The Place You Called From - Volume 1, Chapter 2: Fleeting Summer

In a world where strength is measured by the beasts you command, only a few ever reach the peak — and even fewer survive the journey beyond it.Aether was just an orphan in a forgotten city, someone with no family, no background, and no future. During the Beast Contract Ceremony, everyone expected him to fail… or at best obtain a weak creature.Instead, he formed a contract with what appeared to be the most useless beast of all — a Fire Pup.But what no one knows is that Aether possesses a power that should not exist.His beasts can evolve without limit.While others struggle for years and risk their lives to gather rare materials, Aether’s beasts grow stronger simply by fighting beside him. As he rises through factions, battles powerful enemies, and unlocks ancient evolutions, the truth about his mysterious origin slowly begins to surface.Hidden bloodlines.A sister imprisoned by the rulers of evolution.And a secret tied to the legendary Ascension Gates that connect three universes.What begins as the journey of a forgotten orphan soon becomes something far greater.Because the Fire Pup that everyone mocked…Was destined to become a Hell Cerberus.And Aether was never meant to be ordinary.He was meant to become the Beast Monarch.---

I lived a mediocre life. Trapped in the simulation of everyday mundanity, the 'Matrix' you might call it. The world killed my dreams, hurt my innocence, but I moved on just fine, struggling everyday to keep living.Until it came out of nowhere, without warning: The Apocalypse.I fought to survive. I lived alone in a world where all dead humans turned to undead. But, there was only so little the average human could do against creatures with superhuman strength. So I died. It was the end.Or was it?“From one cage to another.”I opened my eyes to a world where normal reasoning was as good as garbage. A world ruled by men with superhuman strength. A medieval world with swords and... No magic. Just swords and weapons. But still, that medieval world was not so medieval. It was a crazy place, a world that I couldn't fully understand.So I decided. I'll live because I lack the resolve to end myself. I'll live because i'm a coward. I'll live because in the end, I'll die of old age anyway. But before I die, I'll figure out the truth and secrets of this world. Just for the sake of it.And what's the best way to see the world in its entirety? Of course, it's to stand at the highest summit. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. So watch me rise.

D-list celebrity Zhong Ruanxing had been embroiled in controversies over her sultry figure ever since her debut. Smear campaigns and malicious rumors clung to her like a shadow. Years of oppression from higher-ups and sabotage by rivals made it difficult for her to shake off her reputation as a femme fatale, severely hindering her career.

Song Jingxing, CEO of the prestigious Song Group, graduated top of his class and stirred up storms in the business world with his capabilities. An aloof presence at the pinnacle of power, his interpersonal relationships were a mess, with even family keeping their distance. People loathed his attitude.

A freak accident caused these two very different people to swap bodies.

What they thought would be an arduous ordeal turned out to be an unexpected boon. Each found they could easily resolve issues that had plagued the other.

The celebrity living the CEO’s daily life: Greeted his family affectionately, treated subordinates with care, gave employees benefits, complimented his secretary’s new hairstyle—starting the day with vigor!

The CEO as celebrity: Trampled over rivals, tore apart enemies, sent lawyers after antis. Whoever dared provoke him would die! The CEO was whipping the entertainment industry into shape!

Much later, netizens posted:

[Who is Zhong Ruanxing’s backer? Her resources are too good now. From nobody to A-lister, whose thighs did she hug to get here?]

Online influencers hurried to speculate about the magnate behind Zhong Ruanxing.

Until the famously aloof CEO of the Song Group responded: I’m pouring resources into my own girlfriend. Got a problem with that?

In the spring of year 6823 of the New Calendar, Lu Xuan, an unregistered resident of the Federation, hid outside a high school classroom and secretly learned a Cultivation Skill, embarking on the path of Cultivation.On the same day, he returned home and had a dream, just as he always did. In the dream, he was in the Guardian Storage Room during the Spring and Autumn Period in Chinese history（770-481 BCE）, and the current Keeper of the Records was named Li Er, also known as Laozi.Later, Lu Xuan dreamed that he became the succeeding Keeper of the Records, became Confucius's second teacher, became the senior brother of Zhang Daoling, the Ancestral Celestial Master, and became the honorary father of the First Emperor...Even later, someone unearthed a roll of bamboo slips from the ground, on which an event was recorded.[The eighteenth Keeper of the Records, Lu Xuan, his Sword Qi like a waterfall, assassinated Duke Huan of Qi in his bedchamber]