Chapter: 186: The Distance Between ChampionsThe roots finished what the mud had started. Lu's beast thrashed against a dozen dark tendrils, then went still, and the examiner's hand cut the air."Winner, Kuali!"Ken watched Kuali stroll back to his sect's area as if he'd just finished a pleasant walk. 'He never moved. He never even sweated.'"That Devil Bean is a nightmare," Zhou Peng said."Worse the longer it runs," Mei Xue added. "Once the roots cover the floor, you're fighting on its terms.""So you break the main body before it settles in," Ken said. "But that takes speed and power at the same time."Lin Tao spread his arms. "Then someone rushes in and smashes it. Easy.""Easy until the roots catch your ankles.""I wouldn't let them.""That's what Lu said," Zhou Peng muttered. "Probably.""Lu didn't have my legs.""Lu didn't have your mouth either, and look how that helped him."Ken pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. 'Five more minutes of this, and I'll personally feed him to the Devil Bean.' Still, the bickerin
Last Updated: 2026-11-11
Chapter: 185: Roots Beneath the RoarBOOOOOONG!The bell rolled across the grounds, and thousands of spectators erupted. Banners from the five sects snapped in the wind above formations that glowed like captured lightning. Ken felt the noise in his ribs. 'So this is the stage. Everything we trained for starts here.'"Welcome to the Seven Peaks Young Beastmaster Competition!" the chief examiner boomed through the amplification formation. "Contestants will fight through elimination battles. Those who show sufficient ability advance. Those who do not, go home."Lin Tao rubbed his hands together, grinning. "Finally! I've been waiting for this since breakfast.""You've been complaining about breakfast since breakfast," Zhou Peng said."That's because the porridge was an insult.""Try not to get eliminated in your first match. It would be embarrassing to lose to a bowl of porridge's worst enemy.""That doesn't even make sense!""Neither does your confidence."Mei Xue ignored them both, her eyes sweeping the arena. "Stop bicker
Last Updated: 2026-11-11
Chapter: 184: The Goddess's PromiseSeven Peaks Academy hummed with preparation. Disciples hurried between the training grounds, hauling weapons, beast feed, and cultivation supplies, while instructors barked orders and checked the crates bound for the competition venue.In the training courtyard, Ken stood before Lin Tao, Mei Xue, and Zhou Peng."Everyone, listen carefully."Lin Tao stopped swinging his short swords mid-arc. "Is this another lecture?""Do you want one?""No, Senior Brother.""Then listen."Zhou Peng snorted. Ken ignored him."We passed the opening assessment. The next stages will be harder, and the other sects are watching us. Don't assume they'll treat us like ordinary opponents.""Some may have studied our abilities already," Mei Xue said."Exactly. Hold something back in the early rounds. Watch their beasts, and watch how they coordinate with them."Lin Tao raised a hand. "What if someone challenges us directly?""Then fight properly. Don't provoke anyone, and don't let pride make your decisions.""
Last Updated: 2026-11-10
Chapter: 183: The Patriarch and the Watching SectsThe Le Clan's main hall had never been so crowded, and it had never been so quiet.Elders and branch representatives lined both sides of the room, shifting in their seats. The old arrogance was gone. In its place hung a thick, nervous uncertainty, the kind that comes when people realize the ground beneath them has moved.At the highest seat sat Lady Le Li, in a dark-blue ceremonial robe embroidered with the clan's emblem. Her face was calm. Her fingers, gripping the armrests, were not.'I never imagined sitting here,' she thought, her heart thudding. 'Please let my voice hold.'Beside the dais, the legal elder raised a scroll. "By the clan agreement and yesterday's decision, Lady Le Li has assumed the position of patriarch. All branches must recognize her authority. The restrictions on her branch are lifted, and the restoration of its properties has begun."A few elders bowed at once. "Greetings, Patriarch!"Others followed slowly, jaws tight, as if the words tasted sour.Lady Le Li l
Last Updated: 2026-11-10
Chapter: 182; The Debt Paid in Full"Wait!"The shout tore through the tense arena, and every head turned toward the entrance.Two guards dragged a broken man across the stone. His robes hung in tatters, his face was grey, and spiritual chains bit into his wrists. Ken's jaw tightened before he even confirmed the face.Wei Zhan.The former Second Elder had been held under guard since the strange Demon Qi erupted from his body and silenced him mid-confession. Now he lifted his head, and a cracked smile touched his lips."Le Ken..."Ken walked toward him, each step slow and deliberate. "You're still alive.""Unfortunately.""Don't worry. That's temporary."The guards shoved Wei Zhan to his knees. Elders shifted uneasily. They remembered the Wei faction's destruction, the bodies, the blood. Wei Zhan was among the last threads of that family.Patriarch Le Jin stepped forward. "Ken, he is still an elder of this clan. His crimes must be judged under clan law.""Clan law." Ken tasted the words like something spoiled. "Where was
Last Updated: 2026-11-09
Chapter: 181: The Seat Must Be EarnedThe battlefield sank into silence.Wei Tian's mountain formation had crumbled into dust, leaving deep cracks across the arena like the veins of a dying beast. Elders rushed to the fallen ancestor, and the examiners barked orders to restore order. Ken ignored all of it.He stood at the centre of the ruined ground, his right hand throbbing from the Third Finger. Each pulse of pain felt like a small, stubborn reminder that he had paid for this victory. He flexed his fingers once, hid the tremor, and lifted his head.The duel was over. So was the agreement.Patriarch Le Jin approached, his face a tangled thing, part respect, part wounded pride. "Young Master Ken, you have won. The Le Clan will honour the agreement.""Then let us settle everything today," Ken said. "Before anyone develops a sudden memory problem."A few elders stiffened. Le Jin's mouth twitched, almost a smile. "Your tongue is as sharp as your fist.""I learned from the best teachers. Mostly your clan."Le Jin let that one
Last Updated: 2026-11-09
Legend of the Last Cultivator
What would you do if the entire world wanted you dead… simply because you existed?
Kai Ashford thought his biggest problems were paying bills and surviving another bizarre investigation job. Then an ancient inheritance awakens a forgotten power within him—Qi—turning him into the first cultivator in centuries and the one the world fears as the Last Cultivator.
Now, every time he uses his powers, government satellites lock onto his location, deadly machines are deployed, and hunters descend upon the city. To survive, Kai must hide his identity, suppress his Qi, and continue living as an ordinary young man by day.
His only ally is Aria Vale, a mysterious hacker who never leaves her hideout. From behind a computer screen, she erases his digital footprints, manipulates surveillance systems, and protects his secret while guiding him through a world of ancient legends and hidden conspiracies.
Together, they uncover the truth about the Civilization Rift, a gateway to the last sanctuary of the immortals, and a terrifying project to create a weapon capable of killing gods.
But the greatest shock awaits Kai.
The woman leading the hunt for the Last Cultivator is Director Evelyn Ashford, the legendary enemy of all cultivators… and the mother he believed died long ago.
She has spent her entire life hating immortals, believing they stole her child.
She has no idea that the boy she is trying to capture is her own son.
Caught between humanity and the surviving immortals, Kai must uncover the secret of his birth and decide where he truly belongs.
Is he human? Is he a cultivator? Or is he the bridge between two races destined for war?
And if the truth behind his existence is finally revealed… why did his dying master tell him to run from the world?
Read
Chapter: 206: The Ledger Beneath the InkThe maintenance door ground shut behind them, and Kai threw the lever twice to be sure. Only then did he let himself breathe.David slumped against the tunnel wall while Evelyn turned his arms toward the lantern light, checking each cut."Did they hurt you anywhere else?""I'm fine, Mother.""You always say that. You said it with a fever, and you said it with a broken finger.""And I was fine both times." David gave her a tired grin. "I'm standing, aren't I?""Barely. Stop being proud and let me look."Kai almost smiled. 'Even half-dead, he argues like he has something to prove.' Then Victor's voice drifted out of the dark behind them, and the smile vanished."Don't everyone thank me at once."Victor limped out of the maintenance entrance, bar over his shoulder, scowling."Your officer got away. He had some device that scrambled my senses. Two more men were waiting outside, and they pulled back when they saw I wasn't chasing.""Shen Tian told you not to fight alone," Kai said."I didn
Last Updated: 2026-11-11
Chapter: 205: The Ninth BoundaryKai's command brought the camp to life."Everyone, get ready. We're leaving immediately."Daniel gathered the supplies while Victor hurried toward the merchant wagons. Shen Tian studied the map, tracing the emergency entrance against the last signal from David's communication device. Kai's chest felt tight. Every minute they wasted was a minute David might not have.Evelyn secured her bag and stopped in front of him."How long before we reach him?""If we take the northern ridge, we'll reach the emergency access point before sunrise.""Then we take the ridge.""It's not that simple," Shen Tian said, without looking up. "The ridge isn't safe at night. There are abandoned formations along that route, and some still answer to spiritual energy. The longer road through the merchant settlement costs us several hours.""We don't have several hours," Evelyn said."And we won't have a rescue if we're dead on the ridge.""Then walk faster and die less," Victor offered cheerfully.Shen Tian fina
Last Updated: 2026-11-11
Chapter: 204: Project Second DawnNobody in the wagon relaxed after the glove exploded. The convoy rolled through the valley, but every creak of the wheels made Kai's shoulders tighten.Shen Tian sat with the damaged communication device in his lap, two thin wires connecting it to a faint blue projection. Daniel watched him work. Kai watched the road."Can you recover the messages?" Daniel asked."Some of them. It was built to wipe itself if tampered with." Shen Tian frowned at the glow. "Whoever made it didn't want its purpose discovered.""Yet it still managed to send us a love letter," Victor said, leaning in. "Wonderful craftsmanship.""Victor, if you speak again, I will feed you to the device.""Noted. Quietly admiring from here."The projection steadied. SUBJECT 06 HAS BEEN LOCATED. THE ORIGINAL MOTHER IS WITH THE ASHFORD HEIR. INITIATE RECOVERY OF BOTH SUBJECTS. And beneath it, that name again.ADRIAN ASHFORD.Kai's throat went dry. "Can you trace the sender?""It wasn't sent by Adrian. His name sits in the aut
Last Updated: 2026-11-10
Chapter: 203: The Mark of the Missing ChildEvelyn's words were still ringing in Kai's head when the convoy lurched back into motion. *I'm coming with you.* He hated how right she had been about everything.She sat across from him in the covered wagon, checking her medical bag for the third time. Her injuries had improved, but she still winced whenever the wheels hit a rut."If you keep counting those bandages," Kai said, "they'll file for a transfer.""They're loyal bandages." Evelyn didn't look up. "Unlike my son, who thinks a retreat order is a suggestion.""I said you'd stay close to Daniel.""And I said we'd discuss it when something happens." She snapped the bag shut. "Something happens quite often around you, Kai."Shen Tian, seated near the entrance, coughed into his sleeve in a way that sounded suspiciously like laughter."Something amusing, Elder?" Kai asked."Not at all. I'm admiring a woman who can end an argument without raising her voice.""Traitor," Kai muttered.Then the wagon jolted to a halt, and every trace o
Last Updated: 2026-11-10
Chapter: 202: The Divine ReserveThe passage beneath the ruins was barely wide enough for two people, and the air rising from it tasted of old metal.Kai crouched beside the golden inscription, fingers hovering over the stone. Whatever waited below pulsed in time with the manual in his robes."Nobody enters until we know what we're dealing with," Shen Tian said, raising a hand.Victor stared into the dark, jaw tight. "We found a hidden passage, and your plan is to stand here until the formation collapses on its own?""My plan is to keep you alive long enough to complain about it.""Then give me something to do besides waiting.""You'll get your chance."Daniel traced the markings with his thumb. "These are older than the settlement. The people who built their homes here probably found this by accident."Kai pressed his palm to the stone, and the voice stirred behind his ribs.'This is no ordinary treasure chamber. It is a sanctuary. Someone stored materials here to sustain a divine soul.'Kai kept his face blank. 'To
Last Updated: 2026-11-09
Chapter: 201: The Root Of The ProblemThe first thing Kai noticed after his breakthrough was how much energy ordinary movement consumed. Walking drained him. Even lifting a teacup made his arm tremble. His Qi flowed more smoothly now, but the Middle Stage of the Soul Formation Realm had not repaired his foundation, and his spiritual reserves were a shadow of what they should have been.Frustration sat in his chest like a stone. He needed resources, and he needed them soon."Are you sure this is the place?" he asked, staring at the wooden sign above the crowded entrance. NORTHERN TREASURE MARKET."Unless the sign is lying," Victor said, grinning. "And in a place like this, everything lies. That's why I love it."Merchants shouted beneath colourful canopies. The smell of roasted meat tangled with bitter herbs. Somewhere nearby, two voices screamed about the price of mountain essence."Now this is a language I understand," Victor said, rubbing his hands together."You understand cheating.""I understand business. Buy for two
Last Updated: 2026-11-09
