On the Xuanxing Continent, within the Ziyun Domain, there existed a sect called Tianling Sect.
The entire Xuanxing Continent was home to countless sects, as numerous as the stars in the sky. Among them, Tianling Sect was merely a small, inconspicuous faction.
Sects on the Xuanxing Continent were divided into seven major ranks: Low-grade, Mid-grade, High-grade, King-grade, Emperor-grade, Saint-grade, and Heaven-grade.
A Heaven-grade sect was revered as a "Heavenly Court."
And Tianling Sect was of the lowest rank—a Low-grade sect!
Three days prior, Tianling Sect's Old Sect Master, Ye Duhang, had died from severe injuries. The Tianling Sect was like a headless snake, plunged into utter chaos!
A nation cannot be without a king for a day, and naturally, a sect cannot be without a Sect Master for a day either.
Thus, a major problem arose: who would succeed as the next Sect Master?
Originally, only one person in Tianling Sect was qualified to inherit the position of Sect Master: Old Sect Master Ye Duhang's nephew, Ye Qingyun!
However, there was a slight hindrance to Ye Qingyun becoming Sect Master: the Old Sect Master's own son, Ye Chen!
Originally, Ye Chen had no right to compete with Ye Qingyun for the Sect Master position, because for twenty years, from childhood to adulthood, Ye Chen had been an idiot.
Unfortunately, this idiot suddenly 'woke up' right after the Old Sect Master's death, no longer foolish!
Therefore, Tianling Sect was now divided into two factions: one supporting Ye Qingyun's succession to the Sect Master position, and the other supporting Ye Chen.
And with his father, Ye Duguang, backing him, Ye Qingyun's influence was even greater, making his chances of becoming Sect Master higher!
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Ziyun Domain, Wangyue City.
Wangyue City was one of the eight great cities in the Ziyun Domain. Within this city, there were a total of eighteen sects: one Mid-grade sect and seventeen Low-grade sects.
Tianling Sect was one of these seventeen Low-grade sects.
A black-clothed youth strolled through the streets of Wangyue City.
“Young Sect Master, we should hurry back! If the Enforcement Elder finds out we secretly snuck out of the sect, he will surely punish us severely!” Beside the black-clothed youth, a grey-robed servant tugged at his sleeve, speaking with a worried expression.
The black-clothed youth was none other than Tianling Sect's Old Sect Master's son, Ye Chen.
Ye Chen smiled faintly at the servant beside him and said, “Xiao Dongbei, don't worry. With me to shoulder the blame for you, the Enforcement Elder won't punish you!”
Xiao Dongbei was the name of the servant before Ye Chen; his original name was Liu Dongbei, and he had grown up with Ye Chen since childhood.
In the past, Ye Chen had been an idiot, unable even to feed himself. Xiao Dongbei had taken care of everything for him.
The Enforcement Elder Xiao Dongbei spoke of was Ye Chen's second uncle, Ye Qingyun's father, Ye Duguang.
“But Young Sect Master, even if you return, you’ll still be punished!” Xiao Dongbei remained bewildered and scared. He was just a small servant, pitifully timid.
Ye Chen patted Xiao Dongbei’s shoulder and comforted him, saying, “No need to be afraid. Once we return to the sect, the Enforcement Elder won’t be able to reprimand us!”
Although Xiao Dongbei was terrified and panicked inside, upon hearing Ye Chen's words, he still couldn't help but glance at him. The Law Enforcement Elder was, after all, a late-stage Qi Refinement martial artist, with strength among the top in the entire sect. How could he not have the authority to criticize us?
Ye Chen saw a strange look on Xiao Dongbei's face and chuckled, shaking his head without offering any further explanation.
The current Ye Chen was, of course, no longer the idiotic Ye Chen he once was. For someone who had been a simpleton for twenty years, even if he truly regained his senses, he couldn't possibly become so lucid in just a few short days.
Three days prior, on Earth, Ye Chen had been playing a game called "Character Creation Game." Players could create various historical figures in the game, and even legendary mythological characters. They would then use these characters to build bases and contend for supremacy.
While playing, Ye Chen had just created a Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, and was about to embark on a rampage, when his computer suddenly malfunctioned. He himself didn't know why he had fainted.
On Earth, Ye Chen was a prominent figure in the underworld, with countless enemies. He assumed that an enemy had come to ambush him, knocking him unconscious.
However, upon waking, Ye Chen found no enemies. Instead, he discovered he had transmigrated, arriving in this Profound Star Continent, as Ye Chen of the Heavenly Spirit Sect!
Originally, Ye Chen found it very difficult to accept such a transmigration. But after three days of processing everything, Ye Chen finally came to terms with reality and calmed down.
What shocked Ye Chen even more was the sudden appearance of a "Character Creation System" in his mind.
This system was very similar to the "Character Creation Game" he had been playing before he fainted and transmigrated. As long as he had money, he could create any character.
Martial arts characters, novel characters, historical figures, mythological beings... As long as you had money, all of them could be created.
This Character Creation System was like a real-life game computer. Ye Chen truly wanted to create a Sun Wukong, a Tathagata Buddha, or something similar in reality, to see just how powerful these legendary characters truly were!
"Young Sect Master, you still haven't told me, what exactly are we planning to do, sneaking out to this Moon-gazing Terrace in the city?" Xiao Dongbei's eyes darted left and right, worried that some Heavenly Spirit Sect disciple might spot them.
Ye Chen chuckled and said to Xiao Dongbei, "Selling things!"
Xiao Dongbei looked utterly bewildered: "Selling what? We're not short on money, why would we sell things?"
Hearing Xiao Dongbei's confusion, Ye Chen couldn't help but give a wry smile. Who said he wasn't short on money? He was desperately short of money! Any character created within the "Character Creation System" came with an exorbitant price tag!
"After we sell things and buy a powerful expert, then we won't have to fear anyone from the Heavenly Spirit Sect bullying us anymore," Ye Chen said with a hearty laugh.
Xiao Dongbei wore a helpless expression. He felt that the Young Sect Master still hadn't fully regained his senses; he must still be a bit foolish.
A powerful expert capable of suppressing the Heavenly Spirit Sect, how could such a person be bought by him?
Lingbao Pavilion is one of the most powerful shops on the Profound Star Continent. Some say its branches are spread all over the continent.
Furthermore, legend has it that Lingbao Pavilion is backed by a Saint Dao-level sect. A Saint Dao-level sect is an existence second only to the "Heavenly Court," capable of shaking the entire Profound Star Continent with a single stomp of their foot.
Wangyue City has a branch of Lingbao Pavilion, and Ye Chen arrived there with Xiao Dongbei.
Lingbao Pavilion was located on Wangyue City's busiest street, with people coming and going in an endless stream and carriages flowing like water.
"Ah!!" After arriving in front of Lingbao Pavilion, Xiao Dongbei suddenly let out a cry of alarm, his face showing fear.
"Young Sect Master, it's Zuo Fei and his group! They're here too, let's leave quickly!"
Zuo Fei, Ye Chen's cousin, was one of Ye Qingyun's lackeys. He followed Ye Qingyun around all day, acting arrogant by borrowing his master's power.
Although Ye Qingyun and Ye Chen were cousins, their relationship could hardly be called harmonious.
Previously, when Ye Chen was an imbecile, Ye Qingyun looked down on him. Now that Ye Chen wasn't foolish and was obstructing his path to becoming sect master, he naturally hated Ye Chen even more.
Xiao Dongbei was a bit afraid of Zuo Fei, so as soon as he saw Zuo Fei also in front of Lingbao Pavilion, he was too scared to move.
Ye Chen frowned. Although this personal guard by his side was loyal, he was extremely timid.
This made Ye Chen feel helpless. Xiao Dongbei's strength was clearly very great, yet he was very afraid of others!
Xiao Dongbei was a guard personally chosen by the old sect master for Ye Chen. Although he was a servant, he possessed astonishing strength, having reached the late stage of Body Tempering at a young age.
The three stages of martial arts were Body Tempering, Qi Refining, and Spirit Refining. The difference between each stage was like heaven and earth!
"Liu Dongbei, it's you again! You and your servant dare to leave the sect without permission? You've got some nerve!" As if to confirm his fears, Xiao Dongbei saw Zuo Fei, and Zuo Fei naturally also saw Xiao Dongbei. He walked directly up to Xiao Dongbei.
Xiao Dongbei instinctively wanted to turn and run, but Ye Chen remained still, and he couldn't abandon him.
Xiao Dongbei lowered his head, his face full of fear, and stammered, "I... I came out with the Young Sect Master..."
"Slap!!"
Before Xiao Dongbei could finish speaking, Zuo Fei suddenly lashed out, striking Xiao Dongbei across the face with a resounding slap.
Zuo Fei's face was contemptuous as he sneered, "Young Sect Master? Where did this 'Young Sect Master' come from? There's only one heir to the Heavenly Spirit Sect Master, and that's Young Master Qingyun."
"If you dare to spout any more nonsense, I'll cut out your tongue and feed it to the dogs!"
Xiao Dongbei was stunned by Zuo Fei's slap. He lowered his head, not daring to speak. His nature was simply that timid.
In reality, Xiao Dongbei was stronger than Zuo Fei. He was a late-stage Body Tempering martial artist, while Zuo Fei was only a mid-stage Body Tempering martial artist.
However, Xiao Dongbei was a servant and was often bullied. From a young age, he had gradually developed an extremely timid personality. He was a servant, while Zuo Fei was an outer sect disciple of the Heavenly Spirit Sect; he neither dared nor could retaliate.
Especially after becoming Ye Chen's bodyguard, he was beaten more and more often, because many people envied Ye Chen's status but didn't dare to lay a hand on him, so they often beat Xiao Dongbei to vent their anger.
Day after day, year after year, Xiao Dongbei's personality had become cowardly to the core. Even if an early-stage Body Refinement martial artist hit him, he still didn't dare to fight back!
Ye Chen's eyes narrowed, a cold light flickering in his gaze.
In his previous life, he was a major boss in the criminal underworld. Only they bullied others; who would dare to bully them?
To Ye Chen, Xiao Dongbei was already his man. Although his personality was a bit timid, he was still his man.
"Xiao Dongbei, I'm telling you to hit back!" A terrifying cold light flashed in Ye Chen's eyes as he said coldly.
No courage, no passion—none of that mattered. Because the underworld could easily turn a timid person into someone crazy and bloodthirsty.
In his previous life, Ye Chen was a major boss in the underworld, so he naturally had the confidence to transform the timid Xiao Dongbei into a fierce one!
"Huh?" Xiao Dongbei stared at Ye Chen in confusion, seemingly not understanding the meaning of Ye Chen's words.
Ye Chen's gaze grew colder. He glanced at Zuo Fei, then turned to Xiao Dongbei and said indifferently, "I'm telling you to hit him. If he slaps you once, I'll let you slap him ten times!"
Zuo Fei sneered, looking at Ye Chen mockingly. He fundamentally didn't believe Xiao Dongbei would dare to hit him; this was a habit he had formed over many years. He'd rather believe pigs could fly than believe Xiao Dongbei would dare to fight back!
Sure enough, Xiao Dongbei trembled and lowered his head, not daring to look at Ye Chen. His lips trembled, and he stammered out three words.
"I... I don't dare..."