MTL - Throne of Magical Arcana - v9 Chapter 25 Hole cards or hidden dangers?

This story unfolds during the later stages of World War II, where a man, scarred by the horrors of war, finally grasps the profound and harsh realities of the world. In this world, those at the top laugh and celebrate, while those at the bottom sacrifice their lives in futile conflicts driven by pride and meaningless ambition.A modern soul transmigrates and fuses with the original soul of a body, creating a unique and extraordinary existence. To some, he is a villain; to others, a madman.In a world steeped in cruelty, this man, determined to secure a place among the decision-makers, struggles to break free from the ranks of those powerless to control their fate. To achieve his goal, he resolves to shatter the chains of law, then the chains of morality, and finally the chains of mediocrity.

Qiao Jinniang's parents passed away the moment she came of age.For the sake of inheriting a restaurant, she had no choice but to ‘recruit’ a husband who would take her family name.Who knew that her husband, who looked like a banished immortal, was an ingrate? He snatched her child away and left behind a divorce letter.Qiao Jinniang became the butt of every joke in Lin’an City. Seeing that her uncle was about to take her parents' blood, sweat, and tears for himself, the son of the Prefect of the Superior Prefecture wanted to take her in as a concubine.However, a horse carriage sent from the Marquis arrived in Chang'an City. An old lady servant clad in an embroidered robe walked up to her and called her "Young Miss".It was only then that Qiao Jinniang realized that she was the eldest daughter of the principal wife of Marquis Anyuan. Back then, when the marchioness gave birth to her, she encountered a robber. At that time, a jealous concubine switched out her daughter with the chef's daughter.Therefore, a divorced female chef who had already given birth entered the capital. Everyone was waiting to see this real heiress make a fool of herself.They were secretly guessing when the real heiress would be abandoned by the Marquis.Yet, they failed to expect Qiao Jinniang to open up a restaurant in Chang'an using her amazing culinary skills. Even His Majesty showered her with praise. She was pampered by everyone in the Marquis' residence.Those long-tongued women in Chang'an City said sourly, "So what if a woman gets pampered at home? She's long past the age of 18 and has already given birth. Who will marry her?"The Marquis found Qiao Jinniang quite a few husbands. However, despite many marriages being in discussion, none of them went smoothly.As the marchioness's face was covered in tears, the fake daughter said she wanted to give Qiao Jinniang her husband instead.Qiao Jinniang took the rolling pin and kicked open the Eastern Palace's main door. "Since you've already divorced me, why are you still ruining my marriage?"A certain crown prince said, "How can we let the mother of the royal grandson marry someone else?!"

At 35, Lin Zhi finally died from exhaustion on the delivery table!In her life, she was never married or had children, faced with a difficult and bumpy fate, but fortunately, she successfully delivered 3000 babies.After death, she arrived in hell, where King Yan, appreciating her merit, allowed her to be reborn at the age of 20, and even bestowed her with a pair of... Holy Hands for delivering babies?!Lin Zhi was somewhat bewildered, she didn't want to be a midwife again!“King Yan sir, that... actually, you could grant me a cool, super-rich, devastatingly handsome husband who would love me for a lifetime.”King Yama said, “Lin Zhi, I think you'd better come back to hell with me!”

In a world where Classes, Stats, and Levels are the everyday norm, Reivyn has a secret.He was unusually aware of his surroundings from an incredibly early age, and Skills and Stats were acquired easily. He was just the son of an ordinary village family, and nothing appeared out of the ordinary on the surface. But below the surface, dreams of another life help shape his mentality and growth. Why does he have some remembrance of a past life, and what is his purpose in this new one?“Soul of the Warrior” is what I call a Semi-Isekai LitRPG. I say “semi,” because Reivyn's past life is remembered like a dream, and very incomplete. It is still Isekai, though, as he remembers enough that it directly shapes his personality and his sense of self.The System that governs the world of “Soul of the Warrior” is a combination of modified versions from Selkie's “Beneath the Dragoneye Moons” and Kosnik4's “Magic Smithing.” I have changed enough of these Systems and combined them in a way that is unique that I'm mostly sure it's fine, but I still have requested permission to use these ideas. They have both graciously granted me permission.Winner of the April Writathon Challenge.