"Long Aoyun, why the hell don't you just call yourself Long Aotian? Even your name sounds punchable."
An Yi yawned, muttering these outrageous words to himself.
To the martial artists of Daxia, the name Long Aoyun was one they dared not speak aloud.
Most addressed him reverently as the "God of War" or the "Master of the Pantheon Hall."
As for someone like An Yi, who even entertained the thought of challenging Long Aoyun—most would wet their pants just considering it.
Scrolling through his phone app, An Yi frowned.
The Hongtian Secret Realm was drawing closer, and even someone as carefree as him was starting to feel the pressure.
The secret realm was perilous beyond measure—describing it as "nine deaths for one survival" wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
A century ago, five hundred people entered, but only one hundred and eight made it out alive.
That was why there were exactly one hundred and eight tokens in existence today.
The secret realm was so dangerous that sect leaders, elders, and other high-ranking figures generally avoided entering.
After all, if a leader or elder were to fall, their entire sect would be crippled.
Without strong protectors, a sect wouldn’t last long.
Because of this, most of the top hundred on the Heavenly Rankings were automatically disqualified.
Those who could enter were mostly rogue cultivators, secondary figures from major sects, or young prodigies—like those on the Hidden Dragon Rankings!
These were the main participants in the Hongtian Secret Realm this time.
Among them, the most notable were the Four Saints of the Enforcement Bureau, the genius disciples from major sects on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, and the heirs of ancient martial families.
Some martial artists who could barely squeeze into the top two hundred of the Heavenly Rankings couldn’t be ignored either.
An Yi calculated his and Lin Chen’s combined strength.
Frankly, it didn’t seem impressive.
Shangguan Qianqian could barely be counted as a combatant, but her actual strength was unclear.
Overall, she wasn’t the best choice.
As for others, Bai Xiu’s strength was solid.
Fang Jueming had been working hard to catch up and was now quite capable.
But inviting them into the secret realm was too risky—they could die.
That was why An Yi had so readily given the token to Shangguan Qianqian in the end.
He simply didn’t have any better options.
Well, actually, there was one person he could bring along—that bespectacled guy whose name An Yi had forgotten.
None of these analyses even mentioned the Asura Gate! What a bunch of blind, worthless writers!
An Yi grumbled internally as he scrolled through the breakdowns of various factions, then yawned and turned off his phone.
His battery was almost dead.
It was nearly 4 a.m., and an hour had passed since he left Shangguan Qianqian’s villa.
His temper had cooled, and he wasn’t as worked up anymore.
Where should he go now?
An Yi was so tired his mind was starting to fog up.
Staying at a hotel was out of the question—that would make him look cowardly!
Screw it, he’d just go home and sleep. What was there to fear from some woman?
An Yi’s courage surged.
He turned the car around and headed home.
Of course, the real issue was the awkwardness of facing Shen Muxuan after what had happened.
After all, that woman was her master.
It definitely wasn’t because he was scared or anything!
He was the leader of the Asura Gate! The boss of An Corporation! How could he be afraid of a woman?
What a joke!
Back at the rental apartment.
Mu Qingyi, exhausted in both body and mind, stepped inside.
Shen Muxuan was fast asleep, sprawled across the entire bed with her limbs tangled in the blankets.
Her stunning face was lit with a faint smile, murmuring something in her dreams.
Mu Qingyi approached and noticed a faint red line, like a blood vessel, becoming more visible on Shen Muxuan’s exposed arm.
"An Yi… Master… Even after I’m gone, you two must be happy…" Shen Muxuan whispered in her sleep.
"Silly girl… Why must you suffer like this?"
Mu Qingyi gently stroked Shen Muxuan’s cheek, her eyes filled with sorrow.
She had no family.
After her master’s death, Shen Muxuan was her only kin—a bond that felt like both a sister and a daughter.
She couldn’t imagine what she’d do if anything happened to Shen Muxuan.
"Mu Xuan… What’s so great about that brat that you’d sacrifice so much for him?"
Mu Qingyi’s voice trembled with grief.
Shen Muxuan’s lifespan had already been short, but now, due to overusing her spiritual energy, it was dwindling even faster.
At this point, even Mu Qingyi didn’t know how much time she had left.
"Sleep well."
Mu Qingyi whispered softly.
Not wanting to disturb her, she got up and headed to An Yi’s room.
An Yi hadn’t returned since leaving yesterday—a full day and night had passed.
He’d run away!
He wouldn’t dare come back even if he had ten lives to spare!
Thinking about last night’s events, Mu Qingyi’s face flushed with anger.
Even though she had been the one to initiate…
That little bastard had tricked her into eating some kind of herb!
In the end, it was all his fault!
Recalling what had happened, Mu Qingyi’s cheeks burned with humiliation.
He was her disciple’s man—how could he have done that to her?!
Her body grew uncomfortably warm, a familiar sensation creeping in.
"Ugh… Another cold shower it is."
After bathing, Mu Qingyi slipped into a nightgown and lay down on An Yi’s bed.
The exhaustion from last night’s "battle" weighed on her, and she quickly fell asleep.
In her drowsy haze…
A pair of hands slid around her waist.
Mu Qingyi’s eyes fluttered open.
Someone was touching her? Who?
These hands definitely didn’t belong to Mu Xuan…
An Yi, having returned to the apartment, was dead tired.
He glanced at Shen Muxuan’s dark, silent room and relaxed.
It was almost 5 a.m., and the sky was starting to brighten—most people would be waking up soon.
Following the principles of energy conservation and not disturbing others’ rest…
An Yi didn’t turn on the lights. He tiptoed into his room, carefully closed the door, and locked it—all without making a sound.
Just as he was about to collapse into bed, he realized someone had already claimed his spot.
"This girl…"
An Yi smirked helplessly.
In the past, if Shen Muxuan had taken his bed, he’d have obediently slept on the floor.
But An Yi—the self-proclaimed "King of the Sea"—wasn’t that naive anymore.
"Idiot. If a girl’s in your bed, shouldn’t you know what she’s thinking?"
He climbed onto the bed, wrapped an arm around the slender waist, and yawned.
"Didn’t I say we’d wait until your master leaves? It’s awkward right now."
"I’m just worried I might hurt her if we fight. Don’t want to put you in a tough spot."
The soft body in his arms stiffened.
An Yi paused. Something felt off.
The texture of her skin wasn’t right.
Shen Muxuan’s skin was smooth and firm, but the body he was holding felt plush and supple—almost familiar, like…
An Yi’s heart pounded with dread, but he desperately hoped he was wrong.
Bracing himself, he let his hand wander upward—
The size was all wrong.
An Yi swallowed hard.
He’d grabbed the wrong person.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
] [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!"
