Cultivation Through Artifacts - Chapter 76: New 'Status' Unlocked!

There were three rules to working for CEO Karsten Chevalier.First, bring his coffee brimming hot and black like a starless night.Second, park your attitude outside his office door—his broody demeanour has the room covered.Third, never say ‘No’ to whatever he demands. Not even when he asks you to become his fake girlfriend?(Synopsis)Arata's fiance dumped her through a text on the day of their engagement party. The reason? She is too curvy for his taste!He only entertained her because of her prestigious family name.“Do you think men want a fatso like you? You're nothing without your family's name!”A heartbroken Arata sets out on a journey to discover herself without revealing she is the daughter of a billionaire. She moves to another city, away from her beloved family.‘How dare he insult me? I love my curves and I will show him.’ Arata is not a damsel; her parents have raised her strong, and now it is time to become independent.Her heart is ablaze with newfound goals.One: to see how people will treat her if she acts like an ordinary girl and hides her identity.Two: to bag a bigger fish than her stinking—joke of an ex-fiancé.She will prove that a man will genuinely love her irrespective of her curves and surname!Arata's new life begins as the secretary of Karsten Chevalier, the CEO of a multinational clothing brand who is renowned for his dashing personality and enigmatic persona. Not much is publicly known about this man.Doused in mystery, the man has his own goals and hidden agenda which will topple Arata's world.Unfortunately, Karsten's handsome face becomes a punching bag in Arata's mind because of his ruthlessly demanding personality and ego larger than Mount Everest.Arata eases her frustrations by going to meet Twisted Rider, the currently popular yet mysterious, masked internet sensation.Both tangle under the sheets and he becomes her safe space as she complains and opens up about her boss.“Will you act as my girlfriend?”Karsten's proposal to become a fake girlfriend for his family events surprised Arata!How will Arata juggle the piling demands of her boss, her own heartbreak and the seduction traps of the masked man she loves to watch in her spare time?Will sparks fly between Arata and her colder-than-Arctic ice boss? Or, will she continue to complain to the masked man that her boss probably has a small PP?This is my entry for WSA 2025, please support it with your power stones.The book is a sequel to my previous novel “The CEO of My Dreams Returned To Me.” But it can read as standalone.A special thanks to Author Hansora for the overwhelming support and encouraging me to publish this book and helping me with the book cover.Want to chat or have any questions regarding the book? Find me on Instagram, Facebook and Discord with the same name.

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.

The suicide of a high school girl following the rejection of her crush whom she confessed to roused the soul of a Scorpio* Marshal from her 200 million years of slumber — she reincarnated into the body of Xuan Mo. And so, she decided to live on Earth on behalf of the girl! However, it was quite the miserable situation for an alien to own two different sets of memories. She had to use her peculiar mental power to peep into the previous owner’s memories regarding everyday, mundane matters while trying to rein in her cutting aura pretending to be a normal human…

But her shocking performance during military training definitely must have floored everyone. Okay fine, her incredible finesse aside, what’s with the consecutive bullseye for every single round during their shooting competition? Was this something a normal female student is able to achieve? Shouldn’t you explain yourself a little damnit! And what’s with the multiple grade jumps, and being contended for by the various prestigious universities? What kinda havoc you try’na wreck with your low-key flaunting? I mean it’s a good thing she’s caught the eye of a special organisation and was entrusted with important tasks, but what’s with all aloof rule-breaking gameplay? She’s practically the walking definition of “hated by even the gods”.

What’s even stranger was that Xuan Mo’s only ever interested in warring matters and battling; she’ll only ever pay her ferociously blooming blossom luck as much heed as she minds the passing cloud with the mindset of crossing the bridge when she reaches it (wipes sweat) and can you be less insensitive when handling the various Earthlings’ endless crushing and eye-candying you?!

This all screeches to a halt however when she discovers the existence of someone else from her home-planet, so she’ll be needing a raincheck with the getting a “spouse” part of mortal life on the Blue Planet. Of course, we’re discussing this on the premise that she wanted to return home…

* T/N: 天蝎星 = scorpio; may be referring to the star sign “Scorpio” or the planet called “Scorpio Planet” (to be determined later in the story)

He rose from abjection and achieved eternity in glory.
He embraced the prettiest beauties and killed the strongest opponents.
He was able to shift the clouds into rain and cover the sky with one hand.
He could overrun the entire world and go anywhere as he pleased.
He pacified wars and held the world in awe.
He was matchless in the world.
However, his hair turned white overnight for his beloved woman and he was on the verge of death.
He was surrounded by enemies who were trying to take his life.
He struggled his way to become mighty and fought for everything he cherished.
For this age, he was the only king of the Dark World.
His name was a byword for might.
As a man living in the world, his only ideal was to pursue brilliance.

- Description from Novelupdates