Night of the Broken Gliph - Chapter 1

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

Her grandfather was the emperor’s respected teacher, with disciples all over the world.

Her mother was well-read in poetry since childhood and was the most talented woman in the previous dynasty.

Her father started from nothing and gained the emperor’s favor, rising to Minister of Personnel.

Li Mingwei was an unrivaled noblewoman in the capital city.

A mistaken marriage let her see through worldly affairs. She fled the hustle and bustle and returned to live in her countryside residence, choosing a different kind of life.

By the side of the blue stone road, that person had stood still for a long time. He held an umbrella and reached out a hand to her.

Of the ancient gods only one remained in the world. This god lived alone for thousands of years and no longer had any desires. Legend had it that during the great war between the worlds he used his powers to turn the tide managing to seal the cataclysmic rift bringing order back into the three realms. Time flew by and hundreds of years passed in the blink of an eye.

In a parallel world where everyone was a Beastmaster, people would tame, train, and evolve their beasts. The Federal Government would give everyone their own beast egg at their coming-of-age ceremony. However, to evolve and grow the beast, they would need potions, gems, and other rare ingredients. Fortunately for Su Bai, he had awakened the Divine-grade Simplification System. With the system, growing a beast was as easy as it could get. “Lightning Rat detected. The evolution path has been simplified. Plugged in. Evolution points +1, +1, +1…”

“Bubble Turtle detected. The evolution path has been simplified. Shower. Evolution points +1, +1, +1…” “Flame Cat detected. The evolution path has been simplified. Sunbath. Evolution points +1, +1, +1…” A few years later, Su Bai, the Divine Beastmaster accepted an interview. “Mr. Su, can you tell us how you achieved your success?” “I spend my time growing my beasts when other people are showering or sunbathing.”