Talisman Emperor - Chapter 1260: Merciless Whipping

Forget history. Forget legacy. Forget passion.The future of football is a formula, and eighteen-year-old Michael Sterling is about to prove it.While his father, Richard, clings to the romantic, decaying dream of their beloved Northwood FC, Michael sees only one thing: failure.The club is a joke, staring down the barrel of relegation with a wage bill that could bankrupt a small nation.His solution? Sell. His father's? A lecture about the club's “soul.”Mocked by his friends and infuriated by his father's refusal to face reality, Michael snaps.He’s done trying to fix the past; he's going to build the future.Liquidating his lavish lifestyle, he gambles everything he has on a radical experiment: to create a football club run purely by logic.He'll scout with algorithms, sign players based on statistical value, and manage with cold, calculated strategy. He’s building a machine designed for one purpose: to dominate.This is the story of a young genius who declares war on the old ways, determined to build an empire so successful it will force his father, and the entire football world, to admit he was right.Can a club without a soul conquer the beautiful game?

Xia Ming, a university student who just graduated, accidentally got hold of a system. Xia Ming became powerful! Medical skills? OK, I don’t have the skills. But on the following day, even the highly skilled doctors couldn’t be compared to him.

Force? OK, I’m not your match today but on the following day, even the Great Master would have to concede defeat.

Basketball? OK, I’m a fusion of the world, the strongest basketball star, would I be afraid of you?

Wife, that is even better. I have a beautiful President Lin, and a Missy who is like a rose. Each of them is beautiful, how are you going to compare to me? … … You guys spent a hard time learning skills, acting but I am different.

I have an Almighty System, what skills do I not have? As long as I’m willing, even the celestial beings cannot stop me. With Xia Ming’s words: “As long as the system is in my hands, the whole world is under my control.” I am Xia Ming, I speak for myself.

- Description from Novelupdates

Once she transmigrated over, Li Haitang, an elite female doctor from the big city, is demoted to a pitiful little cabbage whose parents have both died. She is surrounded by extreme jackals, wolves, tigers and panthers family and relatives. What? She is sold to a half-dead body that is going to be buried in the ground. Has she been sold to an old man with a heavy taste? The only way to escape from the arranged marriage is to pack a bundle wrapped in a cloth! Who would have thought that on the way to the wedding, she meets a wild man who is feared by everyone in the village? The wild man has three treasures, he is hardworking, spoils his wife and has good stamina! His pectoral muscles, abs and mermaid’s line are all there.

Zephyrine should have died that night. It was her wedding day, but it turned out to be a mourning day for her.She lost her parents, the Alpha and Luna, and worse still, she was framed for their deaths by the fiancé she was expected to marry.Zephyrine barely escaped death and promised herself to avenge her parents death. She became a queen—a fearless queen with a pack.She crushed those who stood in her way, even challenging great Alphas and those of high authority.Despite all this, little does she know that fate had other plans in store for her.She finally found her mate, and he was none other than the Lord of the Grims.She refused to let the mate bond tie her down and chose to grow stronger while protecting her pack.The Lord of the Grims was forbidden from having a mate following the betrayal from the werewolves that happened centuries ago. But despite it all, the Lord couldn't help but fall deeper in love with Zephyrine. He protected her and acted as a shield, refusing to leave her side despite how she pushed him away.Zephyrine and the Lord encountered different situations of life and death, bringing them closer.Unaware of his true identity, she began to fall in love with him.Those from each realm found out about this forbidden love and decided to put a stop to it.Zephyrine discovered his true identity, realizing what the werewolves had done to his kind.She chose to fight for love despite all odds.Because some loves are written in fate.And some must be fought for in blood.Will she be able to stand against the two realms and still fight for the one she loves?What other danger lay ahead in their love story?Excerpt from the book“You carry yourself like you're untouchable,” Caden said, his voice low and smooth. “Like no one can reach you. But I see right through that mask, Zephyrine.”I held my ground, unwilling to let him see how much his presence was affecting me. “If you think you can intimidate me, you're mistaken. I've stood against worse than you.”His lips curved into a faint smile, but there was something deeper in his gaze now—something that felt like fire. “You feel it, don't you?” he murmured.I stiffened, my wolf practically clawing to get out. I did feel it—the pull, the undeniable connection that tied me to him. My mate. The realization hit me like a tidal wave, and I hated how vulnerable it made me feel.“You're wrong,” I said sharply, though my voice wavered. “Whatever this is, I don't want it.”Caden's eyes softened, but he didn't back down. Instead, he took another step forward, closing the distance between us until I could feel the heat radiating from him. He raised a hand, brushing his fingers lightly against my cheek.“Deny it all you want, Zephyrine,” he said softly, his touch sending sparks through my skin. “But your wolf doesn't lie. You can feel it, just like I do.”I shivered, hating how my body betrayed me. My breath hitched as his thumb gently traced along my jawline. “I've been waiting for you,” he continued. “And now that I've found you, I won't let you go.”I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay firm. “I don't need a mate,” I whispered, though the words felt hollow.Caden's smile widened, but it wasn't mocking—it was warm, almost tender. “You may not think you require me,” he said, his voice steady, “but I promise you, Zephyrine, you'll want me. And when that time comes, you'll submit—not because I demand it, but because you'll choose to.”The way he said it made my heart stutter, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.Before I could respond, he leaned closer, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered, “You'll see, my queen. You can try to fight it, but you'll be mine in the end.”He pulled back, his intense gaze locking with mine one last time before he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, breathless and trembling.My wolf was practically purring, but I wasn't going to give in.Never.