Excerpt:

Before leaving, she leaned into my face whispering her answer in my ears, all the while pointing that gun at me, as if to mock my mortality because it was obvious enough that she could shatter my psyche with a mere thought. I had accepted my fate the moment she entered the house, yet it was her words which caused my face to turn ashen before it all went dark, " I have worn many faces in my lifetime, I am the face of someone's dreams while for others I am nightmare given flesh but the most famous face I've ever worn is the one that sailed a thousand ships."






WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT:
It all started with those four words with which most tales began....
Once upon a time in a far, far land lived a princess.
But there's a tiny little change,this story is not about her nor is it about the prince who was one day to rule the land with an iron fist. This story is not about evil step mothers or of damsels in distress. It is not a tale of benelovent kings or submissive queens. This is not a tale as old as time. In fact this tale is about what yesterday was like, this tale is about today and about all the days to come and it will make you question your reality, and only those who can truly see will know the truth.

 But does it truly require an entire new world to make you question your existence or is one person enough to do so.... 

What if that one person is someone whom you thought you knew? What if this is a tale of a girl who carved out her own empire in the 21st century? What if this tale is about a boy fiercely loyal to her? What if this is the story of his betrayal? Or what if this story is something totally different? What if it does not revolve around the boy and the girl? What if you have to forge together the gaps in the story and discover the truth? What if this tale was never told?

Excerpt:

Before leaving, she leaned into my face whispering her answer in my ears, all the while pointing that gun at me, as if to mock my mortality because it was obvious enough that she could shatter my psyche with a mere thought. I had accepted my fate the moment she entered the house, yet it was her words which caused my face to turn ashen before it all went dark, " I have worn many faces in my lifetime, I am the face of someone's dreams while for others I am nightmare given flesh but the most famous face I've ever worn is the one that sailed a thousand ships."


Reviews:
@Claire-Merle: Nice contrasting attitude. I am intrigued
@Strangeoutcast: This is beautiful. I am intrigued. The poetic stanza describing the mesmerizing tales of the kingdom are profound.
@AlifiyaAkhtar: The tales have been described with so much concern and beautifully written.




It all started with those four words with which most tales began....
Once upon a time in a far, far land lived a princess.
But there's a tiny little change,this story is not about her nor is it about the prince who was one day to rule the land with an iron fist. This is not a tale as old as time. In fact this tale is about what yesterday was like, this tale is about today and about all the days to come and it will make you question your reality, and only those who can truly see will know the truth.

 But does it truly require an entire new world to make you question your existence or is one person enough to do so.... 

What if that one person is someone whom you thought you knew? What if this is a tale of a girl who carved out her own empire in the 21st century? What if this tale is about a boy fiercely loyal to her? What if this is the story of his betrayal? Or what if this story is something totally different? What if it does not revolve around the boy and the girl? What if you have to forge together the gaps in the story and discover the truth? What if this tale was never told?

A blind boy born into a cultivation world talented in music and illusions. He has a firm heart, a will to grow stronger, and a world to explore. Follow Jiang Mang on his story to reach the peak and ascend to the immortal world.

This is my first story and my native language isn't English. There will be language errors and if you find them just post a comment.

When you like the story give it a power stone and give suggestions when you have them.

A blind boy born into a cultivation world talented in music and illusions. He has a firm heart, a will to grow stronger, and a world to explore. Follow Jiang Mang on his journey to reach the peak and ascend to the immortal world.

This is my first story and my native language isn't English. There will be language errors and if you find them just post a comment.

When you like the story give it a power stone and give suggestions when you have them.

Things are not always what they seem.
----------
I walked briskly through the corridor, the sound of my shoes echoing and bouncing off the walls. Removing my wig and the pins keeping it in place, I toss it to the family butler as he walks behind me with the same urgency in his stride. I stop just in front of a set of big, wooden doors that shut my father's study to the rest of the house. With a loud knock and a faint "come in", I throw the doors open and march in. My father was sitting quietly behind his desk. I caught a look in his eyes filled with shock and surprise for a split second before he expertly masked it with his usual blank stare. 

"What is the meaning of this?"
----------
Adelaide Isla is anything but ordinary. Being the daughter of one a big-shot businessman in the kingdom is something she still considers normal. With her father an earl and close friends with the crown prince, her status is what she wishes is normal. After years of scandal, family drama, and tension, her father allows her to live undercover for her later teenage years. Adelaide was loving life up until she gets thrown a curveball as the grandson of the king needs a bodyguard.

Things are not always what they seem.
----------
I rushed through the corridor, the sound of my shoes echoing and bouncing off the walls. Removing my wig and the pins keeping it in place, I toss it to the family butler as he walks behind me with the same urgency in his stride. I stop just in front of a set of big wooden doors that shut my father's study to the rest of the house. With a loud knock and a faint "come in", I throw the doors open and march in. My father was sitting quietly behind his desk. I caught a look in his eyes filled with shock and surprise for a split second before he expertly masked it with his usual blank stare. 

"What is the meaning of this?"
----------
Adelaide Isla is anything but ordinary. Being the daughter of a prominent businessman in the kingdom is something she still considers normal. With her father an earl and close friends with the crown prince, her status is what she wishes is normal. After years of scandal, family drama, and tension, her father allows her to live undercover for her later teenage years. Adelaide was loving life until she gets thrown a curveball as the grandson of the king needs a bodyguard.

Things are not always what they seem.
----------
I walked briskly through the corridor, the sound of my shoes echoing and bouncing off the walls. Removing my wig and the pins keeping it in place, I toss it to the family butler as he walks behind me with the same urgency in his stride. I stop just in front of a set of big, wooden doors that shut my father's study to the rest of the house. With a loud knock and a faint "come in", I throw the doors open and march in. My father was sitting quietly behind his desk. I caught a look in his eyes filled with shock and surprise for a split second before he expertly masked it with his usual blank stare. 

"What is the meaning of this?"
----------
Adelaide Isla is anything but ordinary. Being the daughter of a prominent businessman in the kingdom is something she still considers normal. With her father an earl and close friends with the crown prince, her status is what she wishes is normal. After years of scandal, family drama, and tension, her father allows her to live undercover for her later teenage years. Adelaide was loving life up until she gets thrown a curveball as the grandson of the king needs a bodyguard.

Kyosuke still held the manga.

he looked down and sighed deeply.

He took the unfinished manga and kept it aside

and went towards the window pushed the curtains aside.He stared at the moon.
 
"Only if I could tell you that everything is fake and that I'm the one who created this fake reality."

Within a luxurious courtyard, Ren was currently being taken of care by a servant of the clan. The servant was worried since Ren has been asleep for an entire week, the clan head and elders instructed the servant to watch over Ren while Doctors came to give nutrients to the child. The clan head, Ren's father, along with the elders didn't see a lot of hope of Ren waking up but nevertheless still kept him fed in the off chance that a miracle happens and that he'll live longer than expected; wanting to know if he was talented or not. Ren was currently inside mindscape, despairing after a week of fruitless effort of trying to awaken his Fate Palace's Four Symbols with his Fate Palace Merit Law; Dream of Despair, Seven Illusions of Desperation.

Ren first entering his mindscape at the door of his Fate Palace used his merit law to open it in one knock, that knock was his desperate cry of wanting to live. The Merit Law Dream of Despair, Seven Illusions of Desperation requires the cultivator to be desperate and in despair to begin cultivating it. Once those requirements are fulfilled they fall asleep and begin a dream until they successfully awaken the Four Symbols of their Fate Palace by creating Seven Illusions formed by their dream which slowly turns into a nightmare.
Ren was currently pounding the floor inside his fate palace, desperate to succeed. After calming down, Ren once again tried every way to awaken his fate palace but failed due to the vagueness of his merit law. Ren didn't know that he had already created the first illusion and was currently creating the second unknowingly, the next day Ren was shouting in rage and despair, rejecting the reality that he has been dealt, "Why?! Why do I have to be so unlucky?!"  His appearance was unsightly with his disheveled black hair and bloodshot eyes from his anger. It was the appearance from his previous life, neither handsome or ugly; simply average.

Ren completed the second illusion and began the third, finishing the next day like the other. This illusion was the most pitiful illusion that could shatter someone's heart if they were to see it, Ren was trying to strangle himself in an attempt to suicide; wanting to get out of this nightmare that is his new life. Ren was lamenting after failing to kill himself, "Ah, why is fate cruel? My name in itself only makes me even more pitiful than I already am. Resign oneself?  To whom or what should I resign myself to? I just want to live." Another day passed and another, going all the way to the seventh day where Ren completed the final illusion; awakening the Fate Palace's Four Symbols. A base illusion along with seven illusions manifested around his Fate Palace.

Base Illusion - A cry of desperation, yearning to live was the sound that echoed in a low tone throughout the fate palace.
First Illusion - Ren pounding the floor in desperation. A technique used to execute opponents.
Second Illusion - Ren with disheveled hair, shouting in rage and despair; rejecting his reality. A technique that will defy fate at a cost.
Third Illusion - Ren trying to strangle himself in a desperate attempt to suicide, wanting their nightmare to end. A technique that will disturb a cultivator's heart.
Fourth Illusion - Ren weeping tears of black blood, desperate for a ray of hope. A technique that will slow the movements of all those that see it.
Fifth Illusion - Ren standing still, looking down in desperation and despair. An technique that suppresses anyone who looks into its eyes.
Sixth Illusion - Ren running desperately in an endless loop, giving into their despair. A peerless movement technique, capable of transcending space with mastery.
Seventh Illusion - Ren motionlessly lying on the floor, completely filled with despair and desperation. Rage fills their mind and reflects on their face as they give one last shout, cursing everything that exists. A technique that curses anyone who hears it, resulting in nightmares that will appear every month for a week.

It was also possible for more illusions to form depending on the cultivator's situation and emotions, a technique that truly forced its practitioners to look at all the bad things that has happened to them; not allowing them to ever forget or escape from it.

Ren looked at the illusions that appeared with the awakening of his four symbols and muttered to himself, "This technique is evil. ..But it's effective since it's an almost guaranteed success when cultivating it. I have two more weeks left, I need to finish the Palace Foundation quickly." Ren asked the system to show him the information for the two merit laws that he received and was disturbed from how dark they truly were.

Fate Palace Merit Law, Dream of Despair, Seven Illusions of Desperation - Cultivating this requires the user to be in despair and desperation, if those requirements are met they fall asleep and begin their dream until they successfully awaken their four symbols. To complete this merit law, they must create Seven Illusions based from their desperate attempts of awakening from their dream which becomes a nightmare of what they fear most.

Life Wheel Merit Law, Death's Grasp - The speed and efficiency of cultivation can be boosted up to 10 times when in a life threatening situation. Causes Extreme Yin Energy due to burning the lifespan for a chance to see another day. Remember, you must die. 

Ren reviewed the information for Death's Grasp in horror and wept to himself, "I'm going to be killing myself? Wait, it's alright! I have an Immortal Fate Wheel, it'll be over almost instantly and I should be able to increase my lifespan with the first drop of Longevity Blood." Ren brainwashed himself before leaving his mindscape and woke up in his main body, he looked around and noticed that he was in the arms of a woman who he did not know. She was currently sleeping and seemed exhausted from the dark circles under her eyelids. Ren didn't bother to pay anymore attention to her and started practicing his merit law, Death's Grasp. Ren spent a total of 6 hours and successfully created the first drop of Longevity Blood. "What's my lifespan currently at?" Ren asked the system from his mind.

The System, Mommy, gave a response, "A week and a half. This is due to the Extreme Yin Energy polluting your body, when practicing this method it's best to keep going until you run out of.. life-force to expend. There is still hope though, you can definitely live a long life now that you completed the Palace Foundation! All you have to do is complete the first stage of Palace Expansion by using the Eternal Physique Merit Law!" Ren was previously disappointed from the news but felt determined from the last sentence. He succeeded and managed to increase his life force into 30 years, this took him just a bit shy of a week and successfully managed to escape from his almost inevitable death.

Shortly after dying and reincarnating with a system, his system gave him a gift which caused a disaster for him. Leading him on the verge of death but due to being born in a prominent clan, his life was saved for a month which was enough time to him to fix his situation. But his clan crippled him due to absorbing the astral energy in a radius of several miles, in fear that he would ruin the cultivation progress of the other family members.
Being the son of the clan head, he was raised well but became the servant of his one year older sister who controlled him due to her possessive and arrogant nature. Eventually he gained his freedom and started his legacy that would be a tragedy and a comedy to many across the worlds.

The Imperial Palace was a destiny-level magic treasure that was forged by Emperor Tai after the end of the Primordial Age as the world ushered in the Antiquity Age.
The Imperial Palace worked hand in hand with the Supreme Heavenly Mirror and rained hell upon Xuan Shang, one of the ancient demonic emperors of old. It also had a part to play in the defeat of a great many powerful dragons, and single-handedly ended the supreme rule of the Immemorial Celestial Dragons over the Grand Celestial World a long time ago.
Unfortunately, Emperor Tai lost his life in this endeavor and the Imperial Palace was also heavily damaged and vanished without a trace for millennia.
It was eventually discovered and excavated by the Great Zhou Empire. The Great Zhou Empire integrated countless magic items and treasures within to repair it and set the Imperial Palace firmly on the path of recovery. The Imperial Palace was the backbone of the rise in power of the Great Zhou Empire as well.
During the War of Buddha Annihilation, Liang Pan used this very item to defeat and kill the last Abbot of the Great Thunderclap Temple and solidified the influence and power of the Great Zhou Empire.
However, the Great Thunderclap Temple retaliated ferociously like a wounded animal that was backed into a corner, even though Mount Meru had already been laid to ruin. The Imperial Palace was not yet completely repaired, and was once again suffered severe injuries at the hands of the monks of the Great Thunderclap Temple.
Lin Feng had a close encounter with the Imperial Palace once before back on the Cloud Forest World. During that battle, he used Mount Yujing to clash forcefully with the Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Palace during that time was not nearly as powerful as it was during the War of Buddha Annihilation. It was far from the destiny-level magic item that reigned supreme over the Grand Celestial World all those years ago.
Lin Feng knew with a single sweep of his consciousness that the Imperial Palace before him today was nothing like his last encounter with it. Even though it was not yet in its peak condition, it was only a hair’s breadth away; it was at a level that rivaled the power of the Immortal Dragon City and the Great Void Holy Pavilion, which were all destiny-level magic treasures.
The power of the Imperial Palace back in the Cloud Forest World was already quite incredible. The willpowers of thousands and thousands of subordinate and obedient citizens that wanted to serve the throne were channeled as raw power.
Great individuals of old were in service of the throne as well. They materialized as universal truths and unassailable natural law as their willpowers were channeled by the Imperial Palace as raw power.
Illusory fairies and servants roamed the halls and between the pavilions; they held divine nectar in their hands as if they were welcoming the start of a new and better world.
Uncountable numbers of saints and celestial beings hovered intimidatingly above the Imperial Palace.
During Lin Feng’s last encounter, everything was just light shadows and illusions that existed inside the purple-golden radiance that came from within.
Now, whether it was the subservient citizens or the fairies and even the saints and celestial beings were nearly tangible. It was almost like a real Nine Heavens Divine Palace and commanded so much reverence and respect that people could not help but kneel before it.
Lin Feng, in the body of the Steel Tree Avatar, felt his soul tremble a little as he faced this frightening magic treasure before him; he felt as if there was an entire world of fate and destiny weighing down on his head like an anchor.
This pressure was even more intense than what he felt previously with the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain.
The appearance of the Imperial Palace swept away the white clouds and mist around the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain as the waters in the Ying Sea below raged and curdled as if it was boiling. The illusions of the Ying Sea in the immediate vicinity started to crackle and flicker before every single one burst apart like air bubbles.
Even though most of the spatial illusions were of the weaker types and there was nothing of the most powerful sort, there were some that were strong enough to trap even unwitting immortal soul stage cultivators. Faced with the pressure of the Imperial Palace, even these powerful illusions crumbled and fell apart like porcelain vases and disappeared into nothingness.
The Imperial Palace was not even targeting these illusions deliberately. The illusions imploded and broke apart from just the aftershocks and ripple effects of the Imperial Palace’s descent into the area.
There was no need to avoid the illusions and no need to overcome the illusions from within – all it did was crush the illusions forcefully from the outside and all the mystical energies and laws that formed these magical illusions along with it. It was simply pulverizing everything with raw power and force.
Lin Feng laughed as he witnessed the sight. "Not only have they remade the Imperial Palace, they have also taken after the overbearing methods of Emperor Tai of old."
The Imperial Palace completely disregarded Lin Feng and the others as if they were not even there ever since it shimmered into existence – it plummeted downwards and lunged straight for the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain.
Liang Pan, the emperor of the Great Zhou Empire, had always known the right time to do things.
Under the influence of the radiant purple-golden light that burned like supernovas, the ancient magic formation of the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain started to shake violently.
Liang Pan had no patience nor the interest to wait for the changes of the magic formation to play out – he wanted to crush the magic formation with the brute force of his destiny-level magic treasure.
However, just as he was closing in on the mountain, an immense and immeasurably long streak of light surged across the void like a dragon soaring into the skies. Its length was truly limitless as it stretched across the heavens without visible end.
An unshakeable and unmovable aura came from this vast streak of light. It gave a feeling that it could protect everything in this world, as if all the destinies under the heavens was safeguarded and sheltered from all danger. In an instant, the formidable brute force of the Imperial Palace was repelled and forced backwards.
It was a piece of city wall that radiated with light for eternity; it was undying, and was the defender of all living souls for all time. It had a glorious and majestic aura that rivaled that of the Imperial Palace. It was forged by the very first emperor of the humans in the Primordial Age, Emperor Shi, and was ultimately completed by the Great Qin Empire into a destiny-level magic treasure – the Immortal Dragon City!
The clash of two destiny-level magic treasures!
The purple-golden light above the Imperial Palace flashed once and transformed into a green Chaos Hole and a sphere of green energy exploded from within.
Thunderous crackles could be heard from this ball of green energy – it was the Chaos Cave Saint-Slaying Thunderbolt!
All people who defied the throne were vanquished by green lightning!
Lin Feng’s eyes closed into slits. The Chaos Cave Saint-Slaying Thunderbolt released by the Imperial Palace was a lot stronger than it was back on the Cloud Forest World.
That single sphere of green energy truly resembled a divine lightning strike that could break open the great Chaos when the world exploded into existence.
The Red Dragon King slinked away into a corner. His own Eight Barrens Divine Lightning was nothing compared to the power of the Chaos Cave Saint-Slaying Thunderbolt in front of him – even the power of the third-level Undying Demonic Soul stage Thunder Dragon King was possibly inferior. Furthermore, the Imperial Palace released multiple lightning strikes at the same time.
A figure suddenly burst into sight on top of the Immortal Dragon City. He was wearing the royal crown and wore a flowing dragon-patterned robe with an air of majestic splendor – it was the emperor of the Great Qin Empire, Shi Yu.
He glanced at the Chaos Cave Saint-Slaying Thunderbolt surging towards him and said calmly, "Liang Pan, you are finally in the stage of the Way of the Virtual Entity – the third level of the immortal soul stage."
The Immortal Dragon City shimmered with golden light as he spoke. It seemed all too normal, but the sphere of green lightning exploded against the wall of golden light without even causing a single ripple or dent. The ball of lightning crackled once and crumbled apart as it dissipated into green-colored mist.
The Immortal Dragon City was like a barrier to another world. Across the city wall was a chaotic mess of broken patches of void and lightning strikes while it was peaceful and tranquil on the other side with nothing happening at all.
This insidious outcome placed the power of the Immortal Dragon City on full display.
Liang Pan watched on calmly from inside the Imperial Palace. He was wearing a dragon-patterned robe as well, and was charged with the same majestic aura that only an emperor would possess. He was a lot more intimidating than before, and this came not just from the power of the Imperial Palace beneath him but also from his own strength.
The commanders of the two most powerful royal empires in the Divine Lands were just watching each other in silence after the violent clash of their destiny-level magic treasures.
"I have attained the Way of the Virtual Entity not too long before the reappearance of the Three Mountains of the Ying Sea, during the Spiritual Conference of Kunlun Mountains hosted by the Celestial Sect of Wonders." Liang Pan was sitting atop a dragon throne inside the Imperial Palace.
Shi Yu nodded his head in approval. "Congratulations. You are the first royal to reach the Way of the Virtual Entity stage since the inauguration of the Great Zhou Empire."
Liang Pan smiled faintly and replied, "This is just the beginning."
He glanced at the unmovable Immortal Dragon City before him that was completely undamaged by the Chaos Cave Saint-Slaying Lightning as he spoke slowly, "Not bad. The Great Qin Empire has finally completed this priceless destiny-level treasure passed down by Emperor Shi."
"Still, it’s a pity. The concept of power used by Emperor Shi in the construction of this magic treasure meant that it’s bound to be a defensive item with relatively weaker offensive capabilities for purposes of protection. Even the Imperial Palace at its peak condition is probably inferior – but defenders are always behind on initiative."
"It’s not easy for the Imperial Palace to break the Immortal Dragon City, but the Immortal Dragon City can’t do anything at all to the Imperial Palace. I cannot possibly lose in this battle between us and you can only sit there and take the beatings. I am still ultimately in control of the fight for the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain."
Before his voice dropped, another flash of purple-golden light flickered beside the Imperial Palace as another gigantic chaos hole appeared above the Imperial Palace. Purple-golden light started to condense inside and a black ray of light followed by another white ray of light surged out from within in the next moment.
The two rays of light intertwined and rotated around each other like a spinning top and roared towards the Immortal Dragon City.
The Dual Polarity Chaos Cave Divine Light!
Everything that the spiraling rays of light came into contact with immediately crumbled into nothingness. The explosive and destructive magnetism permeated the void all around, and even places a thousand miles away were affected by the magnetic ripples. Lightning sparks shimmered and crackled in the void, metal objects started to twist and their shapes started to change as the ocean water beneath boiled violently and evaporated into steam.
Even third-level immortal soul stage individuals would not dare to face this ray of divine light head-on.
This was the destructive power of the Dual Polarity Circle channeled to its highest possible level.
Shi Yu was still as calm as ever. "You don’t know what you’re talking about. I am the one that can’t possibly lose this battle. It doesn’t matter what kind of abhijna or spell that the Imperial Palace can throw at the Immortal Dragon City – there is nothing you can do to break through."
Colorful lights erupted again above the long city wall – out of nowhere, uncountable shadows appeared on top of the city wall. These illusions were standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the edge and the sum of their willpowers came together to support the Immortal Dragon City as they cried out in unison.
This war-cry caused the space all around to twist out of proportion and even immortal soul stage cultivators like the Tidal Sword Elder could feel their souls shaking to the core. There was a feeling of an ancient alliance of humans from the Primordial Age who came together to repel the uprising of the demons as they engaged in a blood-curdling war.
One for all and all for one – fearlessness and resilience in protecting each other.
This was the concept of power passed down over millennia. Everybody was shaken by the phenomenon and most even felt compelled to share a bit of their own power in support of the Immortal Dragon City to defeat its enemies.
The willpower of all humans in the Divine Lands seemed to surge through the void and into the Immortal Dragon City.
This great willpower was the true representation of eternity and a fire that would burn for all time.
Even the intense destructive power of the Dual Polarity Chaos Cave Divine Light could not pierce this eternal wall of light!
The explosive magnetic fields dissipated one after another as space-time became even more twisted and out of proportion. The clash between the two destiny-level magic treasures destroyed every inch of land in the immediate vicinity, and even immortal soul stage cultivators would evaporate into hot air if they came near.
"The battle of two destiny-level magic treasures is indeed spectacular," Lin Feng watched on deliciously as if he was watching a drama. It was the first time that he had witnessed the clash between two destiny-level magic treasures.
When he was faced with the Great Void Holy Pavilion and the Saintly Celestial Sword during the battle of Xiling City, he used his vast repertoire of techniques and tactical plays to fight against those destiny-level magic treasures. However, Lin Feng himself had never possessed a true destiny-level magic treasure.
"As I expected, their announcement that they were going after the Penglai Celestial Mountain was a misdirection after all. It seems like everyone is here for the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain."
"That includes me as well."
As the Imperial Palace and the Immortal Dragon City stood off against each other, the void started to rumble once again as another intense aura surged across the sky and flickered into existence above the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain.
It was a white jade mountain – a lot smaller in size than the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain, but with superior strength and power!


Lin Feng travelled through worlds and even obtained an overpowered system, but he still faces a pressure as huge as a mountain. 
 
System's main quest: 
Lin Feng is to create a school; establish history’s number 1 sect and Lin Feng himself to become the number 1 founder.
 
To become history’s number 1 founder, Lin Feng started to work hard.
 
“Your name is Shi Tianhao? Natural born sovereign roots but it was stolen by your cousin? Now being raised in a little village your father placed you in? Come come come, follow your master and we’ll let those people know that justice that is owed must be returned!”
 
“Your name is Xiao Yan? A genius of the past but a loser now? Even your fiance came over to humiliate you by asking for a divorce? Come come come, follow your master and we’ll let that brat know the meaning of: don’t bully a youngster just because he’s poor!” 
 
“Your name is Zhu Yi? The son of a marquis but you’re being suppressed by your father? Your mother was a saint but she was assassinated? Come come come, follow your master and we’ll let your dad know the meaning how problems can be solved with your fists...no, with reasoning!"

Rows of young men and women were seen taking ordeals of illusions in the plaza under the hot sun.
Young men and women would emerge out of their trials every two hours, with some wearing beaming smiles and others, ashen looks.
"I did it! I made it into the Heavenly Palace!"
"How could this be? Why wasn't I able to tough it out?"
"This is impossible! This is outrageous!"
A great majority of those who emerged wore glum, sullen looks on their faces, completely unable to swallow the fact that they failed to make the cut. All of them had been lauded by many to be geniuses before they came, and they found it to be utterly impossible to get eliminated so easily.
Yet, those people failed at the trial of illusions, which was the last round of the series of selections.
Lu Xuan himself formulated the illusory scenes. All of those young men and women would then be subjected to all manner of tests in the illusions, be it in terms of courage, resilience, character, tendency for betrayal, and more.
Only a handful managed to pass the test, and there were even several batches that saw none being able to make it out successfully.
In a high-rise building within the Heavenly Palace base, Duan Shan and the rest of the 12 military governors gathered around.
As the first among the disciples that the Heavenly Palace took it, all of them came back to hold the fort, although none would come to cause trouble.
"Great way of going about with the selections. This would easily filter out all those who are either of impure intent, shaky resolve, and cowardly."
Duan Shan commented as he watched batches after batches of young men and women who either passed or failed to make the cut below.
None of them knew how Lu Xuan would go about with the selections before they came for the tests.
The series of tests was meant for selecting the best among the 200 thousand who came to join the Heavenly Palace, after all. Those who did not make it in the age and talent requirement were eliminated early, with all who remained being of the right age, the right talent, and possessing decent potential.
To the 12 military governors, all of those people were undoubtedly the best there could be found. Those young men and women would have been considered seed candidates to be high on the priority list for further nurture, back in their respective sects and clans.
They even knew that the other organizations that they originally belonged to, which included even the likes of the Special Task Force, the Dragon Fang Special Forces, and several others, sent representatives to the scene to select potential candidates from those who failed to make the cut.
It was especially so in the case of the organizations serving the government, as their capacities for fostering capable people were so high that they could have taken in all 200 thousand of them.
The feat of selecting 2000 among them all was deemed too difficult to be executed by many.
After all, all of those people were at different points of training. Some had only begun to train, while some others were considered quite accomplished as they were. They were also a great many cultivators who were at Baodan Grandmaster and Martial Arts Legend levels as well.
If they were to be selected purely based on their combat prowess, the processes would have been extremely unfair to those who had only begun to train.
No one expected Lu Xuan to come up with such a way of selecting the candidates.
All of them knew that all those people would be subjected to many trials and tribulations in the illusions, in a very short period.
While it was made clear to all of them that it was all just illusions, the process nonetheless served well for honing the subject in question. It was especially given that the true, original character of those who were subjected to the illusions would be laid bare for all to see. There was simply no way of concealing their true character.
All those who made it past the trials of the illusory formation were no doubt the best among the elites to make it past the test for joining the Heavenly Palace.
Be it resilience, character, courage, and whatever other factors involved, only the best among the best would be able to make the cut.
In truth, it was made clear to everyone that only those who were of extreme talents would be able to make it that far in the first place. As such, talents were no longer the highest among the list of priorities in that test.
On the contrary, the quality of their character was deemed to be of utmost importance instead.
In Lu Xuan's perspective, talents were hardly of any importance at such a level, unless the one in question was someone whose talents were far beyond reasoning, like Yun Ling'er. Talents would otherwise be a minor factor in one's path in cultivation from then on out.
Lu Xuan even had the means to boost the innate talents of all those people involved. He had all manner of alkahestry resources and cultivation methods up for the job at his disposal, after all.
Talents could be transformed, but not necessarily so with one's character and temperament.
The saying of "the child is the father of the man" had its fair points after all.
While Duan Shan and the others were nowhere near Lu Xuan when it came to the state of mind and being, but they were able to see at least that much.
However, all of those people wore peculiar, puzzled looks on their faces soon enough. They caught wind of the news that Lu Xuan picked someone out in that sea of candidates personally.
Furthermore, that someone was a girl!
The news sounded weird to all of them who were present.
Lu Xuan's unfathomably formidable prowess meant that there were countless who wanted to study under him. However, with the exception of Ling Yu, who was considered an honorary disciple of his, no one heard of him taking anyone else as his personal disciple before.
All of them naturally understood the vast difference between an honorary disciple and a true, personal disciple.
All of them were curious as to just how extraordinarily talented one had to be to catch Lu Xuan's attention.
All 12 of the military governors knew just how prideful that young master of theirs was, and no common man would be considered worthy of his notice.
"Yun Ling'er."
All of them committed that name to memory, as that would possibly be the young master of the Heavenly Palace in the future.
Even the 12 military governors knew well enough that their status would not be able to compare to that of Yun Ling'er in the future.
Yun Ling'er, who was handpicked by Lu Xuan as his personal disciple at the moment, was looking rather puzzled.
That young man who was so incredibly handsome that she had wanted to flirt with and add as a friend on social media was actually none other than that legendary Lu Xuan, Palace Lord of the Heavenly Palace.
She felt that it was like riding a roller-coaster at the moment.
She wondered just how she became a personal disciple of the Palace Lord just like that.
Furthermore, she was said to be the only one at the moment.
All of that made her feel very, very pleased with herself, and excited.
It was especially so after seeing the envious and jealous looks all those other young men and women shot at her. The experience was beyond ecstatic.
She wondered if she should just post on TikTok and brag about it for a bit.
"This is unfair! Why could she be the disciple of the Palace Lord himself, yet all of us get eliminated instead? We want an explanation!" a young man dressed in elaborate clothing pointed at Yun Ling'er and said.
All the other young men and women around him nodded in agreement. All of them were wondering why that happened.
It was especially so given that Yun Ling'er looked plain and unassuming. While there was no doubt that she had decent looks, she was still nowhere near appearing truly outstanding.
Furthermore, she was currently only wearing a common middle school uniform, and that made her look even more plain and commonplace.
All of them wondered just what Lu Xuan saw in her enough to make her his disciple.
The examiner shot looks at each other, as they had no idea why that happened in the first place as well.
"I shall tell you all why then."
Lu Xuan was seen descending slowly from the sky as all of the examiners looked baffled.
Sunlight shone on him, making him look even more dazzling and extravagant.
He looked so brilliant that he was seen to be nothing short of the gods told in legends.
"You want fairness, eh? I'd tell you all then, that the first truth about cultivation, is that there is no such thing as absolute fairness in the world."


In his past incarnation, Lu Xuan was the youngest Celestial Lord that the universe has ever seen!
An accidental rebirth brought him back to a thousand years before, where the Earth had just begun its spiritual reawakening. When he stepped onto the way of cultivation for a second time, he swore to rewrite all injustices suffered in his past life, and defeat all enemies that dare stand in his way!
Let invincibility be his cultivation and the path he treads. In this life, it is his destiny to be invincible!

"His Highness the prince… could you be referring to Shoutarou Rinura?" Seiji inquired.
"That's not him. However, His Highness stated that you were highly likely to mention this name," the brown-haired guard responded. "His Highness told us to welcome you into the palace when you arrive. Please follow me."
Seiji looked at the palace guard.
"I would like to ask your name, as well as the name of the person next to you."
"Eh? Why's that?"
"Because I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."
The brown-haired guard revealed a confused expression. He exchanged glances with the other guard.
"Neither of us remember ever meeting you before, sir. You must have mistaken me for another person."
"You truly don't remember ever seeing me before?" Seiji asked another question.
"Indeed, I've never seen you before… Please don't pay any attention to us. His Highness is still waiting for us. Please follow me into the palace."
"What if we refuse to enter?"
"Why would you refuse? Aren't you all here to meet with His Highness?" The guard frowned.
"We indeed wish to meet with this prince of yours, but we don't want to risk entering a palace filled with unknowns," Seiji told him. "That's why, I apologize beforehand, but please tell His Highness that we would prefer to meet with him outside of the palace. I hope that he can acquiesce to this request."
"How… preposterously impudent!" The brown-haired guard was angered by Seiji's request. The other guard had an expression of obvious displeasure as well.
The atmosphere immediately became tense.
However, the guards merely glared at Seiji and the others for a while before they turned around and left. They didn't seem like they were going to attack.
After the guards left, Seiji discussed what just happened with Matsutani and the others.
Matsutani remained adamant that he couldn't possibly have been wrong. These two guards were exact match for two people that he saw at the award ceremony.
In that case, they came up with two theories. Either Rinura created characters that were completely identical to all the award ceremony's attendees, or these two people were real people that completely forgot about their identities in reality due to currently being under Rinura's control.
Seiji felt that the second theory was more likely. Everyone else agreed with him on this.
It seemed highly possible that all the people present at the award ceremony were in that palace in such a condition.
If they started fighting with everyone, they would have to hold back. After all, none of them wanted to kill a real person.
As for the most important person of all, just where was Shoutarou Rinura and what condition was he in? Was that prince the guards mentioned really not him?
Confused, everyone decided to wait to see what would happen.
A few minutes later, a procession of people walked out of the palace towards Seiji's party.
This time, it wasn't only Matsutani. Seiji, Nomura, and the other authors all recognized the people that came out as well.
Editor Yoshizawa! Head Editor Hattori! The male and female hosts for the award ceremony!
All these people were wearing extravagant clothing. It made them seem like members of the nobility.
The most attention-grabbing person of all was a youth with blonde curly hair who walked in the middle.
He wore the most extravagant red and gold clothing of all. He had a dark-red cape and a silver longsword attached to his waist in a white scabbard. He appeared incredibly handsome, and his dark blue eyes seemed fierce and spirited.
This was… the prince?
Seiji and the others watched the blonde curly haired youth who seemed like the Prince approach them together with the award ceremony attendees.
The blonde curly haired youth faced everyone and spoke first, "My name is Adnan Andos Arlosis, the Losis Kingdom's First Prince. According to what you all know, I'm the main character of Shoutarou Rinura's light novel, 'The Undying Indestructible Avenger.'"
Seiji and the others were all rendered speechless by this unexpected introduction.
"I need to make it quite clear that I'm no fictional character. You can understand me as a human from a parallel world," Adnan told them all. "I don't know why I appeared here in this world of illusions. At first, I thought that I was dreaming. However, I later discovered that the existences here were real… At any rate, your group's goal should be to leave this world of illusions and return to your original world, am I correct?"
"…Yes." Seiji admitted this.
"My goal is the same as yours. I wish to return to my world." Adnan looked at Seiji. "In order to do this, I require your group's assistance."
"What assistance could we give?"
"In just a while, this entire world of illusions will begin collapsing. At that time, I need to concentrate on creating a connection to return to my original world. During this process, I need all of you to protect me."
"Please explain in more detail." Seiji felt that there was far too much he didn't know about what was going on.
"It's difficult to explain in detail because I don't really know much myself, either…" The blonde-haired prince paused for a moment. "To roughly explain, this world of illusions was created by Shoutarou Rinura, who acts as a host for my spirit. He's the foundation for everything that was created here. However, he is unable to bear the burden required for creating this world, so this world won't remain stable for much longer. I expect that all of you have already met undead such as skeletons. Those monsters are the products of this world of illusions becoming unstable and losing its order. The undead are the products of chaos. Currently, if it wasn't for me maintaining the order of this world, it would already be completely filled with those creatures of chaos. In just a short while, Shoutarou Rinura will reach his limit and will no longer be able to maintain this world, causing this world of illusions to begin collapsing. That's when I'll finally be able to return to my own world. However, at this time, large amounts of undead creatures of chaos will be produced. I require your protection so that I can safely leave this world."
Everyone exchanged awkward glances with each other upon hearing all this.
"So, if we do as you request, that will put us in danger, wouldn't it?" Seiji slightly furrowed his eyebrows.
"Indeed. However, I helped you all to protect these people. You owe this favor to me for doing such a thing." Adnan indicated towards Editor Yoshizawa and the other award ceremony attendees standing around him.
Seiji glanced over at Saki to see that the female editor had a blank expression and was merely standing there doing nothing.
"What happened to all of them?"
"They were already in this condition when I arrived and saw them," Adnan explained. "Unless I give them identities and commands in this world of illusions, they won't act at all, just like puppets. If it wasn't for me, they would have been swallowed up by the chaos long ago."
"Is there any way for you to prove the veracity of your words?"
"I can immediately stop maintaining the order in this world. A large amount of undead will immediately appear here, and even all these people will become undead as well. Is that what you wish to see?"
Everyone remained silent for a moment.
"I apologize. I wasn't intending to make it sound like I wanted to use these people as hostages. However, there's not much time left, and I'm unable to give you all an explanation…" Adnan sighed. "I only want to return to my own world… I still have things I must accomplish there."
"Could that be… revenge?"
"Yes. That's the only meaning left in my life now. Shoutarou Rinura from your world was able to witness my experiences. He wrote them into a light novel and won a Gold Award in your world… that's something I'm furious about." The blonde-haired prince now had a grim and dark expression. "Of course, I know that he didn't do it to intentionally enrage me. It's a mysterious power from your world, perhaps a godlike existence, that played such a terrible joke on me. After all of you return, inform Shoutarou Rinura for me that he needs to immediately stop writing about my life experiences! My life isn't something that he's allowed to use for the amusement of others!!"
All the light novel authors felt like their ears were about to go deaf from the volume of his angry roar.
"You said that he is a host for your spirit… isn't there a way for you to tell him this directly?"
"I already gave him my message. However, I think that he won't be able to remember my message to him in his current condition."
"…Alright." Seiji nodded in agreement. "After we return to our real world, I shall tell him what you said."
"You believe in me now?" Adnan looked at Seiji.
"To be honest, it's quite difficult for me to trust you so quickly. However, I believe that the emotions you expressed just now were real." Seiji sighed. He then turned to look at his companions. "What are all of your opinions?"


Translator note: Apologies to the readers. This series is currently on hiatus. We ask for your understanding!
A 30-year-old Chinese NEET is reincarnated into the body of an otaku that choked to death on instant noodles. As he comes to grips with his new life, he realizes that this world is subtly different from Earth. The denizens of this world are far better looking, and this new world also possesses futuristic technology as well as mysterious Yin Yang masters! 
After reincarnating, he realized that he was endowed with a miraculous game-like system, which enables him to increase his own stats and transcend the limits of the human body. This system even has a game-breaking ability to save and load in real life!
In this new world that’s akin to a 2-D game, he just wants to enjoy life and head for a glorious future... However, he is quickly embroiled in a complex plot. Can he unlock his true potential and utilize his system to break the shackles that confine him and discover the truth about his previous body’s circumstances? 

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