The Science of Cultivation - Chapter 3: Rising Phoenixes

There once was a boy who was an orphan and suffered abuse from his village residents. The only friend he had was the dummy scarecrow on the field, whom he talked to. One day, a wealthy man brutally beat the boy. The next morning, the wealthy man was found dead, and the scarecrow was covered in blood. Terrified, the villagers were convinced that the scarecrow had come to life to avenge its tormented friend. And it was the last scarecrow ever placed again in the fields, considering it a sign of death. — After scarecrow dolls begin appearing in the streets of Riddleford next to murder victims, the town is thrown into chaos.When the hunt for the mystery scarecrow murderer begins, it is only a matter of time before the famous Frontier Hall Opera House employees are subjected to suspicion, each protecting a secret of their own. But is that all that is going on? Or is there something unseen?

Kai’s life was small—coffee-stained mornings, cracked recipes, and a system in his head that tweaked toasters and dough like it was nothing. Then the sky shattered. Aliens—Skraiths, jagged and brutal—invaded, tearing his city apart with green-glowing weapons and relentless claws. Superhumans rose to fight back, fire and lightning blazing through the chaos, but Kai’s world crumbled with them.Hiding in his apartment, Kai stumbles on blood—human and alien, smeared on his wall after a superhuman battle. His system, once just a tinker’s tool, awakens, offering him a choice: mimic their powers, temporary and wild, through the blood itself. Desperate, he takes it—stealing pyrokinesis, then electrokinesis, then kinetic energy, each power burning through him, fading fast. But it’s not enough. Armed with a humming Skraith weapon and a body tougher from alien blood, Kai joins a ragtag crew of enhanced fighters—Liv, Rylan, Jace, and Tucker—scraping to survive in a warzone where every shadow hides death.As Skraiths swarm and the city burns, Kai’s system pushes him deeper, analyzing, integrating, crafting minor enhancements—durability, strength, sparks of power that could make him a target or a savior. Government factions, rogue scientists, and the aliens themselves start sniffing around, drawn to his strange tech and blood-stolen abilities. By the time Kai crafts his first super-powered enhancement—an artificial strength boost—he’s no longer just a tinkerer. He’s on the edge of something bigger, something dangerous, where blood and sparks could forge a hero—or break him entirely.In a world unraveling, Kai’s fight for survival becomes a desperate race to master his system, outrun the Skraiths, and confront the truth: the power he’s chasing might destroy him—or remake the world.

This question every one kept asking themselves...“When we die, where do we go?”No living soul can answer.And the dead... are never given the chance.— — —Callum Drey lost everything in a single day.His beloved grandmother passed away just as he was about to gather the money for her life-saving surgery. Then came the cruelest betrayal: the girlfriend he sacrificed everything for abandoned him for another man. Broken, furious, and devastated, Callum picked a fight with the one who stole his love—only to meet a tragic end.But death... was just the beginning.When Callum opened his eyes, he uncovered a truth far darker than anyone could imagine.The afterlife was nothing like the world's religions preached.The Christians, the Muslims, the Buddhists... They were all wrong.The universe was not ruled by gods of mercy or enlightenment, but by the bizarre, cruel and pathetic God of Fun.In this twisted afterlife, every soul stands upon the Curtain Call, judged by how much they entertained the God of Fun during their mortal lives.Those who were amusing enough ascended to the realm of gods.Those who weren't? Erased into oblivion.Yet for a few, there was a second chance...A chance to prove their worth in a brutal new world.Callum Drey was one of them.Vowing never to be betrayed or helpless again, Callum was thrust into Glory Expanse—a savage world where magic, technology, and monsters collided.And though the odds were stacked against him, fate had other plans.[You have obtained Three SSS-Ranked Talents!][SSS-Ranked Gacha System!][SSS-Ranked Soulmancy!][SSS-Ranked Bloodline Talent: Blood of the Flamborne!]Armed with unprecedented powers, Callum’s legend began:— Pulled SSS-Ranked Summon: Taren of Chaos, the Lost Spear!— Pulled SSS-Ranked Summon: Nerissa, the Banished Daughter of the Gods, Bow of Balance!— Soulmancy Panel Activated: Soul Bank and Soul Lab Unlocked!—Crafted Weapon: Souls of Broodmother and Red Widow has been used to craft the red dagger: Broodwidow’s Kiss!With his Triple SSS-Ranked Talents, Callum would rise against a world far crueler than Earth—but soon, a greater calling would awaken...A destiny that even the God of Fun could not predict.