Magus Bloodlines. - Chapter 20. Magical tests.

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

After the real daughter of the Jiang family fell sick, she became stupid and insisted on marrying the cold-blooded, cruel, and crippled Fu Jiu. Mother Jiang said, "So be it. She's a good-for-nothing anyway. I only asked her to marry in place of my sister." Father Jiang: "After you marry him, remember to ask 9th master to help your sister find a better marriage." The fake heiress said, "Sob, I feel so sorry for Sister, but… if you get beaten to death by the 9th master, the Fu family will compensate us a lot of money, right? I'm looking forward to it." Jiang Li sneered. She bid farewell to her hypocritical family and brought her shabby dowry to the Fu family. After having been reborn once, she knew very well that Fu Jiu was the only person who treated her well. Everyone was waiting for Jiang Li to be beaten to death. Finally, one day, she was photographed by reporters and posted online. "It's all your fault! You used so much force last night! The Jiang family is going to laugh at me again!" Fu Jiuxiao said, "With me around, no one will dare to laugh at you. Moreover, I will make them pay back tenfold for the pain that the Jiang family has caused you!"