[Age 3: Your descendant, Li Xinnian, was cared for in turns by his clansmen. He witnessed the authority of his Great-Great-Grandfather when speaking with subordinate powers, the proud solitude of his Great-Grand-Uncle Yaozu, the gentleness of his Great-Grand-Aunt Yaoqing, the sincerity of his Great-Grand-Uncle Yaotie, and the wisdom of his Great-Grand-Aunt Yaowen... He skillfully imitated the qualities of his ancestors, one by one.]
[Age 5: His Great-Grand-Aunt Yaoqing began to condition his body. The special physiques gifted to him by the elders at birth started to fuse.
Acquired Trait: Primal Origin Sacred Body. Effect: No cultivation bottlenecks before the Divinity Transformation realm; born with a natural affinity for all techniques.]
[Age 6: He consumed the family's first 'Primal Origin Blood Fruit' and awakened an ancient bloodline: the Saint Spirit Bloodline.
Description: In the primal beginning of heaven and earth, humanity had many ancestors, one of whom was the Saint Spirit. Those with this bloodline are born with a lifespan of ten thousand years, possess infinite power, and have souls that cannot be disturbed by external forces. They are blessed by the heavens and encounter frequent fortuitous opportunities.]
[Age 8: His cultivation reached the peak of the Qi Refining realm.]
[Li Xinnian heard the family's stories from his elders, learning how the family had risen step-by-step from a single hunter in Azure Cloud to their position today.
He came to know of the family's hardships and understood how difficult it was for his clansmen to survive in the current chaotic world.
One night, he was targeted by an assassin, but the number one expert from Skynet protected him.
He remained calm throughout the ordeal, and as he contemplated his family's circumstances, an inexplicable indignation at their plight grew in his heart.]
[...]
Li Wei reviewed Li Xinnian's historical events one by one, but he couldn't for the life of him see how this child was supposed to be a "Fated Villain." On the contrary, he felt quite pleased.
Li Xinnian was undoubtedly the most talented member in the family's history. The child was not only intelligent but also cultivated diligently despite his extraordinary aptitude; he was eager to learn and quick-witted.
Looking at the handsome child now, his movements were graceful. When a maidservant brought tea, Li Xinnian immediately paused the music from his zither.
He looked toward the maidservant. "Sister Chunlan, didn't I tell you to rest well at home for a few days? Your family..." Li Xinnian trailed off.
The maidservant's eyes were red and filled with gratitude.
"Thank you, Young Master," she said. "This servant is fine. My younger brother is at home taking care of our father."
After the maidservant left, Li Xinnian walked over to Fan Feixuan.
"Mother, Sister Chunlan has looked after me for a long time. Her older brother joined the army in the Duravia Trade Prefecture and was killed. Her entire family is from our Merit City," he said. "Your son was wondering... if you could ask Grandmother if her younger brother could have a position at Hundred Treasures Mountain?"
"You are a good child."
Fan Feixuan doted on Li Xinnian. Stroking his head, she said softly, "We don't need to trouble your grandmother for that. Mother has some savings; you can just give some to Chunlan in secret."
"That won't do, Mother." Li Xinnian shook his head seriously.
"Great-Grand-Aunt Yaowen once told me, 'Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.' Besides, their family has served ours as soldiers for generations; we have to be considerate of their pride. An unearned gift is no different from a handout."
"Did your great-grand-aunt teach you that too?" Fan Feixuan asked, seemingly accustomed to her son's precocious nature.
"I used to secretly try and give treasures to my older cousins in the family, but they would never accept them. It was Grandmother Dongfang Xuan from the Inner City who explained why to me."
"..."
How could such a good child possibly be a [Fated Villain]?
If he was, then what did that make Li Yunbing and Li Tianming? Heretical fiends?
A worried look appeared in Li Wei's eyes.
[Trait: Fated Villain]
[Effect: Cultivation speed is increased by 100%. Easily gives rise to a 'Child of Destiny.' Even without doing anything, this individual will easily attract disaster for both himself and his family.]
At this moment, Li Wei watched the young boy, who had resumed playing his zither in the snow. The music was gentle, as visually pleasing as a painted scroll.
For the first time, his own mind was in turmoil. He had never encountered such a trait before—one that could attract disaster without doing a single thing.
But as their Old Ancestor, what choice did he have?
"To hell with the 'Fated Villain,' to hell with disaster."
The wind and snow passed through Li Wei's ethereal form as a smile appeared on his face.
"My Li family," he declared, "will never abandon a single one of its children!"
...
And on this day, few people could see that high in the night sky above Merit City, a woman in white perpetually drifted. It was Li Yaowen.
She had been in a deep slumber for many years now. Everyone in the Li family knew that once she entered this state, she would not awaken for at least a year, and sometimes for much longer.
Her beautiful eyes, like a sea of stars, flashed with a brilliant light.
Li Yaowen sat up with a start. With a light wave of her slender hand, an ancient iron scroll appeared before her. It opened sideways like a curtain, and the text upon it began to swirl around her body.
She then started pinching her fingers together in a divination. The characters from the scroll, like glowing white earthworms, flashed and circled around her as her thin lips moved in a constant chant.
At some unknown time, Li Yaozu, who had been cultivating his Sword Heart high above the family residence, arrived.
His forehead was tense, and his brow was tightly furrowed.
In all these years, whenever his fourth sister awoke, it was only to serve tea to the Old Ancestor and their parents or to have dinner with the clan before she would return to her slumber.
But now, she had only just awoken and was already expending so much of her spiritual power.
He had never seen anything like it. Just as he was about to ask what was happening, a woman's voice suddenly came from his sword box, causing Li Yaozu to freeze.
"Ah Zu, Little Wen is performing a divination. She's using the Scripture of All Under Heaven and her Fate Arts. You must not disturb her, or you could easily cause a backlash."
Inside the sword box, Fang Linglong sat upon a longsword in the darkness.
She was dressed in a black openwork gown, and her hair fell like a waterfall around her exquisite face. Her phoenix eyes were grave. "Something must have truly alarmed her."
Everyone in the Li family knew that she resided within the sword box.
Over the years, she had grown increasingly familiar with the members of the Li family, especially Li Yaowen.
After all, within Merit City, they were the only three who spent their time drifting in the sky.
Many years ago, she had marveled at Li Yaowen's disposition and talent, but through their recent interactions, she had the faint feeling that ever since seizing Tian Xing's arts, the young woman had become even more extraordinary.
Li Yaozu nodded slightly, not daring to approach and disturb her.
After two hours, the iron scroll and the incomprehensible characters before Li Yaowen finally vanished. Her face was visibly pale, and her spiritual form had grown even more translucent.
Seeing her state, Li Yaozu hurried to her side, his face etched with worry and reproach.
"Fourth Sister, what were you divining? Was it Grand Elder Puci? Didn't I warn you not to casually use your Fate Arts to pry into the secrets of a Void Refining expert like him? Doing so will shorten your lifespan!"
Li Yaowen gave a faint smile, motioning for her brother not to worry.
"No, it wasn't him. I just happened to see a star of calamity within the family upon waking."
"A star of calamity?" Li Yaozu was taken aback.
"Mm-hmm." Li Yaowen lowered her head, her gaze directed toward the main family courtyard below.
Following his fourth sister's gaze, Li Yaozu's eyes fell upon the young boy sitting cross-legged beneath the ancient tree in the courtyard.
He was cultivating using the Earth-rank method once practiced by Venerable Elder Baimei of Azure Mist Mountain: The Hundredfold Prosperity Net Scripture.
This youngest child of the family had never squandered his time just because of the family's immense power; it always seemed as if he had an endless list of things to do.
Among all his kin, Li Xinnian was the most diligent cultivator. While other children his age were likely long asleep, he was still absorbing the spirit qi of heaven and earth.
"Xinnian has already reached the peak of the Qi Refining realm," Li Yaozu noted.
"If he weren't so focused on building a solid foundation, he could break through to the Foundation Establishment realm at any time. A ten-year-old at the Foundation Establishment realm... I fear he will surpass us all in the future."
Li Yaozu's eyes were filled with admiration, but he also understood what Li Yaowen was implying.
"Fourth Sister," he asked, "this 'star of calamity'... you mean it's Xinnian?"
"Mm-hmm."
Li Yaowen's expression was unreadable. "Big Brother, what do you think?"
"We'll face soldiers with generals and floods with earthworks," Li Yaozu said, his gaze sharp.
"First, we must inform the Old Ancestor. But no matter what, if disaster comes for the child, we will be the ones to face it for him."
.....
Within a single night, everyone from Li Wei down to the youngest members of the Li family had heard the news. Their thoughts on the matter were unanimous.
A new day began.
Li Xinnian was dressed immaculately. He had inherited his grandfather's love for cleanliness, though not his grandfather's peculiar obsession with it.
He sometimes found his grandfather's need for tidiness terrifying; especially when something was out of place at home, his grandfather Li Chang'an would have to spend half a day fixing it.
And if it got messed up again, he looked like he might get angry enough to vomit blood.
"I wonder when this heavy snow will ever stop."
After arriving in the Azure Cloud Region via the teleportation formation, Li Xinnian gazed out at the endless expanse of pure white snow, his brow furrowed.
His whole life, from childhood until now, had been filled with unending snow.
His father had told him that Azure Cloud wasn't like this in the past; every spring, this southern land would be filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers.
It was nothing like the present, where ordinary people struggled to get by.
"Xinnian."
An aged voice sounded beside him. Ever since the last assassination attempt, the old man from Skynet had often met him here to ensure his safety.
Li Xinnian quickly bowed to the old man.
He followed the old man and soon arrived at a strange place of cultivation—a basin. From a distance, it looked like a long pillar supporting magnificent jade pavilions. That was the place where he cultivated his arts—the Skyveil Sect.
Soon, Li Xinnian and the old man arrived at the Skyveil Sect. As a direct disciple, everyone from the other disciples to the sect elders treated him with the utmost respect.
Many of the Skyveil Sect's disciples came from common backgrounds, and they couldn't help but look at him with envy.
He walked past other disciples his age who were in the middle of their training—recruits from both the mortal world and the great aristocratic clans—without paying them any mind.
"Xinnian, wouldn't you like to play with the other children your age?" the old man asked.
He sometimes felt that Li Xinnian was far too precocious, always seeming to have an endless list of things to do.
A child his age shouldn't be like that. Perhaps, he thought, it would be better for him to cultivate alongside his peers.
A flicker of longing flashed in Li Xinnian's eyes, but he still shook his head.
"Old Grandfather, I tried cultivating with them when I was eight. After just half a month, I decided I never wanted to do it again. When I was at the fifth layer of the Qi Refining realm, they were just starting to temper their bodies. I couldn't learn anything from them."
"While I was trying to cultivate, they would ask me to join them in using our True Qi to hunt birds. I would much rather spend that time practicing my techniques."
"It's not that I don't want to play with them," he said. "It's just that... I can't really fit in."
The old man was speechless for a moment. He sometimes felt that Li Xinnian was a rather pitiful child.
He could see the boy's longing for fun, but he couldn't understand why he was always so busy.
Before long, the old man had brought Li Xinnian to the Skyveil Sect's main hall.
But before they could enter, a young girl appeared with several other youths in tow.
With her hands on her hips, she shouted angrily at Li Xinnian, "Hmph! Li Xinnian, why won't you get engaged to me? You're being a bully!"
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