Playing Around

On Island 55, a bug-fighting competition was underway. Yu Xian lay prostrate on the ground, surrounded by a dense crowd of onlookers who were all shouting enthusiastically. At the center of the ring, two beetles were locked in combat. Finally, the black beetle shoved upward with a violent heave of its head, sending the golden beetle flying through the air before crashing heavily to the dirt. "Golden Colossus Mighty God Y!" Yu Xian yelled in agitation at the sight of his beetle's defeat. A collective groan swept through the crowd. They had all wagered on the golden beetle, only for it to lose to the black one. "Brilliant job, Blacklight Ironclad Monolith War God!" On the other side, a young boy shouted in delight, prompting the children around him to erupt into cheers. Yu Xian pushed himself up, refusing to concede defeat. "Fine, you win this round. Just you wait!" "Hmph! Blacklight Ironclad Monolith War God is invincible! Even if you bring a hundred or a thousand more, none of them will be a match for him!" The boy wiped his nose, beaming with radiant pride. Leaving behind another "Just you wait," Yu Xian spun around and stalked off. Sima Gao hurried to keep up, wearing an expression of helpless amusement. He showed no interest whatsoever in the beauty pageant, yet here he was playing with bugs alongside children. This benefactor was truly impossible to fathom. Striding ahead, Yu Xian declared, "Come on, let's find an even bigger, stronger fighting beetle. I refuse to believe I can't beat him." "My Lord, you don't actually need to restrict yourself so strictly to color. Why does it have to be gold?" Sima Gao asked in a low voice. Yu Xian answered with absolute conviction, "Because I like gold!" "Fair enough." Sima Gao had nothing to say to that. Island 55 featured vast stretches of woodland seeded with countless beetle eggs, with new ones hatching every second. After a period of careful preparation, the forest was teeming with magnificent beetles. Notably, Island 55 had been arranged by Dinggong Bang due to his personal fondness for beetles. When he had prepared the island, the other System Rank powerhouses hadn't believed for a second that Yu Xian would be interested; they had simply assumed Dinggong Bang was abusing public resources to indulge his private hobby. Yet reality had dealt them a swift slap in the face. Yu Xian hadn't gone to the pageant or the exhibition of exotic beasts and treasures; he really had run off to Island 55 to play with beetles. On the lowest island, Niu Kaitian and the others were gathered together, monitoring the status across all the islands through surveillance feeds. On Island 1, Little Nora was sampling the chefs' culinary creations. Her critiques consisted entirely of "Tasty!" and "This is tasty too!"—leaving the competing chefs caught between laughter and tears, unsure whether they ought to celebrate or despair. On Island 2, an abundance of gorgeous women clad in all manner of attire stood waiting, but alas, no one of importance paid them any heed. Only a few lechers and judges sat watching the performances with dry boredom, thoroughly devoid of enthusiasm since the guest of honor hadn't shown up. On Island 3, a group of muscular men in swim trunks were exchanging tips on body tempering. As they chatted, hands inevitably got involved—you feel my muscles, I feel your muscles—until the atmosphere grew progressively passionate and charged. When they saw Yu Xian lying flat on the ground hunting for beetles on Island 55, Niu Kaitian and the others were completely speechless. "This lord is truly impossible to read," You Xinghun remarked with a bitter smile. Niu Kaitian nodded. "Perhaps we were mistaken from the start. Dinggong Bang, how did you know our benefactor was fond of this?" "I merely prepared something I enjoy. Since I like it, I figured there must be many others who do as well. Why couldn't this lord be one of them?" Dinggong Bang replied with complete conviction. His nano-beetles had been modeled after the anatomy of various beetles—not because beetles were inherently powerful, but simply because he loved how they looked. "Makes sense. Why don't we dismantle some of the islands and replace them with things each of us likes?" Xiao Jianxian chimed in. At that moment, everyone was quite tempted. It would satisfy their own personal hobbies and might even attract Yu Xian—what was there to lose? It was certainly better than letting so many islands sit around going to waste. "By the way, Bull God, what is your hobby?" Lady Tangtang asked, looking at Niu Kaitian with curiosity. Among the many powerhouses present, some had hobbies well known to all, while others kept theirs closely guarded secrets. Niu Kaitian, for instance, was someone whose personal tastes remained a total mystery. "I like trimming and filing cattle hooves," Niu Kaitian answered placidly. Everyone present froze. What kind of hobby was that? Then their gazes drifted toward Niu Kaitian's feet—was he really just talking about clipping his own toenails? "It seems you don't understand either. When grinding down a bull's hooves, one's heart finds true peace, and it deepens the bond between you and the beast," Niu Kaitian explained with a sigh at their incomprehension. Lady Tangtang turned to You Xinghun. You Xinghun chuckled softly. "Haha, my hobby isn't nearly as bizarre as Old Niu's. I enjoy painting, and there's already a painting competition on the islands." "And Xiao Jianxian?" Lady Tangtang asked next. Xiao Jianxian, seated upon a cloud, answered, "Drinking wine. Strong liquor, preferably." "So all of you were abusing public office for private gain after all," Dinggong Bang noted after a moment's thought. A painting competition, a drinking contest, a beauty pageant—didn't those correspond precisely to You Xinghun, Xiao Jianxian, and Lady Tangtang? At this point, Master Fanxing, also a System Rank powerhouse, spoke up. "Coming back to the main point, will doing all this actually work? Will that lord really resolve that Deadly Sun for us?" "Master Fanxing, could it be you have a better idea?" Lady Tangtang retorted with a pleasant smile, eyeing him pointedly. Master Fanxing was a qi refiner whose appearance resembled a shriveled white radish. Put on the spot by Lady Tangtang's counterquestion, his complexion darkened from pale to sullen. If he had a solution, he would have used it long ago; why would he be here wasting time? "That lord is unfathomable. I believe that as long as we can keep him pleased, dealing with a mere Deadly Sun shouldn't be much trouble," You Xinghun stated with conviction. His deepest impression of Yu Xian came from the instant slaying of Bai Chonghu and Zhou Eyang. Seemingly harmless to humans and beasts alike, but once he struck, it was with thunderous fury—eradicating threats down to the roots without a shred of mercy. That style of conduct was clean, crisp, and absolute, which was why You Xinghun had resolved from the outset to become Yu Xian's friend and stand firmly by his side, rather than make an enemy of him. "Let us hope so," Master Fanxing said flatly. Niu Kaitian and the others paid little mind to Master Fanxing's attitude. In a loose coalition, it was only natural for some to doubt the plan, so long as they didn't actively sabotage things. Just then, on the surveillance display of Island 55, Yu Xian lost again. "How about we secretly arrange for a few Transcendent Rank golden beetles to be sent over?" Seeing Yu Xian lose to the kid yet again, Lady Tangtang couldn't resist suggesting. Niu Kaitian rejected the idea. "Don't. Our benefactor would certainly see right through our cheap tricks. Given his willingness to accept loss honorably, doing so would only sour things." Meanwhile, Yu Xian had found another golden beetle—this one bristling with spikes and roughly the size of a computer mouse. Grasping the beetle, he immediately headed back, convinced that this time, victory was his.