The ferocious demon beasts glared at the martial artists outside the cages, their teeth gnawing at the iron bars.
They had been starved for too long, driven to the brink of madness, and were at their most savage.
Many martial artists were already beginning to have second thoughts.
"If anyone wishes to withdraw, now is the time," Xu Kang said leisurely.
Immediately after, another small group of martial artists chose to forfeit.
Most of them didn't even possess Void Realm strength. The chance of death fighting a Level 4 demon beast was high; it wasn't worth losing their lives here.
Xu Kang looked at the remaining group of young martial artists in the training ground and said calmly, "The qualifying round begins!"
Instantly, the gates of the tall iron cages swung open.
A multitude of demon beasts of all shapes and sizes broke free from their shackles and rushed out wildly.
"All Level 4 demon beasts... isn't that a bit too cruel?" Xu Kang whispered in inquiry.
"Reaching the Void Force stage under thirty is already a rare feat in itself.
Frankly speaking, the people on this training ground undoubtedly represent gathered talents from all over the Immortal Sects."
Murong Qinghong said indifferently, "It's fine. If they can't even manage this, what qualifications do they have to be my man!"
Hearing this, Xu Kang could only show a wry smile.
Murong Qinghong's gaze was fixed on An Yi, her beautiful eyes rippling with emotion.
She was watching An Yi not because she held him in high regard, but precisely because she feared he would qualify.
"Who knows how he grew like that! Such a huge, ugly, terrifying minotaur... just looking at him would give anyone nightmares. If he were to be by my pillow in the future..."
Murong Qinghong shuddered.
"I'll go first!"
Gu Changfeng took the lead, his clear, cold long sword flashing out.
A sword aura slashed at the head of a white lion.
The white lion retreated a step, roared, and swiped its sharp claws, striking Gu Changfeng's blade.
Gu Changfeng executed the Flowing Cloud Steps, his movements unpredictable. He circled around the white lion, found an opening, and delivered a horizontal slash with his sword.
The white lion's neck was sliced open, blood immediately spraying forth as it collapsed.
A smile appeared at the corner of Gu Changfeng's mouth. "Got it."
"Flowing Cloud Steps! Could he be a disciple of the Heavenly Mystery Sect?" Murong Qinghong showed a hint of appreciation. "A graceful young master in white robes... not bad at all.
Although this person seems somewhat effeminate, his looks are still acceptable."
Xu Kang nodded slightly. "Indeed, he's quite capable. To have reached the mid Void Realm at such a young age."
On another side, Hua Fengyu's folding fan transformed into an iron blade, cleaving a cat demon in two.
"This person is named Hua Fengyu, the son of Hua Zhenglong from the Floral Gate..."
Xu Kang introduced, but then, seeing Murong Qinghong's expression, he wisely fell silent.
He remembered something: Hua Zhenglong knew the Palace Master and, if he recalled correctly, even had to call her 'Senior Sister'.
Getting involved with his son would be very awkward!
Why did it have to be young men under thirty!?
Elsewhere, Via of the Ghost Hand Clan, his pitch-black right arm swelled to immense proportions.
His fingers, especially, became thick and enormous.
A mischievous monkey didn't even have time to leap before his large hand clamped around its head.
Crack!
The monkey's skull shattered, and it slumped softly to the ground.
Murong Qinghong examined his fingers and nodded slightly.
"To reach the Void Realm peak before thirty... his talent is simply terrifying."
The chieftain of the Flame Tribe, a young man with dark skin, waved his hand, and flames swirled around.
Two avian demon beasts shrieked as they died, scorched by the blazing inferno.
A flicker of appreciation appeared in Murong Qinghong's eyes.
"Fire Spiritual Vein! Early Spirit Gathering stage!
He's actually an innate spiritual vein martial artist!"
Thud!
The young master of the Evil Dragon Gang, Hu Fei, swept his staff, striking a giant eagle, a look of satisfaction on his face.
It clearly wasn't difficult for him.
Murong Qinghong frowned. "How old is this child?"
Xu Kang replied, "The physician's bone age test says nineteen!"
Murong Qinghong raised an eyebrow.
Normally, at nineteen... she probably had a son who would be over twenty by now.
"I got one too!"
Tu Langlang clutched a spirit core, saying joyfully.
Murong Qinghong saw the even younger Tu Langlang, with his cute, baby-faced appearance, and a dark line appeared on her forehead.
Hum!
A Sanskrit chant resounded!
Three squirrels were instantly slain, blood splattering.
Killing three Level 4 demon beasts with one move, this monk truly attracted everyone's attention.
"Amitabha!"
The monk laid down his slaughtering blade, retrieved the spirit cores, and stepped over the corpses of the three squirrels.
The crowd was shocked.
Murong Qinghong narrowed her eyes, her gaze turning cold. She said slowly, "If I'm not mistaken, this young master is Dharma Protector Mi's disciple, correct?"
Cold sweat beaded on Xu Kang's forehead as he stammered, "That's correct..."
The Heavenly Palace had four great Dharma Protectors: Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian, and Military.
Among them, the Joyful Buddha, Mi Huan, was the chief of the four. This young monk, Wu Chen, was Mi Huan's disciple.
Murong Qinghong's face grew even more unpleasant.
A monk participating in a marriage contest was one thing, but the key issue was that he was actually one of their own!
Xu Kang, usually calm and collected, found that the cold sweat on his forehead hadn't stopped all day.
"What's wrong with one of our own?
Keep the benefits within the family, as they say..."
Over here, Han Liang fought with both wit and courage, spearing a hyena demon beast through its rear with his spear, also securing a spirit core.
Murong Qinghong frowned slightly, finally turning her gaze to An Yi.
She had endured this ugly, hulking minotaur for too long.
Perhaps because of the minotaur's large size, five grey wolves instantly surrounded him.
Murong Qinghong's eyebrows lifted with delight.
Forget five Level 4 grey wolves; even two Level 4 grey wolves together would be more than a Void Force peak practitioner could handle.
Just then, An Yi, who had been standing there, finally moved.
He drew a black-and-gold heavy sword.
And swung it!
He had no experience with heavy swords. However, a long time ago, he had successfully assimilated the memories of the bearded man, Ito Jiro, mastering the use of broadswords.
Therefore, wielding the heavy sword gave him a feeling of grasping a new skill through association with an old one.
Two grey wolves charged at him head-on.
An Yi swung the heavy sword in a horizontal slash, sending one flying.
The sword's momentum shifted, and the force actually swept up the other grey wolf.
"Void Realm peak!"
Murong Qinghong's eyes turned sharp.
She seemed not to have expected the minotaur's strength to be so terrifying.
An Yi grinned, channeling force into the heavy sword. Having used it for the past two days, he actually felt himself becoming more and more adept with it.
Ding! Congratulations, host, on comprehending [Heavy Sword Proficiency Lv1]!
The system's voice sounded slowly.
Hearing it, An Yi's face lit up with joy. "Level it up for me!"
Ding! [Heavy Sword Proficiency] has reached Lv2!
Ding! [Heavy Sword Proficiency] has reached Lv3! Unlocked skill [Killing Intent (Passive Skill)]!
[Killing Intent (Passive Skill)]
Skill Introduction: Deals 10% additional damage to opponents whose strength level is lower than your own!
An Yi grinned widely.
A godly skill for bullying the weak!
Swinging the greatsword, sparks of lightning flickered around An Yi.
"Wolf pups, your grandpa is here!"
With An Yi's thunderous roar.
The remaining three wolves' legs went weak with fear.
The heavy sword swept horizontally, wreathed in purple lightning, cleaving through the air!
All five Level 4 grey wolves were slain!
An Yi's actions immediately drew frequent sidelong glances from the other martial artists.
No one had expected this minotaur to be not only terrifying in appearance but also terrifying in strength.
Hu Fei rested his staff on his shoulder and grinned. "This minotaur is a good opponent."
Via of the Ghost Hand Clan looked on with disdain, his fist clenched tightly.
Elsewhere, a seemingly low-key man lowered the brim of his hat, shot a cold smile at An Yi, and then melted back into the crowd.
Xu Kang sighed with emotion. "It seems the favorites to win the championship have emerged."
Murong Qinghong's eyes seemed to spit fire, her delicate hands clenched into tight fists.
This matchmaking event had now seemingly turned into a complete and utter farce!
. 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!"
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."
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)
] [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!"
