**Chapter 13
The Dancing Fool and the Demon God**
Alex Reed was halfway through his second spiritual bubble tea when the existential crisis struck.
He sat atop the roof of the outer sect dormitory, legs dangling, watching fireflies buzz lazily through the twilight. Disciples scurried below, most of them still whispering about "the bath incident," "the Saintess scandal," or "that guy who exploded a boulder by sneezing."
Alex slurped.
"What am I *doing* with my life?"
The System chirped unhelpfully:
> *You are currently at 23% spiritual saturation and 89% comedic failure recovery. Statistically, you're doing better than most cabbage farmers.*
"That's not the career arc I had in mind, thanks."
He leaned back, staring at the stars. Somewhere out there, Nascent Soul monsters shook mountains, ascended heavens, and probably got invited to divine banquets with immortal shrimp platters.
And here he was. A cultivator with no bloodline, no divine destiny… and a cheat system better suited for online shopping.
"Okay," Alex said, suddenly sitting up. "I've made a decision."
The wind paused. The moon tilted slightly. Somewhere, a squirrel braced itself.
"I'll be two things."
He held up one finger.
"By day, a clown. A comedian. A lovable rogue dancing through the sects like a fool—mocking, joking, pranking the pompous."
He raised a second finger.
"And by night… a **villain**. A resource-devouring, secret-art-stealing, cultivation-realm-robbing **Demon God** in disguise."
The System buzzed.
> *Processing dual-class character: "Dancing Alex" (Jester), and "Demon God" (Villainous Shadow). Achievement path: Unstable but potentially hilarious.*
Alex grinned.
"I'll be the guy who makes the righteous laugh while looting their vaults blind."
He stood up on the roof, arms spread dramatically.
"Let them think I'm a joke. A harmless goof. All the while, I'm absorbing forbidden manuals in caves, stealing fate threads from golden heirs, and crafting an empire beneath their noses."
The System hesitated.
> *That… actually sounds kind of smart.*
> *Wait. Are *you* the villain of this novel now?*
"No, no," Alex said, winking. "I'm the **protagonist** of two different stories. In one, the underdog clown who brings joy and chaos. In the other—"
His smile sharpened.
"—the masked phantom who slips into heavenly sects and steals their future."
> *Dual paths unlocked:*
> – **Path of the Dancing Fool**: +3 Charisma, +2 Evasion, +1 Confusion Aura.
> – **Path of the Demon God**: +5 Stealth, +3 Cultivation Absorption, Unlocks: Shadow Vault Inventory.
> *Warning: Pursuing both paths will invite divine karma, soul exhaustion, and likely betrayal. Also, it's hilarious. Proceed?*
Alex whispered, "Proceed."
Somewhere deep underground, a forbidden technique flickered to life in his hidden scroll collection.
Somewhere high in the central realms, a Saintess woke from her meditation and frowned.
And somewhere within the Azure Mist Sect, a Core Formation woman with a fan smiled far too knowingly.
From now on, Alex would train with the jesters, spar with the elite, charm the sect…
And when no one was watching?
He'd be the whisper in the vault.
The shadow on the stairwell.
The smile in the mirror that didn't belong to anyone.
The Dancing Alex by day.
The Demon God by night.
And fate wouldn't know what hit it.