Sword of Salvation - Chapter 9: - Encounter and a Deal (3)

Qi Condensation. Foundation Establishment. Core Formation. In the current world, only these three realms are known to be achievable. Nascent Soul is but a legend and the realms above it lost to the the long river of time. The modern era is known as Cultivation Civilization, a balance of power and civility, excess and moderation. While cultivation remains a secret practice, it has long since exposed itself to the mundane world, quietly intertwined with each facet of society. While the world appears to be at peace, what lies underneath is a conflict between human, cultivator, and demon, brewing for ages and waiting to implode. Yet in the wake of humanity’s rapid industrialization, qi—and consequently cultivation—is dying.

Following a regrettable teleportation gate incident, freshly graduated spatial mage Tila found himself in a strange bipolar world. On one side are the sexless humans, completely isolated from the rest of the world inside their domes. On the other side lies the bustling outside world, composed of a myriad of non-human species.Should he focus on the humans and teach them a thing or two about their bodies? Or should he mingle with the spirited outside species?Of course, he shall do both, by becoming the sole true interspecies trader!

Seratus tahun yang lalu, Ordo Cahaya mengalahkan Raja Kegelapan dan mendirikan pemerintahan yang mereka sebut era perdamaian.Namun, di balik senyum para penguasa Cahaya, tersimpan sistem yang menindas. Orang-orang yang dianggap “kotor” atau “berbeda” dimusnahkan atas nama kemurnian. Siapa pun yang mempertanyakan Ordo dituduh sebagai pemuja kegelapan dan dihukum mati.Namun, ada rumor yang mengatakan bahwa sisa-sisa kekuatan kegelapan perlahan-lahan bangkit. Seorang pemuda misterius bernama Kaelen, yang memiliki darah gelap, mulai mengumpulkan pengikut untuk menumbangkan tirani Cahaya. Mereka tidak bertarung untuk menghancurkan dunia, tetapi untuk mengembalikan keseimbangan dan mengungkap kebohongan Cahaya.

I am currently re-writing the first chapters of this story. They are quite rough and bounce around a lot and I can do better. At some point, I will replace these with the better chapters.Sometime in 2024 Aethon Books will publish the first volume of this story on Amazon, KU, and audible. This will mean the story will be stubbed. I will notify people far in advance of that.In the dystopian world of the future, life is rough when you live at the bottom. Jobs are non-existent. Far too many people live in poverty, crammed into huge buildings called Habitats. With no jobs in the real world, many people can only find work online in VR worlds as servants to the very rich. And it's getting worse. The old internet is unusable and hacked to pieces. The new system needs AI to run things, but all but one of them were destroyed. The last sentient AI is ordered to create a new game world so the rich can have a playground, and the corporations that rule the world can have a new global market place. Everyone wants a piece of the new game. The guilds are competing to be the first to find the dungeons and kill the biggest monster. The corporations are claiming land and putting in their online market places. Ozzy and his friends just want a paycheck.Four friends sign five year contracts as virtual serfs in a small village, and can't go adventuring at all to gain money. They don't have many choices. They can work as a blacksmith, barmaid and shepherd for all those years....or they can cheat and find ways to take advantage of the system and carve out a section of the game world for themselves, and earn a fortune in the real world.When they give you a mop and not a sword, you have to find the loopholes and change the rules.