Path of Dragons - Chapter 7Book 8: . Disgust and Disappointment

[COMPLETE] Can a royal Romeo and Juliet find their happy ending?

Ayleth, Princess of Zenithra, is secretly trained in hand-to-hand combat, and collects swear words she doesn't know how to use. During the Festival of Peace, in which every royal son on the continent will be at the castle for a month, she is instructed by her parents to find a husband. Yet, Ayleth has never even been kissed—until the very first ball, when she meets the man in the Lion mask.

Etan is a seasoned warrior, and the Prince of Summitras. He attends the Festival hoping to find a powerful wife who will help him conquer the dark sorcery of their bloodsworn enemies, the Kingdom of Zenithra. But at the very first ball, he discovers the masked woman who captures his heart is the Heir to the evil empire.

Ayleth and Etan face an impossible battle. Will their love survive? Or will their parents' dark dealings keep them apart forever?

[Mature content. No sexual violence.]

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“You…” She stepped back. Then back again, her mouth dropped open. “You… You cannot be…”

“I am,” Etan said, and his hair raked back as he pushed his mask off his handsome face. So handsome her heart raced.

His hair was ebony black, his skin a warm brown that threatened to fade in in the winter months. He stared at her with glittering green eyes, over high cheekbones and a noble nose, his jaw tight and shadowed this late in the day. His chin was high over the pillar of his neck that she’d just touched with its hard lines and steel strength, so different to her own. And his chest... She gasped and covered her eyes. She’d humiliated herself revealing her stupid, childish curiosity.

“No, Ayleth. This changes nothing.”

“How can you say that? It changes everything!” She was horrified to realize she was crying.

“Ayleth, please.” His voice cracked on the plea and she stared at him, shoving her mask up and off, despite how it would pull her hair out of the beautiful twist the maid had managed for her.

His eyes locked on hers and she couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe.

She had met her One. And he was the son of her bloodsworn enemy.

She stared at him as he stepped forward again, offering both hands, palm up. “Touch me,” he whispered. “Hold my hands. This is real, Ayleth. I don’t know how it happened, but this is real. Please don’t deny it.”

She couldn’t resist. She raised a trembling hand to his cheek, letting her palm catch on the scruff of his jaw. He blew out a breath and put his hand over hers, and that jolt that happened whenever they touched shivered through her again.

“Please, Ayleth.”

“I cannot deny it,” she whispered.

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.

All she ever desired was a better life, to be recognized and accepted. Was she wrong to ask for that?What was the point of working hard when she couldn’t even see the results or the happiness, she wanted couldn’t even be grasped by her pinky finger?Even until the day she died and left her world as a lonely spirit, she had no idea what she had done wrong or what had gone wrong.A glimmer of hope returned when she found herself in a nameless body in a completely other universe. She understood what had occurred to her because she was from the modern world.She was hoping for a startling golden finger or a celestial ability as a transmigrated person, but the heavens abandoned her yet again. She was not only a waste, but she was bound to a sad and cruel life.She accepted her fate because she couldn't resist the gods for the second time, and her cowardice cost her everything. A ray of hope flashed on her just as she feared she was about to leave this second realm as a lonely ghost.Accepting to live the remainder of her life as a regular person, she faced difficulty after obstacle until her world was broken for the third time.After two decades of being homeless and living by the rules of the day, the gods finally showed mercy and bestowed upon her the golden finger she had been dying for.Alayna, bound by a hypermarket system (supermarket), will begin her journey with one objective in mind: “TO BRING JOY TO THE WORLD.”As for how? Let us join her as she transforms from a frail middle-aged woman to a strong, cheerful, and confident woman who will spread her wings and open hypermarkets all over the world.

Su Jie transmigrated to a world of xianxia. He did not have a spirit root and his martial arts talent was average. However, he discovered that he possessed the Spirit Imprint talent. As long as he placed his spirit imprint, be it plant or animal, they would become his clones!

When his clones trained, Su Jie himself would benefit. He could easily master a martial arts technique to completion or even the Immortal Martial Artist Plane that surpassed all limits!

[Demon Ape Vajra Punch]: By cultivating the Demon Ape Body of Vajra, his body was impenetrable and his strength was unparalleled. He could topple mountains with his Body of Vajra!

[Heavenly Silkworm]: The Heavenly Silkworm metamorphosed and broke out of its cocoon to become a butterfly. It transcended life and death, so it was undying and indestructible

[Demonic Prana of Dragons and Elephants]: After awakening the Demonic Prana, a divine martial arts technique, his power would be boundless. The sky changed color at his command and he could crush both the heavens and the earth.

Not only did Su Jie cultivate martial arts to an unprecedented plane, but even all his clones also became existences that were feared and adored by the world.

Demon Ape King, Lord of the Bohai Sea, the World Tree…all of them were his clones.

Su Jie declared, “You might still have a chance to survive if you defy the heavens. But you will never get a chance to live if you defy me.”