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]!
【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.)
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
