Beginning of Cultivation - Chapter 42: Preparing to Visit the Royal Palace

Akashi was a boy so beautiful it seemed the gods had sculpted him with a touch of mischief and a dash of fragility. He wasn’t handsome in the rugged, masculine way of knights or warriors. No—his beauty was softer, captivating in its innocence. His frame was small, almost delicate, and his pale skin looked as if it had never known hardship, kissed only by the gentle sunlight of his village fields.With wide, striking black eyes that shimmered like obsidian under moonlight, and hair the color of a calm, endless ocean, Akashi possessed a charm that defied age, status, or reason. He didn’t know it, but his very existence pulled at the hearts of those who saw him—like an untouched gem waiting to be claimed.And yet, he had been untouched for a reason. Akashi had never known life beyond the boundaries of his village. He grew up surrounded by warm smiles and familiar voices. Every elder knew his name. Every child wanted to play by his side. His days were simple, his heart untouched by cruelty.But peace is a fragile thing.One night, it shattered.The sky turned crimson. Screams tore through the quiet air. Fires devoured homes. Demons—twisted beasts of shadow and rage—descended without warning. They killed with a hunger that could not be reasoned with.By morning, the village was gone.Ashes, corpses, and silence were all that remained.And Akashi… Akashi was alone.The last heartbeat in a graveyard of memories.He wandered for days, hollow and dazed, until rough hands seized him. Chains replaced freedom. Smiles were replaced by cold appraisals. And so, the boy once adored by all became something else—something to be sold.A slave.At the capital's grand auction house, he was stripped, washed, and displayed like merchandise. His beauty caused a stir. Whispers spread like wildfire.“Look at those eyes...”“That hair... Is it dyed? No, it’s real...”“So delicate... Is he even human?”To them, he was no longer a boy with a heart, but a prize to possess. A fantasy in fragile form.He stood on the stage, trembling slightly, barely able to process what was happening. The voices of the crowd blurred together—hungry, leering, filled with desire and greed. The auctioneer’s booming voice called out the bids as if Akashi were nothing more than a fine vase or a rare jewel.The numbers climbed quickly. Too quickly. Akashi’s knees weakened beneath the weight of invisible eyes drinking him in. He stared at the marble floor, trying not to cry.Then, suddenly, the room fell silent.A voice—deep, commanding, and heartbreakingly beautiful—cut through the air like silk over steel.“Fifteen thousand gold.”Time seemed to pause.Every head turned.At the back of the room, standing beneath the golden chandelier, was a woman unlike any other.She wore a flowing red gown that hugged her form like it was crafted by the gods themselves. Her long, golden hair shimmered like strands of sunlight, cascading over her shoulders with effortless grace. Her eyes, cold and blue as a glacier’s heart, stared ahead with quiet power.Even the nobles drew back. This was no ordinary bidder.It was one of the Princesses of the Three Great Kingdoms.Whispers erupted anew—but no one dared challenge her offer.Who would?She stood like royalty incarnate, a goddess who walked among mortals, and she had just claimed Akashi as her own.The boy raised his head slowly, unsure of whether to feel fear or relief. His eyes met hers—just for a second—and something in his chest shifted. She didn’t smile. She didn’t leer. Her gaze was unreadable.But it was powerful. Absolute.And it made his knees weak for an entirely new reason.He didn’t know her name. Not yet.But she had bought him.And somewhere deep inside, something told him—his life was never going to be the same.

The course of commitments never did run smooth.

After dying on Earth, the King of Mercenaries is reborn as Su Mo in the Firmament and Continent. In this brand-new world, Martial Art is the way of life, and the strong set the rules.

Having awakened a Martial Soul of the lowest rank, possibly meaning he will never go far as a Martial Artist, Su Mo is determined to rise to the top again nonetheless.

However, misfortunes never come singly. The love of his life is soon taken by one of the most powerful forces in the world. With no time to spare, watch as Su Mo overcomes all odds and struggle on the verge of death countless times, in order to meet his love again.

As the protagonist reaches the top in that world, he has to take on more responsibilities and face new challenges.

Follow Su Mo on his relentless journey to become stronger for the sake of those important to him, and uncover the deep, dark secrets and plots in the vast universe.

- Description from Novelupdates

“I, Layla Lecruest, reject you Alpha Sebastian of the Red Moon Pack as my mate.”Alpha Sebastian lifted his head. His thick hair blew back as the door to the house opened and a wind swept in.“I, Alpha Sebastian of the Red Moon Pack, accept your rejection.”Yes, it hurt to be rejected. Your mate was the one person in the entire world that was meant for you and the stories I had heard were glorious. Like the only two pieces of a puzzle, you find each other and become whole. You will never love anyone as you love your mate. And you never got a second chance. It was very rare, and I had just rejected mine.Layla Lecruest, is a fierce, brave, and strong-willed girl who never cared about fitting in but neither did she plan to stand out as much as she did. Believing to be a normal wolf, the daughter of a former Beta, she never thought herself to be special. Little did she know that she held a gene that many believed to have been gone for a long time.When she finds out that her mate is the Alpha who spent his life tormenting her, they quickly reject each other on the spot. Unbeknownst to them, Alpha Kade was on his way and would turn everything upside down as her second chance mate. The notorious Alpha Kade was famous for his strength and his ability to lead his pack. He earned respect wherever he went and when he arrived at the Red Moon Pack, he swore he wouldn't leave without his mate.What happens when Layla finds herself stuck between her former and current mate as well as a pack of wolves with superior powers who thought she belonged to them? And what happens when another, even bigger secret is revealed?

Occupational Analysis of “Crown Princess”:

Number One: Promotion prospects are bleak, Crown Princess—Empress—Empress Dowager, the time between each is vast, and difficulty is extremely high.

Number Two: No guarantees of continuous labor, not to mention the lack of insurance, you can be dismissed at any time, furthermore you will no longer be able to start another career!

Number Three: The nature of the job is dangerous, at any time there is the danger of death, if the Crown Prince isn’t able to ascend as emperor, you will fall out of luck together with him, if the crown prince ascends as emperor, you have to be careful as to not unluckily fall alone.

Number Four: Moonlighting as a s*x worker, though the intensity of the job is unlikely to be very big, however, there is no power to select the service partner.

To summarize, the job of Crown Princess isn’t particularly a good job, no prospects, large stress, and the manual labor is intense……

Okay, in fact that was just a flood of words, a simple summary is:

This is a story about a “woman’s” struggles in the harem……

At the same time, it is also about a “man’s” sufferings in the harem……

- Description from Novelupdates