A good man is like a coin: heads shows a “1”, tails shows a star, but it always lands heads-up, never flipping over.

---

That sound wasn’t a voice at all—it was more like a sonic wave, with such immense power that it even caused the ground beneath them to crack.

That didn’t sound like something a human could produce, right?

“Got you”? Who the hell are you even? Do I know you? Can you speak like a normal person?

Let go of me! Don’t try to take advantage of me!

Long Ming screamed internally, but now surrounded by the dense black mist, the heavy pressure had clamped his throat, leaving him unable to utter a word. He was on the verge of tears.

The once bright, sunny sky suddenly grew darker and darker, layer upon layer of blackness rolling in, suffocating the air to the point where even breathing became difficult.

To be fair, this entrance deserved some credit. Come to think of it, didn’t he pull off something similar ten thousand years ago? A grand entrance with thunder and lightning to match the vastness of the world?

Long Ming could feel his captor squeezing him like an octopus, and the light-elemental energy within him was being drained rapidly. Even with all the reserves he had, this thing would suck him dry at this rate.

Light and dark elements naturally counter each other, and this rampaging dark creature could only rely on powerful light energy to suppress the violent storm brewing inside it.

Breathing became harder and harder as the air seemed to be sucked out of the surroundings. The black mist drilled its way into every pore, nose, and ear—was it trying to blacken his internal organs too? His mind was starting to blur and go numb. He bit down on his tongue, the taste of blood and the sharp pain helping him cling to his senses.

The dark energy flooded his body, bringing with it a tidal wave of negative emotions: corruption, despair, envy, rage, greed, apathy, unease, anxiety, sorrow. This wasn’t the most terrifying case of someone losing their mind to madness that Long Ming had seen, but it was the most severe.

What kind of life does one have to go through to lose all hope like this?

Even the old guys from ten thousand years ago had some spark of positivity left.

He couldn’t keep going like this—he had to think of something.

As a millennia-old trickster, undefeated in every con he had pulled, failure was never an option. If deception didn’t work, it was a matter of lacking the right technique. There was no way he’d allow himself to do anything embarrassing, especially in such a high-profile event like this! This was his first public appearance since taking over this body—how could he let himself get swallowed whole? How would he ever rebuild the glory of the Dragon Emperor?

What to do?

His current pseudo-Holy Domain abilities wouldn’t even be enough to fill this guy’s teeth. He couldn’t just sit here and wait to die.

Long Ming’s brain worked in overdrive, desperately scraping together any method that could get him out of this mess.

Wait, didn’t he have a scroll in his past life’s treasure trove that detailed how to deal with dark creatures driven mad by their own power? It had a flashy name too—Mother of All Gods. He remembered it not because the technique was especially powerful, but because it was super flashy. And as someone obsessed with the ultimate form of beauty, Long Ming had loved it but never had the chance to try it out.

The technique had one catch—it could only be used by someone with light elemental energy.

Back in the day, the Dragon Emperor was no good guy. He was the nemesis of the Holy and Light Mages, a Dark Elemental Sage. But now, things were different. In the Nine Realms, no species had more abundant light elemental energy than a Light Dragon.

Mother of All Gods. It sounds flashy, and it is flashy. In simple terms, it works by purifying the dark energy through the principle of counteracting elements. After that, the light-element ultimate healing skill restores the target’s hope in life, gradually pulling them out of their madness.

Once the dark element is under control, the person’s mind naturally stabilizes. And that’s it.

It’s a perfect, multi-purpose solution—couldn’t get any better.

Without hesitation, he had to use the technique. But there was one problem.

This guy was holding him way too tightly, leaving Long Ming’s limbs immobile.

Life or death situation—no time to be picky.

Gathering all the light-elemental energy within him, he initiated the breath-transferring technique by locking lips, sending the energy straight through the connected mouths, directly into the target.

Breath-transferring is often seen as something romantic between ordinary people—called “that” by the masses, “energy transfer” by mages, “mouth-to-mouth” by warriors, and for lovers, it’s simply a kiss.

In short, Long Ming’s precious first kiss was given away just like that. No romance, no elegance. He would much rather forget this humiliating moment as soon as possible.

Speaking of which, this guy’s lips were as icy cold as the rest of his body.

And yet, he wasn’t cooperating, keeping his lips tightly shut, biting down so hard that blood oozed out, making a mess of them. Really? Long Ming was trying to save him, after all! Couldn’t he just relax and let him transfer the energy?

After struggling for what felt like ages, Long Ming grew frustrated and lost his patience.

If gentleness doesn’t work, then it’s time for a forceful approach. He was going to force a kiss!

As he forcefully kissed the dark-robed figure, he even made sure to angle it beautifully and maintain a graceful form throughout. After all, even in this absurd situation, he couldn’t afford to look ugly.

Meanwhile, the person he was forcibly kissing slightly opened his blood-streaked eyes but then quickly shut them again.

At the Nine-Prong Plaza, just one door away from the ninth level, Sha Yu and a dozen other experts arrived, only to find that the situation was completely out of control. The entire corridor was pitch-black, and they couldn’t see anything inside. A black protective barrier kept them from entering.

“We’re too late! That pretty little guy’s definitely been devoured!” A middle-aged mage in a purple robe sighed in regret.

“Why weren’t you keeping a closer eye on this one? You knew he was an SS-class monster!” Mage One complained.

“How was I supposed to know he’d break the elders’ seal and escape at this moment!” Mage Two retorted.

“I heard the report that he swallowed all the unicorns!” Unicorns were pure and benevolent creatures, rare and precious, often used for transportation. There was no way a resource-strapped Dimensional Prison would waste money acquiring them.

So, those unicorns could only have belonged to the various powerful families.

Unicorns, brimming with light energy, were the best remedy for dark creatures who had lost control of themselves.

“Stop complaining! We need to pool all our strength and break this barrier!” Sha Yu growled, his face stern. Seeing everyone standing around uselessly while Long Ming was in danger enraged him.

This was one of his top candidates for Warden—how could he let him die here?

The group knew that while it might be too late, standing by and doing nothing was not an option. They began chanting spells together.

“Wait, look!!”

“Everyone, stop!”

A phenomenon was unfolding.

Golden rays pierced through the black mist, shining brightly before their eyes. The light increased steadily while the black fog receded, bit by bit, as if being absorbed by something. In the midst of this dark world, everyone’s eyes were drawn to the golden glow.

Could it be… could that little guy still be alive!?

The black mist lessened more and more, and after a while, it had nearly disappeared.

The crowd gasped collectively—something was about to happen!

On the ground below, standing in the radiant glow, was a man who outshone even the heavens and earth. His cold, indifferent gaze was as calm as ever, as if nothing could shake him. His black hair danced in the wind, and he stood there with an unshakable presence, his form imbued with an eternal, awe-inspiring grace.

He was as pure as could be, untouchable by any impurity, radiating an aura of nobility that made others hesitant to even approach him.

But what the others didn’t know was that after Long Ming made his “self-sacrifice,” he discovered that this once-powerful dark creature had already nearly exhausted its energy before it even caught him. It was just putting on a strong front, all bark and no bite.

All that was left was an empty shell. His pseudo-Holy Domain ability, Mother of All Gods, had washed it clean in just a few moves, while also giving him the chance to go all-out with his dazzling display.

And with the black mist gone, he even added some special light effects just to blind them all once more.

The effect was brilliant, wasn’t it?

Though exhausted, Long Ming felt a deep sense of satisfaction on a spiritual level.

In his arms was the unconscious dark-robed figure. His mesmerizing eyes lifted slightly, glancing toward the dozen or so experts who had gathered.

That one sweeping glance alone conveyed his immense power, as if silently saying, “Come collect your runaway.”

The rules of deception: Always maintain the aura of superiority—otherwise, you risk being exposed.

Among the experts, these were all considered top-tier figures, yet in this moment, they were shaken to their core.

This man had subdued an SS-class dark creature that had lost control. Just how much power was he hiding?

The glow surrounding Long Ming slowly faded, the dark clouds receding like a curtain being pulled away, and daylight returned once more. The sun broke through the clouds, casting its light down upon the earth.

Sha Yu gave a signal for someone to take the dark creature away, but then noticed that Long Ming’s hands, which were holding the creature, were trembling slightly. Seeing this impeccable, radiant figure up close, Sha Yu couldn’t help but admire him more.

He could sense how tired Long Ming truly was. “The next part of the selection will be too difficult for you. I’ll make an exception—you can advance directly to the semifinals.”

The selection process would typically narrow down the contestants from 16 to 8 to 4 before determining the final rankings.

What mattered most was that advancing directly would give Long Ming enough time to rest and recover his energy and mental strength.

Such an honor was unprecedented, and yet no one objected. With Long Ming’s strength, even going straight to the finals wouldn’t have been an issue.

They all assumed that he was simply holding on by sheer willpower.

After the intense battle just now, there was no way he could be totally fine. His spiritual energy must have been completely drained.

Long Ming nodded faintly, his movements seeming difficult, but even in that state, there was a quiet resilience about him. The onlookers felt a pang of sympathy—this kid had risked his life to save all the contestants.

No wonder he was hailed as the most compassionate, selfless, and righteous Light Mage of all time.

As Long Ming slowly walked forward, crossing the now-cracked corridor, he headed toward the final door.

“You’re still going?” Sha Yu asked, surprised.

Long Ming didn’t turn back, but gave a slight nod, his determination clear.

Every step seemed painfully exhausting, as though he were using the last of his strength, but his movements remained elegant and firm. Even in silence, one could feel the unyielding will driving him forward.

Some people inspire others through sheer force of will.

And Long Ming was telling everyone one thing: persevere.

The Nine-Prong Plaza fell silent, the dramatic events just now leaving a deep impression on everyone’s minds. Watching Long Ming continue forward instead of resting left them all in awe.

Each step he took resonated deeply in their hearts.

Those from the higher planes, accustomed to their own superiority, didn’t seem to care. In their eyes, Long Ming was just some low-plane human, not worth considering.

But to those who saw Long Ming as a hero representing the underdog, he was their beacon, their champion. Frenzied shouts erupted from the crowd.

“True man!” yelled one of the very people who had previously called him a pretty boy.

“Keep going, Long Ming!”

“You’re the best!”

“We’ll be waiting for you!”

“Long Ming!”

“Long Ming!”

“Long Ming!”

Gradually, the cheers melded into a unified chant.

In their hearts, Long Ming had truly captured their admiration. He was the pride of the human race from the lower planes!

Finally, he pushed open the door to the ninth level.

A surge of cheers erupted, as if his victory was already certain.

Meanwhile, contestants in the other levels heard the thunderous applause from the Nine-Prong Plaza, exchanging confused glances.

What happened up ahead?

As Long Ming finally passed out, his last thought was: Damn, I’m glad I managed to hold out!

Pretending to be a hero feels great. No wonder those Light Mages were always so popular in my past life.