1 I'm the lord of the city?

Li Mugui was filled with incredulity.

He never imagined that a plot from a novel would one day happen to him.

This was a vast, crisis-ridden, yet opportunity-filled world.

The seas were endless, the mountains boundless. Just in the Dacheng Dynasty alone, in the far north, one could see silver snakes dancing; in the distant west, rolling sands; and in the fertile Central Plains where Shengjing was located...

But these were secondary matters.

Most importantly, this world possessed extraordinary powers!

Martial arts, immortality, Confucianism, and more, were all part of it.

Strength, immortality, reputation—everything rested on this extraordinary path.

And his current identity was the son of the City Lord of Feiying City, Dongshan Prefecture, Dacheng Dynasty, the first heir to the City Lord's Mansion!

His future was limitless!

Or so it was.

But not long ago, the Demon King of Jiuqing Mountain suddenly led a horde of demons southward, vowing to massacre Feiying City.

His father, Li Tai, the City Lord of Feiying City, fought valiantly against the Demon King of Jiuqing Mountain to defend the city. At the cost of severe injuries, he managed to repel the demons.

After the battle, Li Tai succumbed to his injuries and ultimately passed away.

Li Mugui had to urgently take over the position of City Lord.

However, he lacked the overwhelming strength that Li Tai possessed. As a result, the powerful clans within Feiying City began to stir, plotting to depose him as City Lord!

Thinking of this, Li Mugui's eyes darkened.

Li Tai had sacrificed his life for Feiying City, while these so-called powerful clans had selfishly sent theirdescendants of the direct line of a family away when the demons attacked.

They had no intention of protecting Feiying City.

And now, with Li Tai's bones still fresh, they had the audacity to come out and contest for the position of City Lord!

"These powerful clans clearly see that the City Lord's Mansion is now defenseless and want to seize the opportunity to divide it among themselves!"

Li Mugui clenched his fists, a surge of anger rising within him.

But...

He quickly calmed down.

The powerful clans had their reasons for daring to make their move.

The leader of the powerful clans' alliance was Liu Yu, the head of the Liu family. He had opened three meridians within his body, reaching the peak of the second level of martial arts and even touching the threshold of the third level.

After Li Tai's death, he had become the strongest person in Feiying City.

Thinking of this person, Li Mugui's eyes emitted a cold light.

When Li Tai was alive, Liu Yu had called him a brother and even regarded Li Tai as his closest friend.

However, after his death, Liu Yu quickly changed his tune, not only failing to pay his respects to his supposed "best friend" but also immediately colluding with the other powerful clans to form an alliance.

"Damn it!"

Li Mugui cursed Liu Yu's shamelessness in his heart.

But there was nothing he could do about it.

The strongest person in the City Lord's Mansion now was Li Mugui himself.

He was exceptionally talented, having achieved physical perfection and drawn heaven and earth's energy into his body by the age of eighteen. However, he had only opened one main meridian so far.

That was the early stage of the second level of martial arts.

This put him two small realms behind Liu Yu in terms of martial arts cultivation, and the gap in combat effectiveness was even wider.

Coupled with the experts from the other powerful clans, Li Mugui truly felt he was fighting alone and unsupported.

Because of this, the original Li Mugui had resorted to consuming an extremely precious Tongmai Pill despite his insufficient foundation.

He had hoped to open the other meridians and qi vessels in one go, breaking through to the later stage of the second level and minimizing the gap in top-tier combat strength.

However, things had gone awry. Not only had he failed to achieve his goal, but his genuine qi had also dissipated, leading to a surge of anger that caused him to spit blood and collapse unconscious.

"This is a difficult situation."

Li Mugui felt the empty meridians within his body and let out a long sigh, unsure of how to resolve the current predicament.

If Liu Yu, a ruthless individual like him, found out about his weakened state, it would spell disaster.

Just then, a clear and cold voice sounded in his mind.

"Special Effects System assembly commencing..."

"Assembling..."

System!

Li Mugui's face lit up with joy.

As a seasoned reader of online novels, he was well aware of how powerful systems could be.

They were like unbeatable cheats.

"Assembly complete!"

Moments later, the voice sounded again.

Simultaneously, a black panel with a blue border appeared before him.

"The primary function of this system is to provide users with various special effects."

"They are mainly divided into three types: Realm Effects, Skill Effects, and Aura Effects."

"Since this is the user's first time using the system, one effect from each category will be unlocked for free, along with a trial of the Real Effect function."

"In the future, to use special effect lotteries, 'Reputation' will be required."

"Note: The special effects produced by this system are extremely realistic and have never been detected before. Please use them cautiously and refrain from deceitful activities."

After listening to the system's introduction, Li Mugui was left puzzled.

What was this thing?

In the novels he had read, he had encountered various systems, ranging from ordinary ones like mission systems or proficiency panels to more outrageous ones like sign-in systems or critical hit systems.

But what was this?

A Special Effects System?

Just because he was working with special effects before he died, did he have to be haunted by them even in his time travel?

As someone who dealt with special effects daily, he was well aware that they were merely illusions, however realistic they might appear.

What use were they in reality?

After a moment of complaining in his heart, Li Mugui quickly adjusted his mindset.

It was better than nothing, he supposed.

And based on his reading experiences, some time travelers had it even worse. Some weren't even human.

"Unlock special effects for free," he ordered in his mind.

"Realm Effect 'Wanxiang' unlocked!"

"Skill Effect 'Xiali Longyin' unlocked!"

"Aura Effect 'Swordsman' unlocked!"

The system emitted three consecutive notifications.

Simultaneously, the panel before him underwent changes.

[User: Li Mugui]

[Realm: Martial Arts Second Realm - Furnace Washing Early Stage]

[Realm Effect: Wanxiang]

[Skill Effect: Xiali Longyin]

[Aura Effect: Swordsman]

[Reputation: 356/1000]

[Available trials for Real Effect function (in beta): 1]

"Don't let me down!"

Li Mugui stared intently at the three effects, and information began to emerge from them.

"Effect 'Wanxiang': The spirit manifests within the divine realm, mountains and rivers reside in my heart! Manifest the image of a warrior and shake the heavens and earth!"

"Effect 'Xiali Longyin': The sword conceals the dragon and tiger, shocking the world upon unsheathing!"

"Effect 'Swordsman': A swordsman carries a sword in his hand, conceals a sword in his heart, and transforms his body into a sword! His sharpness is unbreakable, his momentum is unbeatable!"