Chen Feng currently only wanted to grow stronger, having long risen above trivial pursuits. Especially when it came to superficial beauty or ugliness—he paid it little mind. Right now, Chen Feng’s sole focus was on improving his cultivation.
In this world, the stronger one’s cultivation, the greater their freedom. Only then could they protect those they cared about most.
"Master is right. My master isn’t some shallow person," Jin Youxi chimed in, her face full of admiration.
Liu Weiwei was also struck by her master’s words.
Su Yan, seeing the two lovely and vivacious female disciples behind Chen Feng, immediately cursed inwardly:
"Scumbag!"
"I almost fell for your nonsense!"
She took the walking stick Chen Feng handed her and asked, "I’m genuinely curious—what’s your standard for beauty? What do you consider beautiful in your eyes?"
Beauty?
The question dredged up countless memories for Chen Feng.
When he was little, he loved standing by the orphanage window, watching the children outside play happily with their parents.
The laughter of a family was something he could only yearn for back then.
As a child, he often fantasized about what it would be like to have parents—how he, too, could wear a carefree, joyful smile every day.
The thought of his bittersweet childhood made his eyes grow moist.
Su Yan, with her master-level cultivation, could clearly sense Chen Feng’s emotional fluctuations.
Coupled with his teary eyes, it didn’t seem like an act.
"A simple question about beauty actually moved this freak of nature—someone who can defeat opponents above his level and has pushed martial arts techniques to perfection as a mere martial disciple—to tears."
Su Yan didn’t understand why.
Her curiosity about Chen Feng’s answer only grew.
Chen Feng wore a faint smile as his moistened eyes returned to normal.
"For me, nothing in this world is more beautiful than a parent’s smile."
A parent’s smile!
Su Yan froze.
"Yes…"
"But I’ll never see it again."
Her mind instantly conjured the warm smiles of her own parents.
But immediately after, she saw her father’s desolate expression, his disappointment with the world.
And her mother’s despair, the tears she shed while kneeling and begging.
Chen Feng’s words not only reminded Su Yan of her parents but also reignited the memory of her deep-seated vendetta.
At that moment, even Jin Youxi and Liu Weiwei were reminded of their own parents.
Jin Youxi, however, only felt emptiness—no nostalgia.
She had never seen her parents smile.
Her memories were filled only with stern reprimands.
Liu Weiwei’s childhood memories of her parents had long since blurred.
Su Yan gave Chen Feng a deep look.
She thought to herself:
"This level of insight is nothing like a twenty-year-old’s."
No wonder he’s reached the pinnacle of perfection in his martial arts.
"I’m almost reluctant to hand him over to Wei Corporation now."
Chen Feng said to Su Yan, "Take care, auntie. We’ll head back first."
Jin Youxi also waved warmly.
"Goodbye, auntie!"
Su Yan nodded and said to Jin Youxi and Liu Weiwei,
"I envy you both—having such a warm and caring master."
Jin Youxi proudly lifted her chin.
Liu Weiwei also wore a blissful smile.
Just as the two groups were about to part ways—
Suddenly!
A voice echoed in Chen Feng’s mind.
[Detected 100% compatibility with "North Star Divine Art".]
[Name: Su Yan.]
[Note! Successfully taking her as a disciple will yield unexpected rewards.]
Chen Feng was stunned.
When he looked at the "auntie" before him now, his gaze had completely changed.
"What the—I’m supposed to take this older woman as my disciple?"
"How am I even supposed to ask that?"
But seeing the name of that technique, it was impossible not to be tempted.
That was a legendary divine art!
It had to be extraordinary.
Chen Feng was dying to know what effects mastering the North Star Divine Art and reaching harmony with the universe would bring.
"For the sake of my dream of becoming invincible, what’s a little embarrassment?"
If I run into the Devouring Heaven Club again, I’ll have another way to protect myself.
"Besides, this auntie seems like a decent person—perfect disciple material."
Chen Feng cleared his throat and forced himself to say:
"So… uh… auntie, would you like to learn martial arts?"
"I can tell just by looking—your bone structure is extraordinary. You’re a one-in-ten-thousand prodigy."
If you become my disciple, I can teach you an unparalleled technique.
Su Yan was speechless.
Had she misheard?
But there was no one else around.
Jin Youxi and Liu Weiwei were equally dumbfounded.
Their master’s actions had completely surpassed their understanding.
Su Yan stared at Chen Feng in disbelief.
"You want to take me as your disciple?"
Chen Feng nodded awkwardly.
At first, she thought she’d misheard, but seeing her "master" confirm it—
Jin Youxi’s jaw dropped in shock.
Liu Weiwei’s eyes widened, her face a picture of utter disbelief.
This left Su Yan utterly baffled.
A young man in his twenties actually wanted to take her as his disciple.
Though she was only thirty, the side effects of recklessly using the Star-Devouring Technique had taken their toll.
She now looked like she was in her forties or fifties.
Her body was covered in festering sores, her figure bloated and deformed, and even her legs had been affected.
Such was the price of the Star-Devouring Technique.
It allowed rapid progress in cultivation but came with severe drawbacks.
Absorbing others’ life force led to internal conflicts within the body.
While it boosted her power, it also ravaged her physique.
Without it, she’d never have reached master-level by thirty or founded the infamous Devouring Heaven Club.
No matter how hard she racked her brain, Su Yan couldn’t fathom why Chen Feng would want her as a disciple.
"Wasn’t this guy supposed to only like pretty young girls?"
"Or is he actually into… unconventional tastes?"
But there was no point overthinking it.
This was too amusing to pass up.
Su Yan was eager to see what this unpredictable young man was up to.
"Sure!"
"This auntie really does want to learn martial arts."
"Disciple Su Yan pays respects to Master."
Seeing Su Yan actually agree—
Jin Youxi’s mouth hung even wider open.
"I’ve got another junior sister now… and she’s decades older than me."
"Well, this junior sister is even older than Master."
Liu Weiwei was equally stunned.
"Wasn’t this supposed to be a joke?"
"It has to be a joke, right?"
Meanwhile, Chen Feng was ecstatic.
"It worked!"
A voice echoed in his mind:
[Disciple successfully accepted.]
[Acquired technique: "North Star Divine Art".]
[Note! Once your disciple masters the basics of the North Star Divine Art, your own comprehension of the technique will ascend to harmony with the universe.]
Congratulations on achieving the Renowned Master milestone.
[Fourth disciple has established a prominent organization and become its leader.]
[Reward: +200 Qi and Blood points for Master.]
Chen Feng was floored.
He’d just taken on a disciple and instantly completed a milestone, gaining 200 Qi and Blood points.
"Holy—since when was this a thing?"
Reaching 400 Qi and Blood points classifies one as an advanced martial artist.
Chen Feng now had 500.
Even if he faced Han Ming again—who had over 900—he’d dare to fight head-on.
The only question was: what organization had this fourth disciple founded?
A mutual aid society?
A no-fap club?
A senior citizens’ association?
For the life of him, Chen Feng couldn’t figure it out.
Right now, though, he had a more pressing headache—how was he supposed to address Su Yan?
Now that I'm the master, I can't very well keep calling my disciple "auntie," can I?
In the end, I had no choice but to grit my teeth, add Su Yan on WeChat, and send her my address.
"Su Yan, if you're free tomorrow, come find me at this location."
"I happen to have a cultivation technique that suits you. You have to come—I promise you won’t be disappointed."
Chen Feng was desperate to make progress now.
But when he read the description of the technique, his heart skipped a beat.
"Devouring others' life force?"
"Isn't this the Star-Swallowing Art?"
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
] [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!"
