The Last Touched: Rite of Queens - Chapter 2: The Knife & The Flame

In the world of cultivation, countless tales follow righteous protagonists, fated heroes blessed by destiny, or those chosen by heaven to walk the path of immortality.But what of those who stand in their way?What of the villains? The so-called obstacles to the hero’s journey—do they not bleed, dream, and struggle as well?Xiao Ning was never meant to succeed.From the very beginning, the Grand Dao wove him as a stepping stone—a necessary sacrifice to elevate another. His path, like that of all designated ‘villains,’ was doomed to failure by design.But what happens when that design is defied?After death, Xiao Ning awakens—not in the cycle of reincarnation, but in the cold silence beyond it. There, he is offered the Eternal Paradox Codex—a forbidden artifact containing the hidden truths of the Grand Dao System itself.Rules. Loopholes. Vulnerabilities.Knowledge not meant for those like him.With this power, Xiao Ning is granted a single, impossible choice: accept oblivion, or step outside the Grand Dao entirely—to abandon fate, sever karma, and cultivate a path unbound by heaven or law.It is Xiao Ning’s journey, from ashes to something beyond comprehension.Not to become an Immortal among men.But something even the heavens dare not bind.If fate is a chain…Then let him forge his own path in the void beyond.Welcome to this humble tale.The cultivation world is vast and unkind.Let us begin again—on our terms.

I met the male lead in prison.

This is the story of a smart and beautiful young lady Yuan, who step by step conquered Chang’an’s number one golden bachelor, and make him to go from “totally ignore” to “punching his own face every day”.

Yuan Ci Xian dreamed that she was given death by the old emperor many years later and became a bridge stone.

Waking up and remembering the fear of being under the sole of feet of others, she was determined to find a backer.

After being pointed out by a certain advisor to “cater to other people’s preference”, Yuan Ci Xian picked up the brush and wrote a love poem for the future Imperial Teacher to show her infatuation.

When Lu Shiqing saw the poem, he vomited three liters of blood, and angrily rushed into the boudoir of Yuan Mansion.

He taught her to cater to other people’s preference, but she actually thought he like poetry?

Obviously what he like is…!

- Description from Novelupdates