ShadowBound: The Need For Power - Chapter 199: Knight Combat Training

Ethan Blackwood wasn’t used to being defied. As the CEO of a global empire, he crushed obstacles with a single glance. But when Lily Anderson stood before him, her chin lifted in quiet defiance, and something in him snapped. “Sign the contract,” he said, his voice like ice. “30 days. You’ll obey every command. After that, you’re free.”She hesitated, her fingers trembling as she gripped the pen. “And if I refuse?”His smirk was cold, but his eyes burned. “Then you’ll spend the rest of your life paying off your father’s debts. Your choice.”Trapped, Lily signed. But she vowed one thing: she wouldn’t let him break her.From the first day, their clash was electric. He demanded perfection; she gave him rebellion. “You think you can control me?” she spat, after he criticized her for being late.Ethan stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. “I don’t just control you. Lily, I own you.”But as the days passed, the lines between them blurred. Late nights in his penthouse turned into whispered conversations. His cold demeanor cracked, revealing glimpses of a man haunted by his past. One night, after a heated argument, he pinned her against the wall, his breath hot against her ear. “Why do you fight me so much?”Her voice trembled. “Because I’m afraid if I stop, I’ll lose myself to you.”Their connection deepened, but danger loomed. Secrets from Ethan’s past resurfaced, threatening to destroy everything. When Lily discovered the truth behind his obsession with her, she confronted him. “Was I just a pawn in your game? A way to settle an old score?”His eyes darkened with pain. “You were never just a game, Lily. You’re the only thing that’s ever felt real.”As the final days of their contract approached, their bond was tested like never before. Enemies closed in, and trust hung by a thread. Could they overcome the shadows of their pasts, or would their love crumble under the weight of secrets and pride?

Lu Xing zhi’s 18th birthday gift was a handsome, wealthy fiance. Since then, the little lonely orphan girl turned directly into Ms. Rich Perfect and embarked on the pinnacle of her life.

After getting over a scumbag, she was drowning in a pampered happy life.

She merely wanted to hold tightly onto this golden thigh, instead of being left gnawed to the bone by that scumbag.

Huo Jinchen: “It’s my first time. Don’t let me down.”

Lu Xingzhi: “Old man, don’t be so shameless.”

Huo Jinchen: “This old man loves you dearly. Good girl, let your husband love you dearly.”

Huo Jinchen in the eyes of other: honorable and elegant, clean-living and honest, and a modest gentleman.

In the eyes of Lu Xingzhi: A black bellied old man.

“All right, I’ll give you all you want, but you must never leave me.”

Lu Xingzhi nodded resolutely. This uncle has the money, the looks, a ravishing figure, and was so good to her. She would never leave unless she has a hole in her brain.

“What are you doing with your clothes off?”

“Seduce you.”

Love her and love her deeply. It’s an essential homework for Huo Jinchen with Lu Xingzhi.

- Description from Novelupdates

A hero must be compassionate, selfless and courageous.But that isn't all. Because a hero must also be powerful.In this world, power is everything. Strength decides who gets to save lives and who's left with community service. That’s why I was nothing — a rank 50 E-Class reject, skating through the streets, saving what little I could while the real heroes battled gods and monsters.Then one day, I died. Almost.Dragged into the abyss, I was given a second chance: the Forever Core. An armor that evolves. A system that never stops adapting. Every battle, every hit, every mistake, I come back stronger.Now, the monsters that once crushed me can’t kill me the same way twice.I must adapt. Evolve. I must grow stronger and fight harder. Because humanity is worth fighting for.Even if I have to burn every villain alive to prove it.