Chapter 2: Well Then—Would You Be Willing to Become My Disciple?

Sensing someone’s presence, the two dragon shadows suddenly opened their eyes wide, furious roars rumbling out as an overwhelming dragon might swept toward Su Chen.

Su Chen’s expression remained calm.

He raised his right hand, and under the system’s stunned gaze, shattered the dragon pressure with a simple motion.

At the same time, a terrifying presence on the altar began to awaken.

“Intruder! This is the Dragon Prison Lock, used to imprison one of the Great Yan Empire’s most dangerous criminals. Leave at once, or be destroyed!”

“So what?”

Su Chen replied lazily.

To the system, this was by far the most terrifying thing it had ever seen.

[Threats? Someone actually dared to threaten the host?]

[The coffin is already prepared.]

***

At that very moment, spiritual energy rapidly gathered as a terrifying entity wielding a staff began to emerge from the void.

But just as the staff extended into the world, Su Chen threw a punch.

Boom!

With a loud explosion, space itself shattered.

The so-called guardian never even fully appeared before being blown to pieces.

“Too slow.”

Su Chen’s tone was flat, but the system trembled internally.

[Too violent! Way too violent! He even ambushed them! I seriously need to guide this host toward becoming a good person…]

Su Chen took a step forward and approached the altar.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Prison Lock shone brightly as spiritual energy surged into it.

Two terrifying auras quietly began to gather.

As two blinding lights flashed, deafening dragon roars echoed—

“ROAR!”

In the next instant, two colossal dragons burst forth, their terrifying mouths glowing with spiritual energy as they charged at Su Chen with lethal intent.

***

Elsewhere, the Heaven-Inspecting Officer was reading from an ancient tome.

The image within showed the Tenth Heaven.

“Hmph. The Dragon Prison Lock has been fully activated. Even if he’s a Divided Spirit Realm cultivator who has broken through the boundary between life and death, he’ll still die here—”

The next moment, his expression froze.

“What?”

***

Back at the altar—

Su Chen clenched his fist and unleashed it toward the two dragons.

With unimaginable force, the punch instantly reduced both dragons to ashes, leaving them no chance to resist.

Right after, the dragon shackles around the girl’s hands and feet snapped, and her weakened body fell from midair.

Fortunately, Su Chen moved fast enough to catch her just in time.

“This is the girl you were talking about?”

“And you said I might mistake her for someone else? She’s so weak it’s laughable.”

Su Chen wasn’t in the mood to argue with the system.

Instead, he focused his attention on the unconscious girl in his arms.

Her aura was faint—barely clinging to life.

It felt as though the Dragon Prison Lock had been the only thing keeping her alive.

Her internal condition was even worse than the system had described.

Most concerning of all was her forehead.

There, a crescent-shaped scar stood out—evidence that something had been forcibly taken.

Su Chen frowned and gently brushed his fingers across the scar.

Inside her mind, Ruo Ximeng’s consciousness wandered in a world of darkness.

She walked aimlessly—no end in sight, no way back.

She had no idea why she was here.

Faint, fragmented memories flickered through her mind, causing waves of dizziness and pain.

A weak voice echoed in the darkness.

It was her own.

“Will I… just keep walking like this forever?”

Suddenly, a soft white light appeared in the distance—not harsh, but warm and gentle.

Drawn by an unseen force, Ruo Ximeng began to walk toward it.

***

Reality.

“Ugh…”

Ruo Ximeng’s tightly shut eyelids began to tremble and slowly opened just a sliver.

The light in front of her was too bright, so she quickly raised her hand to shield her eyes, peeking through the gaps between her fingers.

What she saw was a pale-skinned, handsome face, and a pair of dark eyes watching her with a faint smile.

But what made her hesitate was the warmth in his gaze—it felt so familiar.

‘Was he the one who brought me out?’

She looked timidly at Su Chen, wanting to study him, but also clearly afraid.

She opened her mouth to speak, but having been silent for so long, no words came out.

Before she could try again, Su Chen spoke first.

“Ruo Ximeng?”

The girl responded in a daze, half-understanding what was being said.

“Mm.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Su Chen, and it’s very likely that I’ll become your master in the future.”

“Ah…”

Ruo Ximeng froze, clearly confused.

‘Master?’

“As a test before I officially take you in, do you know how to wash clothes, cook, make beds, and take care of others?”

Ruo Ximeng hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

After that, she struggled to say, “I… I… can learn.”

“I see.”

Su Chen let out a slightly weary sigh, and in the girl’s eyes, that gesture instantly dimmed her hopeful heart.

The system rolled its eyes, already convinced that this girl had been rejected.

‘Knowing my host, he’s so picky—he’d never agree to take in someone just to be a housemaid.’

But in the next second—

Su Chen’s tone shifted, and he asked plainly, “In that case—would you be willing to become my disciple?”

“This…”

In that moment, Ruo Ximeng was completely stunned.

‘Had she just passed the test?’

She wasn’t the only one confused—even the system was in disbelief, screaming internally.

‘This kind of useless disciple will ruin my reputation as a system!’

But Su Chen didn’t care in the slightest.

He simply looked at his first disciple with complete sincerity.

Call it pity, call it fondness—either way… he had made up his mind.

He would take her in.

Ruo Ximeng, however, seemed hesitant.

From the fragments of her memory, she vaguely recalled her terrible circumstances… Wouldn’t she just drag this man down?

But—

Feeling the warmth radiating from Su Chen in front of her, she couldn’t bear to leave.

She gave a small, determined nod.

“Mas… Master!”

“Very good.”

Su Chen looked genuinely pleased.

Though this disciple knew nothing for now, it wouldn’t be long before someone could finally serve by his side.

Then—

“As a symbol of our newly formed bond as master and disciple—”

Su Chen gently lowered his head and kissed the ugly scar on Ruo Ximeng’s forehead, his eyes full of compassion.

Ruo Ximeng trembled slightly, a faint blush rising on her dirty, worn face.

“From now on… I’ll be counting on you.”

“Mm…”

Ruo Ximeng’s voice was barely a whisper as she buried her face deep into Su Chen’s chest.

[System: Ding! Host, I suspect you’re seducing an innocent girl with intent to abduct her… Just what kind of master are you?!]

Su Chen completely ignored the system’s protests and held Ruo Ximeng gently in his arms, preparing to leave.

***

Suddenly—BOOM!

The Hell Demon Prison shook violently as waves of powerful auras surged upward.

The very laws of space within the prison began to churn wildly.

Countless ancient symbols gathered to form divine runes, weaving into a massive wall of laws—a heaven-and-earth shackle.

In an instant, every prisoner in the Infernal Prison felt a chill in their hearts.

This was the final form of the Infernal Prison: the Heaven and Earth Shackles.

It contained a trace of divine power—power from the Ninth Heaven.

Three figures looked up at the runes in the sky, their expressions tense.

“Someone actually activated the final form of the Infernal Prison… Could it be her?”

“Hmph! Who else could it be but that bitch?”

***

Tenth Heaven.

“Master…”

Ruo Ximeng looked worried, clearly distressed by the oppressive force.

“From today on, as long as I’m here, you’ll learn to walk with your head held high.”

Su Chen’s voice was calm.

He took a single step and instantly arrived outside the Hell Demon Prison.

In that moment—

“Intruder! Leave the girl behind, and we’ll spare you a whole corpse!”