Xu Mu nodded, then suddenly asked, "Can you get your grandpa to rig this for me?"
"Don't even think about it. That old man, to avoid gossip, even hired two referees. His word alone doesn't count."
Jiang Huihui explained.
"You misunderstood. I want Old Chen to participate in this martial arts contest for marriage too. He's very strong. I'll have him eliminate a few top contenders for me, which will increase my chances of success."
Xu Mu glanced at Chen Xuan and continued, "But if we end up fighting each other first, all that effort would be wasted."
"I get it. You mean you don't want to meet Chen Xuan in the early rounds. That can be arranged. I'll secretly separate your names in the draw, putting you in box number one and Chen Xuan in box four."
Jiang Huihui said from the other end of the line.
"Box four? Sis, just how many people are participating in this contest?"
Xu Mu couldn't help but ask.
Jiang Huihui thought for a moment, "About a hundred or so."
"Damn, that's insane."
Xu Mu gave a thumbs-up to his phone.
But thinking about it carefully, Jiang Huihui was an Intermediate-level Cleaner, her family possessed a Heaven-grade cultivation technique.
She was also the sole heir, the only daughter in her family.
To many powerful individuals, she was a real catch.
"Alright, enough chatting. I'll send you the address. You should come over this afternoon."
After saying that, Jiang Huihui hung up.
Xu Mu put his phone away and looked at Chen Xuan, saying, "How about we head over after we eat? We can check out the competition."
Chen Xuan took a bite of his roujiamo and nodded lightly, "Sure."
...
After the two finished eating, Xu Mu headed for the destination based on the address Jiang Huihui provided.
Jiang Huihui's hometown was in a village west of Yang City, and this location was about twenty-some kilometers from their village.
According to Jiang Huihui, to make the fights more convenient, Jiang Sheng had specially applied to the Cleaners for the use of a Ruins site.
Presumably, this place was where the Ruins was located.
On the way, Xu Mu specifically sent a message to Ye Tong, telling her he wouldn't be home tonight.
By the time they arrived at the destination, it was already past four in the afternoon.
It was a small county town.
After arriving, Xu Mu and Chen Xuan first found a hotel to stay in for the night.
Afterwards, Xu Mu and Chen Xuan went together to the event's location.
The Ruins was located on the mountain behind this very hotel. As Xu Mu and Chen Xuan approached, they noticed quite a few people around.
Arriving at the Ruins entrance, Xu Mu saw a cave opening.
Surrounding it were over a dozen people.
In front of the cave entrance stood several men. The leader had flowing long hair and wore a black suit.
His looks were decent, the only flaw being he was a bit short, looking less than 1.7 meters tall.
"Idle onlookers shouldn't bother coming. This martial contest is no joke. Go home now if you don't want to die."
The long-haired man said with a calm expression, "Miss Jiang is destined to be the bride of our Lingxiao Sect. No one can take her."
The surrounding crowd murmured amongst themselves, but no one dared to step forward.
"Brother Mu, it's the Lingxiao Sect, a famously powerful sect in the Dragon Kingdom."
Chen Xuan whispered in Xu Mu's ear.
Xu Mu nodded inwardly. This sect was described in detail in the plot as well, definitely ranking in the top tier.
He used his Divine Eye to look at the long-haired man.
Name: Xue Kaixuan
Identity: Grandson of the Lingxiao Sect's Third Elder
Favorability: 0
Destiny Level: 2 (Max Level 10)
Xu Mu thought it made sense. For such a sect, the direct descendants of the sect leader probably wouldn't come.
However, his grandfather being a Third Elder meant his status and position were not something ordinary people could compare to.
Although many in the crowd were whispering, no one dared to challenge him, which showed his intimidating presence.
"Who's so arrogant? 'Your Lingxiao Sect's bride'? What the hell do you think you are?"
At that moment, a voice came from the distance.
The onlookers all turned to look. The Lingxiao Sect was a top-tier sect.
They all wanted to see who would dare say such things publicly.
A long-haired man in his early thirties walked over from afar. His hair was simply tied into a braid hanging down his back.
His cheeks were thin, his eyes arrogant, radiating a natural sense of superiority.
Xu Mu narrowed his eyes slightly. So it was Lv Pinlong.
He scanned him with his Divine Eye. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen his information last time they met.
Name: Lv Pinlong
Identity: Cleaner, Grandson of the Golden Light Hall's Grand Elder
Favorability: -9
Destiny Level: 4 (Max Level 10)
Xu Mu nodded slightly. So he was from the Golden Light Hall, a sect also mentioned in the plot.
In terms of status, it was slightly inferior to the Lingxiao Sect.
But this Lv Pinlong had other advantages.
For example, his status was more prestigious than Xue Kaixuan's; he was the grandson of his sect's Grand Elder.
Furthermore, Lv Pinlong was also a Cleaner, affiliated with the Dragon Kingdom.
"Lv Pinlong, it's you!"
Upon seeing this man, Xue Kaixuan's eyes instantly turned gloomy.
"Xue Kaixuan, if you've got nothing better to do, go back. Jiang Huihui and I are the perfect match."
Lv Pinlong walked calmly towards the cave entrance.
But Xue Kaixuan blocked Lv Pinlong's path. "What are you? A mere Golden Light Hall? I don't even take you seriously!"
"But the one speaking to you now is the Tenth Captain of the Dragon Kingdom's Environmental Sanitation Department."
Lv Pinlong lifted his chin, saying coolly, "You dare disrespect me?"
"You..."
"Young Master Xue, no need to stoop to his level."
The middle-aged man behind Xue Kaixuan immediately grabbed his arm.
"Your subordinate is smarter than you. Attacking me outside the Ruins would be slapping the Environmental Sanitation Department in the face. What could your Lingxiao Sect do about it?"
After saying that, Lv Pinlong jumped into the cave entrance.
"Damn it! Then we'll settle this tomorrow!"
Xue Kaixuan snorted coldly and walked away.
His earlier goal had been to stop everyone from entering. Now that Lv Pinlong had already gone in,
he had no face to stay there any longer.
After Xue Kaixuan left, the surrounding onlookers all surged forward, rushing into the cave.
"Brother Mu, the tension is already high, and it hasn't even started yet."
Chen Xuan whispered beside Xu Mu.
"Looks like the competition is going to be fierce."
Xu Mu smiled and followed Chen Xuan inside.
After jumping into the cave, they found a very steep downward slope.
Following it into the Ruins, they discovered it was still amidst mountains.
Xu Mu now had some understanding of formations. Essentially, a Ruins was a basin, or an artificially constructed basin, covered by a formation like a lid.
Only leaving a narrow entrance/exit.
The inside of the Ruins and the outside world were originally the same area, so the terrain was identical.
"There's not much to see here."
Xu Mu noticed a large open area in the distance, which was probably the combat arena.
Some people were currently setting up viewing stands and electronic screens on a nearby hillside. Nothing else was visible yet.
"Old Chen, let's go."
Xu Mu patted Chen Xuan's shoulder.
Chen Xuan nodded lightly.
The two left the Ruins and began walking down the mountain.
"Xu Mu, I didn't expect to see you here."
A man in a suit walked over from a distance.
Seeing this one-armed man, Xu Mu was utterly surprised, "Holy crap! Senior, you're not here to participate in the martial arts contest for marriage too, are you?"
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?!
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
