The Eerie Immortal Path: Begin by Devouring Fairy Flesh - Chapter 20 – In the Heavenly Lotus Sect, one can choose not to be active, but cannot choose to not exist

In a world where strength determines one’s future, William, an orphan with no extraordinary talents, faces a grim destiny—until a brutal attack leaves him clinging to life. Instead of death, he awakens to a mysterious and powerful entity lurking within his mind: the Shadow System, a game-like interface that promises him unimaginable power. But this power comes with dark secrets, and refusing it would mean his death. Forced into a pact with a voice that can hear his every thought, William must navigate a dangerous new reality where shadow abilities and celestial power collide. As he enters the prestigious military academy, his newfound abilities draw both allies and enemies, all while a deadly conspiracy brews in the shadows. With the odds stacked against him, William must unravel the mystery of the Shadow System and decide whether to embrace the darkness within—or be consumed by it. His journey from a bullied outcast to a potential god will challenge not just his survival, but his very humanity. Power always comes at a cost—will William be able to pay the price? “What am I?” William asked the system. The system’s voice echoed in his head, cold and indifferent. “You are nothing.”

Upon awakening, Lu Xuan found himself as an ordinary spirit plant cultivator, tending to an acre of land merely scraping by in the realm of cultivation.Fortunately, he stumbled upon an unexpected revelation: with each maturing spiritual plant, he received additional rewards.Harvesting a The Firefly Grass yielded a Golden Sword Technique.From the Blood-Devouring Vine, he obtained a Purification Talisman.And the Phantom Spring Flower gifted him a prescription for the elusive Luminous Flame Pill.Henceforth, he contentedly tended to his own spiritual fields, observing the tumultuous tides and shifts in the world of cultivation.“Duels and clashes, expeditions into secret realms, immortal fortunes, obtaining mystical treasures… None of it concerns me!”“I simply wish for peace and quiet to tend to my fields.”

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.

Since a young age, Su Qing already knew she was adopted and that her adopted parents didn’t like her. Hence, she learned to be independent as a child and became quite aloof. Aside from being slightly warmer toward her grandmother who she had lived with, she was indifferent to everyone else. Fearful that Su Qing’s mental health might be affected after her grandmother’s death, the doctors helped Su Qing find her biological parents and threatened them into taking Su Qing back.

However, once Su Qing returned to Su Manor, she was immediately cornered by her five older brothers, all warning her not to get too close to them! Su Qing, who held no expectations for the Su family, chose to ignore them. To everyone’s surprise, after a certain period of time, these five brothers seemed to have changed and kept hounding Su Qing.

Big Brother: This luxury mansion is for you. Do you like it? Second Brother: I heard you like sports cars. I just acquired this company, so just tell them what kind of sports car you like and they’ll make it for you. Third Brother: There’s a hundred million yuan in this card. Just ask me for more if this isn’t enough. Fourth Brother, carrying his laptop: I have scandals on everyone. You can see them all! Popular hunk Fifth Brother: I’ll scold whoever bullies you with my main social media account! When a man, who was kicked under the bed the first time they met, appeared at Su Manor’s door, asking Su Qing to proceed with their marriage as promised, all five brothers flew into a rage. “Scram! She’s our sister!” The man said, “Excuse me, she’s my wife.”