My name is Lin Jiaqiang.
Today is the final match of the Seven Stars Sword Sect’s entrance examination.
I’ve taken first place in every previous round, and this time will be no exception.
From the very beginning, my goal has been to claim the top spot.
So, everyone here, watch me shine—I’ll dazzle you all!
Then he saw Li Siyi leave her seat and hurry off to the side.
Lin Jiaqiang was puzzled. What was going on?
The others shared his confusion. Where was Elder Li Siyi going?
Wasn’t this the critical moment of the entrance examination?
Li Siyi approached Su Luo’s group and first addressed Nangong Xiyun. "Master," she said.
Nangong Xiyun nodded.
Li Siyi’s tone shifted. "You’re taking over the rest of the entrance examination."
Her smile was pleasant, but there was no room for refusal.
"Oh."
Nangong Xiyun knew she was at fault, so she didn’t argue.
She obediently went to oversee the examination.
Nangong Xiyun’s appearance naturally drew everyone’s attention.
To these newcomers, she was practically a living legend.
Just getting to see her was a stroke of luck.
"Alright, let’s continue the examination," Nangong Xiyun declared coldly, her voice brimming with authority.
The final round was really just a formality—most of the candidates who would join the sect had already been selected.
This match was simply to see if anyone had hidden potential.
The rules were straightforward: one-on-one combat.
Losing didn’t necessarily mean elimination; a strong performance could still secure a place in the Seven Stars Sword Sect.
Yet, most of the crowd wasn’t even watching the match.
Instead, their attention was fixed on Li Siyi chatting with a bandaged man.
Fights were a dime a dozen, but gossip? That was something else entirely.
Who was this guy?
Brought here by Peak Master Nangong—definitely no ordinary person.
And why would Elder Li Siyi abandon her duties just to talk to him?
What was their relationship?
Speculations ran wild.
Lin Jiaqiang was putting on a dazzling performance, but soon he realized something was off. Why wasn’t anyone watching him?
This wasn’t right. Today, he should have been the center of attention.
He was the future star of the Seven Stars Sword Sect!
With a powerful move, Lin Jiaqiang secured his victory.
But the crowd’s focus didn’t shift back to him.
He glanced toward Su Luo’s group—everyone was still more interested in them.
He steeled himself.
Don’t let it get to you. If I prove myself exceptional, their eyes will return to me.
My goal is to become someone like Lin Xuan.
Lin Jiaqiang’s resolve hardened once more.
Meanwhile, Li Siyi and Su Luo were deep in conversation.
Her smiles grew even brighter.
"Su Luo, what brings you here?"
"To see you."
"Really? I feel like you’re lying."
"Not at all. Why else would I come to the Seven Stars Sword Sect?"
Li Siyi’s mood lifted even further.
"By the way, who are these two?" Li Siyi asked.
"You recognized Su Luo instantly but not me?"
The moment Little Yu spoke, Li Siyi knew who it was.
She flushed slightly but defended herself. "Ahem, that’s normal, right? If I dressed like you, would you recognize me?"
"No," Little Yu admitted immediately, then realized Li Siyi had a point. "Fine, I’ll let it slide."
Their relationship had improved a lot since their first meeting.
At the very least, they were on much better terms now.
"And this is?" Li Siyi turned to the other figure. If she couldn’t recognize Little Yu, this one was a complete mystery.
"Jiang Ningshu," the woman replied without hesitation.
Their conversation remained private, audible only to their small group.
As Jiang Ningshu studied Li Siyi, she wondered: What was this woman’s relationship with Su Luo?
Li Siyi, in turn, scrutinized Jiang Ningshu.
Of course, this was just Jiang Ningshu’s disguise—Li Siyi couldn’t see through it. But one thing was certain: she was breathtakingly beautiful.
That much was instinctive.
Jiang Ningshu... Li Siyi remembered. The former Demon Lord.
But that wasn’t the main point. What mattered was that, like her, Jiang Ningshu possessed one of Su Luo’s diaries.
Thinking back to when she first learned this, Li Siyi had felt a pang of despair.
She’d thought she was Su Luo’s one and only special connection.
Regardless, it was best to greet her properly.
"I’m Li Siyi. Nice to meet you."
Jiang Ningshu nodded. So this was her.
She’d occasionally heard Su Luo and the others mention this name, but they weren’t close.
Jiang Ningshu didn’t pay her much mind.
To her, Li Siyi was a stranger. Just because Li Siyi was close to Su Luo didn’t mean she had to be.
Jiang Ningshu wasn’t the type to warm up to people easily.
Li Siyi was curious about Jiang Ningshu but knew better than to pry—especially not here.
So she turned her attention back to Su Luo.
This was such a delightful surprise. She’d never expected him to visit at a time like this.
Every word from Su Luo made her heart flutter.
Nangong Xiyun watched Li Siyi’s joy with a twinge of longing.
She wanted nothing more than to join their conversation. Anything would be better than sitting here, overseeing this tedious examination.
She considered finding someone to replace her.
But none of the other peak masters or elders were present today.
No one else was qualified to take her place.
Ah, what a tragedy.
The happier Li Siyi seemed, the more the crowd fixated on Su Luo’s group.
Too bad they couldn’t hear what was being said.
Otherwise, there’d surely be some explosive revelations.
......
By now, the entrance examination had reached its final match.
Most of the disciples who would join the Seven Stars Sword Sect had already been decided. This last bout would determine who ranked first.
Lin Jiaqiang steeled himself, clenching his fists as he scanned the crowd.
Let me win back your attention with my strength!
The match began. Lin Jiaqiang gave it his all, and his opponent was no pushover, making for a genuinely engaging fight.
Some of the spectators finally turned their eyes back to the arena.
"Nice!"
"That was a brilliant move."
"Such a stylish technique."
The praise stroked Lin Jiaqiang’s ego, and he redoubled his efforts.
Just then, Xie Feiran arrived. Now a sect deacon, he asked a friend, "So, how are this year’s newcomers?"
"Not bad. But right now, the real show isn’t the match."
"Huh? How can the entrance exam not be the main attraction?"
"Look over there."
Following his friend’s gaze, Xie Feiran saw Li Siyi laughing and chatting animatedly.
His friend, not a core disciple, explained, "See? When has Elder Li ever looked like that? This is big news."
Xie Feiran froze.
That’s Su Luo. It has to be Su Luo.
He might not recognize the bandaged figure, but he knew—no one else could make Li Siyi act like this.
Su Luo was back!
Though, given the bandages, he was probably keeping a low profile.
Makes sense.
Xie Feiran couldn’t help but smile.
His friend frowned. "What’s so funny?"
"Nothing. Just feels like today’s going to be a good day."
It already was. Su Luo’s return was reason enough to celebrate.
With that, he began gathering his old comrades.
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
't think I'm that capable, I'm just trying my best to stay alive. I've been kind all my life, never did anything bad, yet worldly suffering spared me not one bit. The human world is a nice place, but I won't come back in my next life. A kind young man, who wanted to just get by singing, but through repeated deceits and betrayals, has gone down an irredeemable path.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
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.
