JACKAL AMONG SNAKES - Chapter 616: Shadow Cast by Fire

It’s the 3rd of March of the Immortal Martial era.Under the Sect Leader’s unremitting efforts, the Qingyun Dao Sect finally welcomes its eighth disciple, Ye Ping.In order to make Ye Ping stay and to earn his respect, everyone in the sect resorts to all sorts of tricks to deceive him.They boast and pretend to be peerless Sword Dao experts, geniuses in cultivation, alchemy, refinement, divination, alchemy arrays, treasure appraising, and sons of destiny.For the sake of maintaining the image of geniuses, they teach Ye Ping all sorts of nonsensical things.They make Ye Ping try to gain an epiphany out of a random sword mark.They take out a random big pot and make Ye Ping refine supreme-grade pills with it.They take out a random copper coin and make Ye Ping deduce the ultimate heavenly secret.They initially hope to just delay the time that Ye Ping discovers the truth so that he would stay in the sect for a while longer.However, to their surprise, their new little Junior Brother… manages to learn everything.

Follow the captivating journey of Ken Takagi, a high school baseball prodigy whose dreams were shattered by a devastating shoulder injury during a crucial match. After being forced to quit baseball and become a regular office worker, his life turns sour upon seeing his teammates compete on the professional level while he wallows in pain and self-pity.However, fate has other plans for Ken when he's granted a second chance, thrust back into his middle schooler self with a powerful ally—the Major League System.With a newfound opportunity to rewrite his destiny, Ken embarks on a quest to reclaim the glory he once lost. Armed with the Major League System, he navigates the challenges of adolescence, friendship, and the pursuit of greatness. As Ken strives to overcome the mistakes of his past and shape a future he can be proud of, readers are taken on an exhilarating ride through the world of baseball, where dreams are made and broken.Will Ken be able to rise above the setbacks, hone his skills, and fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a professional baseballer? With the Major League System at his disposal, the journey is fraught with excitement, setbacks, and unexpected twists. This is a tale of resilience, redemption, and the pursuit of excellence—a story that will keep you eagerly turning the pages, yearning to see if Ken can hit a home run in rewriting his own destiny. Get ready for a thrilling exploration of passion, determination, and the unwavering spirit of a young athlete chasing greatness.

This is a world where humans, demons and mysterious beasts coexist.

Humans cultivate mysterious qi. Demons cultivate corporeal bodies. Mysterious beasts cultivate soul perception.

A legend says that in the middle of an endless rainforest, there are extremely powerful existences; they are called demon kings.

Some demon kings have a tyrannical corporeal body, some are experts in illusions.
Some demon kings are proficient in magic, some can even move mountains.
Some demon kings are able to sense things thousands of miles away.

These demon kings rarely appear in the human world. Even if they emerge in the human world, they would reincarnate in human form; assimilating with mankind while seeking to breakthrough realms…

- Description from Novelupdates

[WSA 2025 ENTRY]“Seriously? Of all the people I could’ve become, I get stuck as him?”Damien, a shut-in who spends his days cursing his favourite authors for every plot twist he didn’t like, meets his end at the hands of a mysterious woman.Just when he thinks his life is over, Damien wakes up as Alden Draven, an extra character inside his favourite novel.You know, the kind of character who shows up for one chapter, says nothing important, and dies tragically in the background to move the plot forward. Yeah, 'that' guy.And guess what? His death is scheduled to happen in the first few chapters.But just as he resolves to not die and change his fate, he notices something’s off. The plot is... wrong. The characters aren't acting as they were meant to be, and the plot is all messed up.“This wasn’t supposed to happen; the stupid hero was supposed to fail miserably right about now! Is it just me, or did the entire plot get hijacked?” He muttered as it hits him....“F*ck! ”Is there another transmigrator?”And if that wasn’t enough, there's a yandere girl, one of the characters he's meant to interact with, who’s developed an unnatural obsession with him.