MTL - Stepmother - Chapter 101 apprenticeship

Can't a man maintain his dignity while preparing for the end of the world? Is that too much to ask?

The Tower was all I knew... all any of us knew, and just like that, it was gone. Monsters the likes of which I'd never seen ravaged the land of my ancestors. They burst through the outer walls and stormed the city. No one could have been ready for that. But now... Now I have a second chance.

After the collapse of the known world, I woke up to find myself on the First Floor of the Tower. I was young and healthy, 18 again, and sitting in the same classroom that marked the worst days of my life. Confused and excited, I accepted this gift, deciding to use my vast knowledge of the future to climb the Tower in preparation for the end of the world.

Maybe I'll help some folks along the way? Who knows. Survival comes first.

The clock is ticking, and I'm left with only a century to build a Deck powerful enough to survive the end. Things to do... What's first? I need Essence, and I need power. I'll have to climb the Tower to acquire both of these. Some of the zealots will try to stop me, need to look out for those. What if-

“Hey, kid! Hand over the pouch or-”

Stab

Sorry, where was I? Ah... there's a spot of blood on my suit. What a lousy morning.

In this world of blood and fantasy, century-old Rowan Wilder has to not only survive, but thrive as he powers his way to the top of the Tower. The Demonic Plague that has twisted the creatures on the upper Floors is the least of his worries. Cane in hand and Summons by his side, he'll have to tear his way through the monsters, as well as the humans who want to stop his ascent. Of course, he can maintain a sense of decorum while he faces these trials, right?

This book is also known as ’Because I Spoiled My Wife Too Much, I Was Forced to Become an Invincible Antagonist.’ Gu Lan transcended into a fantasy novel as a supporting scholar. He even gained a beautiful and delicate wife. He had initially planned to live quietly, avoiding all kinds of trouble based on the original plot, and spending his life peacefully with his beloved wife. But he happened to acquire the ’Read and Copy Books System’! As long as he read and copied books, he could extract cultivation, becoming a saint and even a deity! Due to being overly invincible, Gu Lan casually crushed major antagonists when he ventured outside. Sons and daughters of fortune were eager to acknowledge him! As his strength skyrocketed, his career went surprisingly smoothly as well. One day, Gu Lan, the top scholar from the high school examination, entered the palace and saw a stunning empress behind the curtain, who looked very familiar! “Babe?” “Darling, don’t you not recognize me when I put on the dragon robe?” “...” From that day on, the whole world knew about this extraordinary couple. The original male protagonist: “He’s already a Heavenly Emperor, and I’m just at the third stage of martial power. How am I going to compete?”

What if being the protagonist was actually the WORST possible choice?Li Hanfeng thought he'd gotten the short end of the reincarnation stick—transmigrated into a cultivation world with “only” Upper Grade spiritual roots. Sure, he joined the prestigious Shushan Sect, but compared to those Heavenly Grade chosen ones? He was clearly destined to be a background character.Then his golden finger awakened.The Karma Detection System.Suddenly, Li Hanfeng could see the true cost of every “opportunity” before him. That mysterious cave everyone's excited about?[Great Karma: Ancient Tomb][Death Rate: 97%].The beautiful junior sister asking him on a “simple” mission?[Path of Destiny][Triggers: Sect Destruction, Heavenly Tribulation, Outer Domain Demons].Wait... being the protagonist means a 90% chance of horrible death?!NOPE.While other disciples fight over “destiny” and “fortune,” Li Hanfeng discovers something incredible: his system doesn't just detect karma—it “rewards him for avoiding it”. Refuse a death flag mission? Get premium cultivation pills! Skip the mysterious inheritance? Unlock rare techniques! Dodge the protagonist route entirely?His cultivation speed actually INCREASES.“Junior Sister, I'm busy that day.”“Senior Brother, that treasure isn't for me.”“Sorry everyone, I'll pass on saving the world.”[Karma Severed Successfully! Reward: Immortal-Grade Technique]But there's a problem: the more protagonist flags he dodges, the stronger he becomes. And the stronger he becomes, the more the world tries to drag him into main character scenarios.Ancient masters want him as a disciple. Mysterious beauties keep appearing. Evil sects mark him as a threat. Even his own karma system seems shocked by how overpowered his “background character” route is becoming.Li Hanfeng just wanted to cultivate peacefully and avoid death flags.Instead, he accidentally became the most terrifying existence in the cultivation world.The kind of person who's so strong that destiny itself has given up trying to make him the protagonist.

Five hundred years after his death, Orion awakens in the aristocratic Reyes family—one of the five ruling houses of the Petrosyan Confederacy. With both his experience and trauma from another life, he must carve his own path in a world shaped by power, technology, and ruthless ambition.On a mission to Cerros-7, in the heart of a bustling market, a woman draped in tattered veils appears before him, her ember-like eyes burning with eerie intensity. With a grip as cold as death, she seizes his hand and whispers a prophecy that sends a chill down his spine:“The sky must fall for your star to rise,A veil of despair shrouds crimson skies.Through ash and ember, your brilliance softly flies,A light reborn where endless darkness lies.”As he navigates treacherous politics, genetic evolution, and a destiny far greater than himself, Orion must uncover the truth, before the prophecy becomes his undoing.Tags:[Reincarnation | Fantasy | Superpowers | Survival | System | Transmigration | Evolution]