The world after the gods are gone. The Entitled Gifter has spoken. Mortals shall now gain power and must go beyond being a mere mortal and stove for power. This is the start of espers and how they then changed from hero’s to gods!


Four days later, Michael returned to human form. Twilight slid into a murky grey night as he picked his way barefoot through the tall grasses at the back of the cabin. Crisp air whispered across his bare skin, and he shivered hard in the absence of fur, his earth encrusted hands merely scraping his arms as he rubbed them to encourage blood to flow.
Inside was only marginally warmer. Michael swept the blanket off his bed and swung it over his shoulders, tugging it tight to his chest as he grimaced at where the wood stove sulked in its nook. "In a minute," he murmured, lowering himself to perch on the edge of the armchair. His body ached. Cuts, thorns and scratches pocked his skin, and when he held out his hands, remnants of rabbit fur and blood encrusted his nails. Michael clutched the blanket tighter. There was no point in dwelling on what had happened; he'd been overcome with emotion and his wolf had taken charge in a bid to protect him. Yes, his wolf remained in more control than he liked, but on waking that morning with an awareness of being ready to return to human form, the animal had relinquished control with no resistance. "It's not the end of the world," he decided aloud. He'd fallen off the wagon, but considering how he'd been wolfed out for four months solid not too long ago, it was a huge achievement for his wolf to have complied with such calm.
Michael decided to shower. His aching muscles would have preferred hot water, but when he emerged from under the icy jets, his skin now tight with cold instead of dirt, his blood was flowing with heat.
The stove cradled low flames before he turned his attention to food. A simple meal of rice and vegetables filled his plate when he sat, and with cheer warming the cabin as he ate, Michael welcomed the sense of peace infusing his being. Whether he deserved it or not he chose to ignore. Tonight, he wanted to sleep in his rickety bed and wake to a new day of sustained existing.

Charlie Simmonds' aged water pump died three days later. Michael stood over it, spanner in one hand, hammer in the other. He was sorely tempted to send it off with a volley of wallops, but decided against it; temper tantrums needed to be kept in check, and it wasn't the deceased water pump that had him spitting nails, it was the fact he had to return to Rochfort to find a replacement.
Not surprisingly, Rochfort didn't have a hardware store. What it did have however, was a pretty impressive salvage yard a short distance out of the town. Michael liked the owner, Ed, within seconds of finding him in the sprawling lanes of salvage. He was a gruff, short man with a worrying lack of teeth, but a straight-up attitude. Anything Michael wanted he could get, simple as. And better still, there were no questions about who he was, where he lived, why he lived there and if he'd had any trouble with the wildlife. Ed simply scribbled Michael's order into  a tatty notebook and ordered he go take a look at the hoard of salvage, calling after him with a reminder that all prices were negotiable.
Michael found himself in awe of the massive collection. The salvage ranged from door handles to hubcaps and everything in between. Some was of no interest, but other pieces caught his attention; the engine parts especially. Aware of how being elbow-deep in a stripped engine would pass many days, Michael filled his arms and headed for Ed's office.
Ed gave him a fair price and he left the yard in a much better mood than the one in which he'd arrived. The prospect of tinkering away on his jeep and the cabin held endless appeal; intricate work would occupy his mind and keep him on an even keel of existing.
Rain was falling hard on Rochfort as Michael drove down the main street. It was a typical early spring cloudburst, complete with hailstones that landed on his jeep with a deafening clatter. As he neared the edge of the town, his mind preoccupied with the salvage rattling in his boot, a woman stepped out in front of him, waving her arms with exaggerated desperation. He came alongside without needing to ask what the emergency was. Her car was pulled over, a cloud of white steam billowing out from under the bonnet. As soon as he lowered his window he could also hear the high-pitched cry of a baby.
"Please, could you help me?" she called out over the pounding rain. "I don't know what to do! The steam came from nowhere!"
"Get into your car," Michael told her, seeing how her light coat was already drenched through. "I'll take a look."
"Thank you, thank you so much!" She didn't return to her car however. Instead, she chose to stand beside him as he popped the bonnet. "What do you think it is?" she pushed, the second the steam cleared enough for Michael to see the engine.
"The cooling system. There could be a problem with the hose, or the radiator."
"I can drive it home though, can't I?"
"I wouldn't advise it. No."
She let out a sound of desperation and the baby tucked into the rear of her car wailed louder as if sensing its mother's distress. "Could I borrow your phone?" she asked. "My battery died while I was trying to call my husband."
"I don't have a phone." The bonnet shut with a loud clap.
"Oh." The woman drew a wet sleeve across her forehead. Her baby's squeal rose a pitch higher. "Not to worry, I'll use the phone in Black's. I'll just wait until the shower passes; I can't take Jason out in this rain. Thanks for your help, though."
Michael looked over the roof of her car to where Black's sat in the distance. It was a considerable walk. If he offered to drive, it would mean conversation he didn't want. "Give me your husband's number," he decided. "I'll call him. You stay here with your baby."
The woman's eyebrows shot halfway up her forehead. It wasn't the offer she had expected. "Um, yes, okay, yes," she stammered, and hurried to open the passenger door to root in her handbag.
Water snaked down Michael's back as he waited. His clothes were now soaked through and a distant rumble of thunder promised more rain was to come.
"Here."
A crumpled receipt was handed over. On the back was a name and number. "That's Robert's number," she told him. "My name is Samantha. Be sure and tell him we're okay, otherwise he'll panic."
Michael took the slip of paper as she got back into her car. He returned to the jeep, swiping water off his face as he swung round. How was it this damned town always managed to suck him into conversing with people?  
The bar appeared unattended when Michael pushed through the door. A handful of customers had their attention turned to a game on the television, but as they all had drinks in front of them, he guessed someone had to be serving. A clink of glass alerted him to activity behind the bar. When he leaned over, Miss Chatterbox was on her hunkers, cleaning out one of the small fridges. "Where's the pay phone?" he asked, not caring if he sounded as cranky as he felt.
His demand prompted a glare. "Hello, how are you today?"came her pointed reply before she nodded towards a door at the side of the bar, "through that door and on your left."
Michael followed her directions. With little grace he made the call and hung up before names could be swapped, or thanks offered. When he returned to the bar, his only thought was getting back to the cabin and into dry clothes.
"Your mystery messenger was tall, well-built with curly hair," a reluctant voice announced.
Michael faltered at the random statement, throwing a sideways glance to see if it was him being addressed. Once he saw the narked glare aimed at him, he guessed it was. "Pardon?"
"Tall, well-built with curly, dark hair," she repeated, "the man who left that envelope here for you. Tony said the guy looked like he could be your brother."
"My brother?"
"Yes," she said, already turning away to continue with her task.
"Wait," he asked as she moved to duck down again. Michael came to the counter edge. "Has he been back? Did he say he'd be back?"
"No."
"Did he leave a name?"
"No."
She disappeared and a vexed rattle of glass bottles cracked out.
Michael leaned over the bar. Only the top of her head was visible as she filled the fridge with bottles. "Thanks," he forced out.
"Oh, you're so welcome," came her drawled, insincere reply.
 The rain was thinning when Michael pulled up beside the woman's car again. Through the open window he passed on her husband's message that she wait until he get there. She thanked him a little more graciously than the girl in the bar, but with enough coolness for him to know she didn't approve of his strange behaviour either. At that moment he didn't care what a single person in the town thought of him. His only concern was the description of the man who had dropped off the envelope. It had to be Blake.
Blake Creedon had been Michael's closest friend. They had grown up together in Blackwater Ridge, and because they looked so alike had been dubbed 'The Grizzly Brothers.' Blake had suffered the same mind control as Michael, however Blake hadn't taken lives. When the shell-shocked pack had gathered outside the pack house on the night Simon Northfell had been sucked into oblivion, they had called for Michael to take Simon's place as Alpha. If he had accepted, if he had even wanted to accept, Blake would have been his Beta. In another world, one where he wasn't a murderer, he would have been overcome with pride to accept the role of Alpha with Blake as his right-hand man.
Not one single mile of his journey back to the cabin registered with Michael. The entire drive passed in a blur of racing thoughts and mutters. But by the time he found his hands filling the kettle at the sink, he had decided it was Blake who had come to Rochfort. Blake knew him well enough to understand how barging in with a demand for explanations would do no good. He had simply delivered the envelope and left, purposely not leaving a message and probably not even making any kind of an enquiry as to how Michael was, or where. For that, Michael was supremely grateful. Blake would be patiently waiting however. He was the one person who would doggedly believe in Michael's return, and as he changed out of his soaking clothes by the stove, craving a cup of hot, strong coffee, his head swung with a sorrowful shake. "You'll be waiting a long time, Blake."
When their pack had splintered, Blake had been considering settling in Carter Plains with Nyah. She and the Alpha of Carter Plains, Dean Carson, were mates. They'd met when Nyah had fled from Blackwater Ridge, and although Michael had no recollection of the events, he'd been told she'd escaped after Northfell had coerced a shaman into binding her wolf. In her weakened state she had stumbled onto Dean's pack land, they had established their bond and Nyah had returned to Blackwater Ridge in order to protect Dean and his pack from Northfell. Michael hadn't witnessed the actual event, but Northfell had summoned a demon in order to create hybrid werewolf-demon pups with Nyah as the mother. His appalling plan had failed, but the damage had been done; Nyah and every other member of the pack had absolutely no desire to remain in Blackwater Ridge.
While it was devastating to know his entire pack had fractured and were now spread throughout the country, Michael took comfort in the hope they might all be living happy lives. Blake had understood his friend's need to separate himself from everyone, but Michael also knew how Blake would hope for his return. Perhaps that was the intention behind the land transfer; Blake may have orchestrated it with Nyah.
The kettle clicked to a finish and Michael chose to ignore any further thought on the matter.  Outside, the afternoon had darkened further and a wind was whipping up. As he stood by the window, sipping on a steaming hot coffee, he savoured the solitude of being hidden away in his peaceful cabin. This was his world now. And those who lived beyond it were better off without him.




Julie Embleton was born and raised in Ireland in a suburb at the foot of the Dublin Mountains. Her writing journey began in her mid-teens when the fantasy worlds in her head proved far more interesting than the drudgery of maths and Irish homework. After graduating college with a degree in graphic design, Julie lived in London before returning to Ireland where she now works part-time in human resources. With fantasy continuing to be an escape from today’s adulting, Julie writes for the New Adult Fantasy genre. She lives by the shores of the Irish Sea with her amazing daughter and ridiculously cute cats and is happily buried in the creation of her current book.

The new Alpha of Nyah Morgan’s pack has aligned with dark forces and his plans for Nyah break the most absolute of Lycan Laws. With her entire pack under his thrall and her own wolf maimed by his magic, she turns rogue, her incapacity landing her in unfamiliar Lycan territory where she catches the unwanted attention of Dean Carson, an Alpha who is determined to learn the truth she hides. With her Alpha closing in and the safety of another pack at stake, Nyah is forced into making a choice. Her bound wolf is killing her, both Alphas can save her, but which one, and at what cost?


In the latest scene, in the group that had died, there was a man with a hulking build. Li Du thought his face was familiar, like he had recently met the man. It was then that he realized: this man was the King of Hpakant.
Instantly, he thought of Old Thaw's words. "Everyone who looked for jade here ended up dead. The sixteenth son of the King of Old Hpakant died here, rather gruesomely, too. His entire body was littered with green and blue bruises—"
There was no way he could doubt this. The stove set was undeniably linked to the deaths of these people!
However, here was the issue. First, how did the people die? Did someone poison the soup in the basin? That did not make sense, though. Those people had been on the mountain to mine for jade, and there was no reason for them to have been unprepared or unguarded.
The people in the gemstone industry were normally ready to resort to any measure, to stoop as low as they had to, in order to get what they needed. They were all extremely alert and shrewd, and it would be just too difficult to poison them.
Li Du's team was a good example. Though he trusted Maung Kyaw Zin a good deal, he was still guarded against the food the man brought up for them. The bodyguards were only eating so freely because the mayor's wife and daughters were eating with them. If there was anything wrong with the food, the pair would not get away unscathed either!
However, if it was not an issue with the food, how did those people die, then?
Li Du could not figure this out. The scenes flashed like a slideshow, frame by frame, so it was difficult to make sense of them. The only thing he could be absolutely sure of was that he had to destroy the stove set for the sake of his life. At the very least, he could not stay around the stove set. There was a possibility the thing was radioactive.
Not that that made sense, either. Maung Kyaw Zin's entire family had been living with the stove set in their home the entire time, but they were fine. Evidently, there were specific conditions that had to be fulfilled for the stove set to be lethal.
In pursuit of the truth, Li Du turned back time even further to find a scene that would explain all of this. In a later scene, he saw another familiar face, similar in the same way the sixteenth son of the King of Hpakant looked like the King of Hpakant. That was Maung Kyaw Zin; more accurately, it was a younger version of the mayor. Looking at the man now, he looked to be about 45, 46 years old. The scene showed him to be in his thirties, but no older than 35 or 36. The scene made it clear that Maung Kyaw Zin and these people were connected to these deaths, though Li Du could not even begin to guess what role they played.
He could not figure it out at all, but he decided to deal with the stove set first. He sent out a message to Brother Wolf, who acknowledged it with a nod of his head. Under the man's instructions, two bodyguards snuck out to the perimeter of the mining area without anyone noticing. About five to six minutes after, Brother Wolf suddenly looked out at the forest and shouted, "Who's there? Look out!"
The moment his words left his mouth, several loud sounds rang out.
Li Du's face was colored with shock. He hollered out, "Guns!"
As he shouted, he tackled Maung Kyaw Zin to the ground. Just then, Brother Wolf brought a few men with him and they ran, crouched. Brother Wolf shouted out, "Boss, are you alright?"
Li Du shoved Maung Kyaw Zin toward Brother Wolf and said, "I'm alright. Take the mayor with you and hide. Hurry, all of you, go hide — what's going on?"
Several portly bodyguards split the two of them apart from each other. The moment Maung Kyaw Zin was distracted, Li Du flew towards the stove. 
At the same time, he released the little bug. He did not attempt to restrict the little bug this time and it immediately flew to the stove and basin, aggressively absorbing the time capability from them.
The gunman at the edge of the forest was still firing indiscriminately at the area, forcing the group of people to stay hidden behind a boulder at the mine.
Maung Kyaw Zin called out, "My stove and basin, hey, let me go, I have to go get my stove and basin!"
Li Du held him back as he shouted, "Are you crazy? It's just stove set, the enemy has a gun! Do you want to die?"
Maung Kyaw Zin continued to struggle against his hold. "No, you don't understand, the stove and pot are really important to me and my family—"
Li Du restrained the man and had him dragged away forcefully. "How important could it be? More important than your life? Hurry up and go. Brother Wolf, take the mayor and leave, hurry. F*ck, what's going on here?"
The gunshots continued to ring incessantly and the crowd gathered to take cover behind the boulder.
Li Du asked, "What's going on?"
Brother Wolf called out, "I'm not sure. Why is someone firing at on us?
Young Markelov asked, "Could it be the damned owner of the casino? Did he come back to open fire and reclaim his land?"
Maung Kyaw Zin was alarmed. "There are a lot of people armed with guns, but those are all hunting rifles. This, this one… this is a different kind of rifle, isn't it?"
"You're right, it seems like a military rifle. Could it be guerrilla troops or a powerful army?" Young Markelov replied.
Brother Wolf shook his head. "That's impossible. It doesn't sound like there are a lot of people or guns on the other side. F*ck, it's a damn shame we have no guns on us. There are so many of us here, if we cover each other we'd definitely be able to counter the attack!"
The gunshots continued to ring out. They were all trapped behind the boulder. All of a sudden, a loud crackling erupted not too far from where the stove and basin were left. After a bit, the basin leaped up in the air, as if something blew it up.
At the sight of that, Maung Kyaw Zin was stunned into silence. He stood still, very evidently shocked. Then, a heart-wrenching cry tore from his throat, "That's my basin! Let go of me, let go of me!"
The little bugs returned. Li Du was not entirely sure when they returned, but they crawled up to his shoulder and sprawled over it in satisfaction. At that moment, their two pairs of wings had doubled into four wings. The body of each bug seemed to have been elongated, and it was a black so glossy it seemed to glow. The little bugs were just mesmerizing!
Li Du had no time to scrutinize the change too closely and hurried to hide the little bugs. He then dragged Maung Kyaw Zin, who was still struggling, away from the site and shouted, "Mayor, do you want to die?"
Maung Kyaw Zin called out desperately, "The basin! My basin! Let me go, let me go, I have to go look for my basin!"
Li Du asked in bewilderment, "What basin? Are you talking about that pot?"
Brother Wolf held Maung Kyaw Zin down and said, "You can't go, f*ck it! Just hold on for a while longer, I'll bring some men out to circle around the forest!"
He ordered a bunch of people, including the Markelov brothers, to go scouting, but the gunshots stopped as soon as he did. After that, Firecracker and Madman ran out of the forest. They shouted, "It's alright! They've left."
Hearing this, Li Du stood up in a frenzy and questioned, "Who were they?"
Firecracker shook his head. "I don't know. Madman and I were right behind them, but we had no guns so we couldn't get too close. We could only throw rocks at them, and they left the moment they discovered us. They didn't seem local. They were really tall—"
Maung Kyaw Zin did not wait for the man to finish speaking. He rushed out towards his stove set, stumbling and almost rolling along the way.
The stove set was done for. The bronze stove was now covered in cracks and the bronze pot had broken into several pieces. Maung Kyaw Zin reached out to touch the stove set, only to be scalded. He screamed out in despair, "Ah! No!"
Li Du, who had been following the mayor, placed a heavy hand on the man's shoulder. He said, "Don't worry, mayor, it's just a stove set. I'll buy you another one, a more modern one—"
"What do you know?" Maung Kyaw Zin interrupted with a shrill cry. "Huh? What do you know?! You really think this is just a regular stove set?"


They love gold, and they love silver. Even more so, they love gems that dazzle, like stars across the skies. 
Firearms, jewelleries, and precious metals; A collector’s world will not be complete without antiques.  
Storage auctions, old goods trade, re-estate sales and gold-digging. But the truth is, if one wants to make money, then the supreme way is through searching for the legendary treasures. 
Holding the fort, there’s an ocelot, a wolf, and an Andes condor. At the side, there’s a loyal hound, an irascible ape, and an African honey badger. Who said that you can only rely on humans when treasure hunting?! 

In heaven, Doushuai Palace, a white-haired white-bearded old man gently brushed the back of the big stove. The palm of the old man's hand issued a series of three-color light awns, and the back of the light penetrated into the huge stove.

The tricolor awn is the Lord Lao Zi's signature stunt, Irresistible Flame.

And the stove was also the trigram stove that refined Sun Wukong, while Lord Lao Zi was refining a batch of elixirs.

All of a sudden Lord Lao Zi's eyebrows were puckered and he grasped the floating dust with one hand and counted it out with the other!

"No, the wolf is in danger of life and death!"

Little Wolf is Lord Lao Zi's name for KuiMu Wolf. there is a story between them. KuiMu Wolf used to be Lord Lao Zi's fire-burning boy for a period of time. they built a good friendship.

When Sun Wukong not only made a stroke and strike in heaven, but also he stole various elixirs of Lord Lao Zi. Therefore he was put into trigram stove. Instead of turning him into elixirs, Sun Wukong got golden eyes in trigram stove.

It can be said that Lord Lao Zi was extremely disgraced by the events of that year, although none of the gods mentioned it.

But Lord Lao Zi was also extremely upset, which is why Lord Lao Zi wanted to kill the monkey.

Who does Lord Lao Zi hate most? Then Monkey Sun is definitely number one!

But this time KuiMu Wolf's lower bound, killing Monk Tang Sun Wukong and others, is because of Lord Lao Zi's instructions.

Of course, the main reason is that KuiMu Wolf wants to pay back kindness to his master( Lord Lao Zi). That's why he did it, but the monkey is stronger than he thought!

Lord Lao Zi stood up from the futon and was about to go out of Doushuai Palace. however, when he reached the door of Doushuai Palace, he stopped and returned to sit on the futon. on the one hand, the furnace elixir he had refined was extremely important, and on the other hand, it was inappropriate for him to come directly to rescue KuiMu Wolf.

Lord Lao Zi, after sitting on the futon, waved and hit several symbols in the air, which turned into several lights and flew out of Doushuai Palace at high speed.

The papers extremely fast, westward, soon is over half the distance of heaven, came to a place where a star flows!

At this time, there are several fairy officials in this place drinking and enjoying themselves on the star, watching the changes of sun, moon, and stars.

These people are the other several of the 28 stars in the western constellation, who are in the same position as KuiMu Wolf.

Dog LouJin , Pheasant WeiTu , Cock Mao , Bird Biyue , Monkey Huo , Ape Shui.

"Hey? The smell of the Elder! " Dog LouJin looked at papers flying in front of him, frowning slightly.

"I got some sent from the Elder!" Pheasant WeiTu said.

In front of the six western stars gods, there is paper above each god, six gods reached out and took fu the paper, a moment later their face change!

"no, Kui Mu has a life-and-death crisis and wants us to rescue him at the same speed!" Dog LouJin stood up and said.

"What are you waiting for? Move quickly! " Cock Mao said and turned into light toward the human world.

Several other stars gods see this, quickly following him!

...

The Bowl Mountain, the inverted bowl-shaped mountain, has long disappeared and replaced it with a big pit!

At this time, not far from the Great Pit, Monk Tang and his disciples were observing a moment of silence in memory of KuiMu Wolf. It was really sad. His kidneys were gone, and his **was exploded!

KuiMu Wolf didn't die, but he almost has not the last breath, so Monk Tang decided to give him a good time-it was true to get a bog amount of experience points.

At this time, KuiMu Wolf has been extremely weak and his physical defense has been reduced to the lowest level. therefore, Monk Tang used his Exorcism Kung Fu to knock on KuiMu Wolf three times. KuiMu Wolf exhaled his last breath. the system prompt sounds as promised:

"Ding Dong, congratulations to the host for slaying KuiMu Wolf and gaining 100 million points of experience!"

Hearing the prompt tone of the system, Monk Tang was surprised. Although it was assumed that KuiMu Wolf's experience would not be very low, he was still startled!

One hundred million points of experience are one hundred million!

Monk Tang couldn't help thinking at this time, have I finished his small goal? Got a hundred million points!?

Monk Tang's heart beat a little faster. open the character panel:

Host: Monk Tang

Occupation: monk (sutras seeker)

Grade: 20

Experience: 103054600/262140

Deputy: master of divine focus (level 2, Proficiency 0/20)

Skills: Complete Buddhist Scripture of Being Immortal, Buddha's Warrior Attendant' s Exorcism Kung Fu of with Spade, Shrink Into Inches, the Kung Fu for Immortals

Props: Brocade Kasaya (in form of the cloak), Nine-Ring Monk Spade, Gold Three-Hoop Ring (fake)

Experience Pellet :256

Looking at these experience points, why not he upgrade now? At the same time, Monk Tang did not forget to exchange Experience Pellet.

"System, I want to upgrade. upgrade as many levels as possible!" Monk Tang talked with the system in mind.

"Ding Dong, congratulations to the host, the upgrade is successful!"

...

"Ding Dong, congratulations to the host, the upgrade is successful!"

The tone of the system sounded four times in a row, and Monk Tang suddenly raised four levels. the character panel also changed:

Host: Monk Tang

Occupation: monk (sutras seeker)

Grade: 24

Experience: 50011400/83886080

Skills: Complete Buddhist Scripture of Being Immortal, Buddha's Warrior Attendant' s Exorcism Kung Fu of with Spade, Shrink Into Inches, the Kung Fu for Immortals

Props: Brocade Kasaya (in form of the cloak), Nine-Ring Monk Spade, Gold Three-Hoop Ring (fake)

Experience Pellet :0

Because the breakthrough of Monk Tang is different from that of others, there will be some sequelae after each promotion, such as: hungry!

At the moment, nature is no exception, hunger is again coming towards Monk Tang.

However, fortunately, it is not a big breakthrough. Monk Tang is not starving to death.

Without further ado, Monk Tang began to take out cooking tools, began to prepare food, and prepared a dog hot pot!

Or to say the wolf meat hot pot!

Although KuiMu Wolf has several wounds on his body, most of his body is intact and can be eaten!

Monk Tang's movements are extremely quick. Soon, this area is full of fragrance with spicy flavor, which is ten miles away!

Except for Sun Wukong, the crowd eats a mouthful of oil.

Among them, the White Bone Demon ate the most. In her words, KuiMu Wolf owes her all her flesh and blood so she should eat him now and let him repay!

As for it, Monk Tang and his disciples were all covered in a cold sweat. The woman is really vicious, which was really not to be taunted, not to be taunted!

Monk Tang just was in charge of cooking. Washing the dishes is the White Bone Demon and Pigsy's job.

Monk Tang is now lying on the reclining chair enjoying the sunshine after the meal, preparing to make some desserts for a while, and then continuing on the road. However, at this moment, several celestial lights appeared on the horizon, and came here at top speed!

"Hey? Fairies?! " Sun Wukong was the first to find out, and then Monkey King Bar appeared in his hand and stood guard secretly.

Sun Wukong is really on guard against all the gods from heaven.

Monk Tang also stood up and looked at the celestial light on the horizon. The next moment, six figures of different shapes appeared in front of him.

One looks like a dog, one looks like a chicken, and the one looks like a monkey ...

"Six Stars Gods in the West!" Monk Tang's eyes narrowed slightly and recognized the identities of six people from the images of several people!

Thought: "Why are these six people here? There is no such story in the original work! "

"Ha, ha, ha, the holy monk has a good eye. You can see our identity at first glance. I'm Dog LouJin!" Dog LouJin shows his manner.

...

This is a story of a monk who cultivated slowly protects his apprentices to the West, maximizes benefits for his apprentices, and seeks out the truth in a new world!

In the early morning, mild sunlight streamed through the window and fell on Jiang Ming, who was having sweet dreams on the bed.
The dazzling sunlight awakened Jiang Ming from his sleep.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Jiang Ming sat up slowly. When he saw the quilt slipping down his body, he was taken aback a little. Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind and a sense of mild warmth rose in his heart. 'I didn't expect Chikage to be so warm-hearted.'
Thinking of Chikage, he tried looking for it in the messy room, but he didn't find it anywhere. He wondered, 'Where did Chikage go so early in the morning?'
"Squeak~"
Just as he finished speaking, he saw the door of the room being pushed open. Chikage was carrying a plastic bag in its mouth that held three fresh buns inside.
While Jiang Ming was still dumbstruck, Chikage threw the buns to him. Then, it curled up on the bed with fatigue and said to Jiang Ming, "Boss, I'll take a brief nap."
'Did it go out stealing at night? Why so tired?' Jiang Ming looked at Chikage who was already asleep and couldn't help but wonder. Looking at the three fresh buns in his hands, there was a warm smile on his face. 'This guy really went out stealing last night.'
Chikage had no money. Besides, even if it had money, would it be normal for a cat to go shopping? Thus, it was clear that these three buns should have been obtained by special means.
But no matter what, Chikage covered him with a quilt and brought him breakfast. This made Jiang Ming feel deeply moved.
After washing up and eating breakfast, Jiang Ming closed the door and lay on the bed, leaning against Chikage. Then, he put the pendant on his chest and entered the game.
　　...
Upon entering the game, Jiang Ming appeared in the Demon Wolf Valley where he went offline last time. Just as he appeared in the Demon Wolf Valley, he saw a giant demon wolf sleeping soundly beside him, and this demon wolf was his contracted ally Demon Wolf King.
After he appeared, the Demon Wolf King slowly opened its eyes, and after seeing who it was, it nodded to Jiang Ming.
"Demon Wolf King, your body size seemed to not have changed much, what level are you now?" Jiang Ming looked at the Demon Wolf King whose body shape had not changed and passed his voice through the contract.
"Demon Spiritual Beast," Demon Wolf King replied.
"Congratulations." Jiang Ming looked at the Demon Wolf King and said with a smile, "By the way, you haven't forgotten the three things you promised me, have you?"
Seeing the Demon Wolf King shake its head, he continued, "It's good that you haven't forgotten. I am a member of the demon faction now, and I cannot enter the Novice Village anymore. Can you send me to the Demon Clan's city later?"
He was now a player of the demon faction. The quests he originally received from the Novice Village had all been cancelled by the system, and he could no longer enter the Novice Village of the sacred faction anymore. He had no other way but to ask the Demon Wolf King to send him to a nearby city of the demon faction.
"I'm not capable of sending you there. Besides, everyone who has chosen a faction has a 'Return to City' skill. You can choose a city and set it as the return point, then you can transfer yourself there. Why do you need me to send you there?" The Demon Wolf King looked at Jiang Ming in confusion.
"'Return to City' skill?"
Jiang Ming was surprised, and he quickly opened the skill bar and looked at it. Sure enough, there was an extra 'Return to City' skill in the skill bar.
Return to City skill: You can return to the main city you have set when using this skill in non-combat and non-special situations, with a cooling time of 1 hour.
It seemed that after the system update, not only the items mentioned on the forum were updated, but also the small functions in the game.
For example, when he closed the skill bar, he saw that there were two more functions on the left side of his main menu, namely the two functions of 'Marketplace' and 'Chat Channel'.
As soon as he touched on the word "Marketplace" with his finger, his eyes turned dark and the scene changed drastically. He appeared on a very spacious street, with many players walking around some shops. A mask appeared on his face while a description floated in front of him.
Marketplace: A place for players to trade. Players from whichever faction can enter the Marketplace for trading. For the safety of players, you can choose whether to wear a mask after entering the Marketplace. Masks can block all investigation skills...
Reading the description, he understood the function of the Marketplace.
The Marketplace was a virtual trading venue that was common to both the demon faction and the sacred faction. Of course, this function was very convenient, but the tax rate for transactions here was very high, as high as 20%.
Though the tax rate at Marketplace was very high, the description also mentioned that players could buy their own shops in the Marketplace, and the tax rate for items traded in their own shops was only 5%, which was comparatively less. He guessed that many stimulator players must now be saving up money to buy their own shop at the Marketplace.
"The game currency exchange system has not yet been opened. Though shop prices are very low, the players don't have enough gold coins. I guess there are not many who can afford a shop here. I currently have about 6,000 gold coins in my hand. If I bought one or two shops now and sold them after the currency exchange system was opened, I would be able to make a lot of money!"
Jiang Ming stood on the spacious street, looking at the shops beside the avenue in front of him as this thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Thinking of this, he clicked the 'buy shop' button in the upper left corner. The next moment, the location, area and price of shops in the Marketplace appeared in front of Jiang Ming.
Looking at the prices of shops, Jiang Ming was delighted. As he expected, the prices of shops were very cheap. The price of ordinary shops was around 1000-2000 gold coins; the price of high-end shops was around 2000-4000; however, the price of premium shops was rather expensive, more than 5000 gold coins.
After checking the location and prices of the shops, he walked to the warehouse manager who would appear every 100 meters by the side of streets and took out the nearly 6,000 gold coins he had deposited.
Then, he spent 5010 gold coins to buy a premium shop in a good location, and another 1030 gold coins to buy two ordinary shops with very small shop areas.
After buying the shops, he had only about 1 gold left in his backpack.
He left the Marketplace and reappeared next to the Demon Wolf King.
After learning about the Marketplace, he clicked on the "Chat Channel".
Clicking on it, a chat box popped up in front of him, with an extension bar above it which listed the six chat channels - public, faction, guild, private, friends and system.
Clicking open the public chat box, the messages in it were constantly moving upward as many players were communicating and chatting, seeming to be involved in a heated discussion.
Jiang Ming studied the function for a while and found that in chat channels, voice messages and videos were not allowed, but it was possible to chat anonymously.
What was a rip-off was that it charged money to chat in these six chat channels, and the prices in each channel were different. The public channel had the lowest price, where one message would only cost 1 bronze coin. The most expensive one was private chat, where one message would cost 20 bronze coins.
Jiang Ming shook his head and closed the chat channel. He told the Demon Wolf King where he was going, left the Demon Wolf Valley and walked towards the mine.
After all, the tattered Reaper suit in the mine was still waiting for him to deconstruct.


Abyss Demon: Die! Low-level humans!
Jiang Ming: Deconstruct! Turn into my materials!
Enemy: Where's my weapon?
Jiang Ming: Haha, they’ve all converted into materials in my inventory. 
The king of gaming, ‘Immovable Protector’, was plotted against in a game, his hands were maimed and his god-level gaming skills were no longer usable. He lost all his wealth, was kicked out of the guild, and wandered into the slums. Accidentally obtaining the supreme terminal of the virtual game of "Divine Land", he entered the game...

"Well... They said that the body of the Black Wind Ash Wolf wasn't theirs. It was killed by a man named Andrew in Golden Town.
"Hello, Chief, are you there? May I ask if we want to buy the body of this monster?"
The staff of the martial arts administration asked.
Chief Charles was silent.
Andrew?
He killed the Black Wind Ash Wolf?
That was a demon beast at the peak of the fourth-grade. Moreover, it had been running amok in the wilderness for so long. Hence, its combat experience was aplenty. Even a beginner fifth-grade fighter might not be its match.
Chief Charles hung up the phone and looked at the two people.
"We don't have to go... This kid killed the Black Wind Ash Wolf in Golden Town."
Dean Carroll was as stunned as Charles.
Black Wind Ash Wolf, that was a fourth-grade demon beast!
Only Annie hadn't reacted yet. She seemed to have heard of the Black Wind Ash Wolf in class. What grade demon beast was it again?
...
Golden Town.
Andrew's clothes were stained with blood.
He sat cross-legged with a barbecue stove placed in front of him.
John, on the other hand, used a composite metal knife to cut off the meat of these beasts and placed it neatly on the barbeque stove.
"Delicious."
Andrew used an iron skewer to string the barbeque on the stove and stuffed it into his mouth.
The meat of the beasts was sturdier than that of ordinary animals.
It was chewier to eat.
Although these beasts were already dead, part of the energy was still preserved in the meat.
For example, if rich people ate demonic beast meat every day, even if they were ordinary people without tempered bones, they could still rely on the blood energy in the demonic beast meat to reach the level of a quasi-martial artist.
Andrew patted his stomach and burped.
The two of them almost ate an entire demonic beast, and there was still a portion left. Their stomachs were so bloated that they could barely walk.
"Hu, why aren't your two brothers here yet? We can't possibly carry so many demonic beasts back, right?"
Just as Andrew was complaining, the sound of a car horn sounded on the street.
John got up, walked to the window, and fired a signal flare.
Soon, the bearded warrior and the skinny warrior came up.
When they saw the barbecue stove in the house, they almost drooled.
The demon beasts they killed in the past were all dragged back and sold. They didn't even have the thought of eating them.
With one bite, it might be several thousand dollars.
He didn't expect that Andrew and John had eaten an entire demonic beast. That was close to a hundred thousand dollars!
Even though they thought so, they still went over.
"Boss Andrew, we've escorted the students back. We haven't had the time to eat yet."
The bearded warrior said flatteringly.
The other scrawny warrior repeatedly nodded in agreement.
Andrew glanced at the two of them and slowly said, "There's still some left. You guys eat. Afterward, remember to carry the corpses of the monsters outside to the pickup truck."
"Of course."
The bearded warrior readily agreed and then stretched his hand to the stove.
He didn't even let go of the demon beast's bones. After sucking them several times in his mouth, he reluctantly threw them aside.
After eating, the group of four returned to the pickup truck.
As John drove the car, Andrew closed his eyes to rest in the passenger seat. The other two were sitting in the cargo compartment.
"Third Brother, how much do you think the ten demon beasts here will cost?"
"I think at least four million."
The scrawny warrior rubbed his hands excitedly. This trip had earned him 400,000 dollars. Together with the 50,000 from the Martial Arts Administration, it was a total of 450,000 dollars.
A demonic beast's corpse in the wilderness could be sold for several hundred thousand dollars.
But these demonic beasts were all in groups. With the trio's strength, it was already very good that they could find a lone demonic beast in a week.
It was not as easy as it was now.
"Boss Andrew, if you come to the wilderness next time, feel free to look for us. We will change to a bigger car when we go back."
The skinny warrior rolled his eyes and said.
This reminded Andrew.
If there were too many demonic beast corpses, a car would definitely not be able to fit them. If they were placed in storage space, it would take up too much space.
Moreover, he could not carry the demon beast corpses by himself. It would be good to have a few helpers.
"Alright, the next time I come, I'll call you guys."
Andrew agreed and gave his phone number to John.
The four of them quickly left the wilderness.
"This is my bank card number. After you sell the demon beast corpses, deduct 10% and transfer the rest to my card."
Andrew thought for a moment and gave the card number to the three.
He still had to rush to Annie's place.
If he waited until the demon beast corpses were sold, there would be no time left.
The bearded warrior patted his chest and guaranteed, "Don't worry, Big Brother Andrew. Oh right, do you want to sell the Black Wind Ash Wolf's corpse too?"
"Yeah, sell it."
Andrew said without thinking. A mere fourth-grade demon beast, to him, other than a higher price tag, there was no further use.
Hearing this, John and the other two smiled.
That was a peak fourth-grade demonic beast!
Just the Black Wind Ash Wolf's corpse was more valuable than the mountain of demonic beast corpses behind the carriage.
The three of them would naturally have a share of this ten percent.
"Boss Andrew, we'll be leaving first."
John said excitedly.
It was still early to leave. If they went to the black market to sell it, they might be able to meet a rich person who would bid for it. At that time, it wouldn't be a problem for the price to increase by twenty to thirty percent!
As for Andrew's share, they, of course, had to give it to him.
The trio was not brainless. In the long run, it would definitely be more cost-effective than a one-time profit.
Moreover, he could easily kill a fourth-grade demon beast. Wouldn't it be easy to deal with the three of them?
Hence, the three of them did not have such foolish thoughts. They drove to the black market.


Li Wensheng transmigrated to an era where all energies were returning and every citizen practiced martial arts.
Here, champions focus on martial arts mastery, becoming physically peerless as they honed their spirit. They would also seek superior weapons, including unbreakable war axes, or keen blades that could cut a giant tree with a single swing. 
Even so, Li Wensheng learned Immortal Arts from the very start! Though his scrawny form was exceedingly inconspicuous at first, he wielded Immortal Arts to smash long blades with his bare hands and crush giant hammers! 
Li Wensheng was flying everywhere on his sword while others were busy trying to surpass the limits of human speed. He could kill with a leaf or flower he plucked while others requested blacksmiths to hone their weapons. He cooked medicinal pellets with his cauldron, brewing Yuan Pellets that ascend cultivation while others trained their bodies to strengthen themselves. 
Martial arts champions: “Why aren’t you using any weapons?” 
Li Wensheng smiled, two of his fingers casting an immortal technique: Ten Thousand Swords Retrogression!
At his words, every sword behind everyone’s back took to the skies without hope of control, gathering behind Li Wensheng into a rain of swords that covered the skies! 
This is a world where I alone cultivate immortality while everyone else trains in martial arts!


She thought about it. Food was good, and so far the firefighters seemed like a decent bunch. She wasn't super social, but she wouldn't get far in life if she didn't make connections. "Sure. Grab a couple of acorn oil pods on the way out as my contribution."
He raised a brow. "The cooks will like that."
Juniper saddled Twix after they left, buckling on saddle bags. She had a list, but she'd see what city prices were and prioritize for food and cooking gear. She could live (reluctantly) without books, but a chef knife was essential.
"Hi! I got you a deal." Grigori strode up as she was about to ride out, perky and alert. "I got an Indian place called the Kebab Palace to agree to use your oil in exchange for free meals. It's owned by Mr. and Mrs. Chandra, and one of them is always there."
Juniper winced. She hated Indian food. "I'm not fond of curry."
He shrugged. "Take what you can get. Also, the hardware store will trade oil for Black Adder chow. Ask for Bob, the owner, and tell him I sent you."
She nodded. "Helpful. I appreciate that." 
"Mom says she likes the oil," he said, handing her a sack of cookies. "She used it to make these, and she likes it as well as butter. If you want, she'll take some to work and tell her clients about acorn oil, and I'll sell it for a cut."
"Nice! I like it. I'd appreciate a sample of the things she makes with it, so I can see for myself how they turn out." She put the sack in her house, taking two for the road. His mom was a good baker.
Juniper had checked up on him. The salon owner said he was a decent kid, a hard worker. His human mom had five kids and his dad had run off, so the family could use the money. The Russian mom spoke heavily-accented English, but the salon owner said her clients liked her. She also told Juniper she should come in for a haircut.
"Where are we going?" Grigori picked two acorn pods and handed them to her as she approached Twix. Twix was watching the tall hedge that separated the Iron Oak from the rest of the park.
Juniper raised a hand and listened to the grunting, snorting noise. Whatever it was didn't care for the thorns, but she would be careful as they left the park. There was nothing to stop whatever it was from leaving her property.
"What's this?" she accepted the oil absently, tucking them in her saddle bags.
"You might be able to trade," he said, one eye on the hedge. He fell in beside her as she mounted and rode out the gate. "You shouldn't leave home without samples."
"I'm not an Avon lady," she grumbled. It wouldn't do to become complacent; this was a bad neighborhood, and not only because of monsters. Derelict buildings were everywhere, crumbling to dust, and the slums didn't breed softness. She hadn't been approached by a gang, but it was only a matter of time.
There might be a way to make the trip safer, however. She fished a couple of cherry pits from her pocket and tossed them on a strip of weedy ground next to the crumbling concrete. She touched her staff and sent a pulse of power into the fruit. The seeds sprouted, rapidly growing into young cherry trees loaded with ripe fruit. A wooden sign dangled from each tree that said, "Cherries."
"You know this is gang territory, right? Why would you stop to plant trees?" Grigori didn't say she was nuts, but he clearly wondered.
She nudged Twix. "Self-defense comes in many forms." The trees would magically replicate until they formed a predetermined row. Next time she would plant apples, and so on.
"So what? You think if you give the gangs free fruit, they'll leave you alone?" Grigori had a rapid walk, but it would be nice if he were mounted, too.
She smirked. "No. The people who think that way won't move in until later, when the place is safer."
"When will that be?" he asked skeptically.
"I'm a farmer, not a fortuneteller. Wait and see." She was a long range planner, but the trees would serve an immediate purpose. They might look innocent, but the trees would be as much help in a fight as her oak.
They stopped at the hardware store and she made arrangements with the chatty owner to pick up Twix's food last. She also traded an oil pod for a pair of work gloves and looked at camp stoves.
"Why don't you just make a fireplace in your tree?" Grigori demanded. "Anyone who can cover a tree in metal can make a wood stove, for that matter."
"I don't know how to make a stove, and I'm afraid I'd burn down my tree or die of smoke inhalation. We had a neighbor who lost their house from a chimney fire."
"Ask that F&R dude how to make one. He likes you."
She wrinkled her nose and calculated how much it would take to buy propane. "I'm not going there."
"Look, I can make you a hobo stove out of a gallon tin can. Save the bucks for food; I know you're not loaded."
"Oh? How?"
He looked at her worn clothes, nodding to the peeling boot sole. "You need to replace those, and eventually you'll want heat in your tree. The winters are cold, and it's no fun huddling in sweaters. You can ask the cute fire girl how to make a stove."
"She's too old for you."
"Whatever. I'll make the hobo stove today; it will probably last longer than the propane junker. You can buy the can of beans; Mom likes baked beans, but chili will do. Do you have a cooking pot? We can make one out of another can if you like."
"What's a hobo stove?"
The store sold a limited amount of bulk canned goods, so Grigori traced a rectangle on the side of a can. "You cut a hole for the sticks and make a row of vent holes on the top. The pan sits on top of the can like a little stove, and the fire cooks your food. Slick, huh?"
It sounded chintzy, but she couldn't argue with cheap. "Don't make me regret this," she warned, selecting a small pot and a frying pan, and wicks for homemade tin can candles. At least she could use acorn oil for the lamp. She bought trail mix, jerky and dehydrated camper's food over Grigori's protests. "I know it's expensive, but sometimes I have to eat and I won't have time or energy for cooking."
Honestly, he nagged like an old woman.

Learn more about this book at autumndawnbooks.com

It had been thirty years since the Convergence, when the dimensions aligned and combined Earth and the world of Gwyllon, known in human mythology as “Underhill”. Elven castles and ancient ruins sprouted in vacant lots, on major highways, sometimes merging with existing buildings, twisting into completely new structures. Roads and rail systems reformed, and after the rioting, starvation and death, agriculture finally sorted itself and food began to flow. A new government formed of elves and men had arisen, a society of human tech and elven magic. Cell phones and frost giants, race cars and elven steeds, dungeons and dragons…

And everywhere, monsters.

Bramble Burn

Tree mage Juniper was twenty-three, a child of the new generation. When she found a source of magic buried in an abandoned park, she made a deal with the city. If she can stabilize the park’s wild magic, she’ll own it…if she can survive.

Now she has to clear out magic spawned monsters, deal with a werewolf suitor and survive her bloodthirsty dragon uncle. She’s going to have to dig deep to subdue Bramble Burn Park.

Battles were the best way to examine a sprite's ability!
The two youths had only been in the training class for more than a year. 
Although they had to attend to their day jobs for a living and couldn't focus solely on cultivating sprites, they still put in a lot of effort.
They saw themselves as being considerably strong. They were seniors in the training class.
Beside them, their friend, who wasn't a Sprite Trainer, was worried. "There won't be any problems, right?"
"Rest assured!"
"Neither of those two wanted criminals is a Sprite Trainer with a professional background."
"Besides, their sprites are not even at entry-level, they can't be too strong!"
This was the key reason they dared going to stop them.
The two youths dashed rapidly, following their sprites without looking back. "Just help us call the police."
… 
The short man had yet to get into the woods before the Long-Armed Gibbon, and the Little Clay Chunk leaped onto him from the side.
The Long-Armed Gibbon was faster. It closed its hands into fists and waved them.
The Little Ground Wolf's body suddenly lowered, while its four limbs exerted force and bumped right onto the Long-Armed Gibbon.
The Long-Armed Gibbon retreated, stumbling.
"Careful on the left side!" reminded the short man.
The Little Ground Wolf's fierce, harsh eyes looked toward the left.
The Little Clay Chunk looked like a yellowish-brown jelly ball about the height of the human knee. From its clay-like body, two long arms suddenly appeared, stretched out, and grabbed the Little Ground Wolf, which couldn't dodge in time.
"Long-Armed Gibbon, now!" shouted its Sprite Trainer.
The Long-Armed Gibbon made a single fist, used the spiritual force usage method from the training class to shift its spiritual force onto its fist, and a large fist suddenly and forcefully discharged.
Bang!
The Little Ground Wolf was forcefully knocked over to the ground, and then it was bumped upward. It couldn't help crying out in pain.
The Little Clay Chunk and the Long-Armed Gibbon took this opportunity to continue attacking.
A green shadow flashed past.
The Little Clay Chunk's two stretched arms almost broke off. Under the shock, the arms rapidly retreated back.
The Long-Armed Gibbon knelt on the ground with a single knee, its hands pressing on its legs.
The green shadow slowed down not far away.
It was the other wanted criminal's sprite—a Wood Mantis! 
"How can it be so fast!"
"So strong!"
The Wood Mantis' whole body was dark green, and its cold and ruthless eyes fixed on Long-Armed Gibbon and Little Clay Chunk.
It was like a killer who showed his blade.
The two youths were stunned. They could neither advance nor retreat.
"How can this be? I just examined my Long-Armed Gibbon last week. Its spiritual force is more than 80!"
"Yeah! According to the level demarcation by the training class coach, our Long-Armed Gibbon and Little Clay Chunk are both high-level beginners. They are by right, very close to entry-level!"
They couldn't believe that the Wood Mantis defeated them at their first encounter.
Especially given that there was no spiritual force halo around the Wood Mantis' body. It was a beginner, just like their sprites!
The tall man coldly ordered, "Kill both sprites!"
"Brother, since we've already fought, let's fill our bellies in the very least so that we can run faster later."
The tall man didn't refuse.
The short man fixed his eyes on the barbecue stove closest to them.
The Little Ground Wolf, which got up from the ground, walked toward it slowly. The injury further provoked its cruel and fierce nature.
The short man's gaze swept across the boys and girls near the barbecue stove. He said with a stern voice, "F*ck off, or die!"
A few classmates ran toward the distance immediately.
However, some classmates were frozen in shock, their legs trembled, and they were unable to move their feet.
"Little Charcoal Tortoise, burn it!"
A fire several meters long suddenly emerged.
The Little Ground Wolf was shocked, but it ran to the side very deftly. It leaped at Little Charcoal Tortoise, which made a fire in vain and was just panting. 
At that moment, Silkworm Baby, which had gotten Su Hao's hint long ago and was hiding behind the stove secretly preparing, suddenly pounced.
The light yellow figure flew up like a cannonball and accurately hit the Little Ground Wolf's face.
A flesh cannonball in the face!
With a flash, the Little Ground Wolf flew out, knocked over the chairs in its way, and then collided with the stone barbecue stove.
The barbecue rack fell, along with several pieces of coal that were still burning red, hitting the Little Ground Wolf. It kept crying in pain.
The Little Ground Wolf dug at the ground a little, attempting to stand up, but with continuous injuries, sharp pain overwhelmed its body. It swayed a little and still collapsed onto the ground.
Su Hao and Liu Ren had only just heaved a sigh of relief before their hearts were nervous again.
Not far away, the Long-Armed Gibbon and Little Clay Chunk, two rather strong sprites, were in a rather bad situation.
Against the Wood Mantis, they had no power to resist at all. They were completely passive in the fight against the green figure, and wounds kept appearing on their bodies. 
They had fallen down long ago, and their injuries were much more serious than even that of the Little Ground Wolf. The life force of sprites entirely sustained them.
"This Wood Mantis is so much stronger than the Little Ground Wolf, those front legs have clearly gotten special training…"
According to Old Chen's categorization of pre-entry-level sprites, the Wood Mantis, the Long-Armed Gibbon, and the Little Clay Chunk were theoretically supposed to be at the same level.
Yet their battle power was vastly different.
No, one should say that Little Clay Chunk's and Long-Armed Gibbon's Sprite Trainers only focused on increasing the sprites' spiritual force, but didn't train their battle abilities.
This was normal. The period between a sprite's growing stage and adulthood stage was at most three to five years, and the majority of those sprites that couldn't break through into entry-level during this period was wasted.
For many Sprite Trainers who took part in training classes out of schools, their aim was to cultivate the sprites until entry-level first, before learning battle abilities or unique skills.
This was the most cost-effective way!
Besides, so long as the sprite reached entry-level, the contractor could register at the Union of Sprite Trainers to become an official Sprite Trainer and get subsidies from the Union.
Su Hao remembered that entry-level Sprite Trainers got more than 3,000 yuan per month!
The college entrance examination a few years ago similarly examined the sprite's level of spiritual force. However, later on, it was reformed to include the subject of sprite battles, and it had high weightage.
The college entrance examination for Sprite stream was academic exams, sprite spiritual force examination, and sprite battles.
They would battle against other students of the same cohort. The examination officers themselves even examined the outstanding ones.
Su Hao heard that this year's college entrance examination was going to be reformed yet again.
Crack! Crack!
The Wood Mantis's eyes locked on them.
"Old Su, what do we do?" Liu Ren was very nervous.
Su Hao dared not move his eyes away, but simply said, "Fight it right on."
The Wood Mantis dashed at them.
Liu Ren had no time to make orders, and Little Charcoal Tortoise breathed out hot fire right at it.
Slash!
The Wood Mantis's scimitar-like front arms moved up and easily blocked out the fire coming toward it with a slash, and then its sharp blades slashed down with no force lost.
Little Charcoal Tortoise was so scared that it retreated into its shell right away, and the blade-like forelimbs scratched on the tortoiseshell, producing sparks.
The Wood Mantis' slash carried great force and sent the whole tortoiseshell flying out, crashing into things all the way.
The crash made Little Charcoal Tortoise dizzy.
"Now, Little Stone Elephant, hit it!" shouted Chen Qi.
Little Stone Elephant started running rapidly and slammed at it directly.
The Wood Mantis dodged deftly again. Its forelimbs left two wounds on the Little Stone Elephant.
They were not on the same level at all.
Ma Ruomei and Zhou Yuze still wanted to make their sprites join the battle.
However, Su Hao stopped them as they would sacrifice their sprites in vain.
Currently, only Liu Ren's Little Charcoal Tortoise could pose some level of threat to the Wood Mantis.
Fire countered Wood. If the flame could hit it, it would do significant damage to the Wood Mantis. Unfortunately, the Wood Mantis was too fast, so the Little Charcoal Tortoise had no opportunity to attack.
Other sprites were just a target in front of the Wood Mantis—a fragile target no less.
Silkworm Baby made two calls as its big round eyes looked into those of the Wood Mantis.
It was ready for its move!


Su Hao awakes to a greatly changed world. Even vegetation and mountains can become sentient. Even an antique saber can produce a sprite? There are other subjects in education? Being a Sprite Trainer is the most popular job?
...
"What's Sprite stream?"
"Basic Sprite Knowledge Vol. 1, Standard textbook for regular high school curriculum... What the!? Wasn't I just reading for my Biology exams?"
...
Su Hao is flabbergasted as new memories and knowledge flood his mind.
Being an avid web novel reader and otaku, what will Su Hao do?
Of course, he decides to… first find a cheat!

"So that's it," Fang Yuan rubbed his chin, then shook his head, "This Liquor worm is not for sale. Since Yao Ji is insistent, why isn't she finding that Gu Master who bought the Liquor worm?"
Hearing this, Qing Shu looked like a dark cloud was looming over him as he sighed deeply, "Sigh, we do not know which clansman has it. After buying this Liquor worm, there has been absolutely no news. We cannot find anything, and we cannot simply inspect apertures right? That is a taboo, the biggest taboo among Gu Masters. For a small matter like the Liquor worm, causing public rage is not good. But it is understandable that this clansman is keeping a low profile on his treasure, this is also human nature."
Qing Shu did not know that the real person who bought the Liquor worm was sitting in front of him.
But Qing Shu never suspected Fang Yuan, since in his perspective, Fang Yuan had the Liquor worm already, he wouldn't need to buy a second one. What's the use of it?
If he knew about the Four Flavor Liquor worm's recipe, he would definitely suspect Fang Yuan. But now, this recipe was solely Fang Yuan's secret to keep.
The only one who knew that Fang Yuan was the buyer, is Jia Fu. But to Jia Fu, Fang Yuan could be helping another person to buy it. Whether it be a relative or a lover, something like this is natural. Yao Ji is the same right, buying the Liquor worm for her granddaughter?
"No matter what, I am not giving way for this Liquor worm matter." Fang Yuan's attitude was firm without any loosening, as he smirked in his heart.
This was the system.
The system made one strong, but it was also a restraint.
Gu Yue Yao Ji was a Rank three Gu Master. She was much stronger than Fang Yuan, but due to the system she could not snatch it from him. Due to the rules of the system and minding her own reputation, she cannot forcefully purchase it either.
Fang Zheng who was at one side suddenly urged, "Brother, the Liquor worm is useless to you, why cling on to it. Granny Yao Ji is very kind. I've met sister Yao Le many times too, she is a good person, I am sure she will take good care of the Liquor worm. And the Liquor worm is very helpful to her. Kindness begets kindness, brother, you saved the village and I am happy for you. This brings honor to our family as well. But why are you being so stubborn now, isn't this too petty?"
Fang Yuan's expression stiffened as he said coldly, " My good little brother, are you lecturing me? The Liquor worm is my business. Even if it rots in my hands, you have no rights to dictate what I do."
He was not really angry, but attitude is the mask of the heart, and by expressing his attitude, it would allow Qing Shu to see his determination to reject.
"It seems Fang Yuan is bent on rejecting. Bringing Fang Zheng here on purpose was a bad move. These brothers have a poor relationship and are always at odds, I've shot myself in the foot," Gu Yue Qing Shu's gaze shone.
"Fang Zheng, go out and shop around." Fang Zheng wanted to say more, but he was stopped by Qing Shu.
Fang Zheng gritted his teeth, but still obeyed Qing Shu's command.
"Either way, I cannot understand you in this matter, brother." He opened the door, leaving his last sentence.
"What I do, does not require your understanding, Fang Zheng." Fang Yuan was expressionless.
Fang Zheng's movement of opening the door stopped for a moment, but he quickly walked out of the room without turning around, closing the room door with a bam.
This movement caused the room's atmosphere to become even more awkward.
"If there is nothing else, brother Qing Shu can take your leave." Fang Yuan instantly evicted his guest.
"Hehehe," Qing Shu laughed dryly, trying to alleviate the tension, but Fang Yuan's face was cold as ice, showing no signs of change.
But his temper was mild, and he did not get frustrated.
Touching his nose, Qing Shu laughed awkwardly, "There is another matter, regarding the Nine Leaf Vitality Grass."
"The Nine Leaf Vitality Grass is not for sale." Fang Yuan rolled his eyes.
"I know, I know," Qing Shu nodded, "It is regarding the vitality leaf, this is the personal business of my group. I hope you can supply the produced vitality grass to us. Of course, we will pay you an appropriate compensation."
Seeing business approaching, Fang Yuan naturally did not reject, "Then, sixty-five primeval stones per leaf."
Qing Shu on hearing the price, was tongue-tied.
According to market rates, the clan's original sale price is fifty-five primeval stones. Although the vitality leaf is an expenditure type Rank one Gu, gone after one use, this was something to save lives, and nobody would mind more of it.
Especially with the wolf tide nearing, the clan is also raising prices, and each leaf is sold at sixty primeval stones. Actually, not just the vitality leaf, but also resources are also getting pricier. This is the volatility of the situation, and Gu Masters have to live with it.
But what Qing Shu did not expect was, Fang Yuan's price was even higher than the clan's.
"Finding it expensive? You don't have to buy it. But as far as I know, after the wolf tide, the clan will tightly control resources, and the vitality leaf would have excess demand. By then, the prices will soar again, there might not even be stock, what do you think?" Fang Yuan's tone was calm as he safely evaluated his pricing.
Qing Shu was stumped, his tone turning helpless, "You sure are clear of it. But your price raising is slightly overbearing. Aren't you afraid of offending people? If you reduce the prices, you can use the opportunity to build relationships. But if you raise prices like this, the clansmen will keep a grudge on you for earning profits this way."
Fang Yuan raised his head and laughed, "The wolf tide is nearing, I am but a small fry, I can die anyday. How can I bother with these trivialities?"
"You have long gone past the stage of a small fry, and human relationships are not trivial either." Qing Shu stared at Fang Yuan deeply, then lightly shook his head, "But everyone has their own thoughts and choices, I will not force you. However do be more careful, Lord Yao Ji will not let go so easily… Goodbye."
Qing Shu no longer mentioned the matter of purchasing vitality leaves, Fang Yuan's prices had scared him.
He was a smart person, and when a smart person buys things, they do not act on impulse, but only after intelligent consideration. A smart person would have an evaluation in their heart, and once the prices exceed their worth, they would calmly pull out.
Fang Yuan seemed to have only increased the price by five primeval stones, but Qing Shu was not just buying one vitality leaf, and the wolf tide would be going on for at least a year, he would be expending a lot of vitality leaves. If this accumulated, it would be a heavy cost.
"Thanks for your advice, take care, I shall not send you off," Fang Yuan said, watching Qing Shu leave. His heart was clear as he knew that Qing Shu would definitely be back.
That is because he had underestimated the wolf tide's severity too much.
Under such a wolf tide, death might instantly befall anyone, and the vitality leaf had no lack of customers. In his memory, the price rocketed to over a hundred primeval stones!
Of course, this price was also during the period when the wolf tide was at its strongest. Right now, what Fang Yuan wanted to do was to accommodate to the time period, gradually raising prices.
As time flowed, the winter wind grew more cold and harsh.
This year's winter winds were evidently colder than previous years for Qing Mao Mountain's three villages.
Taking the Gu Yue village for example.
More and more crippled wolves appeared near the village surroundings.
The clan sent out large amounts of missions, and almost all of them were about exterminating the crippled wolves.
During December, when the crippled wolves' amount reached its peak, this caused the situation to worsen quickly, reaching an atrocious level. In fact, there was even a situation where a hamlet at the mountain foot was slaughtered by a large group of wolves.
Good thing was, the dozen Gu Masters in the village retreated in time. The clan higher-ups breathed a sigh of relief secretly, as the death of a Gu Master would cause them to feel pity for over half a day, but for mortals, they were all slaves anyway, so be it if they die.
In this world, there are no human rights.
A Gu Master's life is more valuable than a hundred mortals, this is the viewpoint of everybody.
However death and injury would definitely not be little, thus, the village had sounds of crying and sniffing from morning to night.
The village emanated a sense of grief and suppression throughout.
The crippled wolves were only the prelude; the true wolf tide was even more horrifying.
More and more people started to realize that the wolf tide this year, is exceptional.
Under such pressure, the negotiation that had been under a stalemate obtained quick progress, and the three-clan-alliance was formed.
A month later, at the end of winter.
Alliance Slope, Three Clan Alliance Meeting.
Little snowflakes that were like soft white fur slowly drifted down.
Hundreds and thousands of Gu Masters gathered here, forming a grand scale.
The alliance slope was originally an ordinary mountain slope, but throughout history, the Gu Yue clan's second generation clan head managed to create the first three clan alliances at the slope. Thus forth, all future alliances were held there.
After many years of refinement, the current alliance slope had already expanded tens of times, becoming a giant town square.
The town square was along the mountain wall, and there was a huge rock erected there.
On the huge rock, there were rock carvings of buildings, and in the buildings there was rock furniture properly assembled. The three clan higher-ups were sitting inside, closely discussing.
Below the giant rock building, the three clan's Gu Masters had their respective standings, forming three large groups.
Gu Masters wore similar battle clothing, and along with a belt, their respective cultivation levels were apparent. Fang Yuan was within them.
He secretly observed the situation.
The Gu Masters below the stage were all Rank two Gu Masters. Most Rank one Gu Masters were allocated to support, and only Rank two Gu Masters were the true mobile troops. As for Rank three Gu Masters, they were clan elders, and for a mid-size clan like the Gu Yue clan, even after each generation's effort they only had a little more than twenty clan elders.
Fang Yuan was observing, and the other Gu Masters were also watching. Countless gazes intersected with hatred, curiosity, and alertness.
Gu Yue clan's Gu Masters were on the skinny side. Xiong clan's Gu Masters were strong and robust, and from appearance their strength could be shown. Bai clan's Gu Masters, maybe due to living by the waterfall behind the mountain, had whitish skin and had a Yin aura(1) around them.
"That long hair guy is Gu Yue Qing Shu, Rank two peak stage, and is the Gu Yue clan's number one Rank two Gu Master," some pointed out.
"Mo Yan! Hmph, this wrench caused me to lose an arm. After the wolf tide, I must get revenge!!" Someone snorted in their heart.
"Woah, that girl riding on the giant bear, she should be the Xiong clan's Xiong Jiao Man. Don't be deceived by her appearance, she goes battle-crazy when fighting."
"Do you see that white fat girl? She's Bai clan's Bai Zhong Shui, a Rank two upper stage fighter, who has the Water Boar Gu. She is very promiscuous and very lustful towards men. You newbies be careful, don't get fucked by her."
The three clan's animosity and grudges had long been deep-seated.
Alliance slope's discussion noises became louder as it turned into an uproar. Many Gu Master seniors were pointing around, introducing the strong people from the other two clans to their juniors, reminding them to be careful of them.
(1) Yin aura, this is a bit hard to explain? Yin is associated with females, dark energy, water energy…
Reminder:
Xiong clan—Bear clan.
Bai clan—White clan.


With his Three Fundamental Views* unrighteous, the demon is reborn.
An old dream in the ancient days, a new author with an identical name.
An old story about a time traveler who was constantly being reborn.
An eccentric world that grows, cultivates, and uses Gu. 
The Spring Autumn Cicada, Moonlight Gu, Liquor worm, Comprehensive Golden Light Worm, Fine Black Hair Gu, Hope Gu. . . . . .
And a peerless great demon that freely acts to his heart’s content.
Translator's Synopsis: 
A story of a villain, Fang Yuan who was reborn 500 years into the past with the Spring Autumn Cicada he painstakingly refined. With his profound wisdom, battle and life experiences, he seeks to overcome his foes with skill and wit! Ruthless and amoral, he has no need to hold back as he pursues his ultimate goals. In a world of cruelty where one cultivates using Gu - magical creatures of the world - Fang Yuan must rise up above all with his own power.
--------------------------------
Gu is a legendary venomous insect, often used in black magic practices. It can take on the form of several insects, usually snakes, crickets, worms etc.
* = one's world view, values of worth and philosophy on life 


Rin's house looked just the same as it did when I first saw it with Maymay. The holes in the wall were poorly patched or covered. The sun was setting when we all had reached the front door. Rin let Neka and Huggins into her house but when I was about to go in she quickly got in my way and growled and I stayed outside. As I waited outside I could hear Rin and her friends talking very loudly.
From the standing outside I could hear arguing going on inside. I tried to ignore the arguing by pacing back forth and watching the condensation exhale from my breath. I soon began to feel like I should just leave but a part of me banged me to stay around just for a moment longer.
I waited for some time outside; until Rin finally invited in. Inside Rin's house, it looked just as bad as the outside; a poorly patched up log cabin. A bed with straw stuffed in it was beside a window that looked if it has never been cleaned before. Huggins was trying to light a fire in a wood burning stove. Neka sat at a wooden table close to the wood burning stove, the stool in which Neka sat on doubled as a storage box. Rin had a dirt floor in her home, which made me, wondered how she kept so clean.
I stood in the entry as Rin looked at me up and down.
"Well, here he is," Rin said ask she presented me with her hands. I began to get worried that this was some sort of trap.
 "Kohen, when did you notice that you had feelings for Rin?" Neka asked.
"When I first saw her at the old water filter, I just didn't want to admit it to myself that I was in love with a wolf," I said getting embraced.
Rin walked up to my face and looked me in my eyes. "I felt the same way that day, I couldn't stop thinking about you even after all the stupid things you said and done to me."
My heart started to pond fast, so fast that I had to look away in fear that I was going to faint. "I should have told you how I felt, I wanted to tell you Rin."
There was a short moment of silence. Neka sat beside Huggins next to the wood burning stove. Rin sighed and became lost in thought. "What about Maymay?" Rin said. "Maymay never loved me, she liked Nicky more than me. And I think the only reason I went out with her was because of Aunt Sue. Also, you should know that she was sort of an escape form you." I said.
I lowered my head in shame. Rin shook her head and sat down on her bed. Then there was a knock on the door, Rin brushes me away from the doorway. Rin yelled for the visitor to come in; Kota entered and saw me standing off to the side. "What the hell is he doing here?" Kota yelled pointing at me as if no one knew that I was standing there. Huggins and Neka stood up in concern. "I've invited Kohen here, Kota," Rin said.
"Let's talk outside." Kota grabbed my arm and pulled me outside. "I don't believe in the fact that you are in love with Rin," I said nothing to Kota; I just looked at him in the eyes. Kota went on and on about how he would hurt me if I was to hurt Rin. "The right thing to do is respect the ones you love. Not this bull crap I have seen you pull this whole damn year. I will be watching you, doesn't mean I like it."
When Kota was done yelling at me he gave a great big sigh and went back inside. I remained outside watching the moon on the horizon and all of the stars in the sky. A small breeze goes by as Rin comes out of the door.
Rin stood close to me, closer then she had ever been before. "So you're a Gear and in love with a wolf?" Rin said. "Yes and her big brother wants to kick my ass if I hurt her, and my father would kill me if he found out that I was with a wolf," I said laughing and smiling.
Rin put her hand on my shoulders and then turned me around so I would face her. Rin took my hand and placed her wolf tail in it. I quivered not knowing what to think. To think that she trusted me enough to put her tail in my hand, it was hard to fight my upbringing about her tail, even in all my dreams she never had a tail or wolf ears.
"Did you really want to give it a try?"
"Yes, Rin. I have never felt this way about anyone before."
"Even if I have a tail?" Rin's tail wagged a little bit in my hand.
"Of course, I will cherish you and your tail." I began to pet Rin's tail. Rin took her tail back and gave an awkward stare.
"I've never felt this way about anyone. I never thought it would be for a Gear."
Rin and I decided that we were going to try and be together. Our relationship would be a trial relationship; we weren't quick to say that we are dating but we were more than friends. I was truly happy, like a knife that was inside me had been removed. Just like that this was how I became to be with the wolf girl.

Living in a world after Armageddon with humans and humans that have animal ears and tails. Kohen is a teenage boy coming from a family that hates all eared-tailed freaks; falls in love with a wolf girl.

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