CULTIVATION WITH CHAKRAS - Chapter 8: Alchemist in Shadow

He’s her stepbrother, her sin and her biggest mistake waiting to happen.Catherine Brown thought moving in with her mother’s new husband couldn’t be harder until she met the cold, arrogant and sinfully attractive Julian Vaughn, her stepbrother.He hates her, teases her and gets under her skin everyday. He’s everything she should stay away from, off-limits and untouchable.But when his anger turns into something darker and hungrier, when he looks at her like he wants to ruin her innocence, Catherine realizes danger has a new name.And no matter how hard she tries, she can’t stop wanting the one man she’s not supposed to have.When hate turns to desire, who’s really in control?EXCERPT✨“You’ve never had sex before?” Julian asked, disbelief flickering in his eyes.Catherine hesitated, then nodded, staring at the floor instead of him.He bit his lower lip, trying to rein in the thoughts crowding his mind. Goodness, she was too innocent for her own good.“So all you did with your previous boyfriends were just kisses and smooches?”She immediately stood, her cheeks flushed. “There are no boyfriends,” she blurted. “I’ve never even been kissed. Please don’t laugh at me.”Laugh? Hell no. Julian wasn’t laughing. He was fighting the urge to pull her close. Knowing she’d never been touched only made his hunger worse.She didn’t realize he’d moved until his breath brushed her ear, his voice dropping low and dangerous.“Catherine, just say the word and I’ll show you what it means to be touched by a man.”Her heart stuttered in her chest and he could hear every beat.

Synopsis: System Awakening in Elegia – The System Activates!Jessie never imagined his life would end so abruptly—only to begin again in the world of One Piece. Reincarnated in Elegia, the Land of Music, he finds himself in a peaceful yet melancholic scene. Before him lies a motionless Uta, cradled gently in the arms of the infamous Red-Haired Shanks. Jessie, still powerless and stunned, can only watch as her life slowly fades.Frustrated by his helplessness and lack of strength, he suddenly hears a sound echo in his mind:[DING!][“Supreme Check-In System initializing... 1%... 100% complete.”]A voice rings out in his head, calm and mechanical—but filled with promise. The Supreme Check-In System has fully loaded. Its ability? Every time Jessie sets foot on a new island, he receives a heaven-defying reward.Stunned and thrilled, Jessie asks, “Do I have a novice reward?”[DING!][“Yes. Claim with your mind.”]Without hesitation, he shouts in his thoughts, “CLAIM!”DING![Congratulations! You have received the Sword God Inheritance (MAX)][Congratulations! You have received the 3-Domineering System (MAX)][Congratulations! You have received the One Fruit: Supreme Resurrection System]Eyes wide and heart pounding, Jessie grins with uncontrollable joy.“System, I love you so much! You’re the best! Hahaha!”With unimaginable power now coursing through him, Jessie sets his sights on rewriting destiny—starting with saving Uta, and eventually challenging the very balance of the seas!

Li Zhizhi was taken back to the capital at the age of fifteen to recognize her ancestral roots. As the true eldest daughter of the Li family, she should have been cherished. However, everyone preferred Li Suwan, who was knowledgeable, polite, and clever. As for Li Zhizhi, she grew up in a remote and impoverished village, ignorant of the ways of the world, and her name even carried a sense of disdain.