"This is truly bizarre—where have all the disciples of the Lingxiao Sect gone?"
Nine Nether Venerable Liu Ming stared gloomily at the empty lecture hall.
For the past week, for reasons unknown, fewer and fewer disciples had been attending his classes.
By today, only a mere handful remained.
Worse yet, these students seemed utterly disinterested in his teachings.
Even his signature ghostly scares failed to elicit any reaction.
"This can't go on…"
Thinking of his agreement with Nangong Yuan, Liu Ming frowned.
If the number of attending disciples remained this low, his compensation would be pitifully meager!
This was unacceptable!
With that in mind, he hurried to Li Fire Peak to seek out Nangong Yuan.
"Elder Nangong, your Lingxiao Sect disciples are far too lazy! The course isn’t even halfway done, yet they’ve stopped attending… as if they have no respect for this teacher!"
Nine Nether Venerable launched into a tirade the moment he arrived, berating the disciples’ negligence.
"Ah, that matter… it might be due to that rebellious disciple’s illusion realm. Rumor has it the sect’s disciples spend their days inside, studying ghosts and the like."
Nangong Yuan didn’t bother hiding the truth, openly sharing the information with Liu Ming.
There was no point in secrecy—anyone who cared to ask around would uncover the news easily.
Clearly, Liu Ming hadn’t been particularly invested in his teaching duties.
"Illusion realm? Preposterous!"
Nine Nether Venerable’s temper flared.
"You think some sham illusion can temper their minds? The Lingxiao Sect has lost all sense of reason!"
"Elder Nangong, it’s not as if my lessons lack substance… If your disciples refuse to attend, that’s hardly my fault!"
Hearing this, Nangong Yuan nearly laughed in exasperation.
Back then, he’d offered Liu Ming two payment options: a fixed sum upfront, or a variable rate based on class attendance and student numbers.
Liu Ming had chosen the latter, hoping to earn more—and now he regretted it?
"Our contract was agreed upon beforehand…"
Nangong Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone cooling.
"Tch…"
Liu Ming faltered.
"Besides, my rebellious disciple’s illusion realm might not be without merit."
Nangong Yuan stroked his beard.
He recalled how, a few days prior, he and fellow elders Zhao Wendao and Lin Qingxuan had stubbornly entered the illusion realm, intending to set an example for their lackluster disciples.
That day, countless divine thunderbolts had struck Thunder God Peak.
Many disciples assumed Zhao Wendao was breaking through another bottleneck, unaware that he’d been so terrified by Lu Ze’s illusion realm that he’d forcibly disconnected…
Zhao Wendao had since paid handsomely to silence the three of them, forbidding any leaks…
"Fine then. If this illusion realm proves ineffective, your Lingxiao Sect disciples must be required to attend my classes. Agreed?"
Liu Ming gritted his teeth as he made the proposal.
Nangong Yuan pondered briefly before nodding. "Agreed."
At this, the tension in Liu Ming’s brow finally eased.
"In three days, I’ll hold a midterm examination."
"I’ll fill the barrier with ghosts and obstacles of all kinds…"
"The disciples must find a way out—while their cultivation is sealed!"
……
……
Three days later.
"No… this can’t be!"
Staring at the list of disciples who’d passed the test, Nine Nether Venerable Liu Ming slammed the table in disbelief.
The pass rate was a staggering 95%!
And those who failed his ghost trial were almost exclusively the few who’d attended his classes daily…
These were the most vicious, most terrifying specters he’d accumulated over centuries!
If word got out, wouldn’t he become a laughingstock?
Meanwhile, news of his specially arranged midterm exam had already spread across the forums of Ghostville.
[Nine Nether Venerable’s exam… felt kinda easy?]
[My verdict: less scary than amateur horror]
[Only hard part: no investigation tools. Felt weird not knowing ghost traits.]
[Watching was painful… Do those ghosts even know how to scare people?]
[Those ghosts need to enroll in Ghostville for proper training.]
[Kinda regret buying Liu Ming’s course now… total waste!]
[Ghostville is terrifying! Even Nine Nether Venerable would struggle, I bet…]
……
Liu Ming browsed these posts, his blood pressure skyrocketing.
A Nascent Soul realm soul cultivator like him—dismissed as inferior to some true disciple’s illusion realm?
Unacceptable!
Especially when he stood to leave the Lingxiao Sect empty-handed if he didn’t act…
Desperation gnawed at him.
He had to prove himself.
With that, he posted under his real name:
[This is Nine Nether Venerable. Your so-called Ghostville illusion realm? Even its highest difficulty would be child’s play for me!]
……
……
Server’s core world.
"When will this Heavenly Dao finally get to play as a Ghost Immortal?"
Faced with the Heavenly Dao remnant’s incessant whining, Lu Ze shook his head helplessly.
No helping it—the "Ghost Immortal," an ultimate-tier horror, only appeared in the highest difficulty setting.
And current players…
Couldn’t even handle standard Nightmare difficulty, let alone the highest. The clearance rate barely hit 50%.
No one dared attempt the true challenge.
Just then, Lu Ze spotted a trending post and burst out laughing.
"Guess we’re letting this guy have his fun early."
Chuckling, he entered Nine Nether Venerable’s thread and replied with his main account:
[Realm Master Lu Ze: Very well. You’ll get your wish.]
[P.S. Minor edits made to Nine Nether Venerable’s section (name changed from Du Ming to Liu Ming, and final exam’s purpose removed.)]
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
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!"
