In the dark forest near Wuyun Empire, it was a stormy night. Heavy rain fell from the sky, and loud thunder shook the ground. Lightning flashed again and again, lighting up the forest for a moment before everything went dark again. Above the clouds, the stars still shone faintly, quietly watching everything below.
Deep in the forest, there were sounds of roaring and screaming, mixed with the rain and thunder. The roar was full of pain… but also anger and shameless arrogance.
The sound came from a young man lying in a valley. His body was covered in blood—his own blood. His clothes were torn and soaked, and he looked half-dead. Yet even in this state, he wore a roguish grin.
"If I, Long Chen, get another life…" he said through gritted teeth, blood trickling down his chin as he chuckled, "I'll make every one of you bastards suffer just like I did."
He laughed wickedly, licking the blood from his lips with shameless confidence.
"And I'll definitely claim all your women while I'm at it. Your wives, your daughters, your fiancées—consider it interest on this debt you're leaving me with." His eyes gleamed with unrepentant mischief. "Hell, I might even make them thank me for it."
With that utterly shameless declaration still echoing in the storm, he slowly closed his eyes—not in defeat, but like a predator planning his next hunt.
Just a few hours earlier, in the largest casino in Wutong City...
The place was loud and full of people. Everyone was gambling, drinking, and laughing. At the center of it all was Long Chen, sitting like an emperor with the most insufferably confident grin anyone had ever seen.
He wasn't just playing cards—he was putting on a show. Every move was calculated to either win money or charm the pants off someone, preferably both.
"Darling," he purred to the curvaceous waitress refilling his wine, his fingers trailing along her wrist as she poured, "you're making this wine taste sweeter just by touching the cup. What's your name?"
The girl blushed furiously. "M-Mei Ling, Young Master Long."
"Mei Ling... Beautiful Jade. The name suits you." He winked outrageously. "Tell me, does your beauty extend to more than just your face?"
"Young Master!" she gasped, but she was smiling.
Across from him, the young masters from the powerful Novel families were grinding their teeth in frustration. Not only was Long Chen winning every hand, but he was also flirting with every woman in the casino while doing it.
"Long Chen!" Zhou Yaoyan, the son of Marquis Manhuang, slammed his cards down. "Show some respect! We're in the middle of a serious game!"
Long Chen leaned back in his chair, one arm draped over the back, completely relaxed. "Serious? Brother Zhou, life's too short to be serious all the time." He gestured to another waitress. "Especially when there are so many beautiful flowers to appreciate."
The new waitress giggled as Long Chen caught her hand and pressed a gold coin into her palm. "A tip for your lovely smile, and another one if you'd like to celebrate my victory with me later."
"You shameless dog!" another young master shouted. "Your family has no money left, yet you act like you own the world!"
Long Chen's grin only widened. "Money? Who needs money when you have charm, skill, and—" he winked at a group of ladies watching from nearby tables, "—the appreciation of such discerning beauties?"
The ladies giggled and whispered among themselves, clearly charmed by his audacious confidence.
It was true that the Long family had fallen on hard times. After his father left for the border wars six years ago, when Long Chen was only ten, the imperial support had dried up. Their treasury emptied, their status crumbled.
But Long Chen? He saw it as an opportunity.
"You know what I learned when my family lost everything?" he said, dealing the next hand with flourish. "Material wealth is temporary, but a man's reputation with the ladies? That's forever."
He had turned to gambling not just to support his family, but because he discovered he had a natural talent for reading people—and charming them into making mistakes. Soon, he was known throughout the empire as the "Shameless Betting King."
"Besides," he added with a wicked smile, "I've heard rumors that some of your wives have been asking about me. Apparently, they find my... confidence... quite refreshing."
The young masters' faces turned red with rage.
That night, Long Chen had won a fortune so large that the young masters were practically begging for mercy. But Zhou Yaoyan had one final card to play.
"Let's settle this in the Dark Forest Valley," he said through gritted teeth. "A proper duel. If you win, we'll pay you triple what we owe. If you lose, you get nothing."
Long Chen's eyes lit up with predatory delight. "Oh, how delicious. And if I win... I get to collect on all those debts your families owe me. Including the personal ones."
He stood up, stretched languidly, and winked at the crowd of ladies watching. "Don't worry, beauties. I'll be back to continue our conversation. After all, a gentleman always keeps his promises."
The whole empire knew that Long Chen couldn't cultivate—he was unable to sense Qi, the essential energy for cultivation. But instead of being ashamed, he had turned it into part of his charm.
"Why rely on mystical energy when you can rely on natural talent?" he would say with a shameless grin. "Besides, the ladies seem to prefer a man who's earned his strength the hard way."
Through brutal physical training and consuming expensive body-strengthening herbs, he had built himself into a formidable fighter. His father had supported him completely, and now Long Chen's raw physical power rivaled even those at the 8th or 9th level of Qi Cultivation.
As they prepared to leave for the Dark Forest Valley, Long Chen caught Mei Ling's hand one more time.
"Wish me luck, beautiful," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her palm. "And when I return victorious, perhaps you'd like to help me celebrate properly?"
Her face turned crimson, but she nodded shyly.
Zhou Yaoyan watched this display with disgust. "You're about to die, and you're still thinking about women?"
Long Chen laughed heartily. "Brother Zhou, if a man isn't thinking about women, is he really living? Besides," his grin turned predatory, "I heard your sister has been asking about me lately. Maybe after I'm done with you, I should pay her a visit."
The insult hit its mark perfectly. Zhou Yaoyan's cultivation aura flared with murderous intent.
"Perfect," Long Chen thought to himself. "Angry opponents make the most mistakes."
In the Dark Forest Valley, under the storm-torn sky, the duel began.
Zhou Yaoyan had indeed broken through to the Martial Soul realm since their last fight, and his spiritual blood wolf materialized with a howl that shook the trees.
"You know what, Long Chen?" Zhou Yaoyan sneered. "I should thank you. Our last fight pushed me to breakthrough. Now I can finally put you in your place."
Long Chen stretched his arms above his head, completely relaxed. "Oh, how thoughtful of you to power up just for me. Your sister will be so proud when I tell her about it."
"My martial soul is 8th grade!" Zhou Yaoyan roared. "More than enough to crush a talentless dog like you!"
"8th grade?" Long Chen tilted his head thoughtfully. "Hmm, that's not bad. Though I have to ask—does it help with stamina? Because your sister seemed very interested in that particular topic when we chatted at the Spring Festival."
The lie was so outrageous and delivered with such shameless confidence that Zhou Yaoyan almost believed it.
"You... you never spoke to my sister!" he stammered.
"Oh, but she spoke to me," Long Chen winked. "Something about being tired of 'boys who finish too quickly.' Really, brother Zhou, you should teach your family members to be more discreet."
With a roar of fury, Zhou Yaoyan commanded his blood wolf to attack.
Long Chen didn't dodge. Instead, he spread his arms wide as if welcoming the attack.
"Come on then, puppy! Let's see if you bite as hard as you bark!"
The blood wolf came running at full speed, leaping through the air with its fangs bared, aiming directly for Long Chen's throat.
But Long Chen wasn't called the Shameless Betting King for nothing. At the last second, he caught the beast's massive fangs with his bare hands, his muscles bulging as he wrestled with the spiritual creature.
"What's wrong, puppy?" he grunted through gritted teeth, his shameless grin never wavering. "Trying to give me a love bite? Your master's sister was much gentler!"
With a sudden twist, he slammed the blood wolf into the ground with tremendous force, creating a crater. Before the beast could recover, Long Chen mounted it and began raining down punches on its face with savage intensity.
"This is for interrupting my flirting!" *PUNCH* "This is for being uglier than your master!" *PUNCH* "And this is just because I can!" *PUNCH*
After several bone-crushing blows, the blood wolf managed to throw Long Chen aside with its powerful hind legs. Long Chen rolled through the dirt but came up laughing, wiping blood from his split lip.
"Not bad! You've got some fight in you after all!"
The enraged blood wolf came charging again, claws extended and glowing with spiritual energy, ready to tear Long Chen apart.
But Long Chen's shameless confidence reached new heights. "Come on then, you overgrown mutt! Let me show you what real power looks like!"
As the beast's claws came within inches of his face, Long Chen's fist shot forward with lightning speed—faster than even Zhou Yaoyan could track. The punch connected with the blood wolf's snout with such devastating force that the sound echoed through the entire valley like thunder.
The spiritual creature was sent flying through the air like a shooting star, crashing through tree after tree before finally slamming into a massive boulder with a sickening crunch.
Long Chen flexed his knuckles and called out mockingly: "Fetch that, you mangy fleabag! Though I have to say, you hit softer than your master's mother at the brothel!"
The Blood wolf came running again with full power.
The blood wolf crashed into him with tremendous force, sending him flying through multiple trees. But as he flew, Long Chen was laughing.
"Is that all?" he called out as he rolled to his feet, spitting blood but grinning wildly. "I've been hit harder by your sister's admirers at the market!"
He grabbed a broken tree trunk and charged back at the blood wolf with reckless abandon.
"Here's a lesson in real power!" he roared, leaping into the air.
The improvised club came down with devastating force, sending the blood wolf flying in turn. As it crashed into the trees, Long Chen called out mockingly:
"Good boy! Now fetch!"
Seeing his prized blood wolf defeated so humiliatingly, Zhou Yaoyan's face twisted with rage. "You bastard! I'll make you pay for that!"
He channeled all his power into his family's most devastating technique—the Scorching Flame Palm—and struck Long Chen directly in the back with his full cultivation power.
The impact sent Long Chen flying like a shooting star, crashing through tree after tree with bone-jarring force. When he finally came to a stop, blood was streaming from his mouth and a burning handprint was seared into his back, the flesh still smoking.
But instead of screaming in agony, Long Chen threw back his head and laughed maniacally.
"Ooh, that's hot! Literally!" He spat blood and grinned like a madman. "Is this how you usually treat the ladies, Zhou Yaoyan? No wonder your sister came looking for a real man!"
Ignoring the searing pain in his back, Long Chen grabbed a massive broken tree trunk and charged toward Zhou Yaoyan with reckless abandon.
"Let me show you how to really make a girl scream!" he roared, his shameless confidence undiminished even with his injuries.
Just a few steps away from his target, Long Chen launched himself into the air like a human missile, the tree trunk raised high above his head.
"Special delivery, courtesy of your future brother-in-law!"
Zhou Yaoyan, seeing the shameless maniac flying toward him, desperately used his Scorching Flame Palm technique again. The flames couldn't burn through the thick trunk, but they set the entire tree ablaze, turning Long Chen's weapon into a flaming battering ram.
"Even better!" Long Chen laughed as the flames licked around him. "Now I'm literally on fire! The ladies are going to love this story!"
The blazing tree trunk connected with Zhou Yaoyan's chest, sending him flying like a shooting star. He crashed through multiple trees before finally coming to rest, coughing up blood.
But the other young masters from the Novel families immediately surrounded Long Chen, attacking him from all sides.
"Come on, boys!" Long Chen taunted, even as he was overwhelmed. "Is this how you treat your future in-laws? I promise I'll be gentle with your wives!"
Despite being severely injured, Long Chen's shameless confidence and raw fighting instinct allowed him to hold his ground against multiple opponents. He fought like a man possessed, trading blow for blow with reckless abandon.
"You know what?" he called out while dodging a sword strike, "This is actually fun! It's like a bachelor party, but with more violence!"
But the tide turned when Zhou Yaoyan recovered and rejoined the fight. His Scorching Flame Palm struck Long Chen again, and the injured blood wolf also returned to the battle with vengeful fury.
Even then, Long Chen's shameless mouth never stopped running.
"Is this the best the Novel families can do?" he gasped, blood streaming down his face. "Gang up on one man? Your ancestors must be so proud!"
The combined assault finally overwhelmed him. As he lay broken and bleeding, the young masters took everything—his winnings, his belongings, even his shoes.
"Thieves!" Long Chen coughed up blood but still managed to grin. "At least when I steal your women, I'll do it with style!"
Zhou Yaoyan kicked him one final time. "Any last words, you shameless dog?"
Long Chen's eyes gleamed with unrepentant mischief. "Yeah... tell your sister I'll be back for that date we planned. And Zhou Yaoyan? Thanks for the workout. Your wife's going to appreciate my improved... stamina."
Even beaten to the brink of death, Long Chen's shameless confidence never wavered. As they left him to die in the storm, his final thought was a promise—he would return, and when he did, he would collect on every debt, every insult, and every beautiful woman who had ever smiled at his shameless charm.
Even as he lay dying, Long Chen's shameless grin never wavered. After all, he had lived exactly as he wanted—without apology, without shame, and with absolute confidence that he was the most interesting person in any room.
And perhaps... perhaps death wasn't the end for someone so magnificently shameless.