The Mastermind Behind the Scenes in a Cultivation World Full of Villains

Everyone knows there are countless paths to becoming heartless, but having no feelings is what matters most. Cen Wuyue’s master spent his life raising five disciples who cultivated the Heartless Dao. The first four either lost their cultivation or disappeared, leaving Cen Wuyue as the last one standing. Unlike his aloof, proud senior brothers and sisters, the youngest disciple smiled at everyone, his almond-shaped eyes crinkling and two sweet dimples appearing in his cheeks. One look was enough to tell he was not cut out for the Heartless Dao. His master worried himself sick, frowning as he reminded Cen Wuyue that the world was dangerous, to be careful, and not to let anyone trick him. Later, after finishing his travels, Cen Wuyue returned safely to the mountain. His master breathed a sigh of relief and, greatly comforted, checked his youngest disciple’s relationship chart. Hundreds of gray-named enemies, thousands of bounties with no leads, maxed-out combat strength, rock-bottom morality, and several suspicious romantic entanglements with names so red they were practically black. He was more blood-soaked and violent than a demonic villain. And yet everyone’s opinion of him was the same: “such a good kid,” “so kindhearted,” “always giving people cause to worry”… His master looked from his innocent, adorable youngest disciple to the relationship chart full of demons dancing about. Then he fell into a long, long silence. Reader’s guide: 1. The heroine has a few nonhuman traits. 2. This is not a story about an overpowered heroine or a strong female lead. The focus is on the plot. 3. My own take on cultivation, made up entirely by an author with no experience cultivating immortality. 4. The male lead is still undecided. I’ll probably write separate endings. ☆ Upcoming: Two Become One, but My Teammate Is a World-Destroying Villain From the first day she transmigrated, Ye Muyun saw a line of text before her eyes. [Player 1 has joined. Waiting for Player 2...] Ye Muyun: ... Where did this bootleg version of Two Become One come from? Ten years later, Ye Muyun was still slacking off every day while posing as a member of a prestigious orthodox sect when she suddenly received a notification. [Player 2 has joined!] [Starting...] [The game is about to begin. Enjoy!] Ye Muyun messaged Player 2, but they never replied. Could the game have given her a bot for a teammate? [Newbie Quest: Meet your teammate at the designated location.] Ye Muyun waited an hour without anyone showing up, then opened the game notification to see what was going on. [Player 2 has died. Cause of death: Challenged a boss above their level.] [Player 2 has died. Cause of death: Severed their own meridians.] [Player 2 has died. Cause of death: Challenged an elite captain above their level.] [Player 2 has died...] Ye Muyun: ... What kind of stubborn idiot is this? After being sealed for fourteen hundred years, Shen Chihan finally managed to shed his corpse and be reborn. His new body was so weak it made him want to cough up blood, but that was fine. He could train it up little by little. The bigger problem was that his new body occasionally came with visual and auditory hallucinations. [Player 1 has reached the meeting point.] [You have died.] [You have died.] [Player 1 sent an emote.] [You have died.] [Player 1 sent a message: Are you ■■?] [Player 1 sent a message: If you suck, don’t play.] [Player 1 sent a message: I could scatter rice on the keyboard and let a chicken play. It’d have better moves than you.] Shen Chihan: ... Heh. Once I’ve mastered my divine arts, I’ll go kill this Player 1 immediately. Theme: Have feelings, but keep your head too