Serenade - Chapter 22: New Year’s Eve

A detective travels across the United States and becomes an agent of the Los Angeles Police Department.

After getting through the initial confusion, he repeatedly solved strange cases, became famous all over the world, and was called the most legendary detective in history…

- Description from novelbuddy

In a world of swords and magic, where Dragon Knights and Grand Archmages wield powers capable of destroying the heavens and shaking the seas, the legends of their prowess echo throughout the ages.In this world, Sylvus, having crossed over from another realm, opens the Eastern Elixir Shop with a unique system that grants him mastery over ancient elixirs.Within this humble shop, elixirs from the eternal archives of Xianxia are available—each more powerful and mysterious than the last.A Nine-Star Saint Archmage toils away in the shop, working to repay his debt.A Nine-Star Platinum Knight pleads with the shopkeeper, desperately hoping to buy just one elixir.Even God Mages and Divine Knights engage in fierce battles just to secure the coveted Nine-Transformation Golden Elixir before others.

A piece of divorce paper sent Xia Xinghe into a state of destitution. However, a car accident later, she transformed into a professional hacker with more money than she could ever spend. All those that have belittled, bullied and laughed at me, please line up, I’ll show you what the meaning of face-slapping is! Wait, wait, wait. That guy over there, the ex-husband that I no longer have any relations with, don’t cut in line. What, you want to help me face-slap these people? “Not only that I will help you face-slap myself!” The wickedly handsome man with billions of dollar in estate raised his own palm to slap his own face without reservation!

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