Film and Television: The Villain's Life Begins with Joy of Life

The wind howled from the cliff, carrying a salty, damp scent.

Zhou Cheng stood quietly on the dark, massive reef on the shore, holding an ordinary iron sword.

Before me lay the vast, deep sea, its azure tinged with melancholy, the horizon where the water met the sky in the distance, a hazy expanse.

The Grandmaster-level refined true energy surged within his body, subtly resonating with the world around him.

He paused briefly to gather his strength, then simply raised his sword and swung it forward with a horizontal motion—

There was no earth-shattering noise, and the air itself was not noticeably disturbed.

Wherever the sword's edge passed, an extremely thin, faint, almost transparent ripple suddenly extended, faster than the eye could see.

Ten feet away, a straight and smooth "line" suddenly appeared on the calm sea surface, like a splash of color suddenly appearing in the middle of a solid-colored brocade.

Immediately afterwards, the "line" suddenly split and collapsed to both sides!

The entire sea surface was sliced ​​open by an incomparably powerful invisible force!

"boom!!!"

A deafening explosion shot through the air along the sword mark, and the seawater seemed to be torn apart and pushed by an invisible giant hand, forming a fan-shaped ravine about thirty feet long and extending to the seabed reef!

Two breaths later, the forcibly torn sea surface suddenly closed up again, colliding violently!

White waves, like walls, surged skyward, rising seven or eight zhang high, then disintegrated into a torrential downpour, crashing back onto the sea surface and splashing up countless fragments.

"This is... a Grandmaster!"

Chen Quan and Chen Bao, who were on guard not far away, witnessed this scene and were deeply moved, as if they had seen a god.

The superhuman abilities of past grandmasters are merely legends.

Now, they have the most direct understanding of the Grandmaster's extraordinary power.

Even a single sword aura possessed such earth-shattering power.

They asked themselves if they were below the ninth rank and didn't even have the qualifications to face it directly.

The sword energy, spanning nearly thirty feet, would be nothing short of a moving divine punishment on the battlefield. Even soldiers fully armored would die upon contact or be injured by a mere graze.

It is estimated that only high-level martial artists with proper protection could escape unscathed from the aftershocks.

It's no wonder that Dongyi City, a small city, was so impregnable in the face of two powerful nations.

Even with hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry, a single Grandmaster is like an ant trying to shake a tree, or like waiting to cut wild grass.

Zhou Cheng sheathed his sword, his expression calm.

He was impressed by the immense power of a Grandmaster who could create such a scene with a single strike, but he still had a clear understanding of himself.

"I'm probably the weakest Grandmaster."

He secretly made his assessment.

That sword strike was indeed incredibly powerful, but he was confident that it would be invincible in clearing out enemies and dealing with martial artists below the Grandmaster level.

However, he was somewhat outmatched when facing a Grandmaster of the same realm directly.

This experiment allowed Zhou Cheng to once again recognize his shortcomings.

He intended to concentrate all his strength into a single line, but his true energy still dissipated after he drew his sword.

Although the scene was grand, it was far from reaching the ultimate state in my heart.

In film and television dramas, Ye Liuyun, the last of the four grandmasters, once cleaved a building in two with a single sword strike from a distance of a hundred feet. His true energy was concentrated and did not disperse, as fine as silk, and he did not harm a single person.

Its perception and control are far beyond what I can currently compare to.

Among the Grandmasters, he was even inferior to Ye Liuyun, so naturally, the throne of the weakest Grandmaster could only be inherited by him.

Zhou Cheng composed himself.

Even among grandmasters, there are varying levels of skill. He achieved his grandmaster status through the system, but he has only just crossed the threshold.

He's still far from being able to defeat Emperor Qing, the strongest grandmaster, and complete the mission.

"At least... in terms of true qi, the Hundred Refinements True Qi is inferior to the Overlord True Qi..."

Zhou Cheng muttered to himself.

The Hundred Refinements True Qi was not a profound martial art bestowed by the system; it was simply the one he chose from among the various martial arts techniques he had collected in his early years, the one that best suited him.

His nature is upright and peaceful. Originally, he could only cultivate to the eighth rank at most. It was only with the power of the system that he was forcibly pushed to the Grandmaster realm.

Among the four grandmasters, apart from Ye Liuyun who comprehended the "Flowing Cloud Scattered Hand" on his own, Ku He's "Heavenly One Way Heart Method", Si Gu Jian's "Nameless Sword Technique", and Emperor Qing's "Overbearing True Qi" are all supreme martial arts brought out by Ye Qingmei from the temple, which are the crystallization of wisdom of the temple's AI brain after countless years of deduction.

Compared to these three, the Hundred Refinements True Qi is naturally quite different.

Back then, he had no choice and no chance to obtain those cultivation techniques; he could only cultivate the Hundred Refinements True Qi.

Although this technique was of average power, it had one special feature that caught his eye.

The Hundred Refinements True Qi can accommodate different types of True Qi and can be transformed into other types without hindrance.

He chose this method over many other ninth-grade techniques precisely because of its unique qualities.

"Come, continue to help me cultivate!"

Zhou Cheng's voice was condensed into a line, calling out to the Chen brothers from afar.

On the beach, besides honing his internal energy control, he also suppressed his cultivation level and sparred with Chen Quan and Chen Bao.

However, lately the two of them have been holding back, as if they were afraid of being accidentally killed by him, so their actual combat effectiveness has been quite poor.

As night fell, Zhou Cheng instructed the Chen brothers to guard the gates strictly and arranged for a double to pretend that he was still meditating in the temple.

He then changed into a linen outfit, put on a straw hat, and quietly descended Mount Dadong.

Along the East China Sea, he boarded a small boat and headed directly towards Danzhou.

The simplest way to improve one's internal energy is to switch to a stronger cultivation method.

Among the four grandmaster techniques, the easiest to obtain is Fan Xian's "Overbearing True Qi".

Fan Xian has Wu Zhu protecting him, but Fan Xian himself... is a good person.

A small boat cuts through the waves, speeding along the nearshore waters.

Zhou Cheng held a bamboo pole, channeled his inner energy into it, and with a gentle sway, the boat shot forward like an arrow. This not only sped up the journey but also honed his control over his inner energy.

A lone figure silhouetted against the vast sea, a sense of joy arises instantly.

Several days later, he abandoned his boat and went ashore, arriving in Danzhou.

The location of the Sinan Earl's residence is not difficult to find out.

After making some inquiries, Zhou Cheng did not rush to visit. Instead, he found an inn, changed out of his clothes which were soaked with the smell of the sea breeze, took a good bath, and then leisurely strolled around the city for a day.

Danzhou is just a remote small town, far less prosperous than the capital, but its scenery and customs have a unique rustic charm.

As night deepened, Zhou Cheng changed into the night clothes he had bought during the day and disappeared into the darkness.

The Fan residence.

After paying his respects to Madam Fan, Fan Xian returned to his room. As soon as he closed the door, a dark figure emerged from behind the screen.

He wasn't surprised, but simply said helplessly:

"Uncle Wuzhu, you don't need to watch over me every second. I'm a seventh-rank expert now, skilled in both poison and martial arts. How could ordinary people possibly harm me?"

Wu Zhu, draped in a black robe and blindfolded, shook his head slightly.

"cannot."

Knowing his stubbornness, Fan Xian stopped trying to persuade him and instead sighed:

"Uncle, tell me, who exactly wants to kill me? There have been three or four assassination attempts in the past six months, poisoning and sneak attacks... Tell me, what did I ever do to deserve this?"

"I don't know."

Wu Zhu stood with his arms crossed, still sparing with his words.

Fan Xian glared at him irritably, sat down on the stool, and stared blankly at the flickering candlelight.

"The assassin was first a sixth-rank official, then a seventh-rank official, and next time it will probably be an eighth-rank official. With my uncle here, I'm not afraid. I'm just worried about implicating the old lady and the others in the household..."

His brows were furrowed with worry.

The assassins captured several times were handed over to him and Wu Zhu for interrogation, but they were all death squad members, and so far they have not obtained a single clue.

He lived in constant fear for more than half a year, yet he didn't even know who the enemy was, which truly exhausted him.

Wu Zhu remained silent.

He didn't care about the lives of others in the mansion; he only cared about Fan Xian's safety.

Fan Xian tapped his fingers on the table, silently analyzing:

"I've always kept a low profile. No one in Danzhou would dare to touch me, let alone hire a seventh-rank expert. The assassin isn't from Danzhou; he must be from the capital, but the capital..."

Kyoto was shrouded in mystery in his heart; it was an enigmatic place.

His estranged father, whom he had never met, was there; his sister was there; and his enemies might be there too.

He wanted to go to the capital, but after so many years, the legendary red-armored knight who was supposed to come and pick him up had never appeared.

As Fan Xian was talking to himself, Wu Zhu suddenly turned his head slightly and his earlobe twitched.

"Hide well," he said coldly.

Fan Xian was taken aback, then realized that someone had arrived!

"Speak of the devil... Could it really be an eighth-rank official this time?"

There was no fear in Fan Xian's eyes.

He is now at the peak of the seventh rank, just one step away from the eighth rank.

If it weren't for the fact that the "Overbearing True Qi" is extremely powerful and violent, requiring medical skills and medicine to slowly harmonize the body, he could have attempted to break through long ago.

"I don't have true qi, so I don't know what rank it is. But... this time is different!" Wu Zhu said, unusually.

"Different?" Fan Xian asked in surprise as the door was gently pushed open from the outside.

A figure completely shrouded in black clothing, wearing a ghost mask and black gloves, slowly stepped in.

Wu Zhu remained silent, and an iron shovel had appeared in his hand without him noticing.

The masked man entered the room, first glancing at Fan Xian, then his gaze fell on Wu Zhu.

The person who came was naturally Zhou Cheng.

He asked a few servants at the Fan residence for directions and found Fan Xian's residence. He came directly there, but he did not expect that Wu Zhu was in the room.

According to the original plot, Wu Zhu should have been secretly guarding the general store across the street.

His appearance here now suggests that the plot has taken a slight turn after he sold Fan Xian's information to Li Yunrui.

Fan Xian wasn't afraid at all; instead, he looked utterly disgusted and helpless.

"You're here to kill me too? Can you tell me what I did to deserve this? Why are you all coming after me?"

[Fan Xian's negative emotions +666!]

Zhou Cheng clicked his tongue inwardly.

Although villains usually die from talking too much, for the sake of emotional appeal, he still hoarsely explained to him:

"You didn't offend anyone, you just got in the way of certain people."

Rather than being an eyesore, a more accurate description would be "hating the house because of its crows".

However, the story of "love me, love my dog" doesn't exist in the world of Joy of Life, so Zhou Cheng changed his words as soon as they were on the tip of his tongue.

"Huh? You can talk?"

Fan Xian had only made a casual complaint, but he didn't expect the other party to respond, which was completely different from the previous assassins.

Zhou Cheng's lips twitched slightly beneath the mask, and he then said:

"I did not come to kill you. I will leave as long as you hand over the 'Overlord True Qi' manual."

Upon hearing the words "Domineering True Qi," Fan Xian's expression immediately changed.

The domineering true energy was a relic left to him by his mother, Ye Qingmei.

Only he and Wu Zhu knew about it.

He himself had never revealed this, and Wu Zhu was even less likely to have leaked it. Then... where did this ghostly masked man in front of him get this information from?

Could it be... related to my mother?

Fan Xian could no longer remain calm:

"Who exactly are you? How do you know about 'Overlord True Qi'?"

"You don't need to know."

Zhou Cheng didn't say much; he disliked lying and couldn't very well say that he knew it from novels and TV dramas.

"Uncle Wuzhu, capture him! He must know something!"

Fan Xian was decisive; seeing that he couldn't get any information out of him, he immediately decided to take action.

Wu Zhu had described the person before him as different, so he dared not be careless in the slightest.

So, he came up here ready to play dirty tricks!

Suddenly, he flicked out a cloud of purple smoke from his sleeve and swiftly advanced.

Wu Zhu warned again, "Watch out! Step back!"

"Poisoning?"

Zhou Cheng raised his eyelids, neither flinching nor dodging, but instead suddenly released his true energy outwards—

The surrounding air vibrated violently, and the toxic smoke was dispersed by the air blast before it could get close.

Fan Xian, who was rushing towards them from afar, only had time to curse under his breath before he was sent flying backwards, crashing through a group of tables and chairs with a series of clatters.

The Grandmaster's true energy domain enveloped the entire room, and the space inside seemed to freeze for a moment.

Fan Xian lay prone on the ground, feeling as if a mountain was pressing down on him, making it difficult to even breathe.

"What...what kind of method is this!?"

He braced himself on his arms, straining to widen his eyes, his heart filled with horror.

Compared to the previous assassins, this is not just "different", it's completely "different"!

Only Wu Zhu was unaffected by the domain.

As Zhou Cheng unleashed his true energy, he moved!

The dark iron spike tore through the air with a piercing crack.

Zhou Cheng dared not be negligent. He reached behind him and pulled out an iron rod more than three feet long.

Fan Xian, struggling to get up, was dumbfounded once again.

Can something that long be pulled out directly from behind?

clang!

The iron shovel and the iron rod clashed, sparks flew, and the clanging of metal was like a continuous downpour.

The two fought faster and faster. Fan Xian could only see afterimages and sparks flying, and he could only hear continuous explosions. He couldn't see the moves at all.

The turbulent air currents made the room tremble, the beams and pillars creak, and the roof tiles rattle.

"Let's go somewhere else!"

Zhou Cheng gave a low shout and quickly retreated.

His brief encounter with Wu Zhu brought him immense pleasure.

The Grandmaster's full power has a wide-ranging impact, and the narrow space here makes it easier for Wu Zhu to maneuver. Wu Zhu was already at a disadvantage, and a prolonged battle here would be unfavorable.

Wu Zhu glanced at Fan Xian, left only the words "Stay here," and then leaped after him.

Two figures darted out of the courtyard one after the other, stepping on tiles and scaling walls, heading straight for the east of the city.

Fan Xian suddenly felt a sense of relief. He got up, panting, and looked at the messy room with a bitter smile.

After thinking about Wu Zhu's instructions, he gritted his teeth and decided to go after them anyway.

He was too concerned about the origins of the masked man, and at the same time worried about Wu Zhu. Of course, he also did not want to miss this rare showdown between the best.

East of the city, a bamboo grove.

The moon casts a verdant shadow, like ink, while the wind rustles through the leaves.

The two figures fought and moved, breaking bamboo and splitting rocks in their path, carving out a path.

Bang bang bang!

Their fists and palms clashed with a rapid, thunderous exchange. The iron weapons in their hands had long since been twisted and deformed in the fierce battle, reduced to scrap metal.

Zhou Cheng concentrated fully, pushing his Grandmaster cultivation to its limit, but he was still at a disadvantage.

Wu Zhu is a highly intelligent robot from the previous era. He has no true energy or domain, only absolute speed and strength, and is made of high-strength materials that far surpass those of the current era.

Perhaps because Fan Xian was not nearby, Wu Zhu no longer held back in his attacks, increasing his speed and force.

At first, Zhou Cheng was only slightly at a disadvantage, but gradually he could only barely defend himself. Whenever he showed a weakness, he would be met with a series of lightning-fast attacks.

In the end, he relied almost entirely on his martial arts instincts to cope.

If it weren't for the Grandmaster's powerful inner energy protecting him, he would have been seriously injured by now.

"The difference is just too big!"

As the "weakest Grandmaster," Zhou Cheng was well aware of his own limitations. He took the initiative to accept the challenge for two reasons: first, to feel the gap between himself and the world's top masters; and second, to use Wu Zhu's help to hone his true energy and refine his reflexes.

I just didn't expect the gap to be so obvious.

His feeling at that moment was that he, a "rubber" man, was fighting with an "iron man".

He couldn't do anything to "Iron Man," and Iron Man couldn't kill him in a short time either.

Although he was mostly on the receiving end of blows, the feeling of rapidly growing stronger through repeated clashes and dodges, with his mind highly focused, his thinking extremely active, and his physical instincts becoming increasingly acute, was incomparable to the restrained sparring with the Chen brothers.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhou Cheng was panting heavily, leaning on his knees. His whole body ached, his night clothes were tattered, and even the ghost mask on his face was covered in cracks.

Wu Zhu was not far from him, his clothes were even more tattered, but he was unharmed and his breathing rhythm was unchanged.

The area within a hundred meters of the center of the bamboo forest was a complete mess, with the ground looking as if it had been plowed by a deep tiller.

"Is this even human?"

Fan Xian, who had already arrived at the edge of the battlefield, felt a pang of toothache. He could say that he had witnessed almost the entire confrontation that was beyond his comprehension.

He never knew that the power of martial arts could be so terrifying.

Of course, he didn't understand that the scene before him was the result of Zhou Cheng's strenuous efforts to condense his true energy.

If it were a normal battle between grandmasters, with their true energy bursting forth, the area within a thousand meters would probably be razed to the ground.

Fan Xian strode to Wu Zhu's side, unable to hide his excitement:

"Uncle, that's amazing!"

He gave a thumbs-up and then shouted to Zhou Cheng, who was not far away:

"You are no match for my uncle. You might as well surrender. As long as you answer my questions truthfully and swear never to be my enemy again, I will let you go afterwards!"

"Let me leave?"

Zhou Cheng raised his hand to touch the nearly shattered mask on his face, and suddenly chuckled softly.

"If I want to leave, he can't stop me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his head away.

When he turned around, the mask on his face was completely intact.

Fan Xian was stunned, blinked, and then raised his hand to rub it hard.

I couldn't help but blurt out:

"Holy crap... how did you do that? Magic?"

Zhou Cheng simply chuckled and did not reply.

Before transmigrating, he received a newbie gift pack from the system—allowing him to choose one item to bring into the movie world.

After awakening his memories, he discovered that the gift pack was still usable.

So they specified the unfinished apartment they had just acquired in the real world.

The apartment was transformed into a "storage space" through the system's adaptive mechanism, allowing him to access items within it at any time.

The iron bar used in battle and the mask worn now both originated from this.

The reason he dared to fight Wu Zhu with all his might was because he had prepared many items in the space, enough for him to escape.

However, with Fan Xian present, those backup plans are of no use right now.

Seeing that he remained silent, Fan Xian frowned and said:

"Even if you don't tell me now, I'll find out soon enough. Your breathing is already disordered, and unless you have another expert of your caliber to help you, there's absolutely no way you can escape from my uncle's clutches."

Zhou Cheng straightened up, exhaled deeply to calm his breathing, gently brushed the dust off his clothes, and said slowly:

"I have no help, nor do I need to escape. I know that you will give me the 'Overlord True Qi' in a moment and send me away."

Fan Xian raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean? Do you think I'm stupid?"

Zhou Cheng chuckled:

"Before coming here, I investigated you thoroughly. My conclusion is—Fan Xian, you are a good person."

Fan Xian asked, puzzled, "...So?"

Zhou Cheng shook his head and sighed, "So, when I went to the Fan residence to look for you, I also asked one of your maids to leave."

Fan Xian's expression changed drastically:

"You son of a bitch—"

[Fan Xian's negative emotions +999!]