The tower master of the poacher's tower wasn't actually that difficult.
After a few rounds of skirmishing, the four of them won the battle fairly smoothly.
"What a shame!"
Zhou Qiaoling let out a sigh, lamenting that Zuo Yi's outfit couldn't be dropped as loot.
"What a shame!"
Mu Yawen also sighed along, lamenting that the Pal Sphere thrown at Zuo Yi's Thundercaller Bear had no effect at all—it just bounced right off.
"What a shame!"
Zhou Yue shook his head too, lamenting that the Thundercaller Bear hadn't managed to electrocute Zhong Yi to death.
"...So what exactly are you all lamenting about?!"
The corner of Zhong Yi's mouth twitched.
The battle victory wasn't without rewards, though.
It just wasn't equipment or clothing—it was a pink glowing orb.
Zhong Yi extended his palm, and the orb transformed into a round sphere resembling a Pal Sphere, dropping into his hand.
"An Envy Key Sphere? An ancient relic? Maybe a key item for activating a formation?"
Zhong Yi curiously picked up the Envy Key Sphere and inspected it.
"I got one too."
"I've got one as well!"
"Can this catch Pals? It doesn't seem to be throwable."
The other three also received the same reward.
Before they could examine it more closely, the four were teleported outside the tower.
"What is this thing exactly? How about we go ask the village chief?"
Zhong Yi curiously studied the finely crafted little trinket and, with questions in mind, returned to the small village.
When the old village chief learned that Zhong Yi and the others had defeated Zuo Yi, he looked absolutely stunned.
After all, on an island full of beginner-level Pals, the Thundercaller Bear tamed by Zuo Yi was undoubtedly the top predator.
"Chief, do you know what this is?"
Zhong Yi pulled out the Envy Key Sphere and held it out to the village chief.
The old chief's pupils sharply contracted.
"Where did you get this?"
"We picked it up off Miss Zuo after beating her."
Zhong Yi answered truthfully.
"This..."
The old chief hesitated, his gaze flickering vaguely toward Zhou Qiaoling, as if something had suddenly crossed his mind.
"Picking up other people's things is immoral..."
"Why are you looking at me?! Everyone picked one up, alright!"
Zhou Qiaoling said with full confidence.
The old chief pulled a pair of reading glasses from his pocket, put them on, and examined the sphere for a long time.
"If I'm not mistaken... this should be the Key Sphere recorded in ancient texts."
"Say something we don't already know?"
"Rumor has it there are multiple Key Spheres; I'm not sure which one this is..."
"It's Envy! Envy!"
"Regardless of which one it is, this is something of utmost importance. The Pal Spheres you all carry are actually just inferior imitations made in the Key Sphere's likeness."
"Are you even listening to us?!"
"In any case, I don't know the specifics. Why not go ask Miss Zuo herself?"
"...If you'd just said that from the start!!!"
The conversation between Zhong Yi and the old village chief had the live-stream chat rolling with laughter.
[Talk about saying a lot without saying anything]
[Top-tier nonsense literature right here]
[Feels like Old Devil Lu put all his effort into making the Pals this time; these villagers aren't nearly as smart]
[Who says? I think Zuo Yi is pretty sharp, seems just like a real person]
...
The four of them headed back, planning to find Zuo Yi and get some answers.
After all, their base was right below the poacher's tower anyway.
Zhong Yi initially thought they'd have to enter the tower and challenge her again. But when they got back to the base, they saw a figure standing at the foot of the tower.
It was none other than Zuo Yi, who had been so arrogant just moments ago.
"Hmph! You lot actually dare to come back!"
The moment they drew near, Zuo Yi lifted her chin and put on a look of utter disdain.
"I only lost because I let my guard down for a second—it's not like I truly lost to a bunch of nobodies like you!"
"That woman... her tone sounds oddly familiar..."
Zhong Yi muttered under his breath, then pulled the Envy Key Orb out of his backpack.
"Isn't that... my key orb?"
Zuo Yi covered her mouth in surprise, then shot Zhong Yi a look tinged with contempt.
"So you stole it while I was passed out? You look like an upright gentleman, but your methods are just as low-class as your personality!"
The corner of Zhong Yi's mouth twitched. "You better watch your mouth, kid... You're the one who dropped it yourself!!"
"Forget it, you don't have to give it back. It's yours now."
Zuo Yi pouted her lips, seemingly not all that bothered.
"It's called a Key Orb. They say each of the eight towers on this island seals one inside—this is just one of them."
"Father once said that Key Orbs should belong to those with real strength, and I believe what he said."
"Since you challenged me and won, it's yours now."
"But let's make one thing clear: this doesn't mean I recognize you. I'm only doing this because I trust my father's words!"
"If you understand, then grab your stuff and get out of my sight this instant. I don't want to see you for even a single second more!!"
With that, Zuo Yi turned her face away, and a faint, barely-there blush crept across her cheek.
"Ugh..."
Zhong Yi let out a sigh. He couldn't shake the feeling that her way of talking was oddly familiar.
"Miss Zuo, what I meant to ask is—what exactly is this Key Orb for..."
Even though she'd just said she didn't want to see him again, the moment Zhong Yi spoke, Zuo Yi immediately spun back around.
"What's it for?"
Zuo Yi pressed a finger to her lips, thinking hard for a moment.
"I don't actually know what the Key Orbs are. I only remember Father saying they're part of some mysterious formation... connected to an ancient seal."
"If you could collect all of them, maybe then you'd find out... Gah! What's that look for?! Are you looking down on me!?"
Zhong Yi squinted, barely stopping himself from just nodding outright.
"This woman doesn't know anything..."
Zhong Yi muttered under his breath.
"You insufferable barbarian—go away! You're just the worst!!!"
Zuo Yi huffed and turned her back to him, occasionally stealing glances at Zhong Yi from the corner of her eye.
"Sigh... Seriously, women with this kind of temper are the last thing I can deal with..."
Zhong Yi shrugged helplessly, then turned around to find Zhou Yue and Zhou Qiaoling staring at him in utter bewilderment.
"What are you two looking at me like that for?"
"Just impressed by you, that's all... No matter what I or my sister said, she wouldn't even give us the time of day."
"Pfft, what's so great about getting her attention? Every word out of her mouth is an insult... Junior Brother Mu, what's wrong? Why that expression on your face?"
Zhong Yi noticed Mu Yawen fidgeting and rubbing his hands together nervously, and suddenly had a look of epiphany.
'So Junior Brother Mu is into this type? Must be too shy to talk to a woman. Alright, alright—as his senior, I might as well help him out.'
Zhong Yi thought to himself, nodding with a cheerful grin.
Since Mu Yawen was too embarrassed to speak up, Zhong Yi would take it upon himself to play wingman.
With that in mind, Zhong Yi patted Zuo Yi on the shoulder.
"Miss Zuo, if I may ask—what sort of things do you fancy?"
"What!? I told you... huh?"
Just as she was about to put on a look of disdain, Zuo Yi's cheeks flushed crimson in an instant.
"L-liked things, huh..."
"Mm..."
"I-It should be... blueberry cake, I guess?"
"W-why are you asking something like that..."
Zuo Yi suddenly dropped her haughty demeanor, her head lowering slightly, her manner carrying a hint of girlish shyness.
"Junior Brother Mu, did you hear that? Next time, bring her a blueberry cake—guaranteed to work!"
Zhong Yi said cheerfully as he turned back to Mu Yawen.
"..."
Zuo Yi's breath hitched for a moment.
"I'm done. Let's just end it all."
"??? Why did you summon a Thunderclap Bear out of nowhere???"
"No—why are you shocking me with lightning???"
"Ugh, this is exactly why I can't get along with a woman like her!!!"
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!
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
] [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!"
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
