"What the hell?"
Fang Chu immediately recoiled in shock.
Though he had dodged a fatal blow, his shirt over his chest was slashed open in several places.
His face darkened. "Who are you? I don’t think I’ve ever crossed paths with you."
"You haven’t crossed us, but you’ve crossed our captain!"
One of the black-robed figures lunged at Fang Chu without hesitation.
Fang Chu sneered. "You think you can take me?"
He met the attack head-on.
Boom!
Their fists collided, sending a dull thud echoing through the mountain forest.
The ground beneath their feet cracked violently.
Zap!
Suddenly, arcs of electricity surged from the black-robed man’s arm.
Fang Chu’s entire body stiffened as the current coursed through him.
Seizing the opportunity, the black-robed man drew a dagger with his other hand and slashed toward Fang Chu.
Swish! Swish!
Just then, two sharp stone spikes erupted from the ground beneath the black-robed man’s feet, piercing straight through them.
"Tsk!"
The black-robed man gasped sharply, the pain robbing him of strength as he collapsed to the ground.
Fang Chu quickly regained control of his body and was about to press his advantage when another black-robed figure attacked.
Fang Chu swiftly retreated.
The newcomer hoisted his injured comrade onto his shoulder and hissed coldly, "Fang Chu, you’ve made an enemy of the Eternal Life Research Institute. You’ll die a miserable death!"
With that, he vanished into the shadows.
Fang Chu’s eyes turned ice-cold. The Eternal Life Research Institute…
He had heard of this organization before. They had existed for years, always on the Cleaners’ most-wanted list.
Yet they still thrived—proof of their terrifying power.
Fang Chu couldn’t figure out when he had offended them.
Who was this "captain" they mentioned?
Could it be… Xu Mu?
---
Xu Mu had already returned to Jiang City with Chen Xuan.
He had agreed with Miao He to meet at Pear Blossom Village the next morning.
After dropping Chen Xuan off at a hotel, he headed home alone.
This time, outside the ruins, he had encountered a master at the Divine Ability realm. Meanwhile, Meng Wanyue and Dai Xingluo hadn’t even reached that level yet.
Xu Mu wondered if he should even bring them along this time.
Pulling up to the supermarket near his villa, he parked and went inside to stock up on supplies.
The last ruins—just an ordinary one—had trapped them for days. This ancient ruin would undoubtedly be far more dangerous.
Basic necessities like food and water were a must.
He grabbed the same items as last time: bottled water and high-energy snacks.
After loading them into the car, he drove back to the villa.
In the garage, he opened the trunk and neatly packed everything into his storage space.
Once done, he slumped onto the living room couch.
Come to think of it, he had rushed off to find Chen Xuan this morning and hadn’t even done his daily system draw.
Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to use his 10-draw and see what he’d get.
Opening the system panel, he initiated the draw.
The wheel in front of him began spinning.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a third-grade spiritual herb: Nightspring Grass.]
"…?"
Xu Mu was baffled. Why did the system keep giving him this stuff?
He was a righteous man, a man of principle—did he look like he needed this?
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained 30 cultivation points.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained 20 attribute points.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the title: Novice Array Master.]
"Hell yeah!"
Xu Mu grinned at this reward.
For exploring ruins, mastery of arrays was essential.
Last time, if not for Qin Ju’s help, escaping would’ve been a nightmare.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained 30 cultivation points.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a third-grade spiritual herb gift box.]
…
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained 20 cultivation points.]
Aside from the array master title, the Nightspring Grass and the herb gift box felt worse than the baseline rewards.
Still, getting a Novice Array Master was already a win.
This round netted him 140 cultivation points and 60 attribute points in total.
He allocated all of them immediately.
As his body surged with newfound strength, he checked his updated stats.
Name: Xu Mu
Identity: Villainous Saint Physique, HR Manager of Xu Corporation
Realm: Mid-stage Divine Ability
Physique: 945
Spirit: 945
Cultivation Points: 620/800
Fate Energy: 1042
Xu Mu nodded in satisfaction. He was close to reaching the late stage of Divine Ability.
Once he broke through to the Golden Body realm—the threshold of a true master—he would take the initiative.
He then reviewed his newly acquired array knowledge as a flood of memories integrated into his mind.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Using his perception, he sensed Feng Yue standing outside.
He got up and opened the door.
"Boss, I just got back from Yang City and saw your car here, so I thought I’d drop by," Feng Yue said with a smile.
Xu Mu looked her over. Today, she had ditched her usual style for a sleek black office suit with a pencil skirt.
Combined with her alluring peach-blossom eyes, she was basically a walking Nightspring Grass.
"Why the new look?" Xu Mu asked.
"Had a meeting at the company. Gotta dress the part."
Feng Yue adjusted her handbag and winked. "Wanna come over to my place?"
Xu Mu shrugged. Ye Tong wouldn’t be back from work for a while anyway.
Feng Yue led the way, the sway of her skirt teasing glimpses of what lay beneath.
Xu Mu averted his gaze. A gentleman shouldn’t stare.
In Feng Yue’s living room, Xu Mu made himself comfortable. "Zhang Que’s gone. Why are you still living here?"
"Boss, I don’t like that tone," Feng Yue pouted playfully. "Trying to kick me out already?"
"That’s not what I meant."
Xu Mu waved her off.
"It’s Madam’s idea, actually. She doesn’t want me to leave."
Feng Yue smirked as she sat beside him. "She said since Yang City isn’t far, I can come back every day and keep her company."
Xu Mu had no idea what Ye Tong was thinking.
Maybe, after marrying into this life, she had no friends—so she latched onto Feng Yue.
Then again, Feng Yue could get along with even Dai Xingluo, let alone Ye Tong.
"Boss, do you know why love needs to be long-lasting?" Feng Yue leaned against his shoulder.
"Why?"
"Because it’s literal—it has to be long, and it has to last. Otherwise, it’s not love."
Feng Yue grinned mischievously.
"You little—! Focus on running the company instead of spouting nonsense, or I’ll audit you again!"
Xu Mu jabbed a finger at her.
---
Feng Yue lay sprawled on the couch, her eyes glazed as she stared at the ceiling, utterly drained.
Xu Mu checked his newly acquired justice points and nodded.
Though Feng Yue’s fate energy wasn’t high-tier, quantity made up for quality.
Just then, the doorbell rang again.
His perception revealed Ye Tong standing outside.
He quickly straightened his clothes.
Feng Yue checked the door camera and chuckled. "It’s Madam. Maybe you should hide in the bedroom?"
Xu Mu considered it, then agreed.
He was genuinely curious—what would Ye Tong and Feng Yue talk about?
Especially for a young married woman like Ye Tong, she might have a side to her that even her friends don’t know about.
He walked into the adjacent room, leaving the door slightly ajar rather than closing it completely.
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."
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
] [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!"
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
