MTL - Xiuxian: The Beginning Starts with the Drug Boy - Chapter 693 Patriarch of the pedantic

Marcella Valemont was a villainess wrapped in silk and thorns.The alluring, selfish daughter of the High Priest, she was forced into a cold marriage with the Black-bellied Duke Berith Montclair. She longed for power and would stop at nothing to claim the crown, even if it meant seducing the incorruptible Crown Prince Lucian and clawing her way to the throne into becoming the Queen.Until it all burned.Her ruthless schemes led to betrayal, rebellion, and ruin-- an empire on its knees, a virtuous king destroyed, and a rebellion led by the man she discarded. Desperate and full of regret, she barters her life with the Duke to save Lucian.In an interesting turn of events, Marcella gets to go back in time to fix her wrongs, save the man who was ruined because of her and hopefully stop the bloodthirsty rebel Duke Berith.She finds herself reborn as her 18-year-old self with a chance for a do-over and vows to do better this time.But the past does not forget. Nor does the devil in her husband’s skin.Secrets long buried begin to surface, and Marcella discovers that her former husband is far more than he seems—a man cloaked in darkness, harboring a purpose that threatens everything she holds dear.They say second chances come with thorns and to fix the past, she must trust the devil who destroyed it.

I belong to a good sect that has never turned its back on me for my poor potential, has never forced me to study martial arts, and even helped arrange a betrothal for me when I was young.

My fiancée is a much renowned hot-tempered young miss. She’s beautiful, strong, and deeply loves me. Upon my start down the path of the Jianghu, I entirely relied on her to provide cover for me and before long, I became renowned as the #1 Pretty Boy of the Immortal Path.

Yet one day, I discovered that this person is apparently a man. A man in drag!

More unforgivable is that he thought I was a woman dressing as a man!

Me, as if my liver and guts are being cut to pieces: “Brother, what have you done with my fiancée?”

Him, as if a knife has been twisted in his heart: “Brother, what have *you* done with my fiancée?”

The waters of the Jianghu are indeed murky. Even if I am starving, even if I’m dying far from home, from this point on, I will not eat even a mouthful of rice prepared by him.

—So fragrant.

- Description from Novelupdates

“Money doesn’t buy happiness. It buys crazy ahh happiness.”[Ding!]
⟪ You have cleared the 100th Floor of the Tower of Beginning. ⟫
⟪ As the requirements for the completion have been met, the game will now undergo a maintenance period. You will be logged out safely. ⟫
⟪ Rewards for completing the floor will be made available after a maintenance period and a following content will be made available. ⟫
⟪ You will be rewarded the permanent title: Conqueror of the Tower of Beginning, after the maintenance period. ⟫
⟪ Your achievements will be highlighted in the [Akashic records]. ⟫
⟪ May the fortune be on your side. ⟫Kaizen, ID:KiRA, a 24-year-old streamer and obsessive gamer, etched his name as the only player to conquer the brutal Tower of Beginning, a VRMMO notorious for its punishing difficulty.Living in a modest two-room apartment, he poured over half a decade into the game, finally conquering the impossible.But on December 12, 2052, the world flipped: blue countdown screens bearing the tower’s runes appeared globally, and colossal Towers of Cessation erupted, tearing through cities and integrating the game’s system into reality.[Time remaining until Tutorial: ][00:54:51][After the conclusion of the tutorial, clear the first floor of the Tower of Cessation within or else your world will be terminated.]Earth became a chaotic battleground of monsters, dungeons, and players.KiRA, armed with unparalleled expertise, his companion Unity, and a wealth that dwarfs all others, dived back into the fray—- not just to relive the adrenaline of the climb, but to cement his legacy as the richest and most dominant force in this new, perilous reality.

[Mature Content!]In the heart of a bustling metropolis where ambition and dreams collide, Ella, a talented yet struggling artist, finds herself facing a crushing blow. Her world shatters as her ex-boyfriend exchanges vows with her former best friend, a betrayal that leaves her feeling humiliated and lost.Desperate for a change, an escape from her heartache, she impulsively agrees to a marriage of convenience with Damien Stone, a mysterious and enigmatic billionaire CEO. Damien, needing a temporary wife to appease his demanding board of directors and secure his position, sees the arrangement as mutually beneficial. As they enter this calculated agreement, both with their own hidden agendas, an unexpected spark ignites between them.Amidst the carefully constructed facade of their marriage, a genuine attraction blossoms, challenging their preconceived notions and altering the course of their lives in ways they never imagined.