After he rushed home, Jiang Cheng collapsed into the sofa.

"Aaaahhh"

Slowly letting out a deep breath and relaxing, he began to review bits and pieces of the meeting with Cai Yinong today.

What an outstanding woman!

She took control of the meeting right from the beginning, observing him and subtly displaying her doubts about him. Fortunately, his foundation was solid enough, to not only dispel her doubts but reduce her control, making the situation more balanced.

And it should have ended there, but who knew she would suddenly propose to sign him, throwing him off his game slightly, making him reveal his interest which gave her a slight upper hand.

Sure enough this was the class of someone well-known in the industry, intelligent and observant!

But ultimately the situation wasn't too important, because his ultimate goal was to be a director!

Although he could only start with acting now, it wasn't too big a contradiction. After all, even those from Shanghai Drama Academy's - Directing Department, wouldn't find it easy to become a director.

They could start out as an assistant director, if they were lucky, but in a film crew there could be multiple assistant directors, many of whom were actually miscellaneous. If they had good work quality and connections they could be promoted to an actual assistant director and be responsible for a part of filming. 

Slowly rising in their role as assistant director and finally winning the trust of investors, they could be made a director but not a film or TV director no...no probably a director for a short film or a music video! Only when they were truly famous or earned them enough money would a studio risk letting them become a film or TV director.

This was a path many well-known directors had taken, step by step.

However, Jiang Cheng had chosen another path, that is, he would first become well known as a screenwriter and actor and then become a director. There were actually a lot of directors like this, for example Mel Gibson, the guy even won an Oscar!

But currently these were just goals, things had to be done step by step.

The current focus now was to post [Stories About The Ming Dynasty] online!

He wanted the book to gain some fame before it was published.

Currently if you wanted to publish a book, you would first recommend the book to a publishing house, they would look through it, publish it and advertise it for a cut of the profits. But now thanks to the internet things were becoming easier. Many books of this generation were being made popular on the Internet first, before then being picked up and having physical copies made. And the publishing house came to see you!

Originally, since his father, Jiang Dejun was the chairman of a publishing house, there was no need to be so troublesome. 

However, Jiang Cheng wanted to gain his own fame first, and when people were talking about [Stories About The Ming Dynasty] then he would tell Jiang Dejun that he was the author 'Bright Moon'! He believed his father's face would be quite wonderful to behold!

But this meant answering another big question, where to post the book? At this time, online literature was just sprouting. The future was still unknown for it and even the future giants of the industry such as Qidian and  jjwxc.com hadn't been founded yet but there were of course alternatives, for example a site Jiang Cheng remembered-Tianya Club.

Tianya Club was an online community under Hainan Tianya Online Ltd founded in 1999. Since its inception, with its open and inclusive nature, it had grown to become the respected home of many Chinese netizens. After two years of development, it had built on its forums to include blogs, microblogs, photo albums, personal spaces, a music section and news stations. With a comprehensive virtual community, it was somewhat ahead of its time.

The author Wang Yi, had even posted his novel [The 21st Century Chaotic Thief] on there before it was eventually picked up and published by Guantian Teahouse two months ago. Showing just how great an influence netizens and the internet would have in the future. So with all this, if Jiang Cheng posted [Stories About The Ming Dynasty] on at this time, it wouldn't appear too abrupt.
 
Jiang Cheng glanced at the Tianya Community Creations list and finally locked his eyes on the 'Original Stories' section.  

First, he created a new account, then created a post with the name [Stories About The Ming Dynasty] before adding the tagline "History should be fun to read" in red font.  Then he uploaded a couple of the initial chapters, more than ten thousand words of content before posting.

After all this, Jiang Cheng found that it was almost ten o'clock. Tired after such a long day, he called it quits and headed to sleep.

Unbeknownst to him [Stories About The Ming Dynasty] would soon cause an uproar online! Faster than he could have ever predicted!

Jiang Cheng a screenwriter is reincarnated to 2001, into the seventeen-year-old body of another Jiang Cheng. 

Clutching onto the dreams of his previous life he attempts to succeed where he previously failed. 

He starts from scratch, as a small-time screenwriter writing television shows and movie scripts. 

Filled with dreams of becoming a generational  entertainment legend and establishing an entertainment empire he takes the road to become the King of Film.

_____________________________________________

*Discord: https://discord.gg/TeTKhzp

Why not try my other books: Angel of Death, King of Sports and Rebirth of the Entertainment Giant

After their training ended, Arthur went back to class. It was now their free time, usually used for clubs. 
"Hey, Arthur! Need help with choosing a club?" Markus walked over leaned on Arthur's seat. As the latter was just mulling over it, he welcomed an introduction. 
"I'm not even sure I'll be attending a club though…" 
"You should if you want to get into Jerano. There's extra credit for people with extracurricular activities. Especially for famous clubs like Virtual Fighting, Abilities Evolution, and Dungeons Science. These are the ones that are selling like hotcakes. There are also Martial Arts Club, Mana Research Club, and Skills Club." 
Although Markus was a bit too chatty unlike his friend Amelia, he was still a great help. Arthur listened quietly as he flipped through the introductions of these clubs in the guideline he found in the classroom. There were so many clubs out there that Arthur didn't know how many hobbies people had.
As he was considering what club to join, he came across a small introduction of a club that caught his eye. It was called The Ancient Runes Club. As he started reading the introduction and activates more avidly, Markus peeked his head to see what he was reading. 
"Oh, that club. I heard it was the lowest of the seven clubs." 
"Seven clubs?" 
"Yeah, clubs that were first founded when the school started. Six I already told you about, and this one here is the seventh. These clubs are accredited by Jerano so joining them gives you credit if you applied for their related scholarship." Arthur's eyes gleamed as he heard this. Every year, Jerano would host an examination for students from all over the Yalveran Union. This examination would mostly be about testing the student's abilities and fighting capabilities as that was the most sought-after examination. However, there were special scholarships that gave you an advantage over other students if you took this exam. This was their way of recruiting talented students that weren't so good at fighting. 
"I think I'll check this one out." 
"What?" Markus was speechless. It sounded obvious that Arthur should join one of the more popular clubs as that would give him more advantages in applying. 
*** 
As Arthur decided on his club, he went toward the club room on the third floor. As he looked through them, he found out that this club was further to the back, unlike the rest. He walked through the hallways until he reached a classroom at the corner of the floor before he knocked. After three knocks, a lazy voice told him to come in. 
"Welcome, how may I help you?" The person inside was a male student who had huge black bags under his eyes. He sounded tired but remained his polite attitude. 
"I'm here to join the club. Is it closed for today?"
"Oh… OH? Do you want to join? Come in! Come in! How come you're only joining now?" The student suddenly grew enthusiastic as he introduced Arthur to a seat and started pouring tea. Arthur wasn't a particular fan of tea but he felt like he couldn't say no. As he drank the tea, he felt relaxed as the aroma spread in his mouth. 
"I see that you like it. We grew these tea leaves using runes." 
"What?" Arthur was suddenly amazed. It felt as if his bubble just burst as he heard that he was not the only one using runes. 
"We drew the rune path on the container and made these tea leaves enriched with mana. It's an old technique but we struggled to make it work. Costed us most of our budget for the materials." As the student saw Arthur's interest in his words, he felt proud and kept explaining. He felt their new member was a good addition to their club. 
"Drew the rune path? Does that give similar effects to the original runes?" Arthur asked confused.
"What? Of course not!" The student was stunned. He then continued, "Since ancient times, runes were considered the language of creation and magic. Even now, skills are thought to be the products of runes. They���re a series of complex runes that would activate once supplied with mana. However, to be able to use ancient runes, the person has to have a connection to the origin of the world. That's what many ancient scriptures said. The method to establish such a connection is said to be lost." The student entered a full-lecture mode as he grabbed a pen and a whiteboard to demonstrate.
"For example, if a rune was drawn without the connection to the origin, it would be called a mana path. Most artificial artifacts are made using mana paths. These paths show effects similar to runes but at a greater cost of mana but much lower efficiency. If an artifact had a rune that controlled the sea, then the same rune would only create a pool if made artificially. If artificial runes were the same as the original, then artifacts would be worthless." 
"That makes sense. Then what about runes that are one-time use? Would they disappear if they are used? What happens to the weapon afterward?" Arthur asked. He always knew that artifacts had a version of permeant runes. However, he didn't know enough about this field to know what temporary runes did.
"Well," The student then paused and grinned. "That, my friend, is why Runes Cards were created." 
***
"Is Ori already in the clubroom?" Jia asked the petite girl next to him. The two walked together in the hallway making a stark contrast. He was a tall athletic with flamboyant blonde hair and the girl was meek, quiet, and doll-like. To his question, the girl simply nodded and kept reading her book. Jia had to move the girl left and right to get her out of other students' way. She was so absorbed with her book that she didn't pay attention to anything else, except Jia occasionally. 
The two reached their club room where a sign said Ancient Runes Club, a place that not many people came to. Their usually quiet club room was noisy for some reason and confusion could be seen on Jia's face. If he had to describe the atmosphere in his club, it would be the word 'dead.' 
"Why can't we use the air as a medium to imprint runes?" This question was thrown as soon as the two opened the door. The two came to a halt as this was the question bugging the Runes Research society. 
"We just can't. To imprint runes, we need a medium and a material for the mana path. Air can't be the medium for the runes as you couldn't draw a mana path, to begin with." Jia and Erin walked in as they saw Ori explaining things to another student. They could say Ori's red face of excitement as he discussed possibilities upon possibilities. The weird part was that the student threw a question after the other without pause and each one of them carried attacked a fundamental aspect of artificial runes. 
"Ori? Who's this?" Jia asked as the two took a seat at the table. It was only then that Ori finally calmed down and introduced Arthur to the two. 
"He's our newest member, Arthur Silvera. He's an A-Class student, so Erin should have already met him." The three turned toward the petite girl who kept reading without reacting. 
"She probably didn't even notice they had a transfer student," Jia said to which the rest of them laughed. After getting over with the introduction, another heated discussion began where Arthur learned a lot about his new profession. In the end, they agreed to meet at the weekend. 
"We'll be going to Green Golems Dungeon. It's a neo rank dungeon but we'll only hunt on the outer layer. The goal of this to decipher the runes moving the Golems there. We'll try to replicate the runes there to make our own Golem." 
This was this year's project. Making a Golem that would fight with you. They would also use a tool where they would imprint runes resonating with the Golem's runes to make a remote control device. As they discussed the time and place, Arthur left the place more excited than ever.

"I obtained a Legacy that lets me level up. Although there are other legacies out there, mine seems unique that it helps me get stronger. Can I overtakes the titans and geniuses in this world and build a name for myself with this new power?" 

***

Arthur, unawakened and in desperate need of money, stumbles upon a legacy that lets him get stronger through leveling up. What does he need to do in return?

Simply one thing. Turning the whole world against him.

***

The cover is original for my novel by my dear friend, the artist Lurricas. His Instagram account is this @lurricas please make sure to follow him.

"I remember when the internet was full of mean people.  Until a stranger could blow you online.  Then everyone got real nice."
 - Candy


---------------------
1 Hour Later
---------------------

"How is this possible!"  yells Senator Kentucky.

Evil Dumbfuck is frothing mad.  Confused and mad.  There's a new internet.  We can't turn it off, we can't find who made it, and now we can't spy on it.  He doesn't understand how this happened.  Honestly, neither do I.  But I don't understand it on a much higher level than he don't.

He yells at us for a while, then sends us back to work.  What else can he do?

I sit and think.  My colleagues are trying increasingly esoteric backdoors.  Looking for a weak spot into Leviathan's inner workings.  

I can't be bothered with an endeavor that hopeless.  I log on to Twitter.  

#Leviathan is trending.  I peruse the tweets, looking for the first mention of Leviathan.  After an hour, I have a list of the first thousand tweets about Leviathan.  I pull the files we have on the usernames that sent the tweets.  I make a map of where these people live.  90% of them live in the same city.  Okay Leviathan, I think I found where you were born.

I do a quick surface check of the early tweeters, but nothing jumps out at me.  Not surprising.  Whoever made Leviathan took extreme steps to hide their identity.  I didn't really expect them to tweet about it.

I don't waste time with the terror watchlist.  If this is terrorism it's pretty fucking subtle.  We can't even catch blatant terrorists with the watchlist.

The criminal activity database is also useless.  The creators of Leviathan are probably on it, but so is the rest of the city.  We'll use the database after we find them - it will have a handy pretext their arrest. 

What I need is a list of all the coding geniuses in the city.  We don't keep a list like that.  We'll probably start one after this.  For now, I'm reduced to using google.

I search our internet archive for a few hours, but I can't find any chatter about Project Leviathan or anything like it.  Was it always a secret project?  Or, was it built during the blackout?  Can you build something like this in less than 30 days?  I couldn't.  I look at Lodestone.  Maybe she could.

Hmm…  I've been looking for corporate or collage types.  I figured that's where all the best coders are.  But the best coder I know doesn't have a job, she works freelance.  Hmm…

I pull up the NSA database.  It has a billion profiles.  It was designed to catch proto-terrorists, so the profiles are categorized in 5 ways.  Financials, locations, associates, psychometrics, and criminality.

I start with a billion suspects, and narrow them down.
- Operates in the city.
- Makes a lot of money, but has no job.
- Breaks the law often, but doesn't get caught.
- Likes science.  Takes risks.  Big risks.

20,000 people.  Still too many.  I look at the last search field.  Associates.  Who's the most dangerous friends these guys could have?  Anarchists?  Nobody?  Each other?  Yeah, it's each other.

100 of these guys party at the same bar.  Candy's Club.  A makerspace for high tech horndogs.  This looks promising.

I browse their profiles.  These are some subversive weirdos.  I dig past the automated categories, and get to the raw data.  Texts, emails, phone calls, videos.  Usually, I'd backdoor their phones and get current sound, video, location, and ultrasound radar.  But, those backdoors don't work over Leviathan, and it's the only internet we have now.  No matter.  I have lots of chatter from a month ago.  I worked with a lot less in the army.

A picture forms.  The club was heavy into virtual reality.  They were trying to make an internet you could fuck through.  They made software for augmented reality glasses.  Wait - I check the software on my glasses.  Fuck, they made these.  Apparently, they also made a haptoclone - a device that uses ultrasound projectors to allow virtual touching.  So they could fuck over the internet.

I look at Lodestone.  Okay, these guys are pretty smart.

I keep reading, but I'm just procrastinating.  I can already picture what happened.  There's at least half a dozen people in this group that have the skills to make Leviathan.  They're all internet addicts, cut off together in the dark.  It was only a matter of time until they jury rigged an wireless internet using phones, solar chargers, and viral programs.

The only hard part would be closing the backdoors we'd inevitably use to shut them down.  One of the suspects sticks out in this regard.  She collects A.I.'s, optimises them by having them compete against each other.  Forty, divorced, freelance troubleshooter for tech companies.  Goes by the handle Megacles.  I check her psychometric profile.  Voraciously curious.  Risk taker.  Lonely loner.  Problem with society.  Yeah.

It occurs to me that my investigation is over.  Time for the clean up.  Have the local lads pick up Megacles.  Beat her with rubber hoses until she shuts off Leviathan.

My blood boils.  I can see where this is heading.  First we kill Leviathan, then we kill the possibility of Leviathan.  First we round up Megacles, then we round up anyone who could rebuild the internet.  Sure, people will be pissed when the internet doesn't come back.  But we'll feed them some bullshit excuse, and that'll be the end of it.  What else can they do?  There will be no internet to expose us on.  We'll probably give back porn, Netflix, and a Today Show mantra on how nice it is that we aren't wasting our energy on Facebook anymore. 

The gatekeepers for the class system were asleep at the wheel when the internet was invented.  They were too fucking stupid to see how it would equalize the human experience.  Well they know now, but they're still fucking stupid.  Thinking that throwing away the future will make their lives better.

Cause, the internet is the future.  It's the best place solve our problems.  Turning it off is accepting our current lives.  Debt, depression, diabetes, and death.  Fuck that.  I want a healing factor and a Millenium Falcon.  There's no way I'm getting that if I hand over the future to Evil Dumbfuck.

That's what kills me.  They LIED to me!  They said I'd be protecting us.  Then they order me to shaft everybody.  Did they forget they LIED to me?  Or, don't they care?  They stabbed me in the back.  Then they turned their back on me.  

Fuck them.

I pull up Megacles' profile.  I pull up Candy's Club profile.  I pull up the profiles of everybody who goes to Candy's Club.  I scramble all the location data.  Good bye.

Those profiles are effectively lost forever.  They're still in the system, but when something gets misfiled in a billion entry database, it's gone for good.  It's like hiding a book in a library.  A library with a billion books.

I surf Leviathan.  It's user base has doubled in the last 4 hours.  

Future looks good.

"A super-intelligence is only limited by its ambition. If you could do anything, what would you do?"

Megacles has a pretty good life. Also, she is horny, lonely, bored, anxious, and a bit of a drunk. She decides to fix all this with science. It works okay, until she accidentally builds a doomsday device. At least she’s not bored anymore. 

Mr. President has inherited a broke, corrupt, government. Unemployment is high, nobody pays taxes, the healthcare system is collapsing, and the government is using systemic blackmail to cover it up. He has a plan to fix it all, he just needs to steal a trillion dollars to get started.

Super Science and Fast Romance is a near future, science fiction, romantic comedy, political psychodrama. It's fun. It teaches how to fix everyday problems with lasers, evil robots, and mass hallucinations. These solutions work really well. Only a couple people die.

Any money made by this book will be spent on drugs and super hot lasers.

The Saint of Secrets, Botis, began to traverse the spirit world the moment he entered, heading straight for the easternmost front of the Sonia Sea—the ruins of the battle of the gods.
At this moment, his thoughts blurred. His body turned and left the spirit world through another place.
By the time Botis received a warning from his spirituality and had regained control of his own thoughts while feeling tense, what he saw was a bare forest with nearly all its leaves scattered. There was no one around, and the crimson moon hung high in the sky.
As a former Traveler and Astrologer, he immediately identified his location and found that he was still in Backlund. However, he had moved from the city to a remote area in the suburbs.
At the same time, he also understood what had happened.
It was unknown when his mind world had been infiltrated with someone else's consciousness. At the critical moment, it affected his thoughts and changed his destination!
That Spectator pathway's demigod! I didn't realize it! Botis's pupils dilated as a silvery-white illusory book appeared.
The book flipped to one of the pages.
Botis immediately raised his hand to grab at his glabella. He grabbed a ball of darkness from the island of consciousness and threw it into his shadow.
His shadow was separated from him as it twisted to a stand, revealing a female silhouette.
Black Knight, Shadow of Depravation!
This was an ability that Botis had "Recorded" from Saint Tenebrous Kisma. It could separate one's depraved thoughts into a shadow and form an uncontrollable independent creature.
Botis used it to erase the consciousness that didn't belong to him, and escape the influence of the Manipulator!
At the same time, this was also Botis's counterattack. As long as the hidden Spectator pathway demigod couldn't quickly resolve this "shadow," the thoughts she had fractured would gradually become independent, turning her half-mad and even causing her to lose control.
Once he was done with the latent mental problems, Botis didn't hesitate to escape the enemy's predetermined battlefield and "Teleport" elsewhere.
However, at this moment, his mind suddenly turned frantic. He felt that the entire environment was making things difficult for him, and his anger could no longer be contained.
As the silver book flipped in front of his eyes, the entire forest collapsed with a loud bang. The black "shadow" almost collapsed into a ball.
After his bout of mania, Botis's mood dropped to a nadir. He couldn't lift his spirits with regards to anything. He felt that he was useless, a burden to others and even the world.
Mental Plague! In the previous battle, Botis had already been infected by "Mental Plague," and it had finally acted up!
The reason why Cattleya first used "The Little Match Girl" magic wasn't only because she wanted to interfere with Botis's "Teleportation," but also because she was helping Miss Justice conceal any traces, allowing her Virtual Persona to infiltrate Botis's mind world without triggering his spiritual intuition. A seed of "Mental Plague" was planted secretly without triggering it.
It was precisely because of this that when the sneak attack failed, Cattleya and Audrey dared to initiate the contingency plan. They retreated on their own accord, allowing Saint of Secrets Botis and Saint Tenebrous Kisma to separate from each other after they were out of danger.
Cattleya's final igniting of the final green vine appeared to create a huge commotion to attract the attention of the official Beyonders, making the enemy abandon their pursuit, but in fact, it was to force the Saint of Secrets to leave as quickly as possible. This way, he didn't have the time to carefully examine and check his condition at a deeper level.
Hence, at the critical moment of his "Teleportation," he had his thoughts changed by Audrey's Virtual Persona. He came directly to the outskirts of Backlund, an uninhabited kill box which the Tarot Club had chosen.
And once he finished off the Manipulator's Virtual Persona, the eruption of "Mental Plague" came right on the heels of that.
In fact, if he had used "Reboot of Fate" earlier, he definitely would've been able to return to a state where there were no latent problems. However, he only decided to use this trump card when he was nearly killed by the Spear of Longinus. And by that time, his mind world had already been infiltrated for far more than three seconds!
He was dispirited and depressed, trying his best to resist his mental illness. It was at this moment that he saw a bunch of surreal yarn balls appear out of the void in front of him.
At the back of the yarn ball, the bright-colored yarn extended into an infinite distance.
Following this line, Cattleya, who was wearing a purple-patterned black robe and a dark-colored hood, walked over from the spirit world and appeared in front of the Saint of Secrets, Botis.
She was unable to track down enemies that had done some level of interference, but she could establish a connection with the predetermined battlefield. She could trace Justice Audrey's Virtual Persona!
The moment she arrived, Cattleya closed her eyes and formed a phantom image that fell towards an invisible coffin.
The already depressed Botis instantly felt extremely exhausted. He couldn't help but close his eyes, wanting to collapse.
Sleeping Beauty!
On the other side, Audrey's "Virtual Persona" which hadn't fully turned independent was like a dark shadow, bringing with it a sense of depravity. She raised her hand and pinched her forehead.
Her pupils silently turned vertical; they were pale gold and cold.
Botis's mind instantly exploded as bubbles of light appeared on the surface of his body. Within the bubbles, rays of starlight condensed into insects with their heads and tails fused into the void.
Psychiatrist, Frenzy!
This could completely trigger the target's emotions and even cause him to lose control.
Botis had already been infected with "Mental Plague" and was in an extremely abnormal state. Following that, he was affected by "Sleeping Beauty" magic and was in an extremely dispirited mood. "Frenzy" now triggered everything, immediately making it difficult for him to control himself as he showed signs of losing control.
Seizing this opportunity, Cattleya opened her eyes, raised her right hand, and rapidly formed a handful of spinning star sand in her palm.
The forest beneath the night became even darker. The crimson moon disappeared from the sky as stars appeared one after another. They were densely packed and dazzling.
The stars scattered their rays of light, forming a magnificent pillar of light that enveloped the area around Saint of Secrets Botis and his surroundings.
In the midst of the shock, Botis became a little more awake. His figure rapidly turned into a blur as he kept "Blinking," creating more than ten afterimages in the forest.
However, he could not escape the starlight's envelopment, nor could he "Teleport" away.
One by one, the starlight melted and dissipated the different Botis. Finally, there was only one person left genuflecting, propping up his body with one palm as he struggled.
Botis's body was in shambles. His eyes were already dark red, and he appeared to be on the brink of insanity.
When the starlight was in its final moments, he "Blinked" and dodged the follow-up attack of Audrey's Virtual Persona.
Then, he kept "Blinking" and created "doppelgangers" beside Cattleya and Audrey's Virtual Persona.
One of his "doppelgangers" grabbed with his left hand, distorting the area where Audrey's Virtual Persona was located. He concealed it in a bid to restrain the enemy.
As for his other "doppelganger," he spread open his arms and summoned a thick pillar of light surrounded by holy flames, letting it blast down into the concealed space.
During this process, Botis's other "doppelganger" had secretly removed the concealment of space.
Hence, as soon as the shadow corresponding to Audrey's Virtual Persona was freed from the restriction, it was enveloped by a holy pillar of light, quickly melting away.
In his "Blinking" state, Botis could use Beyonder powers at a speed faster than normal, but he couldn't sustain it for long. This was something that was achieved via using his numerous Worms of Star.
Elsewhere, the Saint of Secrets, Botis, was also attacking Cattleya. He had used various powers, and in the short span of a second or two, he had inundated his target with a barrage of attacks.
This forced Cattleya to constantly use "The Emperor's New Clothes" magic to avoid it. She was momentarily unable to counter-attack and was in grave danger.
A few seconds later, Botis's "Blinking" finally slowed down. The mania in his heart also eased.
At this moment, grayish-white and heavy scales suddenly appeared outside the forest. They were faintly discernible, as if they were forming an extremely oppressive behemoth.
In the dark night where the crimson moon was obscured, a nearly invisible stream of breath swept down from top to bottom, enveloping Botis and Cattleya.
The two demigods felt as though they were struck by lightning as their psyche was torn apart. Their Spirit Bodies seemed to be penetrated.
The breath of a mind dragon!
With his mental state already in a terrible state and having used a couple of his trump cards, Botis's mind went blank. As the flashes flashed before his eyes, his body couldn't help but tremble.
As for Cattleya, she was carrying the Moon Paper Figurine that she had obtained from Fors. This helped her bear the burden of "Psychic Piercing" once!
Although it was unable to completely eliminate the effects of "Mind Dragon Breath," it could help Cattleya recover faster.
This meant an opportunity in a battle at the demigod level!
In just a second or two, Cattleya's eyes returned to normal. As for Audrey who was in her dragon form and hiding in the darkness outside the forest, she cast another "Mind Deprivation" on Botis.
Without any hesitation, Cattleya raised her right hand and condensed the terrifying spear that was stained with fresh blood. She threw it at the Saint of Secrets, Botis.
This time, Botis could no longer dodge or resolve the situation. His chest was pierced through by the Spear of Longinus.
His body stiffened for a moment before it rapidly collapsed, turning into countless dazzling Worms of Star.
Some of these Worms of Star vanished directly, while others devoured each other. Some of them fused into a distant spot, forming a new Botis.
There was no longer any rationality left in his eyes. His body was continuously collapsing, revealing an incomplete and extremely weak Mythical Creature form.
At this moment, an illusory door appeared beside him. It was grayish-blue that had seven brass locks.
The illusory door quickly opened as it spat out a three-layered "jewelry box" embedded with various gems.
The Box of the Great Old Ones which had been exiled had returned.
With a crazed look in his eyes, Botis caught the box, revealing a cruel and bloodthirsty smile as he tried to open it.
The third level!


With the rising tide of steam power and machinery, who can come close to being a Beyonder? Shrouded in the fog of history and darkness, who or what is the lurking evil that murmurs into our ears?

Waking up to be faced with a string of mysteries, Zhou Mingrui finds himself reincarnated as Klein Moretti in an alternate Victorian era world where he sees a world filled with machinery, cannons, dreadnoughts, airships, difference machines, as well as Potions, Divination, Hexes, Tarot Cards, Sealed Artifacts… 

The Light continues to shine but mystery has never gone far. Follow Klein as he finds himself entangled with the Churches of the world—both orthodox and unorthodox—while he slowly develops newfound powers thanks to the Beyonder potions.

Like the corresponding tarot card, The Fool, which is numbered 0—a number of unlimited potential—this is the legend of "The Fool."

      Two girls walk down a long dark road. They talk about their day and what has been going on lately. No one dares go down there, because no one ever comes back. They see things long forgotten and better left in the past. They are trapped in their own minds, for it's a place that only exists in one's mind. A place you can only imagine and go to through a machine. 
      Dominique had created this machine. She had always been creative, but couldn't build her inventions. However, her brother could put anything together if given the right parts and the right tools. So, for two years, late at night, Dominique and Post slaved over the machine. Finally, they finished it, and were now testing it. To Dominique's surprise, it worked. 
      The two girls know this road very well. They walked up and down it all their lives. Ever since her mom had died, Melissa hadn't actually went back. And that is why the road had become so dark and twisted the farther they walked. Dominique had created this in her mind so they could both go somewhere familiar. She knew Melissa missed the place but didn't have the nerve to go back so she had created this scene as she was still testing her machine. At least she had some good memories of walking this particular part of the road so it was easy to recreate.
      Outside was her club. It was two stories high. The first floor hosted the bar, the band, and a dance floor. The second floor had another dance floor and a VIP area where you could hold your own private parties for a price. Beside that area was a closed off room to the public. This is where her machines were. They weren't open to the public yet. Once everything was running smoothly and all the kinks were out she would open her virtual reality booths to the club. They would come at a price to use as they didn't have preset places or rides you could go on. Instead they took you to a place your mind thought up and you could do whatever you could think of. If you wanted to go somewhere with someone else then you synced the second machine to yours. This required an algorithm and a key. 
      "Dominique, you shouldn't keep things to yourself all the time."
      "What do you mean, Melissa?" 
      "I realize we're in a place created by the mind, but it still lets you keep secrets," Melissa said.
      "It was designed to do that, so if two people were on at once they couldn't see everything in the others mind."
      "I know, I know, but by the look on your face, I can tell somethings wrong. Plus, you're just walking and you seem to be very distant."
      "Perhaps..."
      "Perhaps? Is that all you can say?" Melissa asked.
      "Perhaps I don't want to talk about it. If I do decide to talk about it, you'll be the first to know."
      "Don't tell me then. See if I care."
      "I know you care and that you mean well, Mel, but I really just don't want to talk about it."
      "Would you at least tell me what it's about? Just a hint?" Melissa prodded.
      "It's life. I'm just sick of it. I'm just tired of everything. Nothing is exciting anymore."
      "Yeah, life is getting right dull. Guess all the excitement from two years ago is over and you moving on with your life has just been that. Moving on." 
      "Can we change the subject?" Dominique asked. 
      "Sure. So, have you had anymore odd dreams lately?" Melissa asked Dominique.
      "I'm always having them. The same ones over and over. I never get to see what happens next. I must say that I wish I could see the end. I don't know why I keep having them. Every time I have them, I see things like flashbacks. It's like I'm recalling memories, but they aren't from my life. It's me in the images, but they're from a past life judging from the way people are dressed, and the way they act. It seems like they only started after I started testing the machine. I mean, am I going crazy? Am I imagining something that I want to happen?" Dominique  responded.
      "You have always had an imagination. Nothing wrong with that. Maybe you are just dreaming up another book. I don't know why you don't write more books and try to sell them. You are so talented," Melissa said.
      "You know I don't let anyone read my books. I don't know why I get so embarrassed by someone reading them but I do. You are the only person who has ever read them and probably ever will. I love to write but I just do it for me. I like to think up stories in my head and sometimes I just write them when the story seems like it would turn out to be interesting. But usually the stories I think of aren't very long and all the action is up front. I can't put enough filler in them to make them into a book worth reading."
      "I think you could if you tried. I mean, look at what you're doing here. I never would have thought of this, let alone brought it to life. But you did. And look at where we are. I know you did this for me. I want you to know that I appreciate it. I haven't seen the house in a long time. I wonder if it's still standing since no one has lived in it for over ten years. But I know I couldn't bring myself to go back and see it all run down and probably falling down."
      "It might not be like that. You never know. But I can understand why you don't want to go back. It doesn't feel the same anymore. I miss the place and your mom and I think that's why I can't go back there either. At least this way you can relive the good times, you know?"
      "That's true. So, do you think the machines are ready yet?"
      "No, unfortunately. They are great for a short time, but for longer uses, no."

Dominique is the owner of a club. She meets the man of her dreams just as the man she once loved comes back into her life. But is the man of her dreams really the man she thinks he is? How does she choose between the two in a love triangle when neither one of them is telling her the truth about themselves? Will she survive in a world she knows nothing about?


Excerpt:
      Dominique stepped back, feeling the heat radiating off of him. She had never truly forgiven him for the pain he had caused her. She couldn’t think of any reason in the world that she could forgive him, but she couldn’t lie to herself and say that she didn’t still find him attractive. 

	Suddenly Tim took a deep breath and stepped into the house, pulling her against him. She gasped as her body came in to contact with his. He had gotten bigger since the last time he had held her. His muscles were bigger and she felt more strength in his arms than the last time he held her. He leaned down and pushed his nose into her hair and she heard him sniffing near her neck.

	“You smell good. I can smell the lust on you. You still desire me,” Tim said as he pulled her against him and grabbed her butt, lifting her up off the ground. 

	Dominique wrapped her legs around him out of instinct. It’s what she’d always done because it had always scared her when he’d done that. Tim kissed her and she put her hands on his chest to push herself back from him. His muscles were definitely bigger than before. He had beefed up over the years. He kept one arm under her butt to support her and the other moved up her back and he grabbed her hair, pulling her head back to expose her throat.

	He began kissing her neck. Dominique hated that he knew all of her spots. She hated it even more that she couldn’t deny the attraction she still felt for him. She gasped as he began grinding himself into her. He kissed her again and at first, she kissed him back. But then she came to her senses as his hand went under her shirt and cupped her breast. She turned her head and broke the kiss.

	“Tim, stop! Let go of me,” Dominique said and she hated that she was practically panting when she said it. 

	She heard what sounded like a growl as he slid her down his body. Her legs felt shaky. She looked up at him and his eyes looked different. She’d never seen them look like that before. They were much darker and looked almost like an animal’s would look like when they were after their prey.

Fei Zhengtao, left behind by Daqinggen was bemused. It took him a while before deciding to letting his cheap master be, busying himself with his own matters. In any case, he could finally perceive his Qi and proceed to practice the Hundred-day Foundation Building manual.
Of course, part of the conversation still lingered in his mind, "No matter iwhat world you were born in, things around the real world are mostly strange, and the Palace of Mohism likes to collect these strange items, therefore, I am… no, you are going to be rich!"
Does that mean that I can trade daily objects for bountiful amounts of Primitive Emperor Coins? Fei Zhengtao's eyes lit up, an expression he had never worn when facing his textbooks.
With these Primitive Emperor Coins, wouldn't I be able to purchase all those tempting objects in the Myriad World Mall?
Like that Thousand Year Warm Jade, or that Baron Pistol, or a Gauss Rifle, or that assassin marionette of the Palace of Mohism, some flying copper bird, a Chunyang Evil-banishing Blade, whatever magical Sun stones, or those Seven Luminaries Earrings, anti-aging facial masks, a space battleship, a star-destroying shrinking cannon, golden sacred armor, Divine Marrow Ball with the powers of some Wild Lady deity, or even a Transformer butler from Cybertron. As long as I have Primitive Emperor Coins, I can buy all of them!
The objects at the top are okay, but should anyone get their hands on the objects towards the end of the list, they could totally become the God of the Present World!
They even sell godhood, the Myriad World Mall is so much greater than the legendary celestial world. It was hard to imagine just how overbearing this Primitive Emperor is.
Moreover, the objects for sale were not just limited to celestial or martial arts related, there were also items which belong in the magical and sci-fi categories. If that is for real, the Myriad World Mall, like its namesake, would link myriad universes and civilizations of different types and level of development. However, the items belonging in those categories were few in number, perhaps there is limited access to the Myriad World Mall?
Is it necessary to first obtain a Myriad World Talisman?
Buried in his thoughts of endless possibilities, Fei Zhengtao was brimming with enthusiasm. He was engrossed within the formidable Myriad World Mall, forgetting his master, Daqinggen's, reminder.
Much later, he finally averted his eyes and began to consider what he could sell for some Primitive Emperor Coins.
I'm not of their Real World, even if I could sell physical objects there's no way for me to ship those things over, that means it has to be virtual objects. Like anime? Novels? Games? Or those so-called learning materials sealed inside a certain hard disk?
If I upload the latter with no idea on the laws and regulations of the Myriad World Mall, who knows if I might get banned or my Myriad World Talisman will be suspended, or even enforced by their laws. I can't risk that. Also, anime and games are way too extraordinary compared to the other objects in the Myriad World Mall, it would risk too much attention. Looks like novels are the best bet, since they already have serialized stories such as Biography of the Primitive Emperor and so on. That's right, knowledge can also be sold! Realization struck Fei Zhengtao as he recalled sending the study on human anatomy to Master Daqinggen earlier on.
This was a different type of knowledge, those who enjoy intensive researches and studies would definitely buy it!
Unknowingly, he became strangely fixated with his ideas, not giving a second thought on how his anime and games could amount to golden sacred armors and space battleships. He was only focused on selling knowledge.
Upon careful analysis, he believed that mathematics would most likely sell well, as human anatomy would be restricted by racial differences, while physics and chemistry may not be applicable to the principles of the Real World. Only mathematics which is based on logic could have a wider possibility of application. Besides, there are plenty of notes and secret guide books in the Myriad World Mall regarding the art of divination, which is also written using the same character as mathematics, therefore it is probably more or less the same.
With that, Fei Zhengtao returned to the regular Internet and downloaded the textbooks for mathematics from first grade up to a university level, separating each grade before putting them up for sale in the Myriad World Mall. Their pricing ranged from one Primitive Emperor Coin to over a few hundred coins, sitting between items like Jiuyang Swordsmanship and Fist of Wind and Thunder.
Time was ticking by, yet no one seemed to be interested with those textbooks. Fei Zhengtao was starting to feel sleepy. Yawning, he decided to go to bed. After all, he had school tomorrow.
Within the Real World, from the strong people of the Exterior Realm, to masters of Orifices-Point Activation, and even the common people, many were still browsing through the online forums, shopping in the virtual mall and picking out items. There was no need to worry about counterfeit goods, because the Myriad World Mall required the talismans of all the users to be linked with their auras and verification codes. It was in accordance with Heaven's Punishment system of the Tyrant's Invincible Blade. Should anyone come across counterfeit goods and successfully file a complaint, the dealer of said goods would be struck down by a divine thunderbolt. Although they could try to destroy the Myriad World Talisman immediately after a successful transaction, they would be wanted by the Sect of Six-Fans from the Great Zhou Dynasty. Then the Jade Palace and the imperial court of the Great Zhou Dynasty will provide all remaining compensation.
There was once a dealer from some Old Times Universe who was probably not quite right in his head. He sold counterfeit items and ended up being sentenced to death by lightning. His remains are still drifting out there in the cold outer space. The victim who was cheated had obviously been compensated with valuable objects.
"Jiuyang Swordsmanship. In order to perfect this Pure Yang sword power, one must remain a virgin until completing the practice, which helps to make up for the disadvantages in the Star Sparks Art, now selling for only 998… ha, to remain a virgin until completing the practice, only the damned would practice…" a martial artist who had attained Orifices-Point Activation scoffed as his looked down to the next item. It was Fist of Wind and Thunder, which was once hailed by the Sect of Six-Fans from the Dajin Dynasty as one of the better martial arts to grasp. There were no mathematic materials between these two items.
Whereas the Wang family of Jiangdong, the Grand Wang Prince was enjoying a massage by his maidservant in some secret hidden cave, coughing lightly as he browsed through the forum and the mall. Occasionally, he gambled with others, and he would always win. At the same time, he was paying attention to the details hidden within all the other useless information.
Suddenly, he noticed an item entitled Mathematics for First Graders which was only selling for one Primitive Emperor Coin.
"Mathematics?" Wang Siyuan propped a fist under his chin, his face showing a thoughtful expression, as he clicked on buy swiftly.
After adapting to the local rules, language, and browsing format, the book appeared on the light screen before Wang Siyuan.
He quickly flipped through the book, eventually slowing down. "Ha!" The Grand Wang Prince exclaimed as he looked towards the West where the Kunlun Mountain was.
"Interesting," he whispered under his breath.
He then proceeded to purchase all of Fei Zhengtao's textbooks on Mathematics, his total expenditure amounting to 700 Primitive Emperor Coins.
---
The alarm clock went off. Fei Zhengtao got out of bed groggily, taking in a few deep breaths of fresh air as instructed by his secret manual. Refreshed, he continued with training his kicks and punches, followed by breakfast afterwards, all before his parents woke up. He practiced Hundred-day Foundation once more, feeling more rejuvenated than before.
"Feels pretty great…" Fei Zhengtao was delighted, but the soreness from all over his body reminded him that he might have to endure another nightmarish day in school.
There must be a way to overcome this, I'm now a martial artist!
He turned on the Myriad World Talisman, looking to get some advice from his cheap master, Daqinggen. After all, he could now be counted as a disciple of the Jade Palace.
The moment he entered the Land of Myriad World Knowledge, a notification pop-up appeared before him, it read:
"Your listed products have completely sold out, your total income is 700 Primitive Emperor Coins."
Sold… sold out? 700 Primitive Emperor Coins? Fei Zhengtao was shocked but elated, it felt as though he had won first prize in the lottery.
These mathematics textbooks can really sell well!
Guess that makes up for the fact that I was never good in mathematics!
700 Primitive Emperor Coins, 700, that can buy a lot of stuff… Fei Zhengtao could not help smiling at the thought. He finally snapped out of it when he heard sounds of his parents getting out of bed. Clicking open his friend list, he messaged the only person on it:
"Master, you there?"
Daqinggen was staring at the tree branches on the ground with utmost misery, it felt like pain was striking deep into his Primordial Spirit. "Disciple, what's the matter? Keep it simple, master is busy at the moment."
"Master, I keep getting bullied in school, what should I do?" Fei Zhengtao answered hastily. After pondering for a second, he added, "Master, I sold something last night and made a few hundred Primitive Emperor Coins."
"What?" Daqinggen perked up, his sorrows forgotten, "My good disciple, my teachings were not for nothing. Right, what was that you said before, you were being bullied?"
"Yes, they won't leave me alone, I get beaten up for the smallest things," at this point, Fei Zhengtao was fuming.
Daqinggen clicked his tongue. "Did you always let them walk all over you, without ever putting up a fight?"
"The beatings will be worse if I resisted," Fei Zhengtao recoiled.
Daqinggen shook his head, "That's because you did not retaliate hard enough, you need to show them that even death could not stand in your way, even if you were to die you should drag down one of them. Fight a fierce battle with them head on, even if you lose, you should make them cower in fear. That will make them think twice before they bully you in the future. If it would hurt them, why would they do it?"
"In short, the most important thing in a man's fight is to maintain a strong and imposing poise. The fierce ones fear the reckless ones, whereas the reckless ones fear the fearless, and the fearless ones are afraid of the lunatics who do not know fear."
"That's right, when you engage in a fierce battle with those bullies, it might be best to lose the fight. Because punks of this age value their dignity the most, they might call upon others to beat you up if they lose, making it worse. Letting them win by a close call, not only does it keep their dignity intact, at the same time it instills fear in their hearts. Only then can you prevent future troubles."
Fei Zhengtao was deeply impressed, "Master, you know so much."
"Of course, how else would I end up being investigated by the God Master…" Daqinggen stopped abruptly, as if he had said something that he shouldn't have, "Uh, actually it was something I saw in some gossip posts on the forum. Anyway, every martial artist must fight."
Gossip posts… Fei Zhengtao suddenly felt that it wasn't as reliable as he thought. "Master, why don't I buy some treasures from the mall to defend myself?"
No, wait, how can treasures of physical substance reach me?
"No need, no need, master has got some, there's no need to get from the mall!" Daqinggen had actually meant to say this after all the talk he gave. Seeing that Fei Zhengtao had mentioned it himself, he was ecstatic. Before his disciple could reply, he had picked out two objects and selected Jade Palace Express Delivery.
As Fei Zhengtao opened his mouth to ask, a flash of light shone before him, shimmering and vibrating strangely mid-air. When it finally stopped, two objects sat right next to the Myriad World Talisman. One of it was a club, heavy and black in color, nothing special about it. The other object was a palm-sized seal script of red characters on yellow paper.
This… this came out of thin air?
So if I bought a golden sacred armor, it can be delivered here as well?
The Land of Myriad World Knowledge is both mystical and frightening at the same time!
Fei Zhengtao's mouth hung open, petrified at the realization. Daqinggen continued to prattle on instead, "Carrying sharp weapons will evoke bloodlust, I do not wish to see you wanted by the Sect of Six-Fans. So it's better to use a club. This steel club is not only heavy, it is also fitted with an effect to multiply the damage it deals, which suits your situation. It was from an unfortunate friend of mine who mistakenly went in to some martial art social group. He underwent great tribulation in order to escape, taking with him this one and only club."
"What's this martial art social group?" Fei Zhengtao asked subconsciously.
Daqinggen sighed, "I have mentioned this before, you can't withstand it if you enter. Master doesn't know the whole story but would like to try joining, except Master can't find the correct group ID."
Fei Zhengtao caressed the club in his hands, barely managing to swing it, but it started to lift his spirits. He then asked, "Master, what's the use of this seal script?"
"That is the symbol of the Primitive Emperor's edict for novices, stick it on your chest and your fists and legs won't feel pain for fifteen minutes," Daqinggen chuckled. "That will be 100 Primitive Emperor Coins, I am always kind and generous."
Fei Zhengtao was overjoyed, he paid the coins to Daqinggen without hesitation and stuffed the two items into his school bag, feeling prepared to settle his grudge once and for all.
Just then, Daqinggen inquired, "My good disciple, what else do you have for Master to admire?"
Fei Zhengtao contemplated for a moment before sending his master a random swordsman series game.
Stepping out of his room, he spotted his mother praying to the Buddha statue in their home. Fei Zhengtao thought it was funny, these Buddha statues are merely figures carved out of mud, how can they compare to the mystical Myriad World Talisman?
I might as well worship the Primitive Emperor than them!
True, when I get back tonight I'll erect an altar for the Primitive Emperor and pray hard for his blessings!


I care not of my past and neither of my future.
Conquering all heroes and foes while looking with disdain at the horrors of the Samsara, I yearn only for a life of thrilling wonders!
History will repeat itself after many ages as the menace of the Great Calamity rises once more.
Which will rise with triumph in the face of adversity; the Golden Form of the Great Buddha or the invincible Heavenly Taoist Form?
Which will seize all glory amidst all struggles; The Buddha's Palms or the  Seven Strokes of Heaven's Interception?
From the sanctum of the Shaolin Temple, Meng Qi's adventures and struggles through the Samsara begin as we follow his climb to claim the title of "the Unrivaled and the Invincible One"!


Michael was astonished when he saw the President of the MMA Club. The president was actually a short blonde chick. She was about 5 Ft 3 In and had a petite body. She walked with elegance and had a mature air around her. She looked to be in her late twenties. Michael did not expect to see a girl like this in the MMA club. 

" What is going on here?" She asked the referee. 

The referee explained everything that happened while pointing at Michael occasionally. The president turned to Michael while inspecting him. She was very surprised by the referee description; he made Michael seem like Superman.  She came over and introduced herself.

" Hello my name is Jennifer Parker, I am the President of the MMA club and the Captain of the girl's collegiate team." Jennifer shook Michael's hand enthusiastically. 

" Hello, my name is Michael. I am a Freshman Business Major." Michael replied; he thought Jennifer was kinda cute. He was always more into a mature looking woman and was charmed by Jennifer's appearance.

" Well, Michael are you interested in joining the Men's collegiate team? We could use a natural talent like you." Jennifer asked Michael. She had seen the video of the fight because one of the spectators has recorded it and uploaded it to the club's Facebook page. Michael was very skilled; he was probably a natural martial arts prodigy. His movements were nearly impossible to follow and he attacked with a purpose to incapacitate.

The University of Texas was a very competitive college and the MMA club was no different. The Women's team always won the state championship; however, the Men's team always lost miserably. Jennifer was actually a Master's student; this was going to be her last semester in college. She had been a part of the MMA club for six years and had always wanted the club to win state championships for both teams. Seeing Michael in action had given her hope. 

" No thanks, I am not interested in joining. I was just keeping my friend company." Michael said while pointing to Peter. 

"Are you sure? I have many connections and can help you find a job after graduation." Jennifer did not give up. She finally saw hope in Michael and could not believe that she was rejected. 

Michael adamantly refused and left the gymnasium with Peter. He had better things to do than participate in some MMA tournament. Michael attended his classes and went back home. 

After dinner, Michael sat down to plan his future goals for the business. He still needed to form a real Investment company because it was not really feasible to trade in the Megamillions with a personal investment account. However, Michael was clueless about the procedures necessary to establish a business. He realized he needed to hire people; Empires cannot be built alone. 

Michael wondered if he should post an Ad on Indeed Jobs website to attract employees. He did not really know if he can trust other people because of his suspicious trading success. Michael also wanted to expand into other businesses eventually. He was planning on starting with Video games. 

Virtual products like games had many advantages. There would be fewer employees compared to a traditional company. Virtual product companies also faced significantly fewer regulations. A normal Factory in the US would have to comply with City, County, State and even Federal level regulations. Everyone wanted to find faults and impose massive fines. 

Virtual products had regulations too; However, compared to a traditional company it was not even worth mentioning. Michael had many ideas regarding games but for now, he decided to focus on Investing. He would keep his eyes out for good employees. He was confident that with a competitive salary package he could attract the necessary talents. 

The next day Michael attended his classes and stopped by the Business Club. He figured that he could start from here and get advice on hiring events and recruiters.  When he walked into the club office he saw some students hanging out in the office.

"Hello, is this the Business club?" Michael asked while looking around. 

"Yes, My name is Allen. I am the Club President; how can I help you?" One of the guys stood up and replied. He was dressed in professional clothes and looked like a young business professional. 

"Well I am an aspiring entrepreneur and I was wondering if I can join the club. I was looking for resources and tips for entrepreneurs." Michael replied while shaking Allen's hands.  He explained to Allen how he was trying to start a business and was looking for resources and employees. Allen was helpful and explained that the college frequently hosts hiring events where new companies can sign up and recruit graduating students. Michael was still talking when the door opened and Jennifer walked in. She saw him and stood still for a moment.

"What are you doing here?" Jennifer asked Michael. She was surprised to see the freshman who made a scene at the MMA Club here. 

" I was interested in the Business club and so I came to visit." Michael explained. What was this girl doing here?

" Oh is that right? And is our meager Business club worthy of the emperor? " Jennifer asked sarcastically. She could not believe the freshman had the nerve to turn her down. Usually, most freshmen dreamed of joining a collegiate team so they can get bragging rights. It was very rare for a freshman to be invited to a collegiate team so she was dumbfounded when he said no. Jennifer could not take it anymore and stormed out of the room while slamming the door.

Michael was helpless against the girl's temper. He turned to Allen hoping that he would explain her role in the Business club.

"How do you know Jennifer? What did you do to anger her? You better apologize or you will not have a pleasant life." Allen cautiously warned Michael.

"Why, who is she?" Michael curiously asked. He thought she was just the MMA club President but it seems like she had a big presence at the university. 

" You don't know her? Oh… that's right you are a freshman. Well, she can only be described as a prodigy. She graduated from college at 18 and started working a lower-management job. She performed so well that she got promoted to the COO position. She came back to do her MBA now but she is still getting tons of offers. 

Jennifer is known as one of the top CEOs of the new generation. Her only passion is Business and Martial Arts so she is very involved in both clubs. She is actually our Vice-President (VP); she would be the perfect person to help you with your entrepreneurship. You should try to get on her good side and she will help you; although she is short-tempered, she is very helpful to fellow students." Allen explained. He did not understand how Michael angered Jennifer. But it was better for Michael to make it up to her and get on her good side. 

"Hmm… that is very interesting. Thanks for letting me know." Michael thanked Allen for all his help and left. On the way back, he was thinking about all the information he received about Jennifer. It would seem that Jennifer would be the perfect person to help him with his future business ventures. Michael walked to his classes while trying to think of ways to recruit Jennifer into his company.

Michael was just an ordinary boy living in modern-day America. He grew up in an orphanage with a bleak future. One day he acquired a mysterious package only to inherit a system. Join Michael as he changes his fate and conquers his destiny; armed with a mysterious system that tries to convince him to take over the world.

This is my first novel so I would appreciate any constructive criticism and support.


This novel will also be posted on RoyalRoad.

City E National Academy was a prestigious institution that has given birth to outstanding individuals of various occupations. Among those few were skilled hunters. 

Countless young students desire to enter this school, most of them aims to qualify for a place in the famous Mana Sciences. This was the department that trains super humans, capable researchers and other personnels contributing to campaign against the monsters.

Unfortunately, the requirement were almost unreachable for ordinary person. Only those with good grades and sufficient funds are accepted. 

Those born with talent are accepted directly.

Young people, fresh from elementary gathered at the entrance of the academy, accompanied by their parents.

A young man walked towards the gate. He wasn't accompanied by anyone. This young man possessed a mature and elegant vibe, separating him from his peers. 

He had black hairs and blue eyes, wearing silver rimmed eyeglasses for fashion. A thin smile hung on his face as he walked towards the school. 

His black uniform with red stripes at the edges drew the eyes of everyone. They stepped aside and allowed the young man entry.

This was still the enrollment period, wearing a uniform could only mean one thing, the young man was a specially admitted student. The color of his uniform also indicates his department, Mana Sciences.

Young man walked quite a while before he entered a large gymnasium. A few people had already gathered inside. They saw him and called out.

"Areth, what took you so long?" 

Areth looked at his watch and he confirmed that he was just right on time.

"I'm sorry, I have to bring my siblings to the school." 

Seven years have passed peacefully. During those years, he spent his time most participating  in the Guild activities arranged by Anne, bullying his siblings, and teasing Leyfin.

When they graduated at elementary, Richard's father, their sponsor, suggest that they enter the National Academy. Areth had no problem with that, and the others were brimming with excitement. Because they have been training since childhood, their skills are incomparable to their peers and they were all accepted as special admissions.

The school allowed them to use the their facilities even before the school starts and have already reserved their rooms in their dormitories. It could be seen that the school's expectation towards them was high.

Anne had grown gorgeous. Her black hair was tied to a ponytail, her red eyes were gazing with composure. She simply stood there with an imposing aura, wearing a confident smile.

"Have you decided which course to take?" Anne asked them. Hey start to discuss their courses as school would start tomorrow.

All except Areth chose the mana manipulation and combat related courses. These techniques are fundamental for aspiring hunters like them.

Meanwhile, Areth's choice was not surprising to them, as he have been brainwashing them since a long time that he does not want to fight in the frontline. 

Hence, he chose the monster studies, rift geography and ecology, and other courses dealing mainly with information.

Anne had been opposed to his choice as she knew that she had the mysterious mage in the ring to teach him, it would be a shame to not become a hunter. Nevertheless, after spending a long time, she had finally been convinced that they needed someone who could take care of the planning and logistics.

Anne took out a stack of of paper with the words Retribution Guild on the front. Anne's face flushed slightly as she distributed the papers to to them. Even Areth felt some shame at the name of their guild, because it really sounds too edgy. The other kids did not mind it though, instead, they thought that their guild name sounds cool.

"Listen, I have registered a club so we can recruit talented students. School officially starts tomorrow, that would be the opportune time to publicize our club. What do you think?" Anne said.

Sheila spoke. "Sounds cool, however, I heard that our seniors already formed many clubs. The competition would be fierce."

Anne smiled fiercely. "Of course, all we need to do is to show off. Lian, Rachel, you two are the mage here. Prepare some tricks tomorrow."

Lian replied confidently. "Sure."

Rachel also nodded.

"Alright, I suppose everyone has no problem with their courses? Good, let's begin training."

The school gymnasium was vast, and possess the most sophisticated training equipments for aspiring hunters. Since they have the status of special admissions, they naturally took advantage of this.

Areth excused himself and returned to his dormitory. It was a room shared by two people, but currently, there was no one.

The ring in his hand glowed and projected Leyfin's image.

"It feels good be out again!" She floated around the room.

"Anyway, why did you not take the class for mage? Did you seriously intend to become a receptionist? It would be a waste of god's gift!"

"Don't worry, if a strong monster came, it would be the time for me to destroy it." Areth said as he jumped on his bed.

"Hhmp! So confident. You have yet to completely master the different variations or my fireball spell."

"Alright alright." Areth said. "I promise to learn it master."

"Child, don't get overconfident, if the demons found this world, it would be over."

Leyfin was intent on lecturing him, but she found that he had already fallen asleep. Pouting, she could only sigh and return to the ring.

Areth entered the virtual cube in the dream world. Compared to before, the bar was now surrounded by many islands. Needless to say, this was the result of him spreading the method to craft the virtual cube.

The lonely dream world had somewhat turned into a small town. He could see people strolling around.

When he entered the bar, he saw many people indulged in drinking. There was no one in the counter so anyone could just take a bottle freely. The contents would never ran out as it was an illusion. 

Areth was also contributing to humanity in a subtle way. One of his accomplishment was the library. 

Behind the counter, there was a door that leads to the library. Areth waved  a golden badge to the door and it opened.

The badge was distributed by him as Mr Adam to a select few. Only those who possess it could enter. The people drinking at the bar turned sober upon seeing the mysterious person walk inside the door. 

Having earned the right to access the dream world was a sign that they were capable and decent people, nevertheless, the library was the most mysterious place in the dream world and it was off limits to them. 
 
They only knew that it contains vast knowledge regarding magic, sword arts, fighting techniques, and all kinds of mystical knowledge. The largest organization in the world has allegedly worked together to compile their knowledge into the library. These organizations include the Light Temple, the Burning Clan, Mystery,  the guild Guardian as well as some of these higher ups in the Hunter's Association.

Areth entered the library and saw people browsing the the shelves. All of them were presumably VVIPs in the real world. Those inside adhered to a rule of non-interaction. No one would ask for someone's identity or anything of the sort.

Looking at his work, Areth felt accomplished. The first people he invited to the dream world confirmed the existence of demons and they reported it to their respective organizations. These organizations found out the threat demons possess towards mankind. They then set aside their differences to create a global organization to unify their efforts against the demons.

Dalia suggested that they use the dream world as the headquarters and let it be known only to a select few. They also agreed to combine their knowledge.

With Areth's help, they were able to create this vast library and fill the books with helpful contents. It took many years to make these books.

They have also established a system similar to the Hunter Association in the real world. They offer missions from the dream world, but all the missions were related to demons, which is currently a top secret information.

Some books containing precious martial arts or magic would serve as rewards, those who earned enough contributions would be granted the golden badge and would be able to access the library.

It could be said that the dream world has become the most powerful force in the world due to this.

Areth looked around and found a long desk. Several hooded figures were seated on it, holding small cubes in their hands. The books lying in front of them originally had empty contents, but a few moments later they would be filled with letters.

These people were the scribes from the various organizations supporting the dream world. Areth could be considered one of them since he was also transferring knowledge to the books.

Manual writing would not work on the dream world as it was already fixed, just like how the bottles of drink in the bar would never run out of contents. The only way was to use virtual cubes to create new illusions and engrave them on the books.

These scribes were dressed in the same way as him, wearing black robes and black mask that covered their faces. Everyone has different emblems on their attire, Areth's emblem was a set of interlacing circles, creating an image that resembles a flower. In some culture, it was know as the flower of life.

Areth say down and began his job of saving the world. 

When Areth was learning Leyfin's fireball spells, he never slacked. He memorized them and even asked Leyfin for permission to distribute them.

She was excited about it, she agreed as long as the authorship was named after her, she had long wanted to pass her legacy of thousand fireballs and of course, she wanted to be remembered as the one who pioneered the development of the spell.

Areth naturally complied. Fireball spell was not much of a use for him, but it might be different for others who are weak. Fireballs have low requirements, it can be easily learned and used. It was a very suitable spell for war for its long range and fast cast speed.

Leyfin's fireball spell might as well be the most precious spells in the library. Areth sincerely admired the young lady who persevered in developing such humble spell into something really powerful.

He carefully materialized the formula for the Burning Heavens Fireball and other variants in the book. He added Leyfin's name in the cover and placed it to the right section.

"Job done." Areth smiled.

A powerful wizard who was reincarnated on a foreign world decided to retire, and perhaps return to his original world.

Star Game Club was one of the biggest game clubs in the city of Haidong, and it covered an area of 500 square meters. The business area spanned from the second to the fifth floor.
Even though it was said to be a club, it had little difference from a cybercafe in the older times. However, calling it a cybercafe would make it seem too behind the times.
Compared to a traditional cyber cafe which was usually noisy and cramped, Star Game Club was almost filled to the brim. However, other than the small chatter of the technicians and servants, it was completely silent. In the slightly broad room, green and blue light shined from the virtual helmets and virtual games.
Tap...tap…
"Eh, did some games end early? Please go and check whether the customers that have woken up from virtual game cabin zone C need any help."
"Alright, captain."
A series of beeps could be heard, and the servants and captains were familiar with the strange noise. It was the sound made before the virtual game cabin opened up.
A few female servants went to zone C, and the virtual game cabins in zone C started to open without any sound, and the players started to wake up. They opened their eyes and looked dazed, then realized that they had returned to reality.
One by one, the teenagers walked out of the cabin and stretched themselves. Many people stamped on the ground to remove the discomfort from returning to reality.
"This broken game server had another problem. If it ends at the usual time, my rank will have gone to the top 500!"
"Nonsense, it's not even that easy to get into the top 500 at all. Even though our game area only includes players from Haidong and a few other surrounding smaller cities, the population could very well exceed a few million. Even getting in the top 1000 is not easily done by us newbies. Speaking of this, brother "***" didn't even qualify for the top 1000. I thought he was going to be in the top 10."
"You're right. Brother "***" is my idol. He's such a badass while remaining anonymous. The elites in the black knight guild in the arena were all utterly defeated. Winning more than a hundred consecutive times while dominating over them was such a thrill!"
"It is thrilling! However, what is "***" ? It should be 'anonymous'! His name must be determined by the server to be an unspeakable name, which is why only stars show up in his name!"
A bunch of players started a heated discussion after coming out from the virtual cabin. But before they could continue with the discussion, they started arguing just because of a player name.
They were players who just came out from the game, "Wizards World: The Foundation."
Chen Bing too came out from the game cabin and walked past the players while putting his hand in his pocket. As he heard them, he lost his balance and almost fell to the ground.
Glancing at them and realizing nobody recognized him, Chen Bing hastily walked out of Star Game Club with a guilty conscience.
Brother "***", or "anonymous," that were mentioned by the players were both him.
His name in the game was the five *'s.
Normally, a name like that would not be possible to create. Many players in the arena believed that he had given himself a restricted name, and somehow cheated the system. After entering the game his name was detected once again by the system, and it became a series of "*****".
However, Chen Bing swore that his weird name had nothing to do with that!
Two months ago, Chen Bing used the virtual helmet to enter the game "Homeland" for the first time. However, while building his character, problems in the game occured.
Just before starting the game, Chen Bing investigated the game forums in advance as his preparations.
Somebody in the forum mentioned metaphysics, stating that a player's name may indirectly affect their attribute growth in the game.
Chen Bing did not quite believe him. While building his character, he built it muscularly and gave it a name of "I Want Strength!"
However, just as he was about to confirm the name, the game started to crash, and just as it resumed, the muscular character that he designed was gone, and in its place was a teenager that looked similar to his actual body. Even worse, his name was changed to a string of * characters!
Who are they kidding!
Chen Bing wanted to smash his helmet into pieces. What is with this broken game!
After calming down, Chen Bing wanted to delete the character and rebuild it only to realize that he could not even do that. Characters that were built could not be deleted! He was furious.
Chen Bing could only accept his fate helplessly. After using this weird name to log into the game, nobody recognized him in the virtual world.
That was the first time that he caused a game server to have problems. He entered into the tutorial and completed the tutorials and got his awards, and he did not think much about it after that.
"Let's eat something hot, then do a check up in the hospital!"
After getting out from Star Game Club, Chen Bing felt cold and his stomach growled.
Even though the virtual game cabin could lower metabolism by a huge amount, energy was still needed while playing the game.
　　…
Being a highly modernized megacity, Haidong City had three famous hospitals, which were the First Haidong Hospital, People of Haidong's Hospital, and the Hospital of the Medical Department of the University of Haidong.
All three hospitals had their own advantages, and it was hard to determine which was the best. However, if popularity among young people was considered, then it had to be the Hospital of the Medical Department of the University of Haidong.
There were a lot of beautiful students that went to that hospital to do their rotations and further their studies and it had become a feature of that hospital.
There were times when people who went to that hospital to do a check up ended up getting a partner. Therefore, it became a first choice for young people when they needed to go to the hospital.
Other than that, there were plenty of youthful nurses and doctors...how could they compare to the other two hospitals which only had old ladies?
We need to dream big. What if luck was on your side and you successfully hooked up with a beautiful doctor or nurse?
Simply thinking about the japanese nurses in movies made teenagers excited.
There were quite a lot of people who came to the hospital for work, but nobody knew that recently, a famous movie star, Su Ya, also went to the hospital to become a nurse in preparation for her latest movie.
"Miss, you've finally showed up. I couldn't get through to your phone and was wondering if you were kidnapped."
Wearing a face mask and full white nurse attire showed off Su Ya's awesome figure. Luckily it was an affiliated hospital, and there were many interns here. Or else, Su Ya would not have easily escaped the eyes of pervert men even if she tried to blend in.
Su Ya returned to the resting room, took off her mask and untied her hair. The lady who was waiting anxiously in the resting room finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She was Su Ya's manager, Li Qingqing, a rare beautiful manager in the entertainment industry.
"What's the fuss? There was no kidnapping. There was an unusual guy who needed a special check up, and I was helping at the side and could not open my phone."
Su Ya smiled and it made people feel pleasant. It was because of this smile that she was constantly surrounded by fans.
"Unusual guy?" As she saw Su Ya was fine, Li Qingqing was relieved and asked out of curiosity.
Su Ya was used to situations like this. For her to claim that someone was unusual was pretty unusual for her.
"A veteran. He has a rare A class medical treatment listed on his veteran discharge papers. It was not a normal check up; he was immediately sent to the VIP lane. Our movie had a similar scene, which is why I was helping." Su Ya nodded.
"A veteran with A class treatment? It could not be; usually armies with A class treatments belong to the special forces. Their tasks are usually very dangerous, and they might get injured if they are not careful, so they need the treatment. However, after their retirement, their treatment class would be downgraded. Could there be a mistake?
Li Qingqing frowned as she listened.
To encourage their citizens to join the army, Hua Xia would give the army all kinds of special treatments. As for healthcare, all veterans would get a D class treatment, where they were able to do a free check up once a year. Other than the basic medical subsidies for medical treatment, they were entitled to additional discounts too.
However, the A class treatment was only a privilege for important ministers and certain special forces of the army. It was strange to see a veteran enjoying A class medical treatment.
Suddenly, Su Ya's phone in her pocket started to ring, and her expression changed as she listened to the call.
"What happened?" Li Qingqing knew Su Ya best, and she knew something was up.
"You're right. The finance department called me over and told me that his veteran certificate had some problems and the review of the transaction failed. It is highly likely that his certificate is invalid."
Su Ya smiled bitterly.
"Are they asking you to take the blame?"
As Li Qingqing saw Su Ya's face, she guessed.
When the bill could not be reimbursed, somebody had to take the blame. As Su Ya did not reveal her true identity, and she was affiliated with this incident, naturally she was the perfect person to take the blame.
"Let me make a call." Li Qingqing took up her phone and prepared to call. As her manager, she could not let a star under her care undergo such an embarrassment.
"It's okay. It's hard for the others too. I'll take the blame this time, it might be good experience."
Su Ya was not too concerned and stopped Li Qinqing with a smile on her face.
She would be leaving the hospital after two days. She took it as a good deed of the day.
At the same time, in the hospital finance department.
A middle-aged lady put her phone down and glared at a young female medical staff and said, "How many times has this been? Be alert while you're working. How do you even do work when you can't even confirm a person's identity?"
The young female medical worker lowered her head and did not dare say anything. She wanted to tell her that it showed that he was a veteran which had A class treatment, but it had changed when it was here for some reason.
"Director, Director Zhang, why don't we lodge a police report, so that that person cannot escape."
After thinking, the young female medical worker suggested with a weak tone.
"What are you thinking! Isn't the incident big enough? You want more people to know about it? If not for your family, I would have you fired this instant! You'd better follow my instructions properly, or else don't regret what you've done!"
Director Zhang warned her sternly.


Have you ever wanted to use magic as in Wuxia stories, use martial arts in a Western fantasy game, or create the Destroyer battleship in a game like StoneAge?
“Homeland” is a game that includes all games. Players can access various games through Homeland. While experiencing different kinds of games, players get to obtain rare equipment and skills, and bring these items to other games through Homeland and become the best of the best in that game!
Chen Bing enjoyed Homeland, but it was not long before he realized that there seemed to be a bug inside his body, which caused the game servers to crash and fail.
“Time Rewind?”
As he crashed the game servers for the fifth time, he realized that he is equipped with an overpowered skill!

virtual book club

Book Club

King of Film

Level Up Legacy

Super Science & Fast Romance

Lord of the Mysteries

Nightmare at Club X

The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Supreme Emperor System

Mage King Retires

There’s A Bug In Me

People search virtual book club also like: