Xiao Yike looked utterly dumbfounded, gripping the dagger in disbelief. "Boss, is this really yours?"
The middle-aged man was so furious he nearly spat blood. "This is outright robbery!"
An Yi sneered arrogantly. "Then why keep yapping about it?"
The middle-aged man:
Whoosh!
A black longsword suddenly materialized in An Yi's hand.
His eyes gleamed with arrogance. "Will you leave on your own, or do I have to beat you until you roll away?"
The man's face twisted with indignation, but he swallowed his pride and turned to leave.
Stay calm. Don’t lose your temper.
As a respected elder of a prestigious orthodox sect, he had reached the Hua Jin realm and ranked around 120th on the Heavenly Leaderboard. He was the face of his sect.
If he were killed here by this brat, his sect might as well disband.
Better a live coward than a dead hero.
When Xiao Yike saw An Yi again, he flashed a shy smile. "Boss, here’s the dagger. I don’t know how to use one—I’m a swordsman."
An Yi took the dagger and stored it in his spatial pouch, waving his hand dismissively. "No, no, this isn’t right. I can’t take it."
Xiao Yike insisted. "You’re my boss. It’s only right to offer you tribute. Besides, I really don’t use daggers."
"Alright then, if you insist. I’m a bit embarrassed, though," An Yi chuckled.
Suddenly—
A crimson glow flared in Xiao Yike’s eyes again as he snarled, "You bastard! Hand over the dagger! How dare you steal from me?!"
Clang!
An Yi blocked the heavy saber with his sword, his expression darkening.
His aura’s grown stronger.
If they fought now, An Yi couldn’t confidently say he could stop Xiao Yike’s strike with just two fingers.
Xiao Yike smirked coldly. "I underestimated you last night when you kicked me in the face. But this time, I won’t hold back. Die, you scum!"
As he spoke—
The saber slashed down again!
An Yi raised his sword to parry.
Though An Yi was also at the Hua Jin realm, he couldn’t instantly overpower Xiao Yike, who was at the same level.
Clang!
An Yi struck first, his sword cleaving through the air.
Xiao Yike blocked with his saber but was forced back several steps.
"Boss, I—uh, sorry about that."
The crimson in his eyes faded, replaced by his timid, hesitant demeanor. "This place is dangerous. How about we team up?"
"Turn around and get lost!"
An Yi kicked him away without hesitation.
This guy’s dual personalities are too unstable. He’s a liability.
Pulling out the dagger engraved with "Soulless," An Yi felt a surge of awe.
This is impressive.
The blade radiated a sharp, bloodthirsty aura, like a beast craving carnage.
It was saturated with bloodlust!
Perhaps from being nurtured in this scorching world for so long, the dagger had developed a faint sentience. When An Yi channeled his energy into it, the blade grew searing hot.
Its killing intent sharpened, its malevolence terrifying.
What kind of monster owned this dagger in its past life?
"Interesting. Even someone this strong ended up dying here?"
An Yi raised an eyebrow, studying the shattered skeleton.
Time had eroded any identifiable traces, leaving little evidence of the person’s identity.
Holding the Soulless dagger, An Yi addressed the remains coolly. "I’m taking the dagger. Thanks."
As his battles grew fiercer, his old combat knife—worth a mere 100,000—could no longer keep up.
His enemies wielded weapons forged by master craftsmen, while his knife’s inferior material would shatter on impact.
This Soulless dagger was the perfect replacement.
Descending further down the stone steps, An Yi grew more cautious.
Above him, eerie, pterodactyl-like birds circled the sky, their leathery wings flapping as they screeched warnings.
Though they hadn’t attacked yet, their cries felt like a looming threat.
An Yi hesitated, his air blade at the ready, but ultimately held back.
Who knows what else lurks here? Better not provoke anything.
The steps seemed endless, stretching into an abyss that even An Yi found unnerving.
What the hell is down there?
Without hesitation, he pressed on.
Then—he froze.
The steps ended at a flat plateau.
Ahead, carved into the rock face, stood a stone hall.
An actual stone hall!
Crude and haphazardly constructed, its only remarkable feature was its massive scale.
"Fascinating."
A smirk tugged at An Yi’s lips. Sensing secrets within, he strode forward.
Suddenly—
A figure shot out from the hall, hurtling toward him.
A feminine voice shrieked, "An Yi, catch me!"
An Yi glanced up and swiftly reached out, bracing against the impact.
The force was so strong his feet cracked the ground before he steadied himself.
Soft. Tender. Voluptuous.
Miss Yan’s figure is truly exceptional.
Yan Zhi lay pale and trembling in An Yi’s arms, drenched in cold sweat.
Regaining her senses, she gasped, "Thank heavens you’re here. I’d have been doomed otherwise."
She shuddered, glancing at the sheer cliff behind her.
A fall would have sent her plunging into the molten lava below—certain death.
"What happened?" An Yi asked.
Yan Zhi slipped out of his embrace, her expression grave. "There’s a Fire Ghost inside. A terrifying one!"
"A ghost?"
An Yi was baffled.
Ghosts don’t exist.
Neither in this world nor his original one had he ever encountered such a thing.
"Don’t go in. We need to run—now!" Yan Zhi urged, gripping his arm tightly.
An Yi shrugged. "I’d love to, but I think it’s too late."
Thud.
Thud.
A figure wreathed in flames emerged from the hall, its footsteps heavy and deliberate.
With a casual flick, it tossed out a charred, blackened corpse.
Yan Zhi winced in pity.
The corpse belonged to a martial artist ranked 103rd on the Heavenly Leaderboard. He had encountered the flaming entity just before her.
In mere moments, he’d been reduced to this.
An Yi tensed. The Fire Ghost’s aura was overwhelming—so powerful it was horrifying.
Its strength was unreadable, but the sheer pressure it exuded was paralyzing.
An Yi’s gaze turned icy.
His black ring morphed into the Dragon Fang Demon Sword, materializing in his grip.
Yan Zhi’s eyes sharpened as a silver whip appeared in her hand. "We fight it together!"
The Fire Ghost had no discernible features, yet An Yi could feel its gaze locked onto him.
Realization struck. He quickly drew the Soulless dagger.
Sure enough, the blade pulsed with a crimson glow, resonating with the Fire Ghost.
Yan Zhi’s eyes widened in shock. "The divine weapon Soulless! How do you have it?!"
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!
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
] [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!"
