One week later.
An earth-shattering event occurred that shocked the entire world.
The industries of the three great families collectively signed low-price transfer agreements and sold everything to the Gu Family.
This news exploded like a bombshell, sending shockwaves through the global business community.
Media outlets scrambled to report on it, market analysts speculated wildly about the reasons behind it, and investors reacted swiftly with a flurry of moves.
Stock markets around the world fluctuated in response—the stock prices of the three great families' enterprises plummeted, while the Gu Family's stocks soared in a matter of hours.
Soon, however, people noticed something even more terrifying.
As the Gu Family swallowed up the industries of the three great families, a new category emerged in the stock market: Martial Stocks.
The martial industry had officially entered the public eye.
This meant that the old industrial landscape had been overturned—from now on, the world would belong to the martial industry.
Alliance Headquarters.
Leng Qingqiu stood by the floor-to-ceiling window of her office, her expression grave.
She was already aware of the Gu Family's transformation and the transfer of the three great families' industries.
Or rather, it was impossible for anyone not to know about such a massive event.
Yet, instead of easing her mind, this series of upheavals only deepened her unease.
Why would the three great families do this?
How did Gu Yan pull it off? And why now, of all times?
As she pondered, a soft knock sounded at her office door.
"Come in."
Leng Qingqiu snapped out of her thoughts.
Shangguan Miaoyin entered, her face equally grim. "Master, it's been confirmed—the three great families have indeed transferred their industries to the Gu Family."
"There must be some grand conspiracy behind this!"
"We've already uncovered some clues..."
Leng Qingqiu nodded, signaling her to continue.
"According to our investigation, the three great families recently faced massive financial troubles and internal conflicts, all of which seemed to erupt suddenly within a short period."
"Meanwhile, the Gu Family executed a series of precise business maneuvers and legal strategies to swiftly take over these industries."
"But, Master..." Shangguan Miaoyin's voice grew heavier. "How could the Gu Family possibly have the strength to absorb so many industries? There must be someone powerful pulling the strings behind the scenes!"
Leng Qingqiu fell silent for a moment.
Is Gu Yan the one behind this?
If so, how did he manage it?
The three great families would never willingly give up their foundations in the secular world.
Unless... Gu Yan struck some kind of deal with them?
But the moment this thought crossed her mind, she shook her head.
No. If the three great families moved against Leng Xing'an, they would have targeted the Gu Family as well.
Yet... this situation doesn't make sense.
Are the three ancestral elders of the great families complete fools?
How could they let Gu Yan take everything so easily?
Or is there truly some unspeakable secret at play?
Seeing her master lost in thought, Shangguan Miaoyin hesitated before speaking again. "Master... could it be that Gu Yan has betrayed—"
"No." Leng Qingqiu cut her off coldly.
She trusted Gu Yan. There was no way he would collude with the three great families.
But then... what was really happening?
Leng Qingqiu was baffled. What exactly has Gu Yan done?
---
Meanwhile, in the Long Family estate.
Long Aotian was savoring a freshly brewed cup of tea delivered that morning.
However, after a single sip, his brow furrowed in displeasure.
"What's wrong with this tea today?" he demanded. "Why does it taste so off?"
The family member who had delivered the tea bowed nervously. "My lord, our usual stock of tea has run out."
"Then order more! Must I teach you such basic things?"
"It's just... no one is delivering anymore."
At this, Long Aotian's expression darkened.
In the past, the finest teas had been offered to him as tribute by other families.
What was happening now? Had they forgotten their place?
He tapped the armrest of his chair impatiently. "Teach the Jiang Family a lesson!"
His favorite tea had always come from the Jiang Family.
If they dared to neglect their duties, his subordinates would remind them who their true master was.
Yet, the subordinate who had always obeyed without question...
...now knelt on the ground, trembling. "My lord... the Long Family is no longer what it once was."
"What do you mean?" Long Aotian's voice was icy.
"My lord... all of the Long Family's industries have been transferred to the Gu Family!"
"This news has spread everywhere online! Everyone believes the Long Family is finished."
"All the servants—big and small—have fled the estate!"
Long Aotian shot to his feet, his killing intent erupting like a storm.
"WHAT?!"
He seized the man by the skull and roared, "Who gave the order for this?! Who kept this from me?!"
"It... it was Young Master Long Tianyun..."
Long Tianyun?!
You insolent wretch!
CRACK!
Long Aotian crushed the man's skull in his grip.
His eyes burned with fury. He had always sensed Long Tianyun's ambition, but never imagined the boy would dare to sell out the Long Family behind his back!
The Gu Family... Was this Grandmother Gu's doing?
Damn it! What about the other two families?
If I didn’t know, surely they didn’t either?
Unless...
A chilling possibility struck him.
What if the other two ancestral elders had conspired to monopolize the deity's favor by orchestrating the downfall of the Long Family?
Damn them!
He immediately summoned his most trusted death guard.
SWOOSH!
A shadowy figure materialized before him.
Long Aotian suppressed his rage and demanded, "Why wasn’t I informed of such a critical matter?"
The shadow lowered its head. "My lord, you once decreed that secular affairs were beneath your notice. Since Long Tianyun is the official head of the family, his decisions were treated as yours. Moreover... I was occupied with monitoring Leng Ling'er and Lin Yinyin. I only just learned of these events."
Long Aotian's face twisted with fury.
He had always considered himself above worldly concerns, dismissing industries and luxuries as trivial.
But now...
Damn it all!
The shadow was his most loyal death guard, raised from childhood—there was no chance of betrayal.
The fault lay entirely with Long Tianyun.
Fine. If this is how it is... then I’ll paint the world red with blood.
"Report," he growled. "What of the other two families?"
"My lord... it seems they are in the same situation as the Long Family."
Hearing this, Long Aotian's rage cooled slightly.
At least the other two old monsters hadn’t conspired against him.
What the hell is going on here?
Since when does Gu Yan of the Gu Family have such tactics?
No... impossible.
Long Aotian's expression darkened—this must be Leng Qingqiu's doing.
He had long heard of her unparalleled intellect, her almost demonic cunning.
After becoming the alliance leader, Leng Qingqiu had gained access to far more resources.
She couldn’t openly attack them, so she had Gu Yan use the Gu Family to swallow their assets.
What made it worse was that Long Tianyun had clearly betrayed him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been left in the dark—especially since he never bothered with online affairs.
Damn it.
This move wouldn’t cripple the Long Family’s core strength—their martial forces—but it was still a slap in Long Aotian’s face.
"Go kill Long Tianyun!"
"I'm heading out!"
After barking his orders, Long Aotian vanished in a flicker of movement.
He needed to meet with those two old relics to discuss their next steps.
Truth be told, aside from the frustration of being blindsided, he wasn’t too bothered.
For one, he never cared much for the mundane world’s affairs.
And secondly... once the gods descended upon this world, not just these assets, but the entire world would belong to the three great families!
Hmph. Leng Qingqiu and Gu Yan, don’t celebrate too soon. Sooner or later, I’ll make you spit out every last thing you’ve taken!
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
] [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!"
