Next came the second round of the arena matches.
Only twenty-four contestants remained, and the drawing of lots proceeded quickly! They were divided into twelve groups!
Oh, I'm in group one.
An Yi cupped his large hand, looking at the extremely slender lot drawn in his palm.
What a coincidence, so am I!
Via of the Ghost Hand clan passed by, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth: Minotaur, you'd better pray for good fortune.
My opponent is that guy named Hu Fei.
Tu Langlang whispered: I heard him call out that he was in group seven just now.
Langlang, fight if you can, surrender if you can't. An Yi patted his shoulder and said.
Tu Langlang nodded solemnly: Okay.
After a short rest, the second round of arena matches in the afternoon began.
Arena, Group One.
An Yi stepped onto the platform. Via was already there, flexing his thick arms in wait.
Heh, interesting. I never thought a scene fit for the finals would have us meeting ahead of time.
Via said quietly.
He could tell that this ugly minotaur was undoubtedly the strongest among the many martial artists present!
Only this minotaur barely qualified as his opponent.
An Yi raised an eyebrow.
To be honest, this guy with the big rough hands did have some skill.
The scene from before, where he crushed a Level 4 demon beast with one hand, was still vivid in An Yi's mind.
Want to make a bet! Via grinned.
An Yi raised an eyebrow: Bet what?
If I win, you become my subordinate and return to the Ghost Hand clan with me!
Via said seriously.
Hearing this, An Yi broke out in a cold sweat!
No way, even looking like this, someone still covets his good looks, and it's a man!
An Yi asked curiously: And if you lose?
Via, brimming with confidence, said arrogantly: I can't possibly lose!
An Yi: ...
Ding! Triggered mission [Recruit the Ghost Hand Clan]! Mission reward: Evil Power Value +20! [Primary Dark Spirit Arts Proficiency]!
The system's voice sounded.
An Yi chuckled lightly: In that case, if you lose, become my subordinate.
An absurd wager, but I'm willing to try.
Via said, then waved his hand and clenched his fist. His entire pitch-black arm swelled to an enormous size, his fist reaching half a meter in diameter!
Seeing this, Murong Qinghong's breathing became rapid.
This is the Ghost Hand clan, born with the innate ability to control dark spiritual power! They are natural-born warriors!
Facing an unarmed opponent, An Yi naturally wouldn't take advantage.
So, he took out a handful of steel needles and scattered them.
Streaks of steel needles shot forth, dense as a curtain of rain!
Despicable!
Via's eyes turned icy. He opened his large hand, forming it like a shield.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The dense needles struck the large hand.
A flicker of coldness passed through Via's eyes.
No one would expect such a large, bulky guy to use hidden weapons, such underhanded and sneaky tricks.
Just then, Via's hair stood on end.
Without thinking, he turned and threw a punch!
Thud!
The dagger clashed with the fist. Via's body was forced back, sliding over ten meters before he slowly came to a stop.
A miscalculation. An Yi sighed slightly.
A sneak attack from behind undoubtedly maximized damage, but martial artists generally knew that exposing your back to an opponent was akin to suicide.
An opponent of Via's caliber didn't give An Yi that chance.
Via's expression darkened. He clenched his fist and struck the ground!
Threads of coiling dark spiritual power, like long snakes, swept towards An Yi.
The sharp dark spiritual power was quite intimidating!
Whoa!
An Yi let out a shout. Bound by the dark spiritual power, he was completely immobilized.
Good!
Murong Qinghong's eyes lit up, a smile appearing.
Via laughed proudly: Minotaur Chen! It's not too late to surrender!
Comfortable!
The corners of An Yi's mouth turned up in a smile as he murmured softly: Devour!
Wisps of dark spiritual power flowed along his arm, slowly surging into him, black light swirling around his body.
In that instant, Via's expression changed dramatically.
Because he discovered that the dark spiritual power he had released had vanished!
You... what did you do! Via's face looked strange as he demanded.
He never expected that An Yi could somehow erase his spiritual power without a trace!
An Yi grinned, revealing a wicked smile.
Unfortunately, in his current minotaur form, it looked indescribably terrifying.
Devour was a unique skill of the Night Gate!
For dark spiritual power of the same attribute, devouring it was almost too easy, especially when the opponent's strength was lower than his own!
Via felt a vague sense of unease. With a loud roar, he charged forward.
Then, a chill ran down his neck.
A crimson dagger was pressed against his throat.
Take one more step, and you die. An Yi said calmly.
The Soul-Severing Dagger wasn't exactly short, but in his large hand, it looked like he was holding a toothpick, creating an indescribably comical scene.
Via's expression calmed. He said in a low voice: I've lost.
Outside the arena, a Heavenly Palace martial artist announced loudly: Group One! Victor decided, winner: Minotaur Chen!
Seeing this, Murong Qinghong stood up angrily and left the arena.
Xu Kang noticed this and sighed slightly.
Barring any surprises, this minotaur had a high chance of winning the championship outright!
Tsk tsk, now that would be interesting.
Ding! Mission [Recruit the Ghost Hand Clan] completed!
Ding! Evil Power Value +20! Obtained [Primary Dark Spirit Arts Proficiency]!
The sound of the mission completion left An Yi momentarily confused.
Didn't it say recruit the Ghost Hand clan!
May I ask, how many people are left in your Ghost Hand clan? An Yi asked curiously.
Via's eyes dimmed. He said somberly: They all died in battle. I'm the only one left!
An Yi: ...
This system reward was actually pretty good.
[Primary Dark Spirit Arts Proficiency]!
An Yi clicked to view it, and his smile froze.
It was all stuff he had learned as a kid!
The system rewarded him with nothing new!
On another side.
Gu Changfeng remained dashing as ever.
Although his strength wasn't particularly impressive, he was fortunate that the opponents he encountered weren't too strong.
Hua Fengyu had a somewhat tough fight but ultimately defeated a talented disciple from the Plum Blossom Manor at the cost of minor injuries.
Only Tu Langlang's fight was difficult, and it still hadn't ended.
His opponent was Hu Fei!
The young master of the Evil Dragon Gang, a Void Realm peak martial artist, whose strength completely overpowered Tu Langlang's.
Relying on his outstanding speed, Hu Fei attacked Tu Langlang relentlessly with his twin blades.
Tu Langlang's hands were wreathed in black light. He actually used his bare hands to block the attacks!
Little guy, why don't you fight back?
Hu Fei grinned, his blades striking faster and faster. But Tu Langlang still chose passive defense, steady and terrifyingly calm.
In contrast, Hu Fei, unable to break through after prolonged attacks, grew anxious, his blade technique becoming disordered!
Tu Langlang seized the opportunity, dark spiritual power coalescing into a sphere in his hands.
Shadow Sphere!
Tu Langlang blocked Hu Fei's blades with his hands, dark spiritual power gathering in his fist.
Weakening Force!
Tu Langlang's eyes focused with black light.
Hu Fei instantly felt his body grow weak, unable to muster any strength.
Shadow Slash!
Tu Langlang's eyes flashed sharply. The sphere in his hand transformed into two black, blade-like streaks that shot out swiftly!
Sslash!
Blood spurted from Hu Fei's chest as he fell heavily wounded!
Noticing this, An Yi was stunned.
He only now realized that this little demon brother of his seemed... not so simple!
In Huangcheng, within the Heavenly Palace dungeon.
Click!
Murong Qinghong unlocked a cell door.
Inside, a lean young man about two meters tall was imprisoned.
At the moment, the young man was sitting cross-legged on the floor, meditating with his eyes closed. Beside him lay a massive black axe.
The chains on his arms made it clear he was imprisoned.
Big guy, it's your turn to act. I'll grant you your freedom.
Murong Qinghong said leisurely.
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)
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
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.
