After finishing the arena match, Gu Qingfeng returned to his dormitory to continue his cultivation.
Since he was still on break, he hadn't returned to the Demon Suppression Prison, and he wasn't in a hurry to go back.
To be honest, after encountering the White Bone Master, Gu Qingfeng couldn't really take the demons in the first level of the Demon Suppression Prison seriously anymore, except that he missed the little ghost.
His Vajra Body had reached its critical point, just one step away from advancing to the next level.
However, with his current physical defense, Gu Qingfeng didn't think any demon in the first level of the Demon Suppression Prison could break through his defense and help him improve it.
He might as well wait until he became a Yellow-rank Demon Hunter and visit the second level.
Moreover, the system had clearly stated that once he reached the Internal Qi Realm, demon attacks would help increase his internal qi cultivation, so Gu Qingfeng was now full of motivation!
Qi Gathering Third Level! Let's break through... no, let's advance!
Time flies during cultivation, and three hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Gu Qingfeng felt another hair-thin strand of qi growing inside him and fell into deep thought.
He recalled a story told by his senior when he first joined the Demon Suppression Bureau.
Long, long ago, there were twins who began practicing martial arts at the same time. They had the same master, and theoretically, with the same aptitude, same techniques, and same teacher, their cultivation speed should have been identical, but reality proved otherwise.
The older brother practiced eight hours daily, while the younger brother practiced seven, yet the younger brother's progress was faster.
Confused, the older brother asked their master. The master explained that practicing all day except for eating and sleeping wasn't ideal. Cultivation requires a balance between work and rest. Constant practice leads to physical exhaustion, reducing cultivation efficiency.
The younger brother practiced for seven hours and spent the remaining hour relaxing - playing chess, tending to flowers, and such.
This one hour of rest allowed him to maintain peak mental and physical condition, keeping his cultivation efficiency consistently high, which is why he surpassed his brother.
This became the famous "7+1 is greater than 8" story in the cultivation world.
The moral was to maintain a balance between work and rest.
Thinking of this, Gu Qingfeng went straight to bed.
Scientific cultivation starts with me.
......
The next day.
Gu Qingfeng participated in another martial arts competition.
"Gu Qingfeng, if you've got any courage, fight without your spirit weapon. Relying on weapon advantage is no real skill!"
Gu Qingfeng looked at his shouting opponent while slowly drawing out his Wood King Sword.
"That's incorrect. Weapons are part of one's strength. When you face demons in the future, will you not use weapons? Will you fight bare-handed?"
"That's nonsense! How can you compare competition fights with facing demons?"
"How are they different? What's the purpose of these competitions? Isn't it to select the strongest candidates for Yellow-rank Demon Hunters, to better fight demons?"
"If I let you win today by not using weapons, what will you do when you encounter demons? Will demons show you mercy?"
"You... you're twisting words!"
"Brother, let me give you some advice. This competition is beyond your depth. Be good and step down yourself."
"Gu Qingfeng, you bastard! You won unfairly. Just you wait." The man cursed as he jumped off the stage.
"Winner, Gu Qingfeng," the official announced expressionlessly.
......
The next day.
"Gu Qingfeng! Let's make a deal. You don't use your spirit weapon, and I won't use my cultivation advantage. I'll suppress my power to Qi Gathering Third Level, and we'll have a fair fight. How about it?"
"Not interested."
"Fine! Gu Qingfeng, you shameless coward!" The man cursed as he left the stage.
"Congratulations, Gu Qingfeng. You've made it to the final four. Tomorrow is the finals," the official announced emotionlessly.
"Haha, congratulations to us all."
......
The next day, before the competition.
A group of people approached He Fenghua, the Dark-rank Demon Hunter.
"Lord He, please do something about Gu Qingfeng."
"Lord He, that shameless Gu Qingfeng is clearly cheating!"
"Indeed, winning with a spirit weapon makes this competition meaningless!"
"Exactly! With a Dark-rank Spirit Weapon, even a dog tied to the stage could win!"
He Fenghua looked at the group and pondered, "Gu Qingfeng has indeed gone too far. I will consult with the judges about this matter and give you an answer later."
"Thank you, Lord He."
"We thank Lord He for upholding justice."
After dismissing the group, He Fenghua called his trusted subordinate and whispered something in his ear.
"Do you understand what to do?"
"Yes, I understand."
......
Soon, He Fenghua's subordinate found Gu Qingfeng and explained the situation about the collective protest against him.
"Brother Gu, let's be frank. Lord He thinks you've indeed aroused public anger this time. However, if you're willing to sell the Wood King Sword to Lord He, he will allow you to continue using it until you obtain the Yellow-rank Demon Hunter position, after which you'll hand it over to him.
Brother Gu, please consider it carefully. If you agree to sell the Wood King Sword, you'll not only receive a substantial amount of money but also secure the Yellow-rank Demon Hunter position and Lord He's favor.
But if you refuse, you'll be prohibited from using the Wood King Sword during the competition, stopping at the final four, losing your chance at becoming a Yellow-rank Demon Hunter, and earning Lord He's displeasure.
Weigh your options carefully, Brother Gu."
This combination of threats and enticements would have been tempting if Gu Qingfeng's strength was truly only at Qi Gathering Third Level.
Unfortunately for them, it wasn't.
Even without the Wood King Sword, he could easily claim first place.
Moreover, the Wood King Sword wasn't just an ordinary Dark rank Inferior Spirit Weapon.
"Please tell Lord He that the Wood King Sword is a family heirloom and is not for sale."
The man gave Gu Qingfeng a long look, as if looking at a fool who couldn't read the situation, then left.
......
"Next match, Gu Qingfeng at Qi Gathering Third Level versus Hu Banqing at Qi Gathering Ninth Level."
As Gu Qingfeng and Hu Banqing took the stage, the crowd below buzzed with discussion.
"Ah, what a shame for Hu Banqing. He was originally one of the most likely candidates for first place. With his Qi Gathering Ninth Level cultivation, he could defeat an Iron Armored Zombie. His strength is already infinitely close to the Internal Qi Realm, practically half-step into it."
"Indeed, but unfortunately, he encountered Gu Qingfeng."
"Let the match begin."
As the official announced.
"Wait!"
Hu Banqing suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention.
Hu Banqing proclaimed loudly, "Lord He, honorable judges, I have something to say."
"Speak."
He Fenghua watched Hu Banqing calmly, his expression revealing neither pleasure nor anger.
"Thank you, Lord He."
After receiving He Fenghua's permission, Hu Banqing suddenly turned and pointed at Gu Qingfeng, saying, "I wish to state that Gu Qingfeng has been blatantly exploiting competition rules by relying on his spirit weapon's advantage, openly cheating, which is despicable. This competition is meant to select the strongest, most respected person to serve as a Yellow-rank Demon Hunter.
But Gu Qingfeng has no real strength beyond his spirit weapon, and his character is shameless, unworthy of respect.
Therefore, I request Lord He and the honorable judges to revoke Gu Qingfeng's right to use spirit weapons! Let's restore fairness to this competition!"
His words caused an uproar among the crowd.
Plants in the crowd who had been arranged beforehand suddenly shouted, "Good! Well said! I support you!"
"Right! That's so well said! I've been annoyed with Gu Qingfeng for a long time!"
"Revoke his spirit weapon privileges!"
"Revoke his privileges!"
The crowd suddenly became inflamed with emotion.
] [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!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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.”
'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.
