Tianquan City, Shengxian Tower
Yun Suxin, Young Master of Lingxi Valley, slowly woke up from unconsciousness.
Around her, dozens of cultivators from various sects lay sprawled across the floor, alongside the city lord’s guards, all still unconscious.
She rubbed her aching forehead and instinctively reached for her waist.
“Where’s my storage bag?”
She quickly checked herself—
Gone.
All of it.
Her storage bag, magical artifacts, jewelry—even the smallest trinkets on her robes—completely looted.
Yun Suxin’s gaze swept across the room, and she noticed a small incense burner, still smoldering with faint traces of ash.
She crouched down and carefully examined it.
“Sanhun Incense?”
Her eyes narrowed.
Sanhun Incense—a colorless, odorless knockout agent typically used for subduing spiritual beasts.
Whoever did this had no intention of killing, but their targeted precision meant one thing—
There was an insider involved.
Before she could piece together her suspicions, an angry voice erupted nearby—
“It’s Qingyun Sect!”
Everyone whipped their heads around.
On the far wall, a massive provocative message had been scrawled in bright green characters, complete with a mocking ghost-face insignia.
“Bastards! We had no quarrel with Qingyun Sect, and they came all this way just to rob us?!”
“Those guys are filthy rich! They did this just to toy with us!”
“Forget the Zhongzhou Secret Realm—we have to humiliate Qingyun Sect in return!”
The room boiled with outrage.
Yun Suxin, however, rolled her eyes.
Qingyun Sect?
Yeah, right. If it was them, I’d eat this incense ash.
Her gaze swept across the room, scanning for familiar faces.
Sword Pavilion’s members were gone.
Her expression darkened.
Jiange… So, it was you?
Her lips curled into a smirk.
Robbing Lingxi Valley? Bold move. Let’s see if you can handle the consequences.
Chen Huaian Arrives at the Show Set
Back in reality.
Chen Huaian stepped out of the airport and into the designated car sent by the program crew.
The driver, a young, chatty man, had been repeating the same sentence since they met.
“Brother, you look awesome!”
First, when they met.
Then, when he got in the car.
And now, again.
Chen Huaian’s eyebrow twitched.
Three times already…
The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror, his expression filled with genuine admiration.
“Bro, I’m telling you—I’ve been a driver for years. I’ve picked up at least a thousand celebrities.”
“But I swear, none of them look as goddamn awesome as you! If you weren’t bald, I can’t even imagine how handsome you’d be!”
Chen Huaian: “…”
The driver sighed dramatically, one hand on the wheel, the other giving a thumbs-up.
“Man, your temperament is just unreal! Forget being a movie star—you could straight-up play Tang Sanzang from Journey to the West! You’d be famous overnight!”
Chen Huaian snorted, thinking the guy was just joking.
“Then doesn’t that mean I’ll outshine all the other stars on the show?”
The driver’s face stiffened.
His expression turned serious as he patted the steering wheel.
“Don’t joke about that, bro. There’s this guy on the show—Cai Yifan. He’s a big deal right now, not someone you wanna mess with.”
“This whole survival show? It’s designed to promote him. My advice? Keep a low profile and don’t get into trouble.”
Chen Huaian nodded thoughtfully.
Cai Yifan…?
He had no intention of causing trouble, but if this guy decided to target him first…
Well.
Someone’s going to learn what “divine punishment” really means.
Meanwhile, at the Program Set
The show location—Tianmen Mountain Base Camp.
Crowds of fans and media swarmed the area.
In the center of it all, a handsome young man in designer clothes strode in, surrounded by security guards and assistants.
“Cai Yifan! He’s here!”
“Brother Fan, you’re getting more and more handsome!”
“Your career is skyrocketing—so proud of you!”
The flash of cameras, the shouts of excited fans—it was clear that Cai Yifan was the star of the show.
Who is Cai Yifan?
Cai Yifan—a rising young star in the entertainment industry.
Not yet an A-lister, but he had potential.
His company had arranged this survival show to boost his public image.
The goal?
Make him look strong, humble, and relatable.
The problem?
Cai Yifan hated the show.
A Hidden Agenda
To Cai Yifan, this survival show was a chore.
One, he hated hiking. It was exhausting and made him sweaty.
Two, the show was live, meaning every bad habit of his—cursing, smoking, being lazy—would be exposed.
But he needed this show.
His acting skills were garbage—his movies were completely dubbed over.
If he didn’t build goodwill with audiences, he’d be mocked endlessly when his next film premiered.
So, he endured it.
But he made sure everyone knew who was in charge.
Cai Yifan Arrives Late
The show was scheduled to start at 9 PM.
The crew had asked all contestants to arrive by 7 PM.
Cai Yifan?
He strolled in at 8:40.
By then, the other four contestants—one former star and three unknown rookies—had already filmed their introductions.
Backstage Tensions
The director was furious but couldn’t say anything.
He forced a friendly smile and greeted him.
“Ah! Yifan, you’re finally here!”
“Go get ready, we need some behind-the-scenes footage before we go live.”
Cai Yifan barely glanced at him.
“Make sure you shoot me from my best angles.”
“And I want final approval—if I don’t look good, you’re not airing it.”
The director’s jaw clenched, but he still nodded.
Meanwhile…
The camera crew had already set up, ready to film the behind-the-scenes footage.
But as they adjusted the cameras, one of them frowned in confusion.
“Wait a minute… Who the hell is that guy?”
His gaze locked onto a lone figure in the distance—
A tall man, radiating an aura of overwhelming presence.
Someone who looked too extraordinary to be just another contestant.
Someone who wasn’t even trying to stand out—yet completely outshined everyone else.
“Who is he…?”
Behind-the-Scenes Footage Disaster
The behind-the-scenes footage for Laika Adventure was meant to showcase celebrity preparations—
Contestants were supposed to introduce themselves, discuss their survival strategies, and share insights on navigating the treacherous Tianmen Mountain night hike.
Cai Yifan’s approach?
None of that.
He strutted like a model across the camera, did a few overly dramatic poses, and even treated it like a fashion shoot.
The producers were speechless.
At 8:50 PM, five minutes before the live broadcast, everyone was in position.
The director took a deep breath, preparing to kick off the show when—
A panicked staff member rushed over.
“Director Zhang! One contestant still hasn’t arrived!”
“Who?” The director’s eyelid twitched, his patience hanging by a thread.
“The mysterious guest you arranged.”
Director Zhang’s expression stiffened.
“Oh. Right. That guy.”
Damn, I was so distracted by Cai Yifan’s antics that I forgot about him.
“Where is he?”
“The driver said… the car battery died.”
“WHAT?!”
Director Zhang was fuming.
First, a diva celebrity.
Now, a stranded guest?!
“Send another car to pick him up! NOW!”
Still, he had to start the show—
Delaying five minutes was a minor inconvenience, but for a live broadcast, it was a potential disaster.
He quickly signaled the other contestants—
“Stall for time!”
The cameras rolled, and the contestants played along, making exaggerated introductions to buy time for the missing guest.
Meanwhile, On the Mountain Road…
Chen Huaian and the driver stood beside a silent electric car on a deserted road.
The Tianmen Mountain night breeze howled around them.
“I’m sorry, little brother,” the driver sighed, kicking a tire in frustration. “These damn electric cars—always losing power when it’s cold.”
Chen Huaian glanced at his watch.
8:55 PM.
The show starts at 9 PM sharp.
He was a punctual man—he refused to be late.
He looked upward.
The gathering point wasn’t far in a straight line—
The only problem?
A near-vertical cliff.
Chen Huaian tapped the rocky surface with his cane, pressed a foot against it, and nodded.
“This should work.”
The driver raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll climb up myself.”
The driver laughed—thinking he was joking—until he turned back around and saw…
Nothing.
“Wait—where’d he go?!?!”
Superman Mode: Activated
The moonlight illuminated Tianmen Mountain’s jagged cliffs.
Amidst the whistling winds—
A single figure moved swiftly up the rock face.
Chen Huaian was climbing the cliff—
With one hand.
And a cane.
A normal person would be trembling in fear—
But not him.
“I can feel the life energy surging through me!”
“I am a superman!”
Little did he notice—
On his wrist, the bead bracelet Li Qingran gave him…
Was slowly dimming.
What happens when Chen Huaian finally arrives? Stay tuned!
