[Author's Note:
Chapter Update: Resurrect, My Love!
It was previously reported and taken down. Now, the rectification is finally complete. I'd like to highlight a few points here.
Jingni's status has been modified. A Yan's character setting now uses Qian Renxue's from the fanfiction 'Doupo: Easy Treasure System', making her a biological daughter.
Chapter 26, Second Recruitment Card, Jingni (Reset)
Chapter 34: Jingni, Do You Know Me? (Reset)
Chapter 63: Qianxun Ji's Shameless Maneuvers (Reset)
The above chapters have been reset.
System Renamed: Great Villain System
Emotion Value: Generated by the resentment of characters opposing the protagonist; requires binding.
Blind Box: Obtained by making goddesses happy.
"Happiness Blind Boxes can be obtained by making goddesses happy. A maximum of five can be obtained per target. Cannot be obtained repeatedly. Happiness Blind Box levels from highest to lowest: Diamond / Gold / Silver / Bronze / Black Iron."
Obtain one Happiness Blind Box when affection reaches 70 or above.
Obtain one Happiness Blind Box when affection reaches 80 or above.
Obtain one Happiness Blind Box when affection reaches 90 or above.
Obtain one Happiness Blind Box when affection reaches 100.
Obtain one Happiness Blind Box when becoming a father.
"Limited to goddesses from the original Douluo novel."
"The higher the goddess's talent, the greater the chance of obtaining a high-level blind box. Becoming a father guarantees a Diamond Blind Box."]
Chapter 79: The Loyalty of Yue Guan and Gui Mei
"Indeed, that's right. Now that you both know my secret, you have two choices," Qin Xuan said. "The first choice is to follow me. I will lead you to a higher realm and promise that I will never treat you as pawns one day. However, correspondingly, to prevent your betrayal, I will leave a contingency plan on you."
"The second choice—"
Before Qin Xuan could finish speaking, a somewhat sharp voice rang out, "I choose the first one." It was Yue Guan's voice.
"A smart choice." Qin Xuan gave Jingni a look, and Jingni nodded. The ice trapping Yue Guan shattered with a bang.
"Drip a drop of your blood on it. You can understand it as a kind of contract. Once signed, if you ever harbor any thought of betraying me, I can instantly take your life."
Qin Xuan threw the recruitment card that Mo Ya had used earlier to Yue Guan.
Yue Guan took the card, his face a little pale. He cried out in his heart that after signing this, he would have to go all the way to the end.
The card felt strangely cold, far colder than the ice that had just imprisoned him. It pulsed with a faint, unfamiliar energy.
Although he had made up his mind, when it came to completely entrusting his fate to others, he still couldn't help but hesitate. His hand trembled.
"Should I take this opportunity to break the ice on Gui Mei and escape?" The moment this thought arose in Yue Guan's mind, he met Jingni's cold gaze and shivered violently.
Two words instantly appeared in his mind—Death!
He would really die. He had absolutely no doubt. Once he went back on his word, this Level 97 peak Douluo—who possessed nine 100,000-year Spirit Rings, a complete set of extremely high-quality Spirit Bones, and the Slaughter God Domain—would cleave him in two with a single sword.
Qin Xuan saw his hesitation and said in a deep voice, "You don't have to feel that you will live a life of constant anxiety in your later years. If one day you can prove your loyalty, I might as well return your freedom. Just like this…"
As he spoke, Qin Xuan summoned Jingni's recruitment card.
Only its owner could destroy the recruitment card.
Just as Qin Xuan was about to crush the recruitment card in front of Jingni, Jingni stopped him. She said in a calm yet gentle tone, "The contract is mutual. Keep it, and I can sense if you are in danger."
Qin Xuan, however, shook his head. "The days of cowering are gone forever."
He touched the Qiankun Bag at Jingni's waist, released Nong Yu, who was holding A Yan, and then, in front of everyone, crushed the card.
It wasn't that Qin Xuan was blindly arrogant.
Having the recruitment card could indeed ensure that Jingni would never betray him. Her loyalty would always be 100%.
But her favorability was already to the point of undying devotion. Holding this over her would always be a thorn in their hearts. As a man, he couldn't possibly lack even this much grace.
Moreover, the art of managing subordinates requires a balance of strictness and leniency. If one constantly pressures them like the Net Trap (Luo Wang), not even allowing maternity leave and leaving them no hope at all, sooner or later, someone would betray him at the cost of their life.
This action had a profound effect.
Yue Guan's jaw dropped. The black mist around Gui Mei fluctuated violently, the only sign of his shock. Nong Yu, standing to the side, simply stared, her mind unable to process what she had just seen.
That was a chain, a leash on a Level 97 monster, and he had just... destroyed it? Willingly?
This wasn't the act of a tyrant. It was an act of supreme, almost insane, confidence. It instantly reframed the "contingency plan" he had just offered. It felt less like a permanent shackle and more like a temporary, if brutal, probation.
As expected, seeing Qin Xuan crush the card, Yue Guan was speechless for a moment. After a few seconds, he no longer hesitated. He circulated his Spirit Power and spat out a mouthful of his heart's blood.
The blood fell on the card, and the card burst out with a strong golden light. Vaguely, one could even see the light and shadow of a chrysanthemum appearing from nothing, then disappearing in an instant.
Qin Xuan and Yue Guan instantly felt the connection between master and servant, a bond that felt colder and more absolute than any oath.
Qin Xuan asked somewhat unexpectedly, "May I ask, don't you want to hear the second choice?"
"Do I have any other choice?" Yue Guan rolled his eyes, a grimace on his face. The second choice was probably death.
He was a man who knew how to adapt to circumstances.
Although he was loyal, he wasn't to the point of being fanatically loyal.
Otherwise, in the original work, before his death, facing Tang San, who had become a Titled Douluo, he wouldn't have begged for mercy.
Now that he had finally cultivated to the Titled Douluo realm and hadn't had time to enjoy it, he didn't want to die.
Moreover, even as a Titled Douluo, in the eyes of that ambitious Supreme Pontiff, Qianxun Ji, he was still just a chess piece. A useful, disposable tool.
Being a chess piece, where wasn't he a chess piece?
He'd been a loyal dog for decades, and what had it gotten him? Stuck at Level 90 for five long years, ridiculed behind his back.
This kid, Qin Xuan, walks out of the City of Slaughter, distributes Immortal Herbs like candy, and commands a Level 97 guardian. The "benefits" weren't some vague promise; they were standing right there. Jingni was living, breathing proof.
Rather than that, it would be better to be a chess piece that benefited him. Real benefits were right in front of him. Why would he choose to die loyal to Qianxun Ji, who treated him like a dog? Only a fool would do that.
So he looked at Gui Mei, who had remained silent. "Old Gui, surrender."
The two were good friends and had been together for decades. If Yue Guan would never betray anyone, it would only be Gui Mei.
Qin Xuan also looked at Gui Mei. Their eyes met, but neither spoke. They just looked at each other quietly, silently. No one knew what they were each thinking.
The forest was deathly quiet. Yue Guan held his breath.
Qin Xuan's gaze was steady. It wasn't demanding. It was knowing. He knew Gui Mei's story, his past, his loyalties.
As a transmigrator, Qin Xuan had thoroughly read the original Douluo novel and knew about Gui Mei's bizarre experiences.
When he was very young, he had died once, but not completely. Somehow, he came back from the gates of hell. His soul recombined with his body, thereby awakening the special Spirit "Gui Mei."
It was precisely because of this that he became even more disliked, an object of fear and revulsion.
Until he joined Spirit Hall.
It was Spirit Hall that accepted him, gave his shadowy existence a purpose. He wasn't just a minion like Yue Guan; he was a true believer in the institution.
He was grateful to Spirit Hall and had never thought of betraying it.
Therefore, before that, he needed to confirm one thing with Qin Xuan.
"Before I answer you, no matter what, I have a question I want to ask you," Gui Mei said seriously, his voice a low rasp that seemed to suck the warmth from the air.
"Speak. I will answer any question you have." Qin Xuan looked up at Gui Mei, who was frozen high in the sky, extending all the way to the ground, and raised his hand, signaling Jingni to release him.
The ice shattered. Gui Mei regained his freedom, his figure slowly descending five meters in front of Qin Xuan. "Will you betray Spirit Hall?"
"I am already a member of Spirit Hall, so how can I speak of betrayal?" Qin Xuan's voice was calm, but it held an iron-clad conviction that startled the two Titled Douluo.
"Like you, I also grew up eating Spirit Hall's food. In the future, I will only make it more glorious in my hands." Qin Xuan did not hide his ambition in the slightest.
As soon as these words came out, Yue Guan's face was immediately filled with excitement. He's going for the throne!
Didn't that mean that the person he had just pledged allegiance to was planning to compete for the position of Next Supreme Pontiff?
With the talent and potential Qin Xuan had displayed, the support of the powerful peak Douluo Jingni, and the high regard of the Elder Hall's Offerings...
That Holy Maiden, Bibi Dong... even if she was the Supreme Pontiff's disciple and had Qianxun Ji's support, she would probably find it difficult to compete with Qin Xuan.
If that was the case, then they would kill two birds with one stone.
Firstly, their strength could be improved with Qin Xuan's help. Secondly, after Qin Xuan became the Supreme Pontiff, they could still attain a high status. Why did he pledge allegiance to Spirit Hall? Wasn't it for fame and fortune?
And Gui Mei, having received the answer he wanted, no longer hesitated. He immediately snatched the card from Yue Guan's hand and signed the contract.
Then, holding the card, he knelt down to express his loyalty. "Gui Mei greets Lord Qin Xuan."
Yue Guan was even more cunning. While kneeling to Qin Xuan, he didn't forget to curry favor with the ridiculously strong Jingni. "Yue Guan greets Lord Qin Xuan, greets Lady Jingni."
After what just happened, Jingni's power had almost given him a psychological shadow.
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