Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk 'Work Hard, Rest Hard' - Chapter 149: The Attraction of the Market

Elara’s first life crashed hard. Cruel tricks ruined her name, broke her dreams, and turned the whole entertainment world against her. Friends betrayed her. Lovers sold her out. Everyone she trusted stabbed her in the back. The pain piled up until she felt trapped with no way out. One night, she couldn’t take it anymore. She walked to the river and ended it all in the cold, quiet water.Later, proof came out. Messages. Recordings. Everything showed she had been framed. People posted apologies online. But it was too late. She was already gone.The universe, though, clearly has a twisted sense of humor.Because somehow, Elara came back. She woke up in her own past, every awful memory still sharp in her head. Right then she made a promise she would never break: protect her gentle grandfather no matter what, and never let anyone push her to that dark place again.This time she steps into the entertainment world with her head high. She trains harder, sings better, fights smarter. The same people who once crushed her? Now they get to feel the pressure.Love? Not happening. Her heart is locked tight. But why is it that as she rises and shines brighter, handsome, powerful men start circling her—guys who never even glanced at her in her previous life were now hovering around her.The actor smiled at her during a press interview, leaned closer, and said softly, “We should have dinner sometime.”The footballer sent flowers so big they blocked her room door.The surgeon she met at a charity event checked her pulse and then forgot to let go of her wrist.The singer she collaborated with kept calling her name during rehearsals, as if the mic could not hear him well enough.Elara stared at the ceiling that night and sighed.She only wanted to sing. Why did everyone look like they wanted to adopt her, date her, or both?But the worst one came after the concert.The lights had just gone off. Her ears were still ringing. Sweat clung to her neck. She had barely stepped backstage when a shadow blocked her path.She looked up.The CEO of the greatest company in Aurelia stood there. The same man who once said her voice was “not worth investing in.” The same man who did not even know her name before rebirth.Now he held her wrist lightly, but firmly.“Let’s talk,” he said.Elara blinked. “About… sponsorship?”“No,” he replied calmly. “About marriage.”Her brain froze.“…What?”“I will give you everything,” he continued, as if asking for a glass of water. “Resources. Protection. Freedom to sing. Become my wife.”Elara stared at him, her mouth open, her thoughts running in circles.This was not how it was supposed to be.Why was the world now skipping steps?NB:This story takes place in a fictional world. Aurelia is a country. Solmere, Veston, and Starfall City are the three capital cities of Aurelia. Other cities, such as Lorien and Crelou, are smaller cities.

There was once an immortal cultivator fighting for the fate of human beings. Unfortunately, he failed that time; but fortunately got another chance as he was reborn once more as a human, on the earth of 5,000 years ago. With a second chance, he not only would embark on the road of saving all mankind, but also would retrieve his human nature on the new journey that would last for 5,000 years.

- Description from Novelupdates

A world destroyed. An axe to grind. And a path to infinite power. Welcome to my reality.When the cultivators came to Earth, they destroyed our entire civilization in a matter of hours. Armies fell, cities burned, and that was before the moon turned red and filled our world with monsters.Now, over a decade later, what’s left of humanity slaves under the heels of our Qi-infused masters. The luckiest of us might even become one of them, they say—if we serve the Dynasty well enough and harness the power of Qi.But I want none of that.I’m sick of serving and I want nothing to do with their world. Instead, I want them to pay for what they did to mine. Maybe that’s why she found me. The fearsome, angry goddess who showed me a different path. Apparently, Qi is not the only route to power.Now I’ll fight to take back my planet, to grow strong enough to beat the cultivators at their own game. Through blood, sweat, and pain, I will free humanity or die trying.For that’s the Path of a Berserker.Path of the Berserker is a progression fantasy novel that contains immortal cultivators, an oppressive intergalactic dynasty, rage-inducing imperial bureaucracy, magical spirit beasts, fantastical martial arts and one pissed-off MC who’s sick of it all. Fans of western-style cultivation fantasy, post apocalypse, and xianxia will enjoy.

He is one of the most feared Mafia Don, built on blood, vengeance and silence. She is someone from a world he never planned to enter, or so he thought.Nero has a simple plan. Never fall in love. Never show weakness. And avenge his mother's death.He has been living according to his plans until he met her, Zoe Dean. A girl that shouldn't matter to him, but eventually she did.And now, with enemies closing in, and his past catching up. He must choose: Forgiveness or VengeanceLove or LegacyRise or FallKill or Be Killed.BOOK TROPESDark romanceTouch her and you dieBeauty and the beast vibesLove at first sightHe falls first but denies itPast traumaFeared DonForced ProximityLove Redeems the AntiheroRival Gangs.WARNINGThis book contains themes suited for mature readers only, including:Violence and organized crimeGun and knife use, murder, bloodKidnapping / captivity dynamicsProfanity and dark mafia languagePower imbalances (emotional and physical)Mentions of past traumaExplicit romantic/sexual contentThemes of obsession, vengeance, and betrayalNOTE: Although this is a dark mafia romance, the relationship between Nero and Zoe develops consensually. The story contains intense themes but ultimately centers on healing, redemption, and love.