"Since it's settled, your duel will commence tomorrow at noon. You may disperse!"
The words echoed through the vast, empty main hall.
At that moment, a young man with a vicious countenance walked towards Hua Qiandi, sneering sinisterly, "Senior Brother, I look forward to your guidance tomorrow at noon. Don't you dare run away in fear!"
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left on his own.
Others shook their heads, looking at the young man standing alone in the hall, and left with sighs of pity.
"What a shame. His position as Holy Son is as good as lost."
"That position was never rightfully his to begin with. If not for that old senior backing him, how could it have ever been his turn?"
"Exactly! He should be grateful if he manages to keep his life."
...
And so, in the now utterly silent and imposing hall, only one young man remained.
He was exceptionally handsome, with sharp, distinct features, fair skin, and an almost feminine beauty. Dressed in pristine white robes, he carried an air of graceful elegance and noble bearing. A trace of a faint, seemingly ever-present smile lingered at the corners of his eyes and lips, making him appear exceedingly amiable.
Anyone who saw him couldn't help but think, "A true gentleman in a world of chaos!"
This young man's name was Hua Qiandi, but he was not originally from this world.
Three days ago, he had finally arrived in this world. Before he could even begin to understand his surroundings, a crazed old demon lord had set his sights on him, dragged him back to the Heavenly Demon Palace, and on the spot, declared him the Holy Son.
The entire Heavenly Demon Palace was thrown into an uproar!
The Heavenly Demon Palace was one of the top powers of the demonic path, ruling over a territory spanning a million miles, with millions of disciples. Who among the younger generation didn't covet the position of Holy Son? Yet suddenly, an outsider pops up to inherit it? Who could accept that?
It was fair to say that not a single person in the entire Heavenly Demon Palace was satisfied.
But since he was brought by that old senior, everyone had to compromise. They decided to first make him a Candidate Holy Son, to compete with the other candidates. The final victor would become the true Holy Son.
Thus, today's scene unfolded.
A young disciple named Tu Shan, egged on by others, issued a challenge to Hua Qiandi.
There was clearly a gap of two major realms between them. By all logic, such a duel shouldn't happen. No matter how cruel and ruthless demonic sects were, they still nurtured their young talents; otherwise, their legacy would have died out long ago. Fights between those of the same level weren't stopped—they were even encouraged. A gap of one major realm came with some restrictions. But two major realms? That was a no-go.
Yet, everyone wanted to see Hua Qiandi make a fool of himself, so they pushed this through. It wasn't about killing Hua Qiandi; it was purely about humiliating him and deflating the prestige of this outsider Holy Son. As long as he wasn't killed, anything went.
Hua Qiandi knew he couldn't avoid it, so he agreed.
Because he had a trump card up his sleeve. He had been brought to this world by an object called the System Forge, a device capable of creating systems.
Yes, exactly what it sounded like—the quintessential transmigrator's cheat tool: a system.
And of course, if he wished, anyone could have a system.
However, the systems he forged were utterly devious.
These systems consumed Luck. Double, in fact. One portion of the consumed Luck would be converted into rewards for the host, while the other portion went to the system's creator—himself.
If the host's Luck ran out, death was inevitable.
And then Hua Qiandi could reclaim the system, along with everything from the host: their cultivation, bloodline, talents, experience... everything.
Under certain conditions, even if the host wasn't dead, he could forcefully reclaim the system, stripping away all those things from the host as well.
It was a System Forge that screwed people over without any compensation!
So, he planned to gift his opponent a system before the duel.
Hua Qiandi opened the System Forge's user manual.
System Creation:
Use Luck as raw material to forge a system. The more complex the system, the more Luck required.
System Installation:
If the target's strength is lower than yours, forced installation is possible.
If the target's strength is higher than yours, their consent is required.
System Operation:
Each operation consumes double the host's Luck. Half is returned to the host as a reward; the other half belongs to the system creator.
System Reclamation:
Can be reclaimed upon the host's death, simultaneously absorbing the host's cultivation, talents, bloodline, experience, etc.
To forcibly reclaim from a living host and simultaneously strip their cultivation, talents, bloodline, experience, and remaining Luck, the system creator's strength and Luck must surpass the host's, or suffer backlash.
After reading the manual, Hua Qiandi fell into deep thought.
"What kind of system should I give him?"
The gap in their strength was too vast. He intended to finish off his opponent before the duel and strengthen himself in the process.
He first checked his own data panel, then looked at his opponent's. This panel was a built-in function of the System Forge, allowing him to see anyone's talents, preferences, strength, etc., facilitating the creation of customized systems.
Name: Hua Qiandi
Identity: Candidate Holy Son of the Heavenly Demon Palace
Cultivation: Postnatal Realm, 1st Stage
Physique: Low-Grade Martial Body
Talent: Follows his heart, single-minded focus
Nature: Trickster
Luck: 89 (Bystander Tier)
...
Name: Shan Tu
Identity: Outer Disciple of the Heavenly Demon Palace
Cultivation: Heaven-Man Realm, 1st Stage
Physique: Low-Grade Battle Body
Talent: None
Nature: Lackey
Luck: 648 (Supporting Character Tier)
Strength utterly unremarkable, physique utterly unremarkable, even Luck utterly unremarkable... Shan Tu's data completely crushed Hua Qiandi's in every aspect.
Hua Qiandi truly couldn't fathom why that old demon lord had taken a liking to him in the first place. And insisted on making him Holy Son?
Could it be... he was captivated by my peerless, world-shaking handsome face?
Hua Qiandi nodded solemnly.
Hmm, very likely!
"My Luck isn't much, so I can only create a simple system, but it must be enough to finish him off before the duel... Got it!" Hua Qiandi's eyes lit up.
Chapter 2: The Reckless Provocation System, Gifted to an Opponent!
Hua Qiandi focused his consciousness inward.
In his mind's eye, there was a massive disc covered in densely packed runes of law, shimmering with an eerie and mysterious light. It seemed to encompass the myriad phenomena of the universe, all-encompassing and all-containing.
This was the System Forge.
Hua Qiandi activated the System Forge and began crafting a system.
Ding! Beginning system creation. How to arrange the enhancement mechanism?
"Injuries heal instantly. Death leads to resurrection. Furthermore, strength increases each time. Double deduct the host's Luck. Use half to repair their body; the other half goes to me!"
Ding! Requires 30 points of Luck.
"Approved. Deduct it."
...
Ding! Should a System Sprite be arranged?
"Unnecessary. Just give him simple instructions."
Ding! Requires 1 point of Luck.
"Approved."
...
Ding! Should bugs be left in the system?
"Leave them."
Ding! Requires 2 points of Luck.
"Approved."
...
Ding! How should the system be delivered?
"Directly implant it into his mind."
Ding! Requires 2 points of Luck.
"Deduct it."
...
Ding! How should the system be reclaimed?
"Default method."
Ding! Requires 5 points of Luck.
"Fine."
...
Finally, after spending 65 points of Luck, the first system was successfully forged.
Looking at this freshly minted system, Hua Qiandi nodded in satisfaction. "Finally, mission accomplished!"
Meanwhile, Shan Tu, the young man who had challenged Hua Qiandi, secretly made his way to a towering, majestic peak and entered a palace there to pay respects to an important figure.
"You performed well today. Once this is done, I will reward you handsomely! Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, make sure to put him in his place! How dare he try to take what's mine? I'll make him spit it all back out with interest!"
"Yes, Young Master!" Shan Tu replied, ecstatic.
Filled with beautiful expectations, Shan Tu returned to his own courtyard.
"Hmph! Some nobody from who-knows-where, daring to stand above the Young Master? Tired of living! If only I could kill you, I'd have long since removed this eyesore of an obstacle for the Young Master!"
Although the duel was tomorrow, he decided to cultivate diligently tonight to repay the Young Master's recognition and favor. As for Candidate Holy Son Hua Qiandi, a mere Postnatal Realm ant, he never gave him a second thought.
Right at that moment, a voice sounded in his mind.
Ding! The Reckless Provocation System is online. Will you bind and become its sole host?
Shan Tu was startled. "What kind of ghostly trick is this? Show yourself!" he bellowed.
Immediately, the system uploaded its manual into his mind.
This system was created by a great existence from the Infinite凹凸 Dimension, intended to cultivate successors who feared neither injury nor death.
By binding with this system and becoming its host, any injuries would heal instantly. If killed, the host would resurrect immediately, with increased strength to boot!
In short, it was a system for recklessly provoking danger and growing stronger through it!
Shan Tu's face shifted between disbelief and suspicion.
This thing... To be honest, he didn't believe it at all! It sounded like utter nonsense. How could a person be unkillable? And able to resurrect infinitely? And get stronger after resurrecting? In all his years, he had never heard of such a treasure. Even legendary sacred artifacts didn't have such power!
But... what if it was true? If it was real, wouldn't he hit the jackpot?
His heart pounded. He was deeply conflicted.
The system voice sounded again.
Ding! Will you bind and become the sole host? Countdown begins. If no decision is made within 10 seconds, the system will detach and seek a new host. 10, 9, 8...
In the end, greed conquered reason.
"Bind! I agree to bind!"
Ding! Binding successful! You are now the system's sole host. System functions activated!
Shan Tu didn't feel any significant change.
"Really... bound successfully?"
"Really... injuries heal instantly, death guarantees resurrection?"
Shan Tu gulped. He figured he could test it. Suicide was too much, but whether injuries healed instantly... that he could try.
So, he picked up a knife and made a small cut on his wrist.
The moment the cut was made, the wound healed at a visible speed, leaving only a faint scar. A few seconds later, even the scar vanished, leaving the skin perfectly intact. If not for the blood residue, he'd have thought he never cut himself.
"It's true... it really healed? The system didn't lie?" Shock and disbelief bloomed in Shan Tu's eyes, quickly replaced by wild joy.
Moreover, he felt an extra wisp of Qi inside him. It meant his strength had indeed increased, albeit slightly.
He didn't believe it. He cut again.
The wound healed rapidly once more. Another wisp of Qi appeared inside him.
Still unbelieving, another cut.
Healed again, another wisp of Qi...
Still doubting, he continued cutting.
Healed again, another wisp...
...
On the other side, Hua Qiandi kept receiving messages from the Reckless Provocation System.
Ding! Host consumed 20 Luck points to repair bodily damage. 10 Luck points transferred to system creator.
Ding! Host consumed 20 Luck points to repair bodily damage. 10 Luck points transferred to system creator.
Ding! Host consumed 20 Luck points to repair bodily damage. 10 Luck points transferred to system creator.
...
How crisp and pleasant these notifications sounded! How delightful!
Watching his Luck points continuously increase, Hua Qiandi grinned from ear to ear. In no time at all, he had recouped his investment.
"Stop cutting, or you'll run out of life!" Hua Qiandi chuckled inwardly.
After dozens of cuts, Shan Tu finally began to believe the system might be real!
It was miraculous! No matter how many cuts, it healed perfectly, instantly! Then... if he died, would he really resurrect? And become stronger afterwards?
Shan Tu's heart raced with temptation!