Lin Yang observed the changes in Xu Mu at this moment, but after only a brief hesitation, he launched another attack.
"All flash and no substance! Die!"
Boom!
Their weapons clashed once more.
The qi of both fighters collided violently, causing the ground beneath them to splinter apart.
The surrounding trees toppled as the earth cracked beneath them.
Lin Yang couldn’t believe it—even after using a forbidden elixir to temporarily boost his strength, he still couldn’t overpower Xu Mu?
As he stared at the crimson lines spreading across Xu Mu’s body, a flicker of fear crept into his heart.
[Destiny Power -50]
"Damn it! I refuse to believe this!"
Lin Yang charged at Xu Mu again with relentless fury.
Xu Mu’s mind was also consumed by rage. At this moment, he thought of nothing but killing Lin Yang.
The red threads radiating from his body made him resemble a shooting star.
The two clashed head-on, each strike shaking the air and earth.
As time passed, Lin Yang’s attacks gradually weakened.
Boom!
Even with his weapon raised in defense, Lin Yang was sent flying by Xu Mu’s strike.
"Gah!"
Lin Yang spat out a mouthful of blood.
[Destiny Power -30]
Swish!
Xu Mu lunged again, aiming for Lin Yang’s neck.
But just then, a nearby tree, already leaning precariously, suddenly collapsed between them.
[Destiny Power -50]
Boom!
Xu Mu swung his phantom blade, shattering the tree instantly.
But Lin Yang seized the chance to escape.
Without a word, Xu Mu pursued.
[Destiny Power -10]
[Destiny Power -20]
...
The effects of Lin Yang’s elixir were fading, and against Xu Mu, who was now bloodthirsty, he stood no chance.
The side effects of the elixir also left him dizzy and disoriented, unable to even fight back.
"Die! Just die already!"
Xu Mu slashed at Lin Yang’s back, sending him flying once more as blood sprayed.
[Alert! Rival’s Destiny Power has returned to normal levels.]
Xu Mu took a deep breath and charged forward. "Lin Yang!"
Lin Yang desperately tried to defend himself, but he was no match.
Even though his power had normalized, his Destiny Power continued to dwindle.
Blood trailed behind Lin Yang as he retreated, and suddenly, he found himself at the edge of a thick mist.
Without hesitation, he plunged into it.
Xu Mu, gripping his black sword, followed.
He expanded his senses but couldn’t detect Lin Yang.
Moving sideways through the mist, he emerged on the other side, scanning the area—still no trace of Lin Yang.
"Damn it!"
Xu Mu swung his sword, slicing a nearby boulder in half.
He then turned and sprinted back to the battlefield, where he found Dai Xingluo lying in a pool of blood.
Sheathing his sword, Xu Mu immediately checked her pulse.
Relieved to find her still alive, he took out silver needles to stop the bleeding.
Scooping her up, he dashed into the forest.
The area had been devastated by his battle with Lin Yang.
People would surely come to investigate, so he needed a quiet place to treat Dai Xingluo’s injuries.
Meanwhile, atop a distant tree, Qin Ju stood on a high branch, one hand resting against the trunk.
Gazing at the ravaged battlefield, a faint smirk curled his lips.
...
The Stone Flower’s purpose was healing, but Dai Xingluo’s injuries were too severe.
To enhance its effects, Xu Mu needed Blue Sunflowers.
He had obtained four in total, originally planning to use them all for Qi Sea Pills.
But Dai Xingluo complicated things.
Xu Mu still couldn’t understand why a villainess like her would risk her life to save him.
He had intended to distance himself from her, but now, how could he?
Could a woman like her really be swayed by words?
And if not, what would happen when she crossed paths with Ye Tong?
Xu Mu was torn.
But these thoughts were premature.
Xu Mu lived by a simple principle—treat others as they treated him.
Dai Xingluo hadn’t helped much, but she had risked her life for him.
How could he abandon her now?
Taking out one Blue Sunflower, he began refining it over a fire.
Though only a novice alchemist, he wasn’t incapable of crafting higher-grade pills.
His goal was simple—as long as the pill was more effective than consuming the raw herbs, it was enough.
Soon, the pill was complete.
He fed it to Dai Xingluo, then gave her a sip of water.
Time passed, and the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon.
Dai Xingluo weakly opened her eyes, scanning her surroundings in alarm. As she tried to sit up, she noticed Xu Mu beside her.
"Awake?" Xu Mu asked flatly.
"I thought I was dead..."
Dai Xingluo gasped as she realized her cultivation had skyrocketed.
A year ago, she had barely reached the early stage of Gang Qi—yet now, she was nearing its peak.
"Brother, what did you do to me?" she asked in disbelief.
"Gave you a pill. Don’t ask questions—just be glad you’re alive."
Xu Mu extinguished the fire and glanced at her. "Serves you right. With your pathetic skills, you still tried to interfere in my fight?"
"I didn’t think—I just saw him knock you back and wanted to help."
Dai Xingluo smiled weakly. "But I ended up benefiting from it, thanks to your pill."
She tried to sit up again but winced in pain, collapsing back down.
"Don’t move. Your ribs are broken. I can’t fix that—you need a hospital."
Xu Mu scooped her up in a princess carry.
Even a woman like Dai Xingluo blushed at the gesture.
"Don’t misunderstand. Carrying you is the only option with broken ribs."
Xu Mu headed for the exit.
"Wait—my bag is over there," Dai Xingluo pointed.
"Troublesome."
Grumbling, Xu Mu retrieved her bag, slung it over his shoulder, and carried her out.
Outside the ruins, Xu Mu took a deep breath. The fresh air was a relief.
As they descended, his senses detected others ascending the mountain.
He paid them no mind.
Unbeknownst to him, he had just missed someone—a man in a sports cap and sunglasses.
It was none other than the live-in son-in-law, Fang Chu.
...
At the foot of the mountain, Xu Mu checked his phone.
Dozens of missed calls and messages flooded the screen—from Xu Shou, Ye Tong, Ye Yu, and Meng Wanyue.
Even Li Yun had called once.
Clearly, Xu Shou had reached out to her after failing to contact Xu Mu.
But Xu Mu didn’t respond.
Xu Ningbing had already left the ruins—she must have informed the others.
He called an ambulance for Dai Xingluo first.
After settling her hospital fees, he finally dialed Xu Ningbing.
She arrived swiftly, relief washing over her when she saw Xu Mu unharmed.
...
10:00 AM.
A guest arrived at the Feng Family—none other than Fan Shiyu.
However, Fan Shiyu had once again put on the pockmarked human skin mask.
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!"
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?!
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'!"
