The Mortal Realm.
Jianghai High School.
Inside a newly constructed martial arts building.
Leng Ling'er sat in the martial arts class, gazing boredly out the window.
Ah, so boring.
Why wasn’t Qiong Lan assigned to the same class as me? Now I have no one to talk to during lessons...
Just then.
Buzz!
A black hole appeared in the tree outside the window.
Immediately after.
A figure and a raven emerged from the black hole, landing on a branch.
The snow-white-clad figure had a calm yet icy expression, bearing some resemblance to her elder sister.
In her hand, she was holding a little girl.
"?"
Leng Ling'er blinked.
She rubbed her eyes.
Huh? What was that?
At the front of the classroom.
A martial artist with post-natal cultivation was explaining the advancement system for martial arts students to the dozens of students present.
"Class, as students of the martial arts stream, your path is different from the regular classes."
"Your college entrance exams are in March, coinciding with the Martial Arts Department’s nationwide talent assessment."
"As long as you test positive for martial arts talent, you’ll be admitted to different schools based on your potential."
"This talent assessment evaluates the highest achievements you can reach in the future."
"It’s a method pioneered by Master Ya of the martial arts forum, later refined by the department’s array division."
"Coincidentally, I’ve brought a sample today."
With that, the martial artist produced a crystal ball and smiled. "Just place your hand on it, and it will reveal the highest cultivation level you can attain in the future."
"Of course, I must emphasize—your future is in your own hands. What you achieve depends entirely on your efforts."
As he spoke, he noticed a certain blonde-haired student staring out the window instead of paying attention.
He frowned slightly.
From what he recalled, this student had been flagged for special attention by higher-ups.
But no specific reason had been given.
Regardless...
He cleared his throat. "Leng Ling'er, is the lesson too dull for you?"
"But this is crucial knowledge for your martial arts talent assessment in March."
"If you can become a martial artist in the future—"
Before he could finish.
"T-teacher!!"
Leng Ling'er stood up abruptly, turning around with a shocked expression as she pointed outside. "Teacher! A raven and a person just appeared out there!"
The martial artist: "?"
Though interrupted, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he followed her finger and looked outside.
But there was nothing there.
Leng Ling'er was stunned. She had seen them just moments ago.
The rest of the class burst into laughter.
"Leng Ling'er, are you daydreaming in broad daylight?"
"Yeah, a person and a raven? Really?"
"Hahaha, Leng Ling'er, I heard you were always pulling stunts in your old class. Still not behaving even in the martial arts stream?"
"Tch, someone like her won’t amount to anything in the future."
The teacher took a deep breath, forcing a smile. "Well, Ling'er must be feeling restless. That’s why she’s saying such things."
"How about this—come up and demonstrate the crystal ball’s function for the class?"
"Since this is the martial arts stream, all of you were actually supposed to complete the talent assessment today."
Leng Ling'er withdrew her gaze and sighed. "Fine."
Had she really imagined it?
Shaking off the thought, she stepped forward to begin the assessment.
Five minutes later.
BANG—!!!
The sound of shattering crystal echoed through the classroom.
Followed by the martial artist’s frenzied exclamation.
"!!"
"The crystal ball—it shattered!!"
"Grandmaster!! Leng Ling'er has the potential of a grandmaster!!"
......
......
On a high-rise somewhere in Jianghai.
Swish!
A black hole appeared.
The raven and Leng Bingning stepped out.
Leng Bingning’s usual composure was gone. She took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement in her heart, and murmured, "That was Ling'er..."
"No mistake. She looks exactly the same as back then. Ling'er is alive... and attending school like normal."
Gu Yan, in raven form, interjected, "In the martial arts stream, preparing to advance as a martial artist."
Leng Bingning ignored the Night King’s avatar.
Stop acting so familiar with my sister, will you?
The world’s upheaval—wasn’t half of it your fault, Night King?
Wait.
Because of the Night King...
Leng Bingning suddenly felt something was off.
If the being before her was truly an avatar of the Night King’s main body...
Then who was the Night King appearing in live broadcasts recently?
The world had changed drastically, and even Leng Bingning had started keeping up with online news.
Frowning, she studied the raven before her. Something...
felt fishy.
She spoke coldly, "What exactly is this 'cooperation' you mentioned? Who are you?"
"Are you really the Night King?"
Hearing this, Gu Yan sounded amused. "Hm? Don’t you want to see Leng Qingqiu first?"
Of course she did.
But not now.
Leng Bingning sighed inwardly. She... wasn’t ready to face her yet.
When her sisters had needed her most, she hadn’t been there.
With a cold shake of her head, she replied, "No. Explain your cooperation first."
At this, Gu Yan dropped the act.
His voice shifted—to Leng Bingning’s surprise, it was now an ordinary man’s voice!
"Calling it cooperation is just a formality. I actually need a favor from you, sis-in-law."
"Nice to meet you, sis-in-law. I figured you wouldn’t believe me, so I had to resort to this."
The raven hovered mid-air, its words leaving Leng Bingning stunned.
Sis... sis-in-law?!
Leng Bingning scrutinized the raven.
Swish!
In an instant, an ice sword materialized in her hand, its tip aimed at the so-called raven avatar.
"Who the hell are you?!" she demanded, voice frosty.
Sis-in-law? Since when did she have a brother-in-law?
Gu Yan sighed. "Sis-in-law, you really don’t browse the internet, do you?"
Though, he could understand.
Information between the Mortal Realm and the Ancient Martial Realm rarely overlapped.
Especially for someone like Leng Bingning, who cultivated the Ice Heart Art with single-minded focus.
Add to that the Night King’s emergence—any past news had long been buried in the depths of the web.
Had Leng Bingning kept up with mortal-world trends, she would’ve known about Leng Qingqiu and Leng Ling'er’s survival months ago—back during the Gu Family’s annual gathering.
"Sis, just look it up yourself!"
With that, the raven-form Gu Yan pulled out a phone from his system space, quickly searching and explaining.
Leng Bingning fell silent.
Gu Yan—the young master of the Gu Family, who had become her sister Leng Qingqiu’s lover in her absence.
CRACK!
She crushed the phone in her hand, the one displaying intimate photos of her sister and Gu Yan.
Her icy gaze locked onto the raven.
Setting aside the fact that this man was her sister’s beloved...
He... was tainted by the Night King’s power?!
Which meant...
Did he really cause the world to become like this?
Most importantly... does Leng Qingqiu know about this?
However, Gu Yan had already anticipated this kind of reaction.
Clearing his throat awkwardly—though it looked rather comical for a raven to do so—he spoke, "Sis—"
"Don't call me that."
"Then... sister-in-law?"
"?"
"Ms. Leng, it's a long story, so I'll keep it short. I'll give you a memory fragment, and everything will make sense."
As he said this, a black orb of light floated toward Leng Bingning.
She examined it carefully—it was a materialized memory sphere, nothing suspicious.
With that in mind, she absorbed the memory.
Several minutes later.
"!!!"
Leng Bingning's eyes snapped open, staring at the raven in disbelief.
So...
The previous Night King—her father—had indeed died, and the dagger had chosen a new successor.
And that successor was... Leng Qingqiu!
Her own younger sister... had become the Night King?!
Yet... Gu Yan had taken the dagger from her, stripping her of the Night King's power.
And most shockingly, his ultimate plan was actually... this?
Leng Bingning gazed at Gu Yan with a complicated expression. "What you need from me is to use the Ice Heart Technique to suppress your negative emotions and keep you sane, right?"
Gu Yan nodded. "Honestly, even if I hadn’t run into you, I would’ve sought you out eventually."
His tone then lightened slightly. "But... who would’ve thought we’d meet like this? Guess it’s the bond of family, huh?"
"........."
Leng Bingning fell silent.
Her eyes remained fixed on the raven, thoughts swirling, until she finally sighed. "I understand."
Seeing this, Gu Yan grinned. "Good. Then... Sis, how about we make a quick trip to the Third Forbidden Zone first? Help me stabilize these emotions—I’ve been absorbing too much lately, and it’s getting hard to handle. I’ll fill you in on the details later."
But Leng Bingning shook her head, her voice firm. "That can wait. There’s something else I need to do first."
Gu Yan paused. Something else? And with such a serious tone—was she planning to find a place for the little girl she was carrying?
Just as the thought crossed his mind, she spoke again.
"Take me to see Qingqiu first. Just a glimpse from afar—don’t let her notice us, like what happened with Ling'er."
Gu Yan: ?
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
+ 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!
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!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
