First Entry into the Main God Temple

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Hundreds of meteor-like points of light streaked across the void, emerging from various spatial channels and heading toward the Main God Temple.

Just as they neared the Main God Temple, chaotic and violent cyclones suddenly manifested, blocking their path.

However, a terrifying power reached out from the unique space where the Main God Temple resided, transforming into rainbow bridges that successfully guided the points of light across.

"Pointless resistance. Just obediently serve as a hunting ground; do you really think you can counter-kill us Reincarnators?"

"Don't let your guard down. The casualty rate has been much higher lately!"

"That's because they're trash. I've roamed the heavens; what kind of risk could there possibly be?"

Hearing the noisy chatter around him, Huang Shang suppressed the dizziness in his head and opened his eyes.

He found himself standing on a grand platform surrounded by antique pavilions and staircases. Looking upward, there was no ceiling, only the vast cosmos with stars circling all around.

Many people stood on the platform, dressed in bizarre costumes. At first glance, it looked like an anime convention, but the oppressive glint in their eyes made the atmosphere feel entirely different.

"Isn't it trendy to go solo these days? I can't believe this old-fashioned Main God Temple still exists..."

Huang Shang sighed, fully accepting reality.

He had indeed arrived at the Main God Temple, that place of immense renown that commanded Reincarnators to shuttle through countless worlds.

In fact, Huang Shang had already completed his first novice world.

Book and Sword Gratitude and Revenge.

A world familiar to all, no introduction needed; many things had happened to Huang Shang in that Qing Dynasty world.

Looking around now, sure enough, several thin braids caught his eye.

His pupils shifted, and he suddenly shouted, "Hey, come take a look! Fresh lackeys are out of the oven!"

This platform was merely one of many where Reincarnators returned, with twenty or thirty people scattered about. This shout immediately drew everyone's attention.

Huang Shang pointed his finger at the owners of those braids; they were all sporting the Qing Dynasty hairstyle, the Money-Rat-Tail Braid.

To crush the self-esteem of the Han people, the Manchus issued the queue order after entering the pass: "Keep the hair, lose the head; keep the head, lose the hair."

But take note: the "yin-yang" hairstyle seen in Qing palace dramas, where the front half of the head is shaved and the back half is braided, only appeared toward the end of the Qing Dynasty.

The true, official Qing hairstyle involved shaving all the hair around the head, leaving only a patch at the crown the size of a coin, which was then braided to hang down like a rat's tail.

Hence the name, Money-Rat-Tail Braid.

Imagine Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong, and all the princes wearing this hairstyle—wouldn't the dramatic, heart-wrenching romances in those palace dramas suddenly become an eyesore?

The Reincarnators before him were wearing this exact style, and combined with their tall, sturdy builds, they looked both ridiculous and repulsive.

They had clearly returned from the world of Book and Sword Gratitude and Revenge as well. Upon seeing Huang Shang, their expressions changed instantly: "It's you, brat!"

Huang Shang sneered, "It's your grandfather!"

He stepped forward, pointing at their noses as he cursed, "Look at you, sucking up to Fu Kang'an, defecting to the Qing court, and slaughtering Han people. Bah—take that back, I don't have grandsons like you lot. You disgraceful, spineless scum!"

The men were so furious they nearly jumped out of their skins, immediately lunging toward him.

But clearly, the Main God Temple did not allow Reincarnators to attack one another; an invisible barrier separated the two sides.

The men could only resort to verbal abuse, unable to lay a hand on him.

However, because their braids were so hideous, their mouths couldn't even articulate their rage properly. One of them, driven to desperation, blurted out the truth: "We were only besieging the Red Flower Society for the Chen Jialuo character card, and you snatched it from us..."

The words stopped abruptly.

Initially, the onlookers had been stirred by Huang Shang's provocation, but after hearing the context, some looked on with disdain while others remained indifferent.

But upon hearing the words "Chen Jialuo character card," their eyes lit up instantly.

The Main God Temple granted Reincarnators two major abilities.

The first was to shuttle through the heavens and travel to different worlds.

The second was to turn everything within those worlds into contracts, manifesting them as cards.

In general, there were three categories:

[Character Cards], [Ability Cards], and [Item Cards].

Among them, at the same rank, Character Cards were undoubtedly the most cost-effective.

This was because when a plot character was contracted, they already possessed a wealth of abilities, martial arts, magic, supernatural powers, and so on.

At the same time, they were equipped with weapons, magical treasures, and various external items, all of which could be brought out.

For example, if one were to contract Thanos the moment he put on the Infinity Gauntlet, one would obtain all six Infinity Stones along with him.

Of course, the difficulty of such a feat went without saying.

Beyond combat power, a Character Card was also equivalent to a master available on call.

Those with true talent and willingness to work hard could learn all the skills the character possessed, compensating for the weak foundations that most Reincarnators suffered from.

The man let his tongue slip in his anxiety, but the moment he saw the burning gazes of those around him, he immediately cried out in dismay.

He had originally intended to seek revenge in the shadows and reclaim the character card from Huang Shang, but now that there were so many competitors—some of whom were even star-rated powerhouses—what was the point of fighting?

His companion tugged at his sleeve, and this group of reincarnators, who had served as nothing more than lackeys for the Qing Dynasty, shot Huang Shang a look of intense hatred before stomping off in frustration.

Huang Shang's expression darkened as well, appearing somewhat annoyed, but he quickly lifted his chin and addressed the crowd: "Since the cat is out of the bag, I won't play coy. I am a rookie who has only just finished my first world, and I am in desperate need of reincarnation points. If any friends here are interested in Chen Jialuo, we can talk!"

Reincarnation points were the universal currency of the Main God Temple, and basic information like this was known to every reincarnator from their very first world.

And so, the moment these words left his mouth, they ignited a firestorm of discussion.

"Holy shit, this kid has some damn good luck. A rookie getting a character card?"

"He's arrogant enough, though. Hmph, it's just Chen Jialuo. His strength is pathetic; look at him preening!"

Huang Shang ignored the jealous critics and turned to face those whose gazes were even more intense.

Someone stepped forward: "Since you're prepared to sell this character card, then show it to us."

Huang Shang nodded, opened his right hand, and a beam of light emerged from his palm.

It was a card with a blue background and gold trim, inside of which a three-dimensional man was practicing martial arts.

His face was heroic, his posture was dashing, and his hairstyle...

Well, let's not talk about that.

The actors who had portrayed Chen Jialuo in film and television included the likes of Adam Cheng, He Jiajin, Huang Haibing, Zhao Wenzhuo, and Qiao Zhenyu—all veteran heartthrobs—but just try making them wear a Money-Rat-Tail Braid.

Undoubtedly, the current Chen Jialuo sported that very look, causing several female reincarnators who had never visited the Qing Dynasty world to rub their eyes in disbelief.

By contrast, the men didn't care about that; they weren't planning to use him anyway. Staring at the card, they silently evaluated it in their hearts: "Gold border, Child of Destiny, double growth potential. Good! Good! Good!"

After the assessment, everyone shook their heads in unison, chiming in one after another: "It's a pity, Chen Jialuo's strength is just so-so."

"True, the Jin Yong world is low-martial arts to begin with, and Book and Sword Gratitude and Revenge is the latest in the timeline. Chen Jialuo doesn't even have a one-star rating; there aren't many protagonists who have it as rough as him!"

"Kid, your luck is still lacking. If it were a Princess Fragrance character card, it would be a different story, hehehe!"

"Even without Princess Fragrance, Luo Bing would have been decent!"

The jealous critics seized the opportunity, instantly transforming into trolls and belittling Chen Jialuo until he was worth nothing.

That was the nature of trolls; even though they harbored ulterior motives, their words sounded perfectly reasonable at first glance.

According to them, female character cards were far more valuable than male ones.

Eastern Huang Rong and Western Black Widow were the most sought-after character cards; although their strength wasn't overwhelming, they could sell for an incredibly high price.

They were useful.

By comparison, Chen Jialuo was nothing.

Huang Shang's expression was rich with emotion as he engaged in a war of words with the crowd.

In the tone of the reincarnators, these plot characters were no longer considered people, but mere commodities.

So, what was the attitude of the man displaying the character card?

In reality, belittling Chen Jialuo was merely a tactic for negotiation.

Fighting amongst themselves would only give him the chance to raise the price, whereas demeaning the card in unison allowed them to squeeze the rookie.

After Huang Shang struck back, he seemed to lose interest, sighing as he put the card away: "In that case, I suppose I'll just keep it for myself!"

Seeing that Huang Shang was about to leave, the three groups of reincarnators grew nervous. After exchanging glances, whispering, and negotiating via telepathy, only one group remained and chased after him.

The leader was a man with a wealthy appearance and soft facial features, who gave Huang Shang a thumbs-up: "Impressive, little brother! To obtain a character card in your rookie world—you're the first one I've seen!"

Huang Shang replied: "You're too kind, brother!"

The wealthy-looking man smiled brightly: "Shall we find a place to chat?"

The two walked side by side, and after descending from the platform, a wide boulevard spread out beneath their feet.

Looking around, it was a beautiful and grand city where ancient and future, technology and cultivation, all merged into one.

This was the Main God Temple.

It was called a temple, but the area they were currently in was a city.

A city where reincarnators lived.

The entire city was divided into four districts, and they were currently walking through the East District of the outer ring.

The number of reincarnators was actually far smaller than the population of a normal city; if not for the exotic beasts and mechanical mechs rumbling past, it would have been completely empty and devoid of life.

Once Huang Shang accepted the existence of the Main God Temple, he felt calm looking at these things, his eyes filled only with curiosity, not shock.

The wealthy-looking man glanced at Huang Shang from the corner of his eye and suddenly said: "I find you very familiar, little brother. You look like a celebrity—the kind who likes to play basketball."

Huang Shang replied: "I wouldn't dare claim that. I am a man, but back on Earth, I was indeed an actor."

With a smile, Huang Shang added: "I started out in those ridiculous anti-Japanese war dramas. I spent three years getting torn to shreds at Hengdian before I finally made a name for myself, but I only ever played supporting roles—the kind where people recognize your face but can't name you."

The wealthy-looking man looked enlightened: "No wonder you're so capable, little brother. It turns out you were a dragon among men back on Earth. Gold will shine wherever it is placed—a true saying! A true saying!"

Huang Shang chuckled: "You're too kind, brother. Did you die to get here too?"

The plump man was taken aback by these words.

Huang Shang spread his hands: "I was rushing to a film set, sitting in the back of a car, when we got into an accident. Everyone else just had a few bumps and bruises, but I flew through the glass and died on the spot. When I woke up, I was already in the novice world."

The plump man gave a bitter smile upon hearing this, his expression turning reminiscent: "I had a sudden heart attack. It feels like a long time ago now, but looking back, that pain and helplessness are still fresh in my memory. I don't want to die again."

The plump man's companions also shared their own ways of dying, and Huang Shang listened carefully, nodding along.

It was confirmed: the reincarnators in the Main God Temple were essentially all people who had arrived after death, unable to return to Earth.

Their lives were a repetitive cycle: shuttling through the heavens, returning to the Main God Temple, then shuttling again, and returning once more...

As they spoke, the group arrived at a tea restaurant and found a seat. Soon, a maid robot served them various complimentary desserts.

Having already moved past the topic of their past lives, the plump man got straight to the point: "Friend, we are interested in the Chen Jialuo character card. Name your price!"

Huang Shang leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed: "I believe that a plot protagonist, even with a low starting point, grows at an extremely rapid pace and is favored by destiny. They must be different from other character cards. Under normal circumstances, one thousand reincarnation points wouldn't be excessive..."

He paused, then added: "But I won't be greedy. On the contrary, I only want nine hundred points."

Though his assessment of Chen Jialuo's value had been called out, the plump man's expression remained unchanged, but seeing Huang Shang voluntarily lower the price, his face darkened slightly: "What are your conditions?"

Huang Shang said: "I want to keep this character card until I come out of the next plot world before selling it to you, but you must announce right now that you have already purchased it!"

The plump man grinned: "You've exposed your wealth, and now you want to use us to divert attention?"

In the vast majority of plot worlds, reincarnators cannot attack one another, but if a reincarnator dies within the heavens, other reincarnators can inherit the deceased's belongings.

A single character card was enough to make a reincarnator "pass away" peacefully and drop their loot.

Huang Shang smiled: "I have no choice. It was an impulsive moment—that's just my temper. But if I want to survive, I have to find a way to fix it, don't I?"

The plump man didn't deliberate for long: "Fine, let's sign a contract."

He opened his right hand, and a star-shaped mark emerged. Huang Shang also brought out the Chen Jialuo card once more.

Both parties concluded the contract under the witness of the Main God. The plump man stood up to shake hands: "Good luck to you!"

After leaving the shop, a companion said with some reluctance: "Boss, are we just letting this kid off so easily?"

"It's a win-win situation. Don't just look at how much advantage others are getting; think about what benefits you've gained yourself." The plump man shook his head and offered his assessment: "Impulsive, arrogant, and fond of playing clever tricks—a person like that won't go far. I just hope he can survive the next world!"

Meanwhile, watching them leave, Huang Shang touched his face, the previous air of smug calculation vanishing: "My first time selling a persona. I hope this group leaves with an impression of me as a newcomer."

Reflecting on the entire process, he found no flaws. Huang Shang looked down at the card in his hand.

From his perspective, Chen Jialuo had disappeared, replaced by a blank card, yet a dazzling golden light flowed along the edges of the card.

Huang Shang's eyes brightened, revealing a look of determination:

"This universal card that can transform into any plot character is the cheat code the heavens have granted me!"

"Since they already signed a contract in the Main God Temple and couldn't discover that this card was a fake, it proves that the Main God is not omnipotent. The heavens have the power to infiltrate it."

"Rather than being cannon fodder among countless reincarnators, I might as well provide help in a time of need and gamble on a future for myself!"

"This spy mission, I'm taking it!"

New book, please show some love, add to your collections, and recommend!