I Hadn't Even Left the Starter Village Before the Villainess Set Her Sights on Me

The martial world rules all, and people are no more than mayflies.

Only those who pass the Divine Stone Mountain selection can enter the martial path and stand atop the world.

The good news: Shen Qingyan has a mysterious jade treasure to help him, giving him a chance to take a shot.

The bad news: Before he can even pass the county selection, the scheming county princess Meng Qiuyu has set her sights on him!

“Fortunately, she's only a county princess. It shouldn't be a problem...”

Suppressing bandits on Mount Nanyu:

“Beautiful County Princess, I admire you beyond measure. My love for you flows like a mighty river...”

Commandery selection:

“Wait, why does the commandery princess look so much like my first love? Could that wretch have been reborn too?”

The provincial selection, the Divine Stone Mountain's final trial, and the royal capital:

“Your Majesty, you are the talent scout who recognized my worth, and I am your thousand-mile steed... To repay your favor at the Golden Terrace, I would die for you with my jade-inlaid blade!”

Years later, standing before the rift between the ruins of civilization and a brand-new world, Shen Qingyan finally understood.

“My whole life, I have walked on thin ice... utterly alone.

I dare not love the one I love, cannot hate the one I hate, cannot protect those I wish to protect, and cannot kill the ones I mean to kill. My mother refuses to call me her son, my sister does not dare call me her brother. My family has suffered because of me, and my clan was destroyed because of me...

Under oppression, who isn't a puppet?

The elimination and succession, the rivalries and schemes, the cries and the silence, the blood and tears and fervor of this world... are the starkest and cruelest reflection of this distorted society, where money and class monopolize resources and opportunities!”

Shen Qingyan crushed the crown and stamped on the throne. “The rules weighing down on everyone in this world... have to change!”