That was what happened yesterday morning.
Qin Luo drifted from the floating island toward the marketplace, planning to buy groceries as usual.
Though he could have just ordered online for delivery,
Qin Luo still preferred to handpick everything himself.
However,
just as he stepped into the marketplace, he ran into a few familiar faces.
Wang Yong, Jiang Xueqi, Xiao Tian, and Feng Yueke.
The four of them had heavy dark circles under their eyes, their steps unsteady, as if drained of all vitality.
"What happened to you all…?"
Qin Luo raised an eyebrow. "Did you pull an all-nighter training?"
"De—Dean!!"
Xiao Tian let out a wail and threw himself at Qin Luo, clinging to his leg. "W-we—we saw a ghost in the mental hospital last night!!"
"A ghost?"
Qin Luo paused. "In this vast world, there are still ghosts?"
"Not just any ghost!"
Jiang Xueqi's face was pale, her voice trembling. "It was… the kind you can’t see, but you can feel it staring at you…"
Qin Luo frowned. "Are you sure you weren’t just dreaming?"
The mental hospital was eerie, sure, but he had checked it before—there were no evil spirits there.
Besides, that place was connected to the Heavenly Dao. What ghost would dare enter?
"W-we’re serious!"
Wang Yong hugged himself, shivering. "Q-Qin… Master Qin…"
"Last night, my junior sister and I went to inspect the rooms, but then…"
"Then a person suddenly appeared in the hallway!"
Feng Yueke cut in, her eyes wide with terror. "So we immediately woke up Xiao Tian and Jiang Xueqi, and the four of us went to check together!"
"But… when we went in, there were four of us… and when we came out, there were five sets of footsteps!"
Qin Luo was speechless.
Seriously?
Are you all out of your minds? You knew there was a ghost, and you still went to inspect the rooms? And not only that, you dragged Xiao Tian and Jiang Xueqi along with you?
In a horror movie, you’d be the first to die.
Hilarious.
"Take me there."
Qin Luo hadn’t visited the mental hospital since arriving in this vast world.
A short while later,
Qin Luo and the others arrived at the edge of the Netherfrost Divine Realm.
Looking up at the mental hospital, its exterior was dilapidated and gloomy, vines crawling up the walls, the iron gate rusted and barely standing.
But when they pushed the door open—
"Oh?"
Qin Luo was surprised.
The interior was extravagantly luxurious!
A crystal chandelier cast warm light, the marble floors gleamed, the hallway was lined with priceless paintings, and a faint scent of incense lingered in the air.
"Did you… renovate the mental hospital?"
"Not us!"
Wang Yong shook his head. "It turned into this a few days ago after we returned from the Great Thousand Battlefield. Doctor Ya said it might be the influence of the world’s rules, causing the building to… ‘evolve.’"
Qin Luo pondered.
A place where the Chosen gathered, nourished by fate’s energy—it was possible.
Besides… if Doctor Ya was involved, that explained a lot.
Just then, Xiao Tian suddenly grabbed his sleeve, trembling. "D-Dean… it’s here again!"
"I—I feel cold! It must be here!"
"Hm?"
Qin Luo glanced around.
Then, as if realizing something,
he turned to look behind him.
Qin Luo narrowed his eyes.
There,
a small hand was clutching the hem of his sleeve.
Looking back at Xiao Tian and the others,
their faces were deathly pale, their lips purple.
Clearly, they had been tainted by malevolent energy.
"Leave first," Qin Luo said softly.
The four of them bolted like their lives depended on it.
Once they were gone, Qin Luo turned to the empty hallway and spoke gently:
"Little one, do you need something from me?"
His [Heavenly Eye] could perceive the unseen, so he could see spirits.
At the same time, his constitution repelled all evil entities.
Any spirit with ill intent couldn’t approach him.
Unless…
the spirit meant him no harm.
Silence.
A few seconds later, the air rippled slightly, and a petite figure slowly materialized.
Dressed in white, with long black hair, barefoot and floating three inches off the ground, her face as pale as paper—but her eyes were clear, devoid of malice.
A little girl in a white dress stood behind Qin Luo.
She tilted her head, staring intently at him.
"You… can see me?"
The girl blinked. "So… the rumors are true…"
"I can," Qin Luo nodded. "You know me? What rumors?"
Hearing this,
the girl’s eyes lit up. "The spirit world is buzzing about you! They say there’s a big brother named Qin Luo who helps ghosts fulfill their wishes!"
Qin Luo: "…"
Well, damn. He had a reputation in the supernatural community?
Though, to be fair, he did run into these things often.
"What’s your name? What do you need help with?"
"I’m Little He,"
the girl murmured, lightly tapping her toes against the floor. "I got separated from my grandpa… I can’t find my way home."
"Where’s your home?"
"By a small river… there’s a wooden boat. Grandpa always waits for me there…"
Qin Luo closed his eyes, performing a quick divination. After a moment, he smiled. "I’ll take you there tomorrow, alright? Today, I have to accompany the young miss."
Little He nodded obediently. "Okay!"
With that, her figure gradually faded away.
The next morning,
Qin Luo prepared meals in the fridge, left a note, and headed to the mental hospital alone.
Little He was already waiting at the entrance. When she saw him, she floated over happily.
"Let’s go."
Qin Luo took her icy little hand and flew in the direction his divination had pointed.
They passed through withered forests, crossed barren mountains, and finally stopped before a dry riverbed.
Along the way, Qin Luo even replied to a message from Su Muwan, amused.
Since when did the young miss wake up early to cook? How rare.
"Is this the place?"
Little He shook her head. "No… but Grandpa is here!"
She pulled free from Qin Luo’s grip and ran toward the center of the riverbed.
Qin Luo focused his gaze—
There, in the middle of the riverbed, stood a rickety wooden boat that hadn’t been there before.
At the bow was an old man in a straw raincoat, his face kind but just as pale as Little He’s.
"Grandpa!"
Little He threw herself into the old man’s arms.
Looking up, she beamed. "I like Qin Luo big brother!! So, so much!!"
The old man chuckled, patting her head before turning to Qin Luo with a grateful smile. "Thank you, young friend, for bringing my granddaughter home."
Qin Luo cupped his hands in respect. "It was nothing."
The next moment,
the old man reached into his robe and tossed something to Qin Luo—
A pitch-black token engraved with two words: [Nether River].
"If you’re ever interested, come visit the Nether River."
"With this token, you may pass freely!"
Before Qin Luo could respond, the scenery around him shifted violently!
Whoosh!
The withered trees, the riverbed, the wooden boat—all vanished!
Even the morning light had inexplicably turned into the dead of night!
??
Seriously? Spirits just come and go like that?
Qin Luo stood in the dark wilderness, the token icy in his palm.
"Nether River…"
He muttered the name, feeling like he’d heard it somewhere before.
Nether River… Nether River…
Then it hit him.
The Ferryman of the Nether River?!
That Nether River Sovereign?!
Qin Luo’s lips twitched. He pocketed the token.
No way it’s that much of a coincidence…
As he left,
far away, the branches of the Tree of Fate swayed without wind.
A golden silhouette slowly materialized, its gaze solemn as it watched Qin Luo and the spirit’s direction.
"The aura of the Lord of the Styx... Why is the Styx faction involved now?"
The golden shadow murmured, its tone laced with deep apprehension.
"This... complicates things immensely."
Now, all three factions had made their appearance.
The Heavenly Dao, the Abominations, and the Styx.
Sigh...
Original, did your script account for so many players?
Judging by the situation, the other two sides seem to want Qin Luo as well.
The mere thought of that peculiar Janitor made the golden shadow sigh softly.
Qin Luo... You truly are the most unique existence.
It's just a shame you were never destined to live an ordinary life.
And the one by your side... was never meant to stay with you.
After all...
She's nothing more than a Daughter of Destiny tainted by villainous fortune.
How could you possibly hold onto her...
amidst the struggle of so many forces?
......
......
Back to the present.
"So, that's everything that happened today... Uh, Young Mistress, are you okay?"
As Qin Luo spoke, he suddenly noticed Su Muwan had curled up under the blankets, trembling, only her pale face peeking out.
Tears welled in her eyes as she wailed, "You stupid Qin Luo! Why did you have to scare me with ghost stories, waaahhh!!"
"Get in here and sleep with me right now!"
"Huh? Young Mistress, I haven't even showered yet."
"Who cares! You're holding me tonight!"
"Alright, alright~~"
Hmm.
A young mistress afraid of ghosts—utterly adorable, no matter what!
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
] [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!"
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
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.”
