If the heavens grant me glory, I shall surpass the skies with my madness.

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Long Ming, still in his invisible state, knew better than to stick around. Four bright words blared in his mind: This place is too dangerous to linger.

Glancing at the beast, now unconscious and lying motionless on the ground like a corpse, he crouched down.

He rubbed some blood from the creature’s face. No response.

He rubbed again. Still nothing.

It seemed like the beast had truly fainted!

Without hesitation, Long Ming turned and fled, sprinting back to his quarters.

“I need to stay alive for the competition—I can’t die a meaningless death here!”

The overwhelming stench of blood and the battlefield of corpses resembled hell. Anyone stuck in this situation would be doomed. For someone like him, without power or influence, getting caught in this mess would be a death wish. Waiting around for others to arrive? That’d be too late.

Such a merciless, bloodthirsty beast. It’s better to keep a safe distance unless absolutely necessary. Saving him might bring endless trouble. In those stories sung by bards, there’s always a kind-hearted boy or girl who rescues a dying, powerful magical beast, and the beast, moved by their kindness, forms a master-servant contract, helping them conquer the continent.

But those are just bedtime stories. In reality, magical beasts are not only powerful but also incredibly cunning, often outliving everyone around them.

Besides, if it weren’t for Sha Yu, Long Ming would’ve been a dead dragon by now. He wasn’t noble enough to return kindness with vengeance.

Long Ming, of course, didn’t miss the drastic change in You Ji’s demeanor. After all, he had merely changed his appearance, and suddenly You Ji went completely berserk. Based on Long Ming’s years of studying psychological tactics, there was only one possible explanation: You Ji mistook him for someone else!

This person was likely someone very important to You Ji—perhaps a parent, a loved one, or a close relative.

But none of that mattered to Long Ming. He could use anything to his advantage, except emotions.

This wasn’t about morality; it was about survival.

When the effects of the potion wore off, Long Ming reappeared. The Nine-Prong Plaza wasn’t far, and soon he spotted a group of wolf warriors sprinting towards the prison in formation.

A few of them hesitated when they saw him.

Maintaining his distance from everyone, Long Ming wasn’t about to play any superior-subordinate games. Noticing there were no others around, he nodded slightly, and the group moved on with the larger battalion.

“Damn it,” he muttered. “It’s so frustrating to have a card in hand but not be able to play it.”

Deception Rule #19: The word ‘patience’ is a double-edged sword. Without enough strength, any impulsive move can lead to destruction.

After calming his nerves, Long Ming flew towards his residence. The place was nearly empty now, with only the two remaining contestants left for the championship match. The guests and audience had moved to another section of the quarters.

Long Ming gazed into the distance, his expression calm and detached, as if he were some transcendent figure. His cold, noble aura gave him an air of untouchable grace.

The direction he was looking in? The Mandala, a nickname for the Portal Hall.

As everyone knew, each plane had a portal to the Dimensional Prison, and the destination for those portals was fixed. This fixed location was known as the Mandala.

Sha Yu had asked him how to turn the tables, clearly treating Long Ming as someone from the Dimensional Prison.

As a future excellent warden, of course, the prison needed to be under his control.

But the truth was, Long Ming had nothing—no real strength, not even his own.

Only he knew this secret.

After a brief stay in the prison, Long Ming had a rough understanding of the situation inside. To make those troublemakers quiet down, the first step was to establish dominance, make an example of someone.

Only then could he gradually reform things, subtly influencing them over time.

Making an example of someone was essential, and the prison break was the perfect opportunity.

Deception Rule #20: Seize every opportunity because opportunities vanish in the blink of an eye.

Since they had practically delivered themselves to him, and he had legitimate grounds, there was no way he would let them off the hook.

They were strong? Smart? Their plan was meticulous?

Of course, Long Ming knew that!

But his specialty wasn’t brute strength—it was defeating the strong with the weak, pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger, deceiving everyone he could. These were his true talents. He would make sure that none of them came back alive!

This was the first step in gaining control of the Dimensional Prison, and there could be no room for mistakes. He never underestimated anyone’s intelligence or strength, so all he could do now was hope they didn’t make their move in the next couple of days.

Even the strongest traps required time to be set.

Either don’t act, or strike with a killing blow.

He would make sure everything was interlocked and thrilling, so that when the escapees took the bait, they would experience utter ecstasy, lost in their dreams, before being caught in the trap!

By now, the preparations for the anti-prison break measures should be underway.

Long Ming was feeling a bit of excitement, eagerly waiting for those criminals to arrive. “Heh, a new warden always has to make a strong impression. Don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

As the anti-prison break measures were being put in place, Sha Yu was managing the tournament and events while simultaneously optimizing the prison system based on Long Ming’s instructions.

Meanwhile, a shocking piece of news had spread among the prisoners: a large-scale massacre of guards had occurred. But the details—who had died, who did the killing, and why—were tightly sealed. Most prisoners were left in fear, speculating among themselves.

The warden’s swift and decisive policies had kept the situation tightly controlled, minimizing its impact. Not a single whisper of the incident reached the powerful families outside.

By the third day, the escapees had yet to make a move. There was a palpable tension in the air, though Long Ming felt it was merely the calm before the storm.

Before the storm hit, he had another important matter to deal with: the championship match!

Feng Yang Yan had suddenly skyrocketed in strength, without anyone noticing anything suspicious. That alone was proof that his pill was undoubtedly illegal, causing serious harm to his body.

Since that was the case, there was no way Long Ming would let him win the match.

The position of Warden? He had already reserved it!

“Master, master, it’s time to wake up!” The voice wasn’t loud, but to Lu Da Da, it was like a demonic chant.

As someone who could sleep forever given the chance, Lu Da Da was notorious for being lazy. But as the spoiled young master of the Lu family from a higher plane, even though he was lazy and lacked ability (he had taken the junior mage exam ten times before passing), he still walked around with his head held high.

Without the strong backing of the Lu family, there was no way he would’ve been able to attend the Warden’s selection as a spectator.

With two days left before the championship, Lu Da Da had taken the opportunity to teleport back to his own plane for one reason: to bet on Long Ming.

In fact, he had used all his charm and whiny tactics to get a decent amount of allowance from his aunties, sisters, and grandmother. Still, it wasn’t enough, so he’d snuck into his father’s trading company and stolen quite a few gold notes.

Young Master Lu, from the moment he was born, had only one consistent habit: using money to overwhelm people, tossing bags of it left and right.

Despite being his usual lazy self, after being woken up by his servant, Lu Da Da couldn’t go back to sleep. After a while, he suddenly shot up from the bed.

“Crap, the match is starting!”

In a mad rush, he mounted his unicorn and galloped furiously towards the Dimensional Prison, racing all the way to Nine-Prong Plaza.

As he clutched his bundle of silver notes, making sure everyone knew just how rich he was, he was about to arrive when he caught sight of the idol he admired above all others—Long Ming.

Even though he could only see a side profile, and even though Long Ming was wearing half a mask, Lu Da Da swore he had never seen a man more perfect or handsome.

Should he go up and say hello to his idol?

No, no, distance creates beauty!

But maybe he should still greet him… though Long Ming looked so cold, like someone from another world.

Even if they were standing next to each other, it felt like they were breathing different air.

While Lu Da Da was stuck in indecision, Long Ming had already walked into Nine-Prong Plaza.

Shhh! All eyes were now on the man whose presence clashed so starkly with the deadly atmosphere of the plaza. There were shouts, jeers, and murmurs from the crowd.

Long Ming acted as if none of it mattered. His thick skin was impervious to both praise and insults.

If you have no shame, you are truly invincible.

His gaze first fell on the screen showing the betting odds between himself and Feng Yang Yan. The heart-wrenching numbers he saw… oh, the disguises he could buy with that much!

From once being a rich and handsome heir to now a scrappy underdog, the emotional rollercoaster was just too much! Did he have to win every time in such a nail-biting way?

No, this couldn’t go on. Long Ming realized that making money was now a pressing issue! He had to move up his plans—watching gold slip through his fingers was not his style.

The only things that could truly move any man’s heart were unquestionable strength and supreme power. And the foundation of both? Wealth.

Money was an essential part of becoming a strong figure.

Why was the gambling sector booming? No matter the family or the plane, nobody ever thought they had enough money. And if you could make money double, why not take a gamble?

It was undoubtedly the fastest way to wealth.

Of course, Long Ming didn’t have any money, but there were plenty of rich people in this arena.

His eyes scanned the crowd, mentally recalling every influential person on his list. There were many wealthy figures present, and among them were some who had rivalries with each other. Should he pit them against each other, or target just one?

Long Ming’s gaze finally locked onto one individual—Feng Shi, who was currently talking with members of the White Tiger and Black Tortoise families.

Feng Shi was still as dazzling and radiant as ever, but Long Ming prided himself on not being so shallow as to be swayed by appearances. ╮(╯▽╰)╭

Beyond looks, he continued his analysis.

Even within the Divine Beast clans, there was internal strife. The neutral stance of the White Tiger and Black Tortoise families stood in opposition to the alliance between Divine Dragon Valley and Phoenix City, creating a three-way balance.

It might seem like Divine Dragon Valley was strong, but in truth, it was merely a fading power.

At the height of its glory, the fall was inevitable. As the bloodline grew thinner and thinner, the old Divine Beast families were gradually losing their place among the top families. In fact, they were even facing suppression from other families. Meanwhile, the Feng Clan, led by their Third Prince with the purest bloodline, was ready to rise anew.

Feng Shi, once a mere illegitimate child, had slowly squeezed out his predecessor, taking over much of his predecessor’s foundation. Although this had little to do with Long Ming personally, it didn’t sit well with him.

Sure, Long Ming wasn’t a saint, but even he wouldn’t stoop so low.

Feng Shi was downright ruthless. Couldn’t he have left his predecessor a bit of a way out? Was this world really only big enough for Feng Shi’s lies, trickery, and deceit, while others couldn’t lay a trap for him?

A glint of mischief flashed in Long Ming’s eyes. The plan was already brewing in his mind.

“Feng Shi, it’s time you coughed up what you’ve swallowed!”

There was still some time before the next match started. As Feng Shi prepared to head to the rest area to observe Feng Yang Yan’s strength, he was stopped by princes from the other two families. The group was familiar with each other, exchanging greetings and pleasantries.

These were the wealthy and powerful, and since the human Seven Great Families of the highest plane were in opposition, Feng Shi didn’t mind drawing more enmity their way, maybe even getting some sponsorship for Phoenix City while he was at it.

With some extra spending money, these princes would be all too happy.

Even those from other families who wanted to join in would have to first gauge whether they had the capability and backing. People grouped together by their status, and those outside the circle often found it difficult to break in.

But there were always exceptions—like the man who constantly defied expectations.

As Feng Shi was smiling and conversing, his face suddenly stiffened. The sight of that white-robed man wearing a mask approaching caused him to freeze mid-sentence. That unique aura—it made Feng Shi stop whatever he was about to say.