Chapter 3: Divine-Rank Rewards! The Villain's Golden Finger!
"Hiss... It's actually... actually a Divine Rank reward!"
Shen Anyu stared at the system notification, his heart pounding against his ribs like a war drum. The text shimmered with an otherworldly golden light, illuminating his face in the dimly lit bathroom.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining a Divine Rank reward: God-Level Steel Body (Divine Steel Body)!]
Before he could process the magnitude of the reward, a sensation unlike anything he had ever felt washed over him. It wasn't pain, nor was it pleasure—it was power. Pure, unadulterated power.
He felt his bones vibrating, his muscles knitting tighter, his skin hardening while retaining its elasticity. A brilliant, ethereal light enveloped his body, pulsating with the rhythm of his heartbeat. For a moment, he felt weightless, as if gravity had lost its hold on him.
When the light finally faded, Shen Anyu looked at himself in the mirror.
He looked the same—devastatingly handsome, tall, and imposing—but everything had changed. His skin was now as flawless and tough as celestial jade, emitting a faint, almost imperceptible divine glow. His eyes held a new depth, a majestic pressure that seemed capable of forcing dragons to kneel.
He flexed his arm. The air around him seemed to warp slightly under the sheer density of his presence.
"God-Level Steel Body..." Shen Anyu whispered, testing the words.
He picked up a heavy marble ashtray from the counter and squeezed.
Crack.
The marble crumbled into fine powder, slipping through his fingers like sand. He hadn't even used his internal energy. This was pure physical strength.
"Overwhelmingly powerful!"
Shen Anyu's mind raced with the implications. Although his internal cultivation was currently only at the Early Stage Grandmaster level, his physical defense had transcended mortal limits. With this body, he could probably withstand bullets, maybe even artillery fire.
"If Ye Yan appeared before me right now," Shen Anyu mused, a cruel smile playing on his lips, "I wouldn't even need martial arts. I could simply hammer him to death with my bare hands."
He was invincible. At least, in the mortal realm.
"Alas, there are also downsides..." Shen Anyu sighed dramatically, shaking his head with mock regret. "With a body this tough, who can withstand me? Mortals are too fragile. Why didn't the system give me a snake demon like Bai Suzhen?"
Chuckling at his own joke, Shen Anyu turned his attention back to the system. He still had plenty of Destiny Value left.
"Use all remaining Destiny Value! Draw!"
The roulette wheel spun again and again. Notifications flooded his vision.
Most were trash—more nutritious drinks, the latest Huawei phones, luxury supercars.
"Garbage," Shen Anyu muttered. He already had a garage full of limited-edition Bugattis and Rolls-Royces. To him, money was just a number.
However, amidst the sea of common items, several purple and gold lights flashed.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a Purple Reward: Innate Cultivation x9!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a Purple Reward: Top-Tier Music Skill x2!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a Purple Reward: Top-Tier Hacker Skill!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a Purple Reward: Top-Tier Driving Skill!]
Shen Anyu's eyes lit up. "System, can these be stacked?"
[Yes. Ten Innate Cultivation rewards can be fused into one Grandmaster Cultivation. Ten Top-Tier Skills can be fused into one Extraordinary Skill.]
"Excellent."
Then came the Golden Rewards.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a Golden Reward: Perfect Ability Duplication Card!]
(Effect: Can designate and perfectly duplicate one extraordinary ability from a Child of Destiny!)
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a Golden Reward: Destined Child Positioning Card!]
(Effect: Locates the nearest Child of Destiny and provides detailed information!)
Shen Anyu froze. "The nearest Child of Destiny?"
This world... had more than one protagonist?
The system remained silent, leaving Shen Anyu to ponder the implications. If Ye Yan wasn't the only one, then his hunting ground was far larger than he anticipated.
"Interesting," he murmured. "If I have to explore it myself, then I will."
Feeling a heavy burden lift from his shoulders, Shen Anyu exited the bathroom. He felt lighter, stronger, and infinitely more dangerous.
In the bedroom, Lin Keqing was sitting on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a silk sheet. Her eyes were red, her face pale. She looked like a broken doll.
Shen Anyu's expression softened into a mask of gentle concern. He walked over and sat beside her.
"By the way," he asked casually, "didn't you marry Ye Yan's elder brother, that dead Ye Tian? What happened between you two?"
Lin Keqing bit her lip, silence her only answer.
"Not talking?" Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow. He leaned in closer, his presence overwhelming. "Should I verify it myself?"
"I'll tell you! I'll tell you..." Lin Keqing shrank back, her voice trembling.
She took a deep breath, composing herself. "I have a traditional personality. Just after the wedding with Ye Yan's elder brother, Ye Tian, the Magic City Ye Family collapsed..."
She recounted the story. It was a political marriage. She and Ye Tian had no feelings for each other. They had met only a few times and hadn't even held hands. On their wedding night, the Ye Family was destroyed. Ye Tian died, and she became a widow in name only.
For five years, she bore the title of a "jinx," ridiculed by society. She sealed her heart, focusing entirely on her clothing design company. She thought her life would be a gray, loveless existence until she died.
But then... Shen Anyu appeared.
Shen Anyu listened, nodding slowly. He didn't feel jealousy. Instead, a twisted satisfaction bloomed in his chest.
The woman Ye Yan obsessed over, the "sister-in-law" he swore to protect... was still pure. Or rather, she had been pure, until Shen Anyu claimed her.
[Ding! Detected that Destined Heroine Lin Keqing's favorability +3. Plundering +9,000 Destiny Value!]
"..." Shen Anyu looked at Lin Keqing, feeling a bit emotional.
The great writer Eileen Chang was right. The way to a woman's heart is through... well.
"One more question," Shen Anyu asked, his voice low. "Why is Ye Yan so obsessed with you?"
"What?" Lin Keqing looked up, stunned. Her pretty face flushed with anger and humiliation. "You're talking nonsense! Ye Yan and I have no relationship! He's just my brother-in-law!"
Shen Anyu chuckled, reaching out to tilt her chin up. He admired her vibrant, angry face.
"It's only normal for Ye Yan to be attracted to you," he said smoothly. "Even if you are his sister-in-law. No man in the world could remain unmoved by you. Unless he's a eunuch, or blind."
Not to mention his previous life, even in this life as a top Young Master, Shen Anyu had seen countless beauties. But Lin Keqing... she was special. She possessed a fragility and resilience that made men want to destroy her and protect her at the same time.
Lin Keqing sighed, her anger fading into melancholy. "A beauty who causes trouble is not a good thing. It would be better if no one saw this face..."
She wasn't stupid. She had realized by now that the Lin Family's crisis was likely orchestrated by Shen Anyu. He had directed the play and acted the hero.
However, for some reason, she didn't feel much anger. Instead, a strange thrill shivered through her. He had gone to such lengths just to possess her.
Shen Anyu looked at her with a half-smile. "Then I'll build a Golden House and hide you," he whispered, his voice dropping to a husky growl. "I won't let outsiders see you. How about that?"
[Akarin's Note: "Golden House" refers to the Chinese idiom "Jin Wu Cang Jiao" (金屋藏娇), meaning to build a golden house to keep one's mistress or beloved woman safe and hidden away.]
"Just the two of us."
Lin Keqing's face burned. She quickly stammered, "That's not what I mean..."
"That's what I mean!"
Shen Anyu laughed, pulling her into his arms.
[Akarin Note:
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