Short, Light, Free - Chapter 87: The Value of Art II

Lucas Graves was an ordinary young man from a futuristic world—until a tragic accident took his life. Now, he awakens as Xavier Alden, the son of a noble in an ancient era where cultivation reigns supreme. But Xavier was weak, betrayed, and left for dead. With no memories of Xavier's past life, Lucas must conceal his true identity while uncovering the truth behind his predecessor’s downfall.Determined to grow stronger, he begins practicing the forbidden Dual Cultivation Technique, a path long shunned for its overwhelming power and dangerous consequences. But to fully unlock its potential, he must conquer the world’s most extraordinary beauties, forging bonds that will elevate his strength to unimaginable heights.As shocking secrets unravel and war brews in the shadows, Lucas is thrust into the turmoil of a world on the brink of chaos. To survive, he must defy fate, master the lost art of cultivation, and carve his own destiny—before the past catches up with him.NB: The novel may start at a slower pace, allowing for deep world-building and character development, but I assure you, the story will become increasingly engaging as it unfolds.

After thousands of years of silence, the world of cultivation once again welcomed the golden age.

DESTINY GAMES. It has been 85 years since Earth-11 became aligned with Yggdrasil and 73 years since Icon became the first demigod from Earth. Icon, as the first demigod, was privileged to weave the thread of fate for everyone. He was supposed to cut off Yggdrasil and free Earth-11 from the grasps of the other Earths and their god kings. That’s why everyone helped him climb the tower of Destiny. But instead of ridding earth of Yggdrasil, he turned the destiny of mankind into seven rings of immortality. The first ring was for the immortality of power. The second was for the immortality of the knowledge. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth were for the immortality of the mind, energy, body, and soul. The last ring, the ring of the paragon, was made to rule them all. Icon kept the ring of the paragon for himself and became a dictator. He ruled with an iron fist for many years. His was a reign of terror. But he was eventually vanquished by the collective effort of the world. It has been 62 years since then. Icon is no more, but the damage he had done still remains. Earth-11 is still connected to Yggdrasil. The deadly games of the Tower of Destiny still remain, and the fight for the seven rings of immortality still continues. Kelvin Thorn has just awakened his ability. It came at a good time too since he is running for his life. The ability he awakened saved him, but it came with a cost. He must climb the tower of destiny under the witness of the whole world and accumulate destiny, or he will die. His situation is not unique. Everyone that awakens, which is mostly everyone, must climb the tower of destiny. It is one of the curses that Icon left behind before he died. But Thorn is different because the seventh ring found him. The tower of destiny is where everyone granted power by destiny, be they humans, non-humans, or otherworlders, must fight in games of might, skill, and knowledge to gather the power of destiny. They will either die or eventually overcome death. Kelvin will be one of the latest in the line of billions of others in this struggle.

The end of the world is full of crises, but Su Chen says not to worry because he has the Red Alert System. That’s how confident he is. You say you have a lot of weapons? Sorry, I have more weapons than I can use here. Let me introduce you to the weather control device. You say the mutant beasts are very powerful? No problem, I have a way to deal with them…