The Rise of Phoenixes - Chapter 209

In a far-flung future where humanity has colonised the stars, evolution has taken a new leap. Powers once thought to be myths now lie dormant within the genes of every human, waiting to be awakened.The cosmos is governed by powerful factions, alien empires, and bio-enhanced elites.Those awakeners with unique abilities that could shape the fate of the galactic empire were called Overlords.Hex, a seemingly ordinary orphan who was born with a special physique, was withheld from graduation after defeating elite students who had awakened powers.Just as he thought his fate was sealed, on an unexpected day, he awakened his power.It was the ability to copy any talent or genetic ability, which was looked down upon by everyone on the list of superpowers due to a glaring weakness.The copied power wasn’t permanent.However, Hex’s ability had overcome that weakness.From physical strengthening to psychic control, from elemental manipulation to spatial distortion and even powers beyond imagination, he could copy them all.But such a gift comes at a cost.Once his secret was known, he would be hunted by empires, feared by Overlords, and sought after by secret societies. Hex would unknowingly become the most wanted entity in the galaxy.Thrown into an interstellar war, Hex must navigate political treachery, ruthless bounty hunters, and ancient forces that lie beyond known space in order to survive, as he builds his strength by mastering the powers of others.

[Cute Baby • Sweet & Satisfying • Contract Signed]A missing billionaire lands—half-dead—on her couch.Five years earlier she crawled out of a fire her own blood set. Now she’s back, four-year-old sidekick in tow, to save the stranger she found on her doorstep.He looks harmless, eats her snacks, then—snap!—shreds the white-lotus neighbor, gifts hugs, kisses, and a life that suddenly runs on easy mode.Wait a minute, why are those people respectfully calling him CEO…?!

After being torn from the only life she knew, 16-year-old Margo is forced into a new home with strangers who call themselves her parents. Haunted by memories of her past and consumed by feelings of isolation, she struggles to adapt to her unfamiliar surroundings. School offers little relief—until she meets Lucien, a mysterious boy who appears just when she needs a friend the most.Gabriel is everything Margo needs: kind, attentive, and always ready to whisk her away from her troubles. Each night, he invites her to secret places—an abandoned playground, a fog-choked garden, a crumbling train station at the edge of town—each more unsettling than the last. Yet with every chilling rendezvous, Margo feels more alive... more seen.But something isn’t right. Gabriel never comes to school during the day. Her adoptive parents never see him. And when they catch her talking to thin air, their concern deepens into fear. They say Gabriel isn't real—that he’s a figment of her imagination. Margo wants to believe them, but Gabriel feels real. More real than anything else in her life.As the nights grow colder and more twisted, Gabriel’s true nature begins to surface. Shadows move where they shouldn’t. Time warps in his presence. And the places they visit seem to echo with whispers from another world. Margo is forced to ask herself: Who—or what—is Gabriel? Why does he only want her? And what will happen on the final night he asks her to come with him?As the line between reality and delusion begins to crumble, Margo must make an impossible choice: stay in a world where she feels loved, or return to one that barely feels real.But one thing is certain—some friendships never let go.

The Peng Society for Gentlemen — a secret friend-making club for the homosexual men of the Great Xia Dynasty. Its services were designed to help its members along in their quest for their lifelong partners. Upon paying a monthly fee of fifty coins, members could get themselves listed in The Pengornisseur after providing a self-portrait, a mailing address, their age and hobbies, as well as a self-introduction. All members would receive a copy of the monthly publication, and they could communicate with one another in private using the information in The Pengornisseur.

Wu Xingzi, a bachelor about to turn forty, worked as the adviser to the magistrate in Qingcheng County.

Qingcheng County was a place with barely any resources. In other words, it was poor. In the list of counties of the Great Xia Dynasty, it had been ranked at the bottom for the past two hundred years.

Wu Xingzi felt that his life was hopeless: not only was he a homosexual, he was also a virgin. Even his retirement fund was lacking. Worse still, his looks were… forgettable.

He might as well die.

Hence, Wu Xingzi decided to commit suicide on his fortieth birthday. However, he was unwilling to remain a virgin to death! And so, gritting his teeth, he joined the Peng Society for Gentlemen and received The Pengornisseur. It was very painful; after all, fifty coins were the sum of his daily expenditure for ten days! He would only pay it once, and he was determined to succeed on his first try.