Phoenix Ascending - Chapter 260 - Musing

Isabella was supposed to be sipping champagne at a luxury spa, not waking up in the middle of a forest. Worse, a SYSTEM had attached itself to her like some clingy ex, spouting nonsense about survival, quests, and—oh, hell no—manual labor.“System, I was NOT built for the wilderness! My ideal ‘roughing it’ experience involves a five-star hotel with bad WiFi!”Now, instead of lounging in silk robes, she’s being ordered to farm? To hunt?“A farming quest? You want me—a city girl—to grow food? System, I once killed a cactus by overwatering it. This is NOT my calling!”And don’t even get her started on the hygiene situation.“You want me to bathe in a cold river? Darling, I require warm water, scented oils, and an ambience! What do I look like—some barbarian?!”Unfortunately, the locals—big, muscular beastmen—don’t seem to understand the concept of self-care. The women? Neglecting their skin like it’s a crime to be radiant. The men? Walking hygiene disasters.“Ladies, if your man can smell you before he sees you, we have a problem.”“You see this? This is lotion. It exists so you don’t look like a dried-up leaf. Use it.”“A beard should be majestic, not tragic. Let me fix it.”And the beastmen? They don’t just stare at her like she’s an oddity. No, they hover. They smirk. They lean in too close, fangs flashing with amusement.“Why do you keep looking at me like that?” she huffed, crossing her arms.The panther grinned, his tail flicking. “Because you’re fascinating when you’re annoyed.”No, absolutely not. She was not here for this nonsense.“If you have time to stare, you have time to moisturize.”She didn’t ask to be here. She didn’t ask to be their savior. But if she has to suffer through this world, she’s making everyone around her suffer less—through skincare, style, and some serious attitude.“If I hear one more ‘We don’t season our food here,’ I’m launching a war.”“If you have time to gossip, you have time to do squats.”“You want to impress a woman? Start with not smelling like the battlefield.”Survival isn’t just about fighting monsters; it’s about looking good while doing it. So what if the System keeps throwing impossible quests her way?“What do you mean ‘you can’t skip quests’?! Since when?! Where is the skip button?! I demand a skip button!”But somewhere between dodging ridiculous quests and fixing these people’s tragic grooming habits, Isabella found herself in situations. Uncomfortable, heart-racing situations.Like being trapped against a tree by the red python, his red eyes half-lidded as he murmured, “You talk too much, little star. Should I silence you?”Like waking up with the lion lord’s fur-lined cloak draped over her shoulders, his deep voice gruff, “You shiver in your sleep. I’ll fix that.”Like the phoenix watching her every move, his burning gaze searing into her skin as he mused,“You cause chaos wherever you go, but I find that I don’t mind.”Oh, hell. No. She was not about to fall for four beastmen. She was too pretty for this much stress.“If you insult me again, I’ll make sure your soul needs a beauty upgrade.”“I refuse to be disrespected by anyone who dresses like an unwashed tree branch.”And yet, when a rival tribe came to challenge her, when danger lurked too close, those same beastmen stood beside her—smirking, taunting, fighting for her.“A beastman growled at me today. I growled back. He ran. I am the alpha now.”Isabella isn’t just surviving. She’s thriving. And this world better keep up.

In a world where mysticism and steam industry coexist, cursed objects, the Reception Bureau, and Evil God fanatics...That year, the King was bedridden with illness, the successor was inexperienced, and power slipped away, leaving the empire teetering.That year, external forces gathered around the empire, and foreign civilizations eyed it covetously.That year, the prophet delivered a prophecy that the era of civilization was nearing its end.That year, Ethan arrived at a small town on the outskirts of the imperial capital. To survive in this perilous era, he began practicing Fireball Skill.Years later, Ethan looked at the meteor falling from the clouds and realized there was a problem.The beginner Magic he learned seemed a bit off.

Yao Bianliang was an actress in her previous life, and once she entered the shuangwen story of the entertainment circle. The system said: “As long as the host works hard to become cold and become an 18th-line star that no one cares about, she can get a bonus of 100 billion.” Yao Bianliang sat up in shock while saying: “Is there such a good thing?”

- Description from Novelupdates

After transmigrating into a harem novel, Lin Xiao became the villainous Eldest Senior Brother of the Azure Mist Sect.By following the original storyline and being a pesky villain, he could eventually attain his reward of becoming immortal.Having no other choice, he carried out his duty as a villain conscientiously. He would tease Fourth Junior Sister, steal Third Junior Sister’s clothes and spike Second Junior Sister’s drink.Finally, the day when Ye Chen, the male protagonist, joined the sect came.Lin Xiao was exhilarated. According to the original plot, he would attempt to Ye Chen, be caught by his Junior Sisters, and be humiliated by Ye Chen.Yet, to Lin Xiao’s surprise…“Big Brother is too kind. The poison he has prepared is such a child's play. Let me show him how it’s done.” Second Junior Sister said.“Kill Ye Chen! Kidnap Eldest Senior Brother! He is mine!” Third Junior Sister declared.“Kill everyone! Let’s create a world with only Eldest Senior Brother in it!” Fourth Junior Sister exclaimed.“My sweet disciple, he’s so cute even when he tries to poison someone furtively.” His beautiful master swooned.Lin Xiao screamed internally, “Read the scripts, all of you! I’m the one who is supposed to be killed!”