Refining the Mountains and Rivers - Chapter 13 – Demonic Path

Eric Maddox, a 70-year-old American retired football coach once hailed for his tactical brilliance, now forgotten by time—closes his eyes for what he believes is a normal nap in his quiet Florida retirement home.But when he opens them, he's not staring at ceiling tiles, instead, he's on a touchline.Wearing boots in the rain.With players running on the pitch, fans jeering behind barriers, and the smell of cheap turf pellets in the air.“What the hell is this?”He’s twenty-five again, but it’s not Earth. It’s a world where football reigns supreme. A world where the sport is religion, its practitioners, deities in cleats. Coaches are revered, players are worshipped, and even the kit man gets treated like royalty.But there's one catch: none of it is familiar. The clubs, the players, the leagues, the competitions, and even the currency—they're all different. Alien. Like waking up in a dream where the rules are the same, but the language is foreign.As if that wasn’t enough, the body he’s now in? A youth coach with a laughable win record, a looming divorce, and a measly fifty thousand in the bank that his ex-wife is fighting tooth and nail to take. All of it.Just when the spiral seems inevitable, a monotone chime pierces the noise.[Initiating Golden Finger…][…45%… 75%… 100%][System Integration Complete.][Welcome, host. You are now bound to the Pro Manager System. Objective: Dominate the Football World. A new era begins]From washed-up has-been to chosen one of destiny, Eric Maddox is about to trade arthritis pills for tactical boards, and shuffleboard for Prestigious Cup glory.Because in this world, tactics are power.And on this touchline, he’s about to become a god.

A few hundred years ago, Earth was affected by a mysterious force from the depths of the universe, triggering the revival of spiritual energy. However, things didn’t turn out as wonderful as humanity had imagined. The spiritual energy carried a strange power that caused the corpses of all living things to rise again, transforming into ghouls. And above these ghouls, even more terrifying beings existed…There were no ancient methods of cultivating immortality, nor any legendary awakenings of supernatural powers. But within the spiritual energy, there was also a presence of ghostly energy. This led to the emergence of Runes.Some people bore mountain runes, enabling them to move mountains and overturn seas, suppressing chaos. Others carried river runes, allowing them to reverse the flow of mighty rivers with a mere gesture. However, this process required a special profession to assist these rune cultivators—to constantly modify and engrave their runes, making them more refined and perfect.This profession came to be known as Rune Engraving.

Every little girl's fantasy is to live a wonderful life full of riches and luxuries. This was the future she imagined, and she was willing to go to any length to obtain it.She was spoiled, pampered, and doted on by her family, and she was proud of herself. She knew she deserved the best, and she went for it. This, however, is where the nightmare began.Wanting to leave the clutches of poverty wasn't as simple as she believed, given the things she had to give up, the humiliation she had to endure, and the numerous things she had to lose. It was not worthwhile.When she thought she had it all, she was slapped in the face with the cold, hard truth: she was only a SUBSTITUTE.And when two of her closest companions turned on her and betrayed her, she was shoved aside and got humiliated by people she used to know.With nothing and no one to lean on, she was forced to make decisions. Decisions that gradually resulted in something breathtakingly amazing.[DING! SIGN IN! THE HOST HAS BEEN REWARDED WITH ******]

STAFF NOTE: The author had proven ownership. RighteousEgg is the original author. I have added a pinned comment to the first chapter to show this staff note is legitimate.---Chu Xuan traversed the Mystic Azure Realm and became a demonic cultivator in the Infinite Sect. To cultivate as a demonic cultivator means to plunder the essence of the heavens and earth and seize the quintessence of all things. One has to slaughter countless beings to rise as a supreme demon lord. However, such killing was intolerable under the heavenly Dao of the human race. Consequently, the Infinite Sect was annihilated by the orthodox sects. In desperation, Chu Xuan stumbled upon a Blood Mirror, which allowed him to travel to a post-apocalyptic planet overrun with zombies! He realized that this place was a perfect sanctuary exclusively for demonic cultivators! If he dared to sacrifice a million humans, the heavenly laws would strike him with thunder and burn him to ashes. But if he sacrificed a million zombies, not only would he face no disasters, but he would also be showered with golden blossoms, enveloped in glorious light, and blessed with merits!