Jiang Che: I've Chosen a Teammate for You Whose Resolve Is as Strong as Steel

Chu Yuan had a terrifying yet bold thought cross his mind!

Creating systems... If Mr. Jiang could manufacture systems, and if his own "Ironhead System" and the newly acquired "Seal Demon System" interface templates were nearly identical, then could it be... that his Ironhead System was also crafted by Mr. Jiang?

The moment this possibility dawned on him, a storm of shock surged from the depths of his heart.

Nothing could be more earth-shattering than this!

After all, the Ironhead System had been his ultimate trump card—something he had never once doubted, even though it had screwed him over countless times.

Wait... If his Ironhead System was indeed Mr. Jiang’s creation, then what about all those treasures he’d obtained from the Heavenly Court’s secret realm? Could they have been swapped out?

Clearly, Chu Yuan was an exceptionally clever Chosen One, piecing together many unsettling possibilities.

This realization filled him with overwhelming dread.

It was like thinking he had climbed a towering peak, only to realize... that the so-called peak was merely someone else’s fingertip.

His most relied-upon trump card had been casually manufactured by another person. And if Jiang Che had created the system, then he must have a way to monitor him!

In an instant, Chu Yuan’s guard against Jiang Che shot up to maximum.

"Mr. Jiang... You possess such methods? Even systems can be fabricated by you?"

Chu Yuan didn’t rush to expose Jiang Che’s true intentions. Jiang Che wouldn’t just hand out systems for free—there had to be a catch!

At the same time, he recalled how many Chosen Ones at the Cultivator Academy had recently acquired systems, with many rejoicing over their newfound "golden fingers."

But now it seemed... all those systems were likely mass-produced by Mr. Jiang!

Faintly, Chu Yuan felt as though he had glimpsed a corner of the celestial palace through the parting clouds—but even that brief glimpse sent tremors through his soul.

Before knowing the truth, you saw me as a frog in a well gazing at the moon. After touching the truth, you see me as a mayfly beholding the vast heavens!

"Hmph, no need to hide it anymore. That Ironhead System of yours was indeed my creation," Jiang Che admitted bluntly.

"Without my system, could you have reached the Martial God Realm so quickly? Hmm?"

Chu Yuan fell silent because Jiang Che was absolutely right.

The Ironhead System, though often infuriating—forcing him into reckless missions despite obvious dangers—had undeniably accelerated his cultivation, allowing him to touch the threshold of the Martial God Realm in just a few years.

"Of course, if you don’t want the system anymore, I can withdraw it right now. Think carefully. After all, you’re somewhat capable—you deserve the right to know." Jiang Che spread his hands.

Chu Yuan was dumbfounded. He was a Martial God with a Chaos Body, yet all he had was... the right to know?

Meaning, the other system users... didn’t even have that?

And from Jiang Che’s tone, it sounded like they were all just... laborers?

"No, no! Mr. Jiang, I never said I didn’t want the system!" Chu Yuan waved his hands frantically without hesitation.

As the saying goes, once you’ve tasted the power of cheats, you can never go back to playing fair.

No matter how annoying the system was, it was still a system!

Without it, he’d still be stuck at the Divine Passage Realm at best.

"Oh? Weren’t you being cautious earlier?" Jiang Che sneered, resting his chin on his hand.

After a moment of thought, Chu Yuan chuckled. "Mr. Jiang, if you’d kept hiding the truth, I might’ve remained wary. But now that you’ve laid it all out, what doubts could I possibly have?"

"Besides, I trust your character!"

Jiang Che nodded slightly, then frowned with a trace of worry.

"My systems can shield against the corruption of evil spirits, but their numbers are limited... Only the most talented candidates can receive them. The Seal Demon System is even rarer—only one exists."

Hearing this, Chu Yuan’s heart trembled violently.

They could resist evil spirit corruption? If true, then everything made sense!

Why had Mr. Jiang founded the Cultivator Academy? To gather all the gifted Chosen Ones in the mortal world. Perhaps he had known all along that the evil spirit seal would break—he was preparing in advance!

By giving systems to all the Chosen Ones, he ensured their souls wouldn’t be tainted by the evil spirits, preserving hope for the future!

He understood now! He truly did!

Thud! Chu Yuan dropped to his knees before Jiang Che, his eyes reddening.

"Mr. Jiang, your righteousness knows no bounds!!!"

Jiang Che: "..."

It’s not even New Year yet—why do you keep kowtowing to me?

I don’t have any red envelopes to give you.

"Mr. Jiang, rest assured... I will make full use of the system. Even if it costs me my life, I’ll stop the evil spirits from invading the mortal realm!"

Great, another loyal worker added to the roster.

Chu Yuan stood up slowly, his face breaking into an ingratiating smile. After pledging loyalty, what came next?

"Mr. Jiang... hehe," he rubbed his hands together.

"Since you created the system... you must have full control over it, right?"

"Hmm? What are you implying?" Jiang Che raised an eyebrow.

"Mr. Jiang, the rewards from my Ironhead System are a bit... underwhelming. Risking life and limb only nets me a few million points, but the prices in the system store are outrageous. Could you... maybe lower the prices? Or give me a raise?"

Oh ho? The employee wants a salary bump?

"Outrageous? Don’t talk nonsense. The prices have stayed the same for years. Maybe you should reflect on whether you’ve been working hard enough!" Jiang Che said flatly.

[Ding! Host has scammed the Chosen One Chu Yuan, earning 40 million points.]

You’re complaining about low pay?

What would the other "leeks" think then?

As a Chosen One, Chu Yuan’s status was incredibly high. Even after Jiang Che’s layers of exploitation, the points he earned were still absurd—millions, even tens of millions per mission!

If not for the fact that Chu Yuan was a cash cow, Jiang Che would’ve cut him down to size long ago.

"Every item you exchange from the system store is deducted from my own reserves. And think about it—what have you actually done for me? I’m practically losing my pants here, and you’re asking for a raise?"

Chu Yuan: "..."

Something felt off, but upon reflection... he really hadn’t done much for Mr. Jiang. System points couldn’t just appear out of thin air, right?

Everything in the universe followed its own laws. If he gained something, Jiang Che must have lost something.

It couldn’t be a win-win—he understood the law of conservation of energy!

Could it be... Mr. Jiang was genuinely operating at a loss to support small fries like them?

Chu Yuan realized he could no longer comprehend Jiang Che at all.

"Return to the original secret realm. I’ve found you a teammate of unshakable resolve. The two of you are crucial to preventing the invasion of the evil spirits in the future."