This was completely different from before. Previously, even without relying on intuition, Lin Qingyan could grasp Gu Chengyin’s general intentions through the electric aura emanating from him.
Time and again, she captured his movements with pinpoint accuracy.
But now, although she could still sense the electricity, the information it provided grew increasingly vague and sparse.
It was as if something was blocking or filtering it, or perhaps the electricity itself had undergone some change.
Was this normal?
No, it wasn’t.
She was at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, and normally, someone at her level couldn’t sense a Foundation Establishment cultivator at all.
Yet, paradoxically, it was Gu Chengyin—the Foundation Establishment Grand Perfect stage cultivator—who was sensing her.
There was no way this was normal.
Lin Qingyan’s gaze returned to Gu Chengyin’s retreating figure, and suddenly a thought flashed through her mind.
Could this be related to the sudden sharpness of his perception?
The electric aura was providing less and less information, while his senses were growing ever more acute.
Could there be a connection between the two?
Had Gu Chengyin broken through in cultivation?
That couldn’t be. His realm was still stuck firmly at Foundation Establishment Grand Perfect—no change whatsoever.
After pondering deeply, Lin Qingyan’s suspicion settled on his Dao Heart.
To evade the perception of a mid-stage Golden Core like her, yet still keenly detect her gaze, there was only one possibility.
Gu Chengyin’s Dao Heart had advanced.
Only a Golden Core-level Dao Heart could accomplish all this.
Combined with Gu Chengyin’s prodigious, almost otherworldly intelligence, he would naturally exploit the power of his Dao Heart to its fullest.
“What a bad man,” she muttered with a slight smile curling at the corner of her lips.
Far from displeased, her eyes shone with even deeper infatuation.
The man she admired had to be a peerless hero, riding on auspicious clouds.
So the more impressive Gu Chengyin’s performance, the deeper Lin Qingyan’s love for him grew.
Still, no matter what, she couldn’t let Gu Chengyin discover that she hadn’t been hypnotized.
Even if he found out, there was no escaping his grasp, but he would surely distance himself from her.
It was the kind of situation where, even if she had Gu Chengyin’s body, she wouldn’t have Gu Chengyin’s heart.
And that was absolutely unacceptable to Lin Qingyan.
She wanted not just the Gu Chengyin she loved, but the Gu Chengyin who loved her back.
Moreover, Lin Qingyan realized she quite enjoyed this feeling of lurking in the shadows, secretly watching Gu Chengyin.
It was strange—she was a mighty Golden Core Immortal from the prestigious Heavenly Master Mansion’s Awakening of Insects division, unmatched in battle prowess.
Yet she found herself liking this sensation.
Though even she found it hard to believe.
But since no one knew, she would just have to indulge in her secret surveillance of Gu Chengyin.
One real, one illusory—each carrying their own thoughts—they finally arrived at the entrance of the Crown Prince’s main hall.
This time, Gu Chengyin didn’t pause at the threshold but strode directly inside.
Sunlight slanted through the tall window lattices, casting bright patches upon the polished golden brick floor.
Behind the long desk, Luo Zhao sat upright and composed, her head bowed as she reviewed some documents.
At her side, Shangguan Yunying stood quietly, holding a few memorials in her hands, exuding a diligent air in handling state affairs.
Gu Chengyin walked straight toward them.
In fact, Luo Zhao and Shangguan Yunying had long known Gu Chengyin had returned again.
Eyes were everywhere inside and outside the Crown Prince’s palace—Gu Chengyin had gone to the Myriad Phenomena Tower, then promptly returned to the main hall.
These reports had long been quietly relayed by the female attendants.
As long as they maintained a safe distance and took turns observing,
every move Gu Chengyin made would eventually unfold before Luo Zhao’s eyes.
So, although they appeared to be engaged in their own affairs, both were actually well prepared.
Luo Zhao had even hidden behind a puppet of consciousness early on.
After all, as long as Gu Chengyin didn’t realize her mind was awake, it was fine.
Gu Chengyin approached the long desk and stopped.
At this moment, there were no other female attendants in the hall—only the three of them.
Of course, there was also the unseen Lin Qingyan.
Following the formalities between sovereign and minister, Gu Chengyin slightly bowed and greeted, “Your Highness.”
Luo Zhao lifted her head and looked at Gu Chengyin.
She was still as stunning as ever—her brows and eyes like a delicate painting, skin as smooth as creamy jade, breathtakingly beautiful to the point one couldn’t look away.
But in those eyes, the usual sharpness and edge were gone, replaced only by emptiness and submission.
This was an expression that appeared only when she faced Gu Chengyin.
When the consciousness puppet looked at others, it behaved exactly like Luo Zhao normally did.
She gave a soft hum, a subtle acknowledgment.
Without special instructions and in the presence of others, the hypnotized would act naturally.
Luo Zhao was the Crown Princess, and Gu Chengyin the Junior Tutor, so there was no need for excessive warmth nor coldness.
A faint “hmm” was just right.
Gu Chengyin glanced at Luo Zhao, then shifted his gaze to Shangguan Yunying standing beside her.
“Yunying, do you know where Xiaoli is right now?”
Shangguan Yunying blinked, a puzzled look crossing her face.
“Xiaoli? Isn’t she at Wanxiang Tower reading?”
Shangguan Yunying truly didn’t know Gu Xiaoli’s whereabouts—she only knew that before coming to find Gu Chengyin,
Gu Xiaoli had been reading at Wanxiang Tower, but after that, no one knew.
Gu Chengyin continued, “But the Golden Imperial Guards at Wanxiang Tower said there’s no one inside.”
Hearing this, Luo Zhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed Gu Xiaoli had indeed slipped away before Gu Chengyin arrived.
Shangguan Yunying had successfully stalled Gu Chengyin, so her efforts were not in vain.
Though she had essentially sacrificed herself, at least she bought some time.
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yunying hesitated.
“Really? But Xiaoli hasn’t come back yet, and I haven’t seen her.”
She glanced around the hall as if trying to confirm something.
Gu Chengyin was momentarily stunned. So, Shangguan Yunying really didn’t know where Gu Xiaoli had gone?
That complicated things.
A half-step Nascent Soul cat demon—if she wanted to hide, who could find her?
Probably not even Lin Qingyan.
Though he was a Golden Core expert, Gu Xiaoli was half a realm beyond.
There was a gap in their cultivation levels.
Gu Chengyin couldn’t help but recall the feeling of being watched just now.
If Gu Xiaoli hadn’t returned, then it was most likely her.
He just didn’t understand why she was playing hide-and-seek instead of showing herself openly.
After some thought, Gu Chengyin instructed,
“In that case, Yunying, if you see Xiaoli, tell her I have something to discuss with her.”
Shangguan Yunying nodded obediently and replied,
“Alright, if I see Xiaoli, I’ll be sure to tell her.”
His tone was sincere, his attitude earnest, as if determined to get the job done no matter what.
Gu Chengyin nodded, then shifted his gaze toward Luo Zhao.
The Crown Prince sat upright behind the long desk, his eyes vacant yet obedient.
That exquisitely beautiful face appeared even more radiant under the sunlight—ethereal, almost otherworldly.
Gu Chengyin glanced around the hall.
At this moment, there was no one else present besides the three of them.
Retracting his gaze, Gu Chengyin looked back at Luo Zhao and suddenly asked,
“Your Highness, do you know where Little Li is?”
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!
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
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.”
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
