Genius Archer's Streaming - Chapter 97: Skirmish (1)

After years of exile, Marcus is coming back home. A powerful mage with few equals, Marcus lives in a world full of monsters and powerful adepts, many of which have bad histories with him. But he has not come back to pursue vengeance or start a fight. All Marcus wants to do is reconnect with old friends, build himself a house, and maybe train a successor or two.Alas, the world didn’t stop just because Marcus went into exile, and not everyone is content to let go of old grievances. Strange things are happening in the world at large, too, hinting at a looming disaster of unknown nature. Still, where there is a will, there is a way.If nothing else, Marcus has a lot of magical power to throw at problems.+++Zenith of Sorcery is set in its own original setting and isn’t related to Mother of Learning… beyond being written by the same person, of course. This is a more classical fantasy story than my previous one, with a lower level of technology and stuff like elves and dwarves, but it has a lot of worldbuilding effort put into it and its own complex magical system. The story has significant xianxia influences, but isn’t meant to be a xianxia story.For those of you not familiar with my previous work, I write relatively slowly. I intend to publish chapters at the rate of one chapter every three or four weeks, subject to further delays as life intervenes.

Yong'an City Publicity Department:“Once again, we remind all citizens that a Level 4 Demon Nest has appeared outside Yong'an City in recent days. Currently, it is being suppressed by a team led by the President of Huayan Martial Arts University, [Dragon-riding Guanyin·Zheng Yulan].During this period, the municipality urges everyone not to travel at night unless necessary! Life first, safety most important!”The appearance of the Celestial Demon disrupted the world's original progress, with technological innovation no longer leading the mainstream, and Martial Arts exploration taking the global stage.Day Character Punch, Eight Steps to Catching a Cicada... many ancient martial arts have been continuously studied and innovated, evolving into Cultivation Techniques better suited to contemporary people's physiques.Nine Paths of Qi Blood, Eight Great Restrictions, Martial Arts practitioners gather immense power, only the Martial Arts will can suppress Celestial Demons and shatter darkness!Tianshan Mountain Martial Arts Conference, River Gathering, the world's number one Martial Arts tournament! All for the sake of determining the strongest Martial Arts practitioner to lead the world in safeguarding our civilization and homeland.“Here's a piece of good news: our country's [Great Saint Zhao Linyuan] has once again won the top spot in the world's number one Martial Arts tournament! This further cements our country's dominant position in the global Martial Arts development arena.”“Zzzzz...”Meng Chuan turned off the television and, as usual, practiced the [National Obligation Basic Boxing]【National Obligation Basic Boxing: Perfection (99%) Awaiting Limit Breaking】【Limit Breaking Feature: Once Proven, Forever Proven (Super) Awaiting Activation】

There are times—far too many times—when you feel that uncontrollable urge to kill someone.For Kaya, this… this was exactly that moment.“Repeat what you just said?”She’d seen hell on the battlefield—second-in-command of a military unit, dodging bullets, dragging traitors by the collar, and coming out alive with grit under her nails.But nothing, absolutely nothing, prepared her for the sight of her spineless husband flirting with her own sister. Right in front of her.“I could never marry a barbarian like you. The one I... I like is Meera—”Blah blah. The same pitiful nonsense again.You think—what could possibly be worse than this?And then, right on cue, your idiotic sister chimes in, completely serious, “I just poisoned you.”Wow.BANG.Before anyone could even react, Meera collapsed.Dead.Her so-called husband gasped like a fish dragged out of water.“Y-you…”He dropped to his knees, staring at Kaya like he was seeing a monster rise from the dark.“You killed your sister?! How could y—?”BANG.Second bullet.Same spot.He dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.Silence....Just when Kaya thought her story had finally reached its bitter end, the universe—no, god himself—decided to throw in one last, ridiculous twist.“Wife… wife, didn’t you say you were gonna eat me? Why’d you stop?”A snake beast, ridiculously charming and glowing like some immortal fantasy, clung to her, eyes gleaming.Another voice interrupted.“Shut up! My wife wants to cuddle me now—”A sparrow beastman leapt into her arms, like that made any sense.“Hic… wife, don’t you want me anymore?”A panda-like beastman sat beside her, huge, sniffly, and wronged like a child abandoned at a festival.Sitting in the middle of all this, Kaya was absolutely dumbfounded.‘When the hell did all of this even start?’

Thousands of years ago, the great abilities of the three teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Demonism decided on a place for becoming immortal. Three thousand years ago, a Taoist was close to becoming immortal. Three hundred years ago, the Daqian Dynasty was established, and chaos is expected in another three hundred years. In this era, the path to immortality opens; a celestial swordsman freezes fourteen states with one sword, a heavenly Daoist maiden seeks eternal life, a naturally born Holy Son claims to be invincible, and a Buddhist Holy Monk saves all sentient beings.Gu Wen lives as a beggar, enters a household as a servant, witnessing the disordered world, drifting aimlessly.In a world filled with divine beings, he alone is a mortal.However, a lowly origin is not a disgrace; striving through the grand path, even as a common man and mundane son, he can still be the foremost in the world.“Mortal Gu Wen, my Dao is euqaling the heavens!”