.
...
At the summit of Mount Hua, within an ancient Taoist temple:
"Make way, everyone! A Transforming Force master is about to demonstrate his lightness skill! This 30-meter cliff—watch as the Taoist master shows you what real lightness skill looks like!"
"Folks, send some free gifts! If we hit 1 million likes, the master will jump straight off this cliff—30 meters high, no safety gear or wires! Thanks to the big boss for the Porsche!"
A crowd had gathered in front of the temple. The people of Dragon Country had always revered martial arts, and even now, that tradition remained strong. While Dark Force practitioners might not be anything special, Transforming Force masters were a different story!
Plucking leaves as weapons, gliding effortlessly with lightness skills—it was all incredibly entertaining, a perfect showcase of sheer badassery.
Many Transforming Force masters had descended the mountain to start live-streaming, and even grandmasters were joining in, hawking products during their broadcasts. The audience ate it up.
"Holy shit, is this for real? That cliff’s gotta be at least seven or eight stories high! Jumping from there would be suicide!"
"Relax, the master’s a peak-level Transforming Force expert. In ancient times, he’d be a top-tier imperial guard. A mere 30 meters is nothing to him."
"Lightness skill… God, I’m so jealous."
Hundreds of spectators were present in person, while the livestream drew hundreds of thousands of viewers.
Then, from the temple, a Taoist master slowly emerged—long white beard, black Taoist robes, a horsetail whisk in hand, exuding an air of immortal grace.
"This humble Taoist is named Ai Yuanjiao. I have cultivated at the summit of Mount Hua for over fifty years. Though untalented, I only reached the peak of the Transforming Force realm at nearly sixty years of age..."
A master’s entrance had to come with flair.
The crowd erupted in praise, and the livestream was flooded with dazzling gifts. The old Taoist’s lips curled imperceptibly. A single broadcast could earn him hundreds of thousands, and a 30-meter jump was child’s play for a peak-level Transforming Force expert like him.
"Alright, folks! If any big bosses want to send more gifts, this humble Taoist will now demonstrate his lightness skill!"
With that, Ai Yuanjiao strolled casually to the edge of the cliff. With a flick of his whisk, he circulated his internal energy through his meridians, completing a full cycle in an instant—activating the Taoist lightness technique.
Then, he leaped off the seven-story cliff.
This was the moment the audience had been waiting for. Everyone held their breath—this was top-tier lightness skill in action!
But the moment Ai Yuanjiao committed to his leap of faith, his expression suddenly twisted.
An indescribable sensation surged through his body—his meridians were sealed! His internal energy had frozen solid. The slightest attempt to force it sent needles of pain shooting through his limbs.
Panic set in instantly. "What the hell—?!"
Before he could process it, Newton—long suppressed in his coffin—finally struck back.
Damn it! You Eastern martial artists think you can just show off and defy the laws of physics all the time?
Gravity took over. Ai Yuanjiao plummeted.
SMACK!
He hit the stone pavement below, legs twitching twice before going still.
Silence. Not a single person dared to speak.
A full minute later, someone finally screamed.
"Someone help! The master fell!"
The livestream exploded into chaos.
"What the hell just happened? Wasn’t he a Transforming Force master? Where was the lightness skill? Was this a scam?"
"No way! Something must’ve gone wrong. Nobody would joke about their own life like that!"
"I’m here on-site. I’m a martial artist too—my internal energy suddenly stopped working. The master must’ve been affected the same way."
"Well, he’s done for. The master’s dead!"
The crowd erupted into uproar.
And it wasn’t just this location. Across Dragon Country, Equalizer Devices had been activated in many areas. Countless ancient martial artists in the secular world were instantly reduced to ordinary people.
Soon after, the Dragon Country government issued an official statement:
[Effective immediately, to maintain domestic order, 'Internal Energy Suppression Devices' will be deployed in secular and urban areas. These devices will interfere with ancient martial artists, though the ancient martial world itself will remain unaffected...]
The moment this news broke, the entire martial arts community of Dragon Country was thrown into turmoil. This was a direct threat to their way of life!
The worst part? There had been zero prior intelligence leaks.
Out of nowhere, this thing had appeared.
What made matters worse was that some people began digging deeper and eventually uncovered the manufacturer behind these "Internal Force Stagnation Devices."
The Qiangsheng Group!
Although the Dragon Country government had secretly collaborated with Jiang Che, there were still high-ranking figures among the ancient martial artists who caught wind of it.
"What on earth is the Jiang Family trying to do???"
A grandmaster-level martial artist was so furious that his scalp tingled, his beard practically bristling with rage.
This was clearly an attempt to force all martial artists back into the ancient martial world, never allowing them to set foot in the secular realm again!
"That Jiang kid has gone too far! Does he really think he can act all high and mighty just because he has Jiang Yunhuang backing him?"
"Ahem, Brother Li, calm down. I heard Jiang Yunhuang has already broken through the limits of a grandmaster and reached an entirely new level. No one in the entire ancient martial world can match him now."
"This... He’s just kicking away the ladder after climbing up—utterly shameless!"
The entire ancient martial world was secretly cursing Jiang Che left and right. But why only in secret?
They still valued their lives. If push came to shove, they’d just stay out of the secular world—better that than getting beaten to death.
...
Meanwhile, chaos erupted within the Chosen Ones Association.
"What the hell is Jiang Che planning now?"
Deputy Director Xu Rong seethed with anger. The "Equality for All Device" didn’t just affect ancient martial artists—it also had an impact on supernaturals like them.
Though not as severely crippled as the martial artists, their powers had been drastically weakened.
Even an A-rank supernatural like him had his strength suppressed to less than half. As for lower-ranked supernaturals? Forget about it.
Those with X-ray vision, pyrokinesis, electrokinesis, or phasing abilities—all of them were completely neutralized!
Just then, a phone call came through.
"Chen Hao? What mess has he gotten himself into now?" Xu Rong frowned. He was well aware of Chen Hao’s system—one that specialized in screwing people over. He’d previously turned a blind eye when it got a low-level Chosen One killed.
"Director Xu, it’s a disaster!"
Xu Rong’s frown deepened. "What happened?"
Chen Hao wailed over the line, "Yesterday, I went on a mission with that guy who could phase through walls, right?"
"Just now, he got stuck inside a wall while phasing... and couldn’t get out. He’s already dead—it’s horrifying!"
Xu Rong: "......"
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
