When Lu Changchun took the stage, our protagonist Ye Xuan also arrived late with his three concubines in tow.
As Lu Changchun walked onto the stage, the music started playing.
"Old Zhou, turn on the projection," he said, since Old Zhou was temporarily taking over the backstage work while Lu Changchun was on stage.
Beside Ye Xuan, a little lolita pouted, "Brother Ye Xuan, what's there to see here? Let's go back!"
"Can anyone listen to the songs this old guy is singing?"
"Ruo Xue, don't be willful," Ye Xuan chided.
The lolita, Sima Ruoxue, was Wang Ziyan's arch-nemesis. Ever since she started following Ye Xuan, she had been firmly suppressing Wang Ziyan.
Lately, for some reason, they hardly ever saw Wang Ziyan. Even when they did run into her, Wang Ziyan didn't even bother to acknowledge them, no matter how much trouble Sima Ruoxue tried to stir up with Ye Xuan. This made Sima Ruoxue feel like her efforts were fruitless, leaving her very frustrated.
"Hmph, fine!" she huffed.
The two peerless beauties beside them just smiled and shook their heads.
These two women were none other than Liu YuXin and Zhang WanLing, who Xiao Fengfeng's group had previously pursued.
As the music started playing, a projection of a landscape painting with mountains and rivers appeared behind Lu Changchun.
Next, the image changed to show Lu Changchun standing alone at the peak of a mountain, gazing into the distance with a lonely expression.
"What's this? Some kind of photography stone? How did they make something like this?"
"We're all human, so why is there such a huge gap?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, while the sect leaders and elders of the major sects thought of deeper implications.
As Lu Changchun began to sing slowly, the audience gradually quieted down.
Into the clouds, out with the wind
Bringing dust all over my body
My heart is hurt, feelings grown cold, tears all dried up
Be it sorrow or joy
Who can foretell one's fate
The Great Elder of Sky Demon Sect particularly liked this song: [Isn't this just like me?]
I've seen cold, indifferent eyes
Loved a person I was fated to be apart from
Only then did I know human feelings need not be asked about
Passion boils in my heart
Yet time has left its scars
Looking back, the sun has already set - who still cares about me?
The mountains are still mountains, the waters are still waters
Past events now seem like fading smoke
A wandering heart, now decimated
Who cares?
A hero's tears...
As Lu Changchun sang, the projections changed along with the lyrics, delivering a powerful audiovisual impact to the audience below.
The Great Elder of Sky Demon Sect was the first to stand up and applaud. The rest of the crowd followed suit with cheers and shouts of approval.
Lu Changchun's performance was outstanding. He seemed a bit wooden when just standing on stage, but his singing more than made up for it.
The song "A Hero's Tears" didn't resonate much with the younger generation, as their life experiences were still too limited. But for the older crowd, it struck a chord deep in their hearts.
Below, the disciples were buzzing with discussion: "This exchange meeting is so interesting!"
"You got that right! I can only appreciate those dances, sword dances, zither performances on a superficial level."
"Me too!"
"Same here!" Those around chimed in agreement.
"If not for fear of others looking down on me, I wouldn't even pretend to understand," someone else said.
"You don't get it either? I thought it was just me!"
"Me neither!"
"Damn, I thought I was the only one pretending. Turns out we're all the same!"
"That's not right. If none of us get it, then those who claim they do must be pretending!"
"Yes, yes! Those people just like to show off in front of us. Can't stand them!"
Similar voices rang out from various spots in the plaza.
Those who considered themselves above the rabble gnashed their teeth in resentment, but didn't dare provoke the crowd's anger.
Ye Xuan just said lightly, "What a mob." His three women unanimously agreed.
Next was Xiao Lian's performance. While not as dazzling as Lu Changchun's, she still garnered a lot of supporters.
Tang Xiaoyu took the stage: "Next, let's welcome our gentle and graceful host, Ziyan, to perform 'An Emotional Yet Heartless Person' for everyone!"
With a smile, Wang Ziyan walked onto the stage, continuously waving at the crowd.
Below, this made Sima Ruoxue grit her teeth in anger: "What's that cheap hussy so happy about? She really has no shame."
Xiao Fengfeng and his fellow junior brothers and sisters started cheering Wang Ziyan on: "Junior sister, go for it! You're the best!"
But when the projections appeared behind Wang Ziyan as she sang, everyone almost wanted to laugh.
Recalling Wang Ziyan's personality and past deeds, it became even harder for the crowd to hold it in.
Fortunately, Wang Ziyan's performance soon helped them overlook this detail.
It couldn't be helped, since her expressions were too good!
Amidst shouts and applause, Wang Ziyan pranced off the stage in high spirits.
"How was I?"
Lu Changchun and Xiao Lian both gave her a big thumbs up. Old Zhou said mildly, "Just wait until you witness what real ability is later."
Tang Xiaoyu also lavished her with generous praise. This made Wang Ziyan strut around with her nose in the clouds.
"Ziyan, hurry and go report your next act!"
"Ah, I almost forgot!" She rushed back on stage.
"Next up, enjoy the song 'Song of the Western Sea'!"
The disciples of Carefree Peak went wild, howling loudly: "Second Elder! Second Elder!"
They didn't call him Master, because Old Zhou wanted to keep some face by maintaining plausible deniability.
Old Zhou walked on stage with an air of utmost self-satisfaction, annoying Tang Xiaoyu greatly with his smug expression.
As the music started, the projection showed Liu Yu wandering along a riverbank alone under an umbrella, the picture of loneliness.
The scene then changed to a sweet moment between her and Duan Fei.
Below, Duan Fei was bragging to his junior brothers: "Look, that's me in there! Pretty handsome, eh?"
"Let me tell you..." Then he rattled on and on, boasting expansively in an exaggerated manner.
On Liu Yu's side, however, her senior sisters saw Duan Fei as the callous cad who had abandoned Liu Yu.
Along with Duan Fei's colorful narration beside them, he looked more and more like an unfaithful scumbag to them.
Mainly because Liu Yu's acting was too convincing - it made people overlook that this was just a performance. Not to mention, Duan Fei already had a bad reputation to begin with.
"Ever since you left, I've lost all tenderness..."
"Waiting here on this long snowy path, still hearing the howling cold winds..."
As soon as Old Zhou began singing, all eyes were glued onto him.
Then, Carefree Peak's disciples activated chorus mode, whipping the on-site atmosphere into a frenzy.
The projections also transformed along with the lyrics’ progression.
Backstage, Tang Xiaoyu gnashed her teeth: [Miscalculation! Didn't expect Old Zhou to still have this much skill left. My job's going down the drain today!]
As the song climaxed, the passions of the audience below burned ever higher.
Amidst the crowd's ear-piercing screams and applause, Old Zhou strutted off the stage in high arrogance.
"Xiaoyu, this is what real skill looks like. You'll have to work harder!"
Tang Xiaoyu signaled to Lu Changchun with her eyes. He instantly understood.
Tang Xiaoyu took the stage: "Next, I will perform 'Tenderness in Hand' for everyone."
Below, Tang Xiaoxue and Yu Die immediately leapt atop a prepared table, waving placards high with Xiaoyu's name on them as they shouted loudly.
Everyone's eyes fell upon the two girls. Glancing at them briefly, Qingyun Sword Sect's upper echelon turned their heads away - they knew of Tang Xiaoxue's connection to Tang Xiaoyu on stage, and thus quickly brushed it off.
Seeing Qingyun Sword Sect's lack of reaction, the other sects' leaders didn't say anything more either.
Hearing Tang Xiaoxue's voice, Chu Yanran knew it was time to take action on her end.
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
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?"
