Corruption by Step Sister - Chapter 54. Like this...

Born to a mother on death row and subsequently raised in the prison, Gu Tianyou did not have what most people would consider a ‘normal’ childhood. Instead of the usual math and history one might learn at a public school, he had criminals for tutors. He received regular lessons from notorious serial killer, Dr. Miao, and earned protection from the respected Master Long.

With such a unique background, Gu Tianyou graduated from the Police Academy with little difficulty, and was assigned as an undercover cop. But will the skills he learned from a lifetime of being cared for by criminals be enough to help him take criminals down?

Ananya never expected death to bring her into another life.One moment, she was running her parents’ restaurant in the modern world.The next, she opened her eyes in silk robes, surrounded by hostile stares — the Queen Consort of the empire.But this body was cursed in everyone’s eyes.The Emperor loathed her.The mistress laughed at her.And the court whispered behind her back.Only she wasn’t truly alone.> “Finally, someone can see us!”“What kind of Queen Consort are you, so calm even with ghosts in your chamber?”“Shut up, Wei Rong, let her breathe. She looks like she’s about to faint.”Three ghosts — a stoic scholar, a brash general, and a mischievous noble girl — lingered at her side. They were invisible to all but her. And with them, she learned to survive the poisonous palace.When rumors spread that she was cursed, Ananya stood before the empire’s court.Instead of tears, she offered proof. Instead of fear, she offered dignity.> “If Heaven believes I am cursed, let the fire and smoke betray me. I will not hide.”And Heaven sided with her.Outside the palace, crises struck — starving soldiers, missing supplies, merchants growing fat from stolen grain. Inside, Lady Zhen, the Emperor’s favored mistress, grew bolder by the day, flaunting her beauty and mocking Ananya’s quiet grace.> “Sister, do you still dream of winning His Majesty’s heart? Look at you — plain, dull, unworthy.”“If simplicity is a crime, then let it be mine,” Ananya answered, unshaken.The Emperor indulged Lady Zhen openly… but in the silence of night, he tasted Ananya’s food, lingered at her table, and found himself unsettled by her calm.> “This is not palace fare,” he muttered.“It is lighter,” Ananya replied softly. “Easier to sleep after.”Step by step, conspiracy thickened. At a grand banquet, a poisoned cup was placed in Ananya’s hand. But a ghost’s laugh echoed in her ear — and the cup was swapped. A dancer collapsed instead.From that night on, the Emperor’s gaze changed. He began to notice the woman who never begged for favor, never fought for attention, yet always endured.Still, war brewed at the borders. Betrayals reached even the throne. Assassins crept through the palace halls. And the one person who seemed weakest became the calm at the center of the storm.Through whispered secrets, mischievous hauntings, and quiet resilience, Ananya carved her place in the empire.She would not simply survive.She would rise.And the Emperor who once despised her would one day whisper only her name.

In the Province of the Nine Skies, far above the heavens, there exists Nine Galaxies of Astral Rivers made up of countless constellations interwoven together.

For Martial Cultivators, they could form an innate link with one of the constellations, awaken their Astral Soul, and transform into a Stellar Martial Cultivator.

Legend has it that, the strongest cultivators in the Province of the Nine Skies, were beings that could open an astral gate every time they advanced into a new realm. Their talent in cultivation was such that they could even establish innate links with constellations that existed in a layer higher than the Nine Layers of Heavens, eventually transforming into the heaven-defying and earth-shattering power known as the War God of the Nine Heavens.

Qin Wentian is the MC of this story. How could a guy, with a broken set of meridians, successfully cultivate? There were countless Stellar Martial Cultivators, as there were countless constellations in the vast starry skies. What he wanted to be, was the brightest constellation of all, shining dazzlingly in the vast starry skies.

- Description from novelupdates

Daniella was ready to pull the trigger when she felt a warm hand touches her hand.