The Guardians' Throne - The First Magic Swordsman - Chapter 268 - Rumors

“There is no greater sorrow than to recall happiness in times of misery.” — Dante AlighieriThis is a quote that dictates my life perfectly. Ever since I was a young boy, I enjoyed playing games, so much so that I carried that passion even into my sophomore years, all the way to my death.My story in life isn't all that tragic compared to the more unfortunate out there. I am your typical game creator. I made indie games and visual novels for a living.Naturally, being out of passion and an unknown solo developer, I tried my best to get my work out there, working additional jobs, doing side hustles, both online and locally, all just to survive, and all just to sponsor my work.However, in a world where competition is vast in the game industry, everything I make only ends up at the bottom rank. Because of this, I never gave up, but as I went into my thirties, this passion of mine separated me from my family.These days they don't even talk to me anymore. Depressed, alone, and on the verge of a mental breakdown, I lost all hope, and it didn't help that I had two months of rent due and bills that needed to be paid.But all that changed one night when I got a mysterious message that suddenly appeared on my laptop screen:“You who despair! Would you like a second chance at life? If yes click and offer up your life worth's negativity to me, if no forget this message completely!?”At that time, I clicked Yes by accident.But as the message said, I died due to a heart attack and reincarnated into the World of Purgatory. This was the greatest mistake of my life, as it changed it forever. However in this world I came with the power called the Administrator — a power I gained as a newborn Negative Spirit.With this power I exist as an Entity of Dreams, but even without a physical body, I was determined to make my wish come true: to be a game creator. But unlike other devs, my dreams are different. I can create scenarios in the dreams of men, forcing them to play my game. If they win, they walk out of here as an Awakened Spirit Warrior; however, if I win, the abilities they would have gained in my trials go to me. In this game of mine, anything could be wagered. In reality I have nothing to lose as the Administrator. But to the players, what they wager could be a matter of life or death.

He defied the heavens once, he returns to do it again.In a past life, he was Xie Wuchen, the heretic god of cultivation. A rebel who shattered divine law, betrayed the celestial order, and vanished in a blaze of infamy.Now, he is Lan—a crippled prince in a world ruled by mana and noble bloodlines. His mana core is broken. His name is a joke. His existence, forgotten.Until the rain falls.And something awakens:[Forbidden Arts Synchronization: Complete][Elapsed Time: 16 years, 10 months, 15 days][Memory Restoration in Progress…]The soul of Heaven’s greatest traitor has returned with a hunger far greater than revenge.And he plans to do more than ascend the magical hierarchy. He will annihilate it.This time, he will forge an empire—not of nobles or spellcasters, but something this new world have never known—Cultivators, trained in arts banned by gods and feared by men.Those who mocked him will kneel.Those who ruled by birthright will burn.And the heavens, once again, will tremble.Magic rules this world.But cultivation will conquer it.

**MASS RELEASE 10 CHAPTERS ON FIRST NOVEMBER** 2 CHAPTERS DAILY (NOVEMBER)Seraphina Vale grew up unwanted. An orphan passed from one home to another until she learned that happy endings were best found between pages, not in real life. By adulthood, she was a broke writer, living on instant noodles and failed manuscripts, clinging to dreams that never sold.Then her best friend mailed her a “souvenir” — a tiny glass bottle supposedly holding phoenix tears. She laughed, made a wish, and the next thing she knew… she woke up in another world.A world where dragons run corporations, fox spirits manage PR, and even gorgons hold seats in the boardroom.And her? She’s not even the heroine. Just a phoenix side character and worse, a defective one.As if being cannon fodder wasn’t bad enough, the System whispers her only way home: die.Easy to say, but impossible when phoenixes don’t stay dead. Every time she burns out, she rises again, trapped in the same cruel loop.Then there’s her boss… Lucian Drake, the Ice Dragon CEO with glacial eyes and a reputation as the perfect gentleman. In the original story, Lucian Drake was fated to betray her. His carefully planned affection was only a trap to draw out the real heroine.The system keeps warning her: 'don’t trust him, don’t fall for him.'But how can she not when he smiles like that, when his voice softens, when his smallest gestures feel too genuine to be scripted?So she lets herself believe, just a little… that maybe this story could change.Maybe this time, she could change her roles.But stories have rules. And when the truth surfaces, it cuts deep.She was never the one. Just a substitute. A pawn in his plan to lure the real heroine back.And yet, when everything falls apart, when the truth burns through their carefully built lies, Lucian is the one left chasing after the phoenix he broke.If Seraphina wants to escape, she’ll have to survive office politics, respawn cycles, and a love that was never meant to be hers. Because even if the coldest dragon learns to love her too late... it might already be her turn to fly away.[Transmigration] [Fantasy Romance] [Enemies to Lovers] [Rebirth Loop] [Substitute Female Lead] [Cold CEO Dragon] [Phoenix FL] [Chasing Her Back] [Emotional Betrayal] [Second Male Lead Redemption] [Slow Burn]P/s : This story is written primarily in first-person (Seraphina’s POV) with occasional third-person scenes from Lucian’s perspective to show events outside her knowledge. Expect sarcasm, emotional chaos, and dragons with communication issues.

The psychedelic forest was encompassed in a thick cloud of fog, barring the vision of everyone, while behind those thick fog ruled chaos, as countless ferocious creatures fought valiantly.Some distance away, under a muddy patch of grass, a unique little creature stuck her head out from the dark insect egg.“Oh, what the hell is this?”‘Why am I born among this terrifying pile of insects?’The area was densely packed with eggs. Occasionally, one or two fat insects would crawl out from them. They looked scary and hideous.“I think I was playing a game a few moments ago, right? Why did I appear in such a place and become a monster girl?”