A Practical Guide to Sorcery - Chapter 179: Pyrrhic Failures

Lin Jiao and Gu Quan have been in love for two years, playing the role of a little white flower for his liking, willing to be humble as dust.

She thought that Gu Quan loved each other as much as she did.

But at a party, I heard him and others say, “Lin Jiao is very good, but it’s not her.”

Only then did Lin Jiao realize how ridiculous her character was.

She was ashes as she was, and when he left himself and lingered with his sweetheart, she left the stage sadly.

*

Later, Gu Quan, remorseful, found Lin Jiao.

He grabbed her hand, his eyes full of nostalgia: “Jiaojiao, forgive me, okay?”

“Not good.” A man in a bathrobe suddenly appeared and hugged Lin Jiao tightly in an absolutely possessive posture.

He glanced at Gu Quan defiantly, leaned over and whispered, “Wife, shall we continue?”

【Guquan Crematorium】

【The second male upper position】

【Double C, 1v1, Cookies】

- Description from novelbuddy

“Fresh meat” Jiang Chi – to get closer to his unrequited love, an actor extraordinaire – did everything to join Ye Lan’s filming project, even if it meant he would not get paid.

Note:
影帝, literally means “movie king”. Used for famous and accomplished actors. The actress equivalent is 影后, meaning “movie queen”.

小鲜肉, literally means “young, fresh meat”. Used for young, rising actors with good looks (who often star in more commercial-oriented films.) The actress equivalent is 小花, meaning “fresh flower”

- Description from Novelupdates

Ke Yin has a problem. Well, several problems.First, he's actually Kane from Earth.Second, he's stuck in a cultivation world where people don't just split mountains with a sword strike, they build entire universes inside their souls (and no, it's not a meditation metaphor).Third, he's got a system with a snarky spiritual assistant that lets him possess the recently deceased across dimensions.And finally, the elders at the Azure Peak Sect are asking why his soul realm contains both demonic cultivation and holy arts? Must be a natural talent.

For as long as he could remember, life had always been cruel.A young man in his early twenties—his name now lost to the past—was dealt a life filled with misfortunes.A cold, empty apartment, a soul-crushing job, and, finally, a terminal diagnosis.With nothing left to live for, his only comfort had been escaping into the fictional world of Path of the Elemental Sage, a story of heroes, magic, and survival.But fate had other plans.When death finally came for him, he didn’t fade into nothingness.Instead, he awoke in the world he had only read about—a world of chaos and danger where death lurked around every corner.The air smelled of magic, the sky was filled with possibilities.{«[Status Window]»}[Name: Lyrium Blackwood][Age: 16][Rank: D-][Skills: None][Elements: None}At first, confusion filled his mind.Who was Lyrium Blackwood?Why was he here?And why did this body feel so different?But as his memories returned, so did the realization: this wasn’t some blessing or second chance.He wasn’t reincarnated as the protagonist.No destined savior.No cheat abilities.No grand fate.He was just another mob, a face in the crowd meant to exist and die without leaving a mark.But this young man—the one who had left his old name and life behind—wasn’t the kind of person to roll over and accept his fate.“This world is dangerous. The protagonist isn’t the only one fighting for survival here,”he muttered, his red eyes deep and sharp.Unlike the naïve characters in the story, he knew the stakes.He’d read the web novel.He’d seen the carnage, the betrayals, the disasters that wiped out entire cities.And if there was one thing he refused to be, it was a pawn in someone else’s game.“I don’t care about glory. I don’t care about saving the world. All I care about is surviving—no matter what it takes.”Lyrium Blackwood wasn’t planning to live quietly or avoid danger.The only way to survive in this brutal world was to rise to the top.To be strong enough to stand above both heroes and villains.Using his knowledge of the story’s events and his iron will, Lyrium sets out on a relentless path to surpass the protagonist.Whether through clever manipulation, brutal training, or sheer desperation, he’ll climb higher and higher, leaving nothing to chance.But the deeper he gets, the more he realizes that this isn’t just the story he once read.As fate pushes him closer to the heart of the narrative, Lyrium begins to suspect that his reincarnation wasn’t an accident—and the world itself might be watching him.“I don’t care who or what stands in my way. If the story wants to kill me, I’ll rewrite the ending myself.”----------------------------------I apologize for any mistakes in this story, as it’s my first attempt at writing a novel.