The appearance of Xiang Chun, the "Snake Dart," undoubtedly cast a heavy pressure over the scene.
Unlike the martial artists who had come before, Xiang Chun had already carved out a fearsome reputation years ago. Even among those at the Dark Force level, few could rival him.
Fu Changchun, the leader of the Surging Waves Palm Sect, wore a grave expression.
Xiang Chun’s strength surpassed his own.
Though this young man had decent skills, he was still too inexperienced—clearly no match for Xiang Chun.
Adding to that was Xiang Chun’s elusive stealth abilities. If he were to obtain the "Nine Dragon-Slaying Swords," no one would be able to take them back from him!
The yellow-robed beauty’s eyes darted around, her thoughts unreadable.
"Oh, so we’ve got a real expert here!"
An Yi grinned, though inwardly he was cursing up a storm.
Damn it, all he wanted was to crush some weaklings and complete that ridiculous "Tyrant" mission!
But now, he’d run into a tough nut to crack!
This guy was clearly not someone to be trifled with.
Things were getting tricky!
Xiang Chun clasped his fists and said coolly, "Snake Dart—Xiang Chun."
Nearby, the two monks, Long and Hu, cheered An Yi on half-heartedly.
"Brother Chen, maybe you should just give up."
"Yeah, losing to the Snake Dart isn’t shameful!"
"Getting turned into a pincushion wouldn’t look good on anyone."
"Right, not good at all."
The two bald monks bantered back and forth, making a vein bulge on An Yi’s forehead.
"I’ve heard of you—the Night Emperor!"
A dagger materialized in Xiang Chun’s hand as he added indifferently, "Compared to that sword technique, I’m actually more interested in you."
Night Emperor?!
The moment those words were spoken, the entire crowd was stunned.
The martial artists stared in disbelief at the shameless-looking young man, their expressions turning grave.
"He’s the Night Emperor who killed the Gourd Immortal?"
The Gourd Immortal had been a figure akin to a patriarch among the dark practitioners, a terror who had dominated the martial world with his overwhelming strength.
For over a century, his reign of brutality had made even infants cease their crying at the mere mention of his name.
Thus, when a lone warrior stormed the Gourd Immortal’s lair and slew him, the name "Night Emperor" shook the Great Xia overnight.
Yet who could have imagined that the legendary Night Emperor would be this young, this sleazy, this despicable?
Feeling the awed gazes of the crowd, An Yi unconsciously straightened his back, sensing something akin to "coolness" radiating from himself.
Who would’ve thought? His reputation as the Night Emperor actually carried weight!
"Night Emperor, since we both wield daggers, how about a little spar?"
Xiang Chun twirled his dagger, his eyes icy.
This was the killing intent unique to assassins—like a venomous serpent lurking in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.
"You’ve got the wrong guy. My name’s Lin Chen. The Night Emperor is dashing and powerful—how could I dare impersonate him?"
An Yi waved his hand modestly.
Hearing this, the martial artists collectively sighed in relief.
"See, I told you! The Night Emperor’s infamous—no way he’s some scrawny brat."
"Doesn’t look the part at all. Lin Chen? Sounds like some third-rate nobody."
At that moment, Xiang Chun moved like the wind, his dagger slashing horizontally.
"Whether you’re the Night Emperor or not, we’ll find out soon enough!"
An Yi gripped his combat dagger and charged forward without hesitation.
Clang!
The two blades collided, sparks flying.
"Not bad," Xiang Chun remarked casually.
Then, with his other hand, he thrust a hidden spike straight for An Yi’s eyes.
The move was vicious—so sudden that the onlookers gasped, their pupils contracting in shock.
Clang!
At the last possible second, An Yi summoned the Dragon Fang Dagger, blocking Xiang Chun’s sneak attack.
"If you don’t get serious, you’ll die."
Xiang Chun smirked, forcefully parrying An Yi’s strike and forcing both of them back a step.
An Yi now held twin daggers—one in a standard grip, the other reversed—his expression solemn.
After just two exchanges, his arms were already numb.
It was clear: this guy’s strength and speed far surpassed his own.
At the Dark Force level, Xiang Chun was likely among the very best.
Even the Dark Daoist he’d fought before would’ve been crushed in comparison!
"Fine. Then I’ll get serious too."
An Yi’s voice was calm.
At the same time, he allocated 100 points of Evil Power Value into strength and speed—the very foundations of combat prowess.
An Yi closed the distance, launching the first offensive.
Xiang Chun met him head-on.
But the moment their blades clashed, Xiang Chun’s expression flickered—this kid’s speed and power had suddenly skyrocketed.
"You were holding back earlier?"
"Still denying you’re the Night Emperor?" Xiang Chun said coldly.
His dagger lashed out relentlessly, targeting An Yi’s throat, heart, and other vital points.
Each strike was ruthless, his assault as relentless as tidal waves.
An Yi countered with his twin daggers, relying on razor-sharp reflexes to hold his ground, turning defense into offense.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The spectators held their breath, tension thick in the air.
The two moved so fast that only blurred afterimages and the sparks from their clashing blades were visible.
Fu Changchun watched, sweat beading on his forehead.
He couldn’t help but feel relieved he hadn’t stepped in earlier—this kid might’ve been more than he could handle.
Losing was one thing, but as the leader of the Surging Waves Palm Sect, being defeated by a twenty-year-old would’ve made it impossible to hold his head high in the martial world again.
As An Yi’s attacks grew fiercer, Xiang Chun’s expression darkened.
"Did this brat start training in the womb? How is he so skilled with daggers?"
The relentless back-and-forth pushed both of them to their limits, their vigilance at its peak.
Both men aimed for each other's vital points—a single strike would be fatal. Neither dared to be careless!
At that moment, Zhang Fan, who had been leaning against the wall playing with his dagger, revealed a sinister smile and quietly moved to ambush An Yi.
Dragon-Slaying Nine Swords!
This was the reward mission assigned by his Poison Master System—he had to complete it.
"Stop!"
Chen Bing's voice rang out behind Zhang Fan as his flexible Spirit Snake Sword appeared from his waist.
Zhang Fan turned his head and glanced at him coldly. "I advise you not to meddle in this."
Chen Bing adjusted his black-framed glasses and said leisurely, "I don’t care who else you kill, but this kid’s life is off-limits."
"Tch!"
Zhang Fan shot Chen Bing a frigid glare but took no further action.
The bespectacled man seemed ordinary, yet Zhang Fan sensed an unsettling, terrifying aura from him.
Swoosh!
Finally, Xiang Chun made the first move, hurling his hidden spike like a dart straight at An Yi’s face.
An Yi reacted swiftly, swinging his dagger to unleash a Qi Slash!
The strike deflected Xiang Chun’s spike.
But then, Xiang Chun’s lips curled into a chilling smirk.
A serpent-shaped dart slid from his waist into his hand, and he launched it in one fluid motion!
"Watch out, bro! Xiang Chun’s a sneaky bastard who specializes in hidden weapons!"
Long noticed Xiang Chun’s suspicious movements and immediately shouted a warning.
Only then did An Yi realize something was off—Xiang Chun had been subtly reaching for his waist, probably preparing a dirty trick!
"Damn it!"
"What a disgrace!"
"We agreed on a dagger duel, and you resort to underhanded tricks like hidden weapons?!"
"Does your conscience even exist?!"
Furious, An Yi discreetly tucked away the steel needles he had prepared in his sleeve.
If his opponent was a hidden weapons expert, his own amateurish skills wouldn’t cut it.
In that case—
System, pour all my remaining Evil Power Value into [Hidden Weapons Mastery]!
In that split second, An Yi communicated with his system at lightning speed.
Ding! Congratulations, host! [Hidden Weapons Mastery] has reached Lv. 3, unlocking the skill [Heart-Seeker Finger]!
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.
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!
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
