Can I Not Marry - Prologue

Anton is a great-grandfather. He is living quite a happy life, despite his advanced age and declining health… until a group of cultivator bandits moves into the area. The nearby guardians of the area, the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, are unable to track them down as they continue to ravage nearby towns. During one desperate winter Anton is out on a hunt when his family- his entire village- is killed or taken as slaves by the bandits. He lacks the strength to fight them, and he wasn’t even present for their arrival to die with his loved ones. At the pit of his despair, he wonders if he ever had any chance to change things. What could he even do? He cannot even pull his best bow, and his eyesight is failing. If he had been a cultivator… perhaps there might have been a chance, but he was decades- perhaps even most of his life- too late.Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge (2022)Notes on cultivation levels:There are five general stages of cultivation, though the fifth is extremely rare. Each cultivation style might have their own name for the stages.1. Body Tempering2. Spirit Building/ occasionally System Creation (Ninety-Nine Stars)3. Constellation Formation (Ninety-Nine Stars)4. Life Transformation/Galaxy Construction (Ninety-Nine Stars)5. Ascension

Athen had always lived a solitary life, as without any family or friends, he struggled to survive in his poor, forgotten hometown. The only escape from this grim reality came in the form of tales of magic told by rare visitors from the distant capital.That was, until one day, Athen discovered that magic wasn't just a dream. It was within him.With his newfound power, Athen completed a desperate heist, stealing a priceless diamond. But his triumph was short-lived when he realized the diamond was a fake.Yet... what seemed like a cruel trick turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for the fake diamond held the key to unlocking Athen’s greatest desire: the chance to truly learn magic.

Former bigshot, Ying Zijin, woke up one day as the lost daughter of the Ying family, who had been missing for fifteen years. The Ying family promptly adopted another child to replace her.Upon returning to the wealthy family, everyone mocked her for not being as clever, capable, sensible, and elegant as a fake heiress. Her parents considered her a stain on the family and warned her not to harbor any illusions of being a lady of the family. They said she should be grateful for being a foster daughter, or else they would send her away.Ying Zijin: “I’ll leave then. No need to see me off.”While the Ying family celebrated joyously and others waited to see the real heiress make a fool of herself, influential figures from various fields took action.The top-rated idol with the most influential fans said, “Miss Ying, just let me know if you need anything.”The heir to a global economic monopoly said, “Ying family? What’s that? Boss, should we just wipe them out?”The number one martial artist in the country asked, “Who dares to bully my master?”The genius teenage boy with an IQ of 228 said, “That’s my sister.”A man with an incredibly seductive appearance smirked lazily and casually, saying, “Sure, then call me brother-in-law.”The influential figures were confused.When the real heiress’ true identity was restored, it caused a sensation on the internet. The Ying family went crazy and knelt, crying and begging her to come back.

Fifty years ago, the oxygen in the atmosphere changed, giving rise to a new form of air known as Spiritual Qi. Humans, plants, and animals alike suddenly awakened latent mutant genes and began evolving, gaining Superpowered Talents and Classes. Life took a new turn, and humanity had to adapt.Everything seemed to be going well until, fifty years later, a 16-year-old boy named Klaus awakened a terrifying Talent and Class. His awakening marked the beginning of a new era in human evolution.Unbeknownst to everyone, Klaus, who was shunned by society and dropped out of school to work for a better life for himself and his mother, was actually the last of the Nine Paragons—a being so powerful that even the heavens feared him.Watch as Klaus climbs the ladder of strength, pursuing absolute power with a single purpose: to protect and make his mother happy.