The saga of two kingdoms, divided by bitter history and present-day suspicions, one armed with devastating power and the other determined to overcome it, no matter what the price. Can love and resourcefulness overcome even the overwhelming power of a Thunderlord? A follow-up to The Ages of Chaos omnibus, Thunderlord is a brand-new novel of the genre-bending Darkover universe, expanded by Marion Zimmer Bradley's collaborator Deborah J. Ross.

Is there really a soul in the endless starfield that can give the unimaginable ability to ordinary people? Whether the beautiful pictures believed by countless people really exist? It seemed that destiny had abandoned Qin Xuan from the beginning. In order to open the road towards cultivation, Qin came to the cold area alone three years ago. Three years later, he still hadn't made any progress. It was also during these several years that his parents were framed and expelled from the family, and he was betrayed by close friends. Is there really a soul in the endless starfield that can give the unimaginable ability to ordinary people? Whether the beautiful pictures believed by countless people really exist? ☆About the Author☆ Qian Qiu Xue, a new web novelist, has the fiction debut "Peerless God Emperor". This fantasy novel is still ongoing and has accumulated nearly five million words. Because of the excellent literary quality, Qian Qiu Xue has become a contract writer of a novel website.

In the Primordial World, I am the Zhi Zun, indestructible, and the gods punish Thunder Monarch. Through the reincarnation of countless lifetimes, the heart would never change. To be a fellow sect, to be a lover, to not hesitate to become enemies with the heaven and earth. One's soul would perish, one's true spirit would perish, and one's god would perish. Then, we will see how Long Tianhao will climb to the peak and become the supreme Thunder Monarch.

If you are looking for short stories that cover diverse topics and are carefully classified into the right proficiency level to help you learn Mandarin Chinese, then you've come to the right page! Each story in this book is presented in different formats to help you learn effectively, including Chinese characters, characters with pinyin, bilingual stories (Chinese and English), and a vocabulary list. Additionally, audio is available for an even more immersive learning experience. Ready to immerse yourself in language learning through fun stories? 📚 Extensive Grading Process for Classifying Our Stories at the Right Level Research shows that understanding a text without needing the help of a dictionary requires the reader to understand 95% or more of the vocabulary used in the text. To improve one’s language skills, the “input” (reading materials) needs to be one level above the learner’s level. With that in mind, the AL Language Cafe team goes through an extensive process to ensure our stories are properly assigned to the appropriate level. There are many factors that our team takes into consideration, one of them being the percentage of known words based on the official HSK vocabulary list. In addition, our team also takes into consideration whether the new words are critical to understanding the main concepts of the story. AL Language Cafe Leveled Readers Classification Our leveled readers are classified into 5 levels. Starter Level: The students know about 150 to 300 words (174 to 347 characters) or they have mastered HSK 1 or HSK 2. Basic Level: The students know about 300 to 600 words (347 to 617 characters) or they have mastered HSK 2 or HSK 3. Intermediate Level: The students know about 600 to 1200 words (617 to 1064 characters) or they have mastered HSK 3 or HSK 4. Advanced Level: The students know about 1200 words to 2500 words (1064 to 1685 characters) or they have mastered HSK 4 or HSK 5. Mastery Level: The students know about 2500 to 5000 words (1685 to 2663 characters) or they have mastered HSK 5 or HSK 6. How will this book help you learn Chinese? Every short Chinese story in this book is specifically crafted for learners who are at the Mastery Level or have mastered HSK 5 or HSK 6. A learner at the Mastery Level knows about 2500 to 5000 words. Every story is presented in two different formats to help you learn effectively. Format 1 - Chinese Characters Only - to fully immerse yourself in Chinese and train your character recognition skills Format 2 - Chinese Characters with Side-by-Side English Translation - ensures that you have understood the text correctly and improving your skills in deducing from context and understanding cultural nuances between the two languages Every story comes with a vocabulary list that focuses on new words so you are always expanding your vocabulary. Engaging Materials - A Range of Topics These stories are not only written specifically for students at the Mastery Level (mastered HSK 5 or HSK 6), but they also cover a range of topics: Daily Life Family & Relationships Myth & Legend Chinese Idioms Chinese Culture (Traditional & Modern) Horror & Suspense Fairy Tales & Fantasy With appropriately leveled and fun stories, you will improve your Chinese skills, learn new words, expose yourself to natural expressions and grammar structures, and have fun, all at the same time.

Two-time Newbery Honor Award–winning author Laurence Yep brings his epic City Trilogy to an action-packed and heart-pounding conclusion Scirye and her loyal companions chase the villainous Mr. Roland for a final showdown at Riye Srukalleyis, the City of Death, located in the heart of the Kushan Empire, along the Silk Road. There, they reunite with old friends, meet new allies, and confront an even more dangerous foe.... This is the thrilling conclusion to the trilogy that began with City of Fire and City of Ice by esteemed storyteller Laurence Yep, who has been one of the preeminent Asian-American authors for children for the past forty years.

Providing a fresh look at some of the pressing issues of our world today, this collection focuses on experiential and ritualized coping practices in response to a multitude of environmental challenges—cyclones, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, warfare and displacements of peoples and environmental resource exploitation. Eco-cosmological practices conducted by skilled healing practitioners utilize knowledge embedded in the cosmological grounding of place and experiences of place and the landscapes in which such experience is encapsulated. A range of geographic case studies are presented in this volume, exploring Asia, Europe, the Pacific, and South America. With special reference throughout to ritual as a mode of seeking the stabilization, renewal, and continuity of life processes, this volume will be of particular interest to readers working in shamanic and healing practices, environmental concerns surrounding sustainability and conservation, ethnomedical systems, and religious and ritual studies.

Zhenwu, or the Perfected Warrior, is one of the few Chinese Deities that can rightfully claim a countrywide devotion. Religious specialists, lay devotees, the state machine, and the cultural industry all participated, both collaboratively and competitively, in the evolution of this devotional movement. This book centres on the development and transformation of the godhead of Zhenwu, as well as the devotional movement focused on him. Organised chronologically on the development of the Zhenwu worship in Daoist rituals, state religion, and popular practices, it looks at the changes in the way Zhenwu was perceived, and the historical context in which those changes took place. The author investigates the complicated means by which various social and political groups contested with each other in appropriating cultural-religious symbols. The question at the core of the book is how, in a given historical context, human agents and social institutions shape the religious world to which they profess devotion. The work offers a holistic approach to religion in a period of Chinese history when central, local, official, clerical and popular power are constantly negotiating and reshaping established values.