A System Dummy of the “Five Phases” realm quietly appeared, holding a replica of the Alluring City Sword in its hand.
“Whoosh—“
Jiang Ke’er, who had been instantly defeated in one move, suddenly felt a wave of comfort wash over her.
Ahahaha, this familiar feeling!
This is the System Dummy I know!
So why am I laughing? I’m not a masochist…
Wahhhhhhh, I’m just too weak!
Jiang Ke’er wailed as she fought the System Dummy, dying hundreds of times in just over ten minutes before collapsing, exhausted and sore, onto the grass, continuing to sob.
After her crying fit subsided, Jiang Ke’er didn’t immediately challenge it again. Instead, she decided to do something else to adjust her mindset.
Previously, when she defeated the “Three Talents” realm System Dummy and achieved an SSS-rank evaluation, she had received the corresponding reward.
A small stove.
[Ivan Special Supply – Fully Automatic Temperature Controlled Stove!]
[Description: This stove features multiple functions including intelligent temperature control, timed shut-off, flame adjustment, intelligent cooling, and one-click self-destruct! Evaluation: S-rank]
“Oh…”
Though she had no idea what the “one-click self-destruct” was about, Jiang Ke’er carefully read the description several times until she fully understood the stove’s functions.
She first poured a large amount of water into the temperature-controlled stove, set the temperature to 100 degrees, and waited quietly for the water to boil and produce steam.
Then, she added the instant noodle brick, seasoning packet, oil packet, and cracked an egg in one smooth motion!
“Slurp~“
“Haah… This S-rank instant noodle pot you get for clearing the stage is really good! Even heat, absorbs the flavor well~ delicious!”
Jiang Ke’er didn’t really understand the System’s thought process when giving out items.
After all that hard work clearing the stage, it just gave her a little cooking pot the size of a soccer ball.
The thing was entirely porcelain white with a minimalist design, clearly just an electric rice cooker.
Was it trying to set her further down the path of becoming a culinary god?
Whatever, it was pretty convenient. It had been a long time since she’d used such smart kitchenware. It would make cooking, making instant noodles, and even hotpot much easier in the future… During breaks from exhausting cultivation, she could quickly whip up some noodles to replenish her energy.
And it even had a one-click self-destruct function… Who knew why an electric rice cooker could self-destruct, but throwing it out at a critical moment should at least startle the opponent into a momentary pause.
Jiang Ke’er chuckled as she pulled out dish soap, cleaned the pot after finishing her noodles, and set it aside, feeling a sudden surge of domestic accomplishment!
That’s right, in this era, it’s the boys who do the housework, so this was just her boyfriend power bursting forth! It definitely wasn’t anything like wife material or whatever!
After letting her thoughts run wild for a bit, Jiang Ke’er fell silent again.
She summoned the dummy once more and bowed.
“I’m here to feed myself to you again. Please guide me.”
That day, Jiang Ke’er deeply regretted eating those noodles.
They were all beaten out of her before she could even digest a single spring onion slice.
—
Li Lao’er had been feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles these past few days.
Long before the Shenzhou Cup semi-finals began, Si Lian had repeatedly begged him to start live broadcasts of the Shenzhou Cup for the Demon Race.
But he hadn’t dared. He knew how deep and dark the waters of the Shenzhou Cup were.
He was afraid he’d see the scene of a hero’s fall…
He never believed in legends, only that all beautiful things were fleeting flashes in the pan.
So, most demons never had the chance to witness the matches live.
Even the few demons who paid attention could only watch the Human Clan broadcasts, listening to the malicious commentary from the human announcers, their hearts filled with frustration the entire time.
Fortunately, Jiang Ke’er kept winning.
Those malicious voices, after being proven wrong, became quite satisfying to hear.
But perhaps because they had been disappointed too many times, each of Jiang Ke’er’s victories didn’t cause much of a stir among the demons or attract much attention…
Compared to the Shenzhou Cup, territory and survival were clearly more important, especially without any demon media to help amplify their voices.
Li Lao’er understood deeply the significance of this Shenzhou Cup. Its importance was no less than that of territory.
Territory was lost and gained, constantly changing hands with the shifts of time and power.
Whether occupying land or obtaining survival resources, the fundamental purpose was to improve the quality of life and dignity of the demon people—in other words, their happiness.
And racial identity was the foundation of all demon happiness.
If that sense of identity was lost, if they considered themselves inferior, they would spend their entire lives trapped in self-loathing over their identity, never finding peace.
All material possessions would just be duckweed on mud, ultimately only serving to numb themselves.
But a sense of identity isn’t created by empty words or propaganda, nor is it brainwashed into people by the media…
It must be built on tangible achievements that surpass others, on great deeds worthy of being sung about and feeling proud of!
The Shenzhou Cup was such a great deed. This was the reason for Si Lian’s lifelong persistence.
Now, finally, through the life-risking efforts of the Bagpipe Squad, they were only one step away from that great achievement.
Even though that one step might be an insurmountable chasm, guarded by the five strongest young people of the Human Clan, ready at any moment to kick the Bagpipe Squad off the cliff… this was already a remarkable feat!
The clansmen had no idea just how incredible it was for the Bagpipe Squad to have come this far, or how much hardship they had endured!
“It’s already enough.”
Li Lao’er thought.
In truth, they had already proven the capabilities of the Demon Race. It was just that very few clansmen knew about it.
So, who were they working so hard to prove it to…
Li Lao’er felt he was a weak-willed beast.
Something he should have decided long ago, he had dragged out until now, allowing this feat that should have been celebrated by the entire race to be buried in a corner.
And what about this time?
By all logic, it was an unwinnable battle. Not to mention the five Dao Seats… that was Yu Wenhua Ji’s territory. How could he possibly let the Bagpipe Squad win?
This would inevitably be a battle that severely dampened morale.
“Go and report it. Report this matter from the very beginning, from Si Lian’s first defeat, all the way to tomorrow. Report it completely… Treat it as the top priority for demon media,” Li Yuan said, patting Li Lao’er’s shoulder.
“But, the border conflict is tense right now. We can’t afford the slightest mistake in morale…” Li Lao’er was puzzled.
“You naturally know this, so why…?”
“Because they deserve it. Regardless of win or loss, everything they have done… should be remembered by everyone.” Li Yuan smiled.
“The history books should have a place for them, not just always be about schemes and benefits.”
Li Lao’er gritted his teeth. “But, war is no child’s play. There’s no room for sentimentality!”
“I bet they’ll win.”
Li Lao’er was stunned.
“Is that enough?” Li Yuan laughed.
“It’s enough, but I’m not optimistic…”
“Neither am I,” Li Yuan interrupted. “But I’ve never been optimistic, and she keeps winning. Isn’t it the same for you?”
“…”
“So, this time, let’s make a big bet!”
That night, it wasn’t just the Li father and son who were restless.
There were two human cultivators responsible for commentating the Shenzhou Cup finals.
One of them, after receiving a communication, looked immensely relieved.
“Finally don’t have to commentate this damned match!”
The other commentator, however, grew increasingly worried—this match was already extremely complex and difficult to commentate on, and now, at this critical juncture, a new commentator had been parachuted in to be his partner.
He hadn’t even heard of the new commentator’s name before, clearly a rookie! Sending a rookie on stage at a time like this—what if he said something wrong?
Sigh…
He looked at his new partner in front of him—well, he looked quite young in appearance, slightly thin.
He proactively extended his hand. “Hello, I’m Li Ming.”
The other also offered a polite smile, reaching out to shake Li Ming’s hand, and introduced himself:
“Hello, I’m Huang Bozhong.”
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