"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.
] [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!"
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!
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
+ Slow Paced + Main Character Thrives Together with His Disciples】 Transmigrated into a cultivation world, Chu Xingchen awakens a discipleship system that reveals the tags of his disciples! Starting from scratch, he builds the strongest sect. Disciple One: Li Yingling 【Gold Tag: Genius Cultivator】【Purple Tag: Extremely Lucky】【Blue Tag: Bewitchingly Beautiful】 Disciple Two: Li Hangtian 【Gold Tag: Reincarnated】【Purple Tag: Ruthless and Decisive】【Blue Tag: Loyal and Noble】 Disciple Three: ??? 【Orange Tag: Alluring Demoness】【???】【???】 Thus, in the cultivation world, an unremarkable little sect appears out of nowhere, but little do others know that each member of this sect is a powerhouse in their own right. The book is also known as: Cultivation? It's Exactly Like This!
