Beers and Beards - Chapter 31Book 4: : Green

She breaks all the rules.When master thief Xavier Valentine died, he caught the attention of Calypso, the Goddess of Reincarnation who turned death into her personal gameshow. But rather than simply send him to a new life, she made an unprecedented choice:She followed him in.Now trapped in a world of magic until seven Primordial Gates are cleared, Calypso and Xavier form an unlikely alliance. He needs to level up to survive. She needs entertainment to stay sane. The prestigious Catalyst Academy needs them to stop causing chaos for five minutes.They're probably going to disappoint everyone.In a world where dungeons hold divine secrets and ancient gates lead to untold power, one thing is certain:This goddess isn't letting her favorite soul leave her alone.

The Great Norther Wall. The Dragon Knights. The Lords of the Winter Mountains. The Descendants of the Primordial Dragon. These are the various titles of the Grand Ducal Clan Ragnar, which boasted a rich, thousand year history. Theo Ragnar resolved himself to aiming for the throne of that very same clan. ‘These cursed chains weren’t something I could slip out of. They were meant to be broken with strength.’

Qi Condensation. Foundation Establishment. Core Formation. In the current world, only these three realms are known to be achievable. Nascent Soul is but a legend and the realms above it lost to the the long river of time. The modern era is known as Cultivation Civilization, a balance of power and civility, excess and moderation. While cultivation remains a secret practice, it has long since exposed itself to the mundane world, quietly intertwined with each facet of society. While the world appears to be at peace, what lies underneath is a conflict between human, cultivator, and demon, brewing for ages and waiting to implode. Yet in the wake of humanity’s rapid industrialization, qi—and consequently cultivation—is dying.

Some exist with pride, others struggle with pride, some compete with pride, and there are those who fail with pride, but very few can walk away with pride.Congratulations, for as you read these lines, you have witnessed the whole lives of many great basketball players.This pronunciation was embodied when Stephen Curry, after facing defeat in 2021, claimed that no one would want to face them the following season; When Tim Duncan was convinced before the start of the 2014 Finals that they would not mess up; When Kobe Bryant promised at Old Buss's memorial to take the Lakers to the playoffs; When Nowitzki, shedding his label as a soft player, retreated to the locker room in tears at night; When Kevin Garnett let out a skyward howl after holding the championship trophy; When the 2004 Detroit Pistons won and the F4 Lakers lost…Our story begins in an era when pride still mattered.