Blacksmith vs. the System - Chapter 148

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

This is a world shrouded in darkness, and the pervasive black mist erodes all living beings.

Only fire can dispel the darkness and protect mankind.

But the firewood will eventually run out, the fire will eventually go out, and humanity will eventually perish.

until Rhodes came.

- Description from novelbuddy

“The new book 'Scolded as the Star of Death, All the Big Shots in the Capital Rush to Spoil Me' is now available!”Also known as “Reborn Era: Getting Rich with the Check-In System.”[A physical powerhouse of a female lead vs. a vindictive, sarcastic, and elegant male protagonist]After a laboratory explosion, Lin Tang returns to that impoverished era and is bound to a check-in system.Before she has time to claim the newcomer gift pack, her fiancé, sporting an air of confidence, comes to break off the betrothal.The reason being, he's about to secure a stable job.Lin Tang looks at the ordinary yet self-assured man, parted her red lips slightly and said, “...break it off!”Less than a month later, her ex-fiancé was fired for some reason.Lin Tang took a stroll around the county and became the executive officer of the Broadcasting Station in the Textile Factory.Ex-fiancé's internal OS: Is it too late to reconcile now?Those times were tough!Despite being treasured by her three big brothers and parents, everything from food to cloth and even soap required coupons...Even living frugally couldn't alleviate the miserable condition.Looking at the black mush in the bowl, Lin Tang fell silent, “......”Thankfully, she had a system!Need anything? Just check in to get it.Many years later.A handsome man looked at his delicate wife with a fair complexion, managing to keep a straight face as he said, “I heard you could knock out a wild boar with just two punches?”Lin Tang's eyes sparkled, her fingers gently exerting force, and the Enamel Jar in her hand deformed. She responded in a stern manner, “Nonsense! Don't believe those rumors. We're civilized people and can't be that barbaric!”