The Inner Odyssey - Chapter 27: Failed

On an ordinary day, Lucius stumbled upon a strange, run-down shop. At first, he assumed it was abandoned—until he stepped inside.[You have entered the Universal Alchemy Store.][Congratulations! You are now the store’s owner.][Please craft your first potion.]Lucius blinked. 'What kind of joke is this?' But as if guided by an unseen force, he followed the instructions. Minutes later, his first creation was complete.[Love Potion: The drinker will fall in love with the first person they lay eyes on.]Lucius swallowed hard. 'Wait… does this actually work?'Before he could process it, the shop’s door swung open.Standing in the entrance was no ordinary customer—she was an elf. Long, pointed ears, mesmerizing green eyes, and a body sculpted by the gods. A visitor from another world.A dangerous thought crept into his mind.'Should I test it on her?'

It was started with a harmless request, “Jessica, clear out a room for Zoey, she'll be moving in with us for the time being.”Jessica's marriage soon ended when that 'guest' climbed up the ladder, from a guest room downstairs, to Jessica's bedroom, and then, her husband's bed.After losing in the fight for her husband's attention and love, Jessica realized it was time to wear back her garment of dignity and respect. She signed the divorce papers and left the country.Two years later, she returned as the heiress to a conglomerate, but her husband was at the airport, waiting to welcome her home.“When did I say I didn't love you, Jessica?” he asked.

Anton is a great-grandfather. He is living quite a happy life, despite his advanced age and declining health… until a group of cultivator bandits moves into the area. The nearby guardians of the area, the Order of Ninety-Nine Stars, are unable to track them down as they continue to ravage nearby towns. During one desperate winter Anton is out on a hunt when his family- his entire village- is killed or taken as slaves by the bandits. He lacks the strength to fight them, and he wasn’t even present for their arrival to die with his loved ones. At the pit of his despair, he wonders if he ever had any chance to change things. What could he even do? He cannot even pull his best bow, and his eyesight is failing. If he had been a cultivator… perhaps there might have been a chance, but he was decades- perhaps even most of his life- too late.Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge (2022)Notes on cultivation levels:There are five general stages of cultivation, though the fifth is extremely rare. Each cultivation style might have their own name for the stages.1. Body Tempering2. Spirit Building/ occasionally System Creation (Ninety-Nine Stars)3. Constellation Formation (Ninety-Nine Stars)4. Life Transformation/Galaxy Construction (Ninety-Nine Stars)5. Ascension

After annihilating Han, Zhao and Wei empires in succession, the dynasty of Qin is ushering in an unprecedented flourishing age with powerful cultivators emerging endlessly. People take pride in being part of the Qin dynasty. However, Ding Ning, a young lad of humble origin in Changling, Qin, is determined to subvert this dynasty and kill the emperor who breaks in the Eighth Realm.