Li Ziniu warned Su Luo and the others out of first impressions.
In his eyes:
Su Luo was a frail, injured young master.
Little Yu, a young cultivator.
Yun, unremarkable, with some skill but still seeming weak.
Jiang Ningshu, an ordinary person—though this was because Jiang Ningshu had concealed her cultivation, making herself appear as she had when she’d lost her powers.
"Don’t worry, old man, we’re quite strong," Yun replied.
"Heh, you just don’t realize—it’s not just demonic beasts out there, but also cultivators who control them. Just a few days ago, they robbed Jinglin City of its treasures."
Li Ziniu lazily explained. He’d just left Jinglin City himself and, hearing of the situation, had been in high spirits volunteering to eliminate the pests.
Unexpectedly, he’d run into Su Luo’s group.
"But we really are strong," Little Yu insisted.
Only then did Li Ziniu take a proper look at them.
Wait… something felt off.
A sharp inhale escaped him. While the others seemed unremarkable, why was this girl so powerful?!
He meant Little Yu. Earlier, he’d only glanced at her casually, but now that he looked properly—at least Golden Core, no, possibly even Nascent Soul.
Wasn’t this too outrageous? She couldn’t be more than twenty.
"Hey, you—who trained you?" Li Ziniu demanded.
Little Yu was about to answer when they were interrupted.
"Boss, look—beauties!"
Three cultivators emerged, their cultivation at Golden Core or above.
Li Ziniu glanced at them. They matched the wanted posters in the city—the same ones who’d robbed Jinglin City.
One of them grinned. "Beauties! This trip was worth it."
The boss promptly punched him in the head. "Stop with the nonsense. Our only targets are spirit stones and treasures. Everything else is pointless."
"But… that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves too, right?"
"We stay focused. If we’re here to rob, we rob." The boss was dead serious.
Su Luo nearly laughed. "Oh, so even bandits these days specialize in vertical markets now, huh?"
How principled. Not that it mattered—the moment they targeted his group, their fates were sealed.
"What vertical markets? Hand over everything you’ve got, or you’re all dead!"
Li Ziniu didn’t like that tone. He was about to act, but someone was faster.
"I’ll handle this."
Little Yu drew her sword and stepped forward, no longer interested in their chatter.
"Be careful. He’s no pushover," Li Ziniu warned, thinking Little Yu might be too inexperienced to win.
But in an instant, Little Yu’s blade flashed—one bandit fell. A reverse stroke, and the second lackey followed.
The boss roared. "You little brat—hope you’re born into a better life next time!"
His Golden Core aura erupted.
At the same time, a savage demonic beast appeared, its neck fitted with a specialized collar, drool dripping from its maw, eyes filled with malice.
Its cultivation was at least early-stage Nascent Soul.
"What do you think? This is my treasure. You’ll make fine meals for it."
The beast snarled ferociously—yet the longer it roared, the more it realized something was wrong.
Not a single person showed fear.
Instead, slowly, it began to feel dread.
Little Yu dropped all pretenses. The crushing pressure of a late-stage Nascent Soul burst forth.
One leap, and she was above the beast. A single slash cleaved it in two.
She’d fought entire armies of demonic beasts—this thing was no threat.
The boss gaped. His beast, stronger than him, was just… gone?
But he didn’t have long to process it. Those who hesitated ended up on the ground.
"P-please spare me! I had no choice—!"
He dropped to his knees, begging seamlessly, his expression perfectly pitiful.
Little Yu ignored it. A clean strike ended him.
No choice? With power like his, he could’ve done anything.
Yet here he was, robbing again days later—clearly a repeat offender.
Little Yu had no sympathy for such people.
Once done, she returned to Su Luo’s side.
Su Luo nodded, recalling his own naive days when he’d softened at pleas for mercy—only to suffer for it later.
It was good that Little Yu could act decisively.
"Well done."
"Do you still see me as a kid? I’ve grown up." Little Yu puffed out her chest slightly.
Su Luo considered it. Time moved fast in cultivation. Little Yu wasn’t the scrawny girl she’d once been.
She’d filled out some, standing tall and graceful now.
"Alright, alright. But you’ve still got a lot to learn."
"I’ll learn whatever you teach."
Constant battles had honed her understanding of many things.
Meanwhile, Li Ziniu was electrified. Little Yu’s flawless techniques left him in awe.
"Who taught you?!" he blurted.
"Many have. But the most important… was Su Luo."
"Su Luo? Who’s that?"
Li Ziniu had never heard of him.
"Him."
That frail young master?!
"Doesn’t look like it. More like a scholar," Li Ziniu muttered, scrutinizing Su Luo again. He could tell—there was power there.
But why was it weaker than Little Yu’s?
Su Luo always displayed the cultivation level he’d had at that point in his journey—currently only mid-stage Nascent Soul.
"I’m no scholar," Su Luo said. He had no interest in such things. Playing the villain suited him just fine.
With that, Su Luo’s group departed.
Li Ziniu suddenly lunged in a sneak attack, wanting to see if Su Luo had any real skill.
But the moment he moved, the Demon Lord’s sword sent him face-first into the dirt.
Who… am I? Where…? What…?
Li Ziniu couldn’t comprehend it. That supposed "ordinary" man had struck with such power?
He wanted to demand answers, but one glare from the Demon Lord made him reconsider.
That was… terrifying.
Few at his cultivation level could frighten him. Now he’d met several at once. Best not provoke them further.
Only when Su Luo’s group was far gone did Li Ziniu finally exhale. It’d been ages since he’d felt such a heart-pounding moment.
Meanwhile, after putting distance between them, Su Luo studied the Demon Lord for a long moment.
"What?" Jiang Ningshu asked.
"Have you gotten stronger?"
Logically, Jiang Ningshu was still in her first phase—only at Nascent Soul perfection. Could she really have defeated Li Ziniu so effortlessly?
"No." Jiang Ningshu wasn’t about to reveal the truth yet. At least not until she fully recovered in the second phase.
"Fine. Maybe I imagined it."
Li Ziniu hadn’t gone all out, and Jiang Ningshu’s original cultivation had reached incredible heights. Her comprehension of the Dao was profound—defeating a Soul Formation expert with Nascent Soul power was no issue.
Nangong Xiyun had considered mocking Jiang Ningshu here, serving her some poetic justice.
But in the end, she held back. No need to escalate tensions and risk everyone losing control. That wouldn’t end well for anyone.
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
] [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!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
