Bai Jun finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming the details and learning that his younger sister was unharmed.
However, his unease lingered.
This inexplicable attack had reminded him of something troubling. He spoke solemnly into the phone to Gu Yan on the other end: "Gu Yan, the assailant... was probably after the half-piece of Dragon King Jade my sister carries."
"Dragon King Jade?"
Gu Yan feigned surprise. "But didn’t Qiong Lan already hand that half-piece over to me? That news should have spread by now..."
Bai Jun replied softly, "After that day, I made sure to suppress any possible leaks."
"So, no one in Jianghai knows the jade’s ownership has been transferred to you."
He then pleaded earnestly, "Gu Yan, I’m begging you—the attackers will definitely come after my sister again."
"I can’t return right now. You’re the only one who can help me. Please, Gu Yan."
"Protect my sister."
Gu Yan responded, "Bai Jun, there’s no need for such formalities. Your sister is like my own, and besides, Qiong Lan is my sister-in-law’s best friend."
"I won’t let any harm come to her."
"Good. Thank you."
Bai Jun was deeply moved. In times like these, Gu Yan truly proved to be the most reliable. "By the way, how’s Old Gao doing?"
Lin Yinyin was still immature—he worried she might struggle in the department.
After a brief pause, Gu Yan replied, "The boss is fine."
"Her strength speaks for itself. She hasn’t faced any real setbacks."
"And the inspection team wouldn’t let outsiders provoke Lin Yinyin."
Hearing this, Bai Jun felt reassured.
After a moment’s thought, he quietly shared some insider information with Gu Yan: "Also, Gu Yan... earlier, I was actually in a meeting."
"The topic was... whether to initiate universal martial awakening."
"From the looks of it, the proposal will most likely pass."
"When that happens, the world will change drastically. I’m not sure if I’ll even be able to return."
"If I don’t make it back, Gu Yan, I’m counting on you to test Qiong Lan’s martial potential and get her into the Jianghai branch as a support staff member."
Unless absolutely necessary, headquarters would never reveal the existence of martial practitioners to the public.
If they were making it public now, it could only mean the world was on the brink of upheaval.
The incidents at the Fifth Forbidden Zone and the Night King had already claimed too many martial practitioners.
Keeping it hidden any longer might lead to the world’s destruction.
On Gu Yan’s end, a strange glint flickered in his eyes upon hearing this.
Heh. He had thought he’d need to stir up more trouble to achieve this, but now things had conveniently fallen into place.
Returning to the conversation, he feigned surprise. "Universal martial awakening? Isn’t that too sudden?"
"Not sudden..." Bai Jun’s voice dropped to a whisper. "We’ll talk more later. My phone is specially encrypted—only I can trace these calls."
"Gu Yan, what I just told you is critical. Don’t breathe a word of it until headquarters makes the official announcement."
"Understood."
Click.
The call ended.
Gu Yan pocketed his phone, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
Time to make preparations.
January next year?
He checked the date.
Huh.
The new year was almost here...
Time really flew.
......
That night.
A new member joined the ranks of Hope’s Light.
In a spacious, pristine underground laboratory:
"Do you like it?"
"A customized array lab, just for you."
Gu Yan led Ling Fa, who was carrying bags of belongings, into the space.
After a day of internal struggle, Ling Fa had decided to leave the department and join Hope’s Light.
He had taken all the ancient array manuals from the sixth floor of the library.
At first, he had been nervous.
But the moment he stepped into this array laboratory with Gu Yan, he was instantly captivated.
The walls were adorned with intricate array patterns, each detail gleaming with a delicate silver sheen. The symbols seemed alive in the dim light, faintly resonating with the central master array.
"That’s the control hub for this array lab."
Gu Yan patted Ling Fa’s shoulder and pointed to the center, where a circular console embedded with gemstones and runes served as the core of the entire laboratory’s array system.
Sophisticated equipment and transparent crystal tubes crisscrossed the space, carrying streams of multicolored liquid—essential energy sources for array experiments.
The surrounding instruments and monitors hummed softly, emitting faint beeps.
Nearby, a precision array engraver automatically carved complex patterns onto special mineral slabs, each stroke brimming with latent power.
"Follow me."
Gu Yan guided Ling Fa toward the console.
He placed his hand on the console and said, "By channeling qi into the control panel like this... this array laboratory will reveal its true purpose."
As his words faded—
Hummm!
The surroundings began to shift.
The original lab dissolved, replaced by a vast, open plain.
Ling Fa was stunned. "A... spatial array?"
And one integrated into the console? Just how advanced and precise must the craftsmanship be to achieve this?
"This is the testing ground—for experimenting with large-scale output arrays," Gu Yan explained.
"And then..."
With another shift in the scene—
In an instant, the surroundings darkened. Ling Fa and Gu Yan now stood in a shadowy forest shrouded in crimson miasma.
Roar!
The growls of beasts echoed around them.
Ling Fa's expression changed as he spotted the source—various demonic creatures sealed inside transparent containers!
Gu Yan clarified, "This is the specimen chamber."
"To preserve their ferocity, the environment was designed this way."
"Anyway... there’s much more for you to explore on your own."
The scene reverted to the laboratory.
Then, Gu Yan turned to Ling Fa, whose face was alight with awe and excitement, and said, "Join us, and all this will be yours."
"But in return, you’ll have to give up something important to you."
"For example... your life and death."
Gu Yan opened his palm, revealing a writhing, tentacle-like tendril.
Ling Fa swallowed hard, staring at it. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed it and shoved it into his mouth.
"Nothing matters more to me than researching arrays!" he declared fervently. "I’m in!"
Gu Yan chuckled. "I knew I wasn’t wrong about you."
With a nod, he added, "Then, I formally welcome you to the Light of Hope."
"And the first task I need you to undertake is..."
"To develop a spatial array capable of containing the entirety of the Light of Hope."
Ling Fa didn’t hesitate. "Give me time—I’ll make it happen!"
......
......
Leaving Ling Fa alone in the lab, Gu Yan stepped outside.
Night had fallen.
Old Gao, who had been waiting, approached. "Young Master, the patriarch called. He wants you at the company tomorrow morning."
"The company?" Gu Yan was taken aback. Why so suddenly?
Old Gao nodded, then lowered his voice hesitantly. "It seems... it’s about the transfer of shares."
"Young Master, you might be inheriting the position of Gu Family head sooner than expected."
Gu Yan: "?"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
] [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!"
n Our Village Many years later, Xiushui Village had transformed from a remote, impoverished hamlet into the renowned and flourishing Xiushui City of the Shifang Continent. All of this, solely because it was the birthplace of the Shifang Continent's number one sect—the Lingxian Sect. This is the story of a group of village youths, family, and friends, building a sect and growing together. Lin Xiao: As the sect master, my days are filled with countless tasks. Cultivating really gets in the way of building the sect. System: Received. Understood. Arranging it immediately. [Ding—Congratulations, Host, on successfully activating the Auto-Cultivation Function] Lin Xiao: Oh no, we're out of spirit stones. System: Received. Understood. Arranging it immediately. [Ding—Sect Mission issued. Mission Reward: Spirit Stones xN] No one loves their host more profoundly than this System!
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)
