The sun had barely risen when Ye Feng appeared at the clan gates, wooden sword strapped to his back. His eyes burned with determination despite the faint pallor of his face.
"Today…" he muttered under his breath, "I'll rise again. No one will trample me."
Behind him, a few loyal followers whispered.
"Senior Brother Ye is recovering well!"
"He won't let Lin Tian humiliate him twice!"
"The heavens themselves favor him — he'll surely return with a miracle."
Ye Feng ignored their chatter. His ribs still ached from Lin Tian's ruthless kick, but he refused to show weakness. A strange pull guided him toward the wilderness, his destiny tugging him toward the Fallen Star Ravine.
Far above, on a cliff overlooking the road, another figure stood silently.
Lin Tian.
His arms were folded, robes fluttering in the wind, eyes sharp as blades as he watched Ye Feng march away.
Ding!
[ Target: Ye Feng – Heaven's Chosen ]
[ Current Fate Trajectory: Will encounter trials in Fallen Star Ravine and inherit the Ancient Sword Legacy. ]
[ Risk Level: High – multiple spirit beasts, sword trials. ]
Lin Tian smirked coldly. Good. Struggle, Ye Feng. Crawl and bleed for me. I'll wait until your fingers touch the inheritance… then sever them.
With that thought, he leapt from the cliff, vanishing into the forest shadows.
---
The Fallen Star Ravine.
A jagged scar in the earth, its depths filled with eerie mist. The air crackled faintly, as though swords had clashed here endlessly in the past, leaving behind invisible intent. Birds refused to fly overhead.
Ye Feng arrived at the entrance, sweat beading on his brow. His followers hesitated.
"Senior Brother… this place feels dangerous."
"Yes… should we not wait until the clan elders approve?"
Ye Feng's grip tightened on his sword. "No. If I wait, Lin Tian will keep trampling me. I have to seize my chance now."
Resolute, he stepped into the mist, vanishing into the Ravine. His followers exchanged worried looks but dared not enter.
High above, concealed beneath a talisman's veil, Lin Tian crouched on a branch, his eyes glinting.
"Go on, Ye Feng. Walk deeper. Let the Ravine tear you apart. By the time you glimpse the Ancient Sword…"
His hand brushed against the wooden practice blade at his side, lips curving into a predator's grin.
"…I'll already be standing behind you."
---
The mist of the Fallen Star Ravine pressed heavy against the skin, carrying a faint metallic tang, as though the air itself had been drenched in blood. Each step Ye Feng took echoed sharply, his senses on edge.
The further he walked, the more he felt it—an invisible sharpness brushing against his skin.
Sword intent.
Thin lines of glowing light crisscrossed the stone walls, like scars left behind by countless duels. Each line vibrated faintly, humming with ancient power.
Ye Feng's breathing quickened. "This… this must be the trial."
The first line of sword intent flared, splitting into a beam that shot toward him.
Clang!
Ye Feng raised his wooden sword just in time, deflecting the strike. The impact numbed his arm, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
But his eyes shone. "Yes… this power—it's testing me!"
He staggered forward, enduring strike after strike. Each beam forced him to his limit. His clothes tore, his skin bled, but his steps never stopped.
Above, concealed by talismanic mist, Lin Tian observed. His lips curved in a faint sneer.
So this is how fate strengthens its chosen one. By cutting him apart and stitching him back together. Hmph… let him bleed. The more he suffers, the sweeter it will be when I strip it all away.
Hours passed.
Ye Feng collapsed to one knee, his sword trembling in his grip. His arms were lacerated, chest soaked in blood. Yet before him stood a stone altar, half-buried in the mist.
And upon that altar… a sword.
It floated upright, point buried in stone, its blade shimmering with pale light. Though unadorned, its presence radiated supremacy, as though it could cut the heavens themselves.
Ye Feng's eyes widened. His heart thundered. "The… Ancient Sword!"
He dragged himself forward, each step leaving a bloody footprint. He reached out, fingers trembling as they brushed the hilt.
Ding!
[ Fate Event Progress: 98% ]
[ Warning: Heaven's Chosen is moments away from claiming the Ancient Sword Inheritance. ]
High above in the mist, Lin Tian's eyes sharpened. His hand tightened on his wooden blade.
"It's time."
He stepped silently from the shadows, descending toward the altar as Ye Feng strained to pull the sword free.
The Ancient Sword trembled faintly in its stone cradle, responding to Ye Feng's desperate grip. Blood dripped from his palm onto the hilt, vanishing into the blade as though being swallowed whole.
"Almost… almost there…" he gasped, eyes blazing with obsession. His entire body screamed in pain, but the pull of destiny urged him forward. If I claim this sword, I'll rise again! No one can stop me—!
Step.
A calm footfall echoed across the misty ravine.
Ye Feng froze. His head snapped up, and his bloodied face twisted in disbelief as a tall figure emerged from the shadows. Robes fluttering, aura steady, eyes glinting like sharpened steel—Lin Tian.
"You—!" Ye Feng's expression contorted.
"How… how are you here?!"
Lin Tian's lips curved into a cold, amused smile.
"How?" His tone dripped with mockery.
"Because, Ye Feng, anywhere fate dares to favor you… I'll be standing there first."
Ye Feng's grip on the sword tightened, his body trembling. "This is my chance! My inheritance! You won't take it from me!"
The Ancient Sword pulsed, sensing the conflict, as though choosing between them.
Lin Tian descended the last few steps, his wooden practice blade resting casually at his side. Yet the killing intent radiating from him was sharp enough to make the mist shiver.
"Ye Feng," he said softly, dangerously, "destiny may have chosen you… but destiny belongs to the one strong enough to seize it. Today, you'll learn that even protagonists bleed."
With a burst of speed, Lin Tian's figure blurred.
Whsssh!
His wooden sword struck like lightning.
Ye Feng barely raised the Ancient Sword to parry— Clang! The collision rang like thunder, the force throwing him backward into the altar steps. Blood spattered the stone.
"Arghhh!" Ye Feng roared, veins bulging as he poured everything into pulling the sword free. The blade flared, resisting Lin Tian's oppressive aura.
But Lin Tian only chuckled darkly, eyes gleaming with ruthless amusement.
"Struggle harder, Ye Feng. Show me just how much pain you can endure before I strip everything from your hands."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks erupted as wood struck steel again and again. Ye Feng gritted his teeth, each parry driving cracks into the altar beneath his feet. The Ancient Sword trembled violently, caught between two wills.
"Damn you, Lin Tian!" Ye Feng spat blood, eyes blazing with fury. "This sword was destined for me! Heaven itself favors me—!"
Lin Tian's laughter cut him off, sharp and cold.
"Heaven's favor? Don't make me laugh. If heaven wanted you to rise, it shouldn't have put me in your path."
His next strike hammered down like a falling mountain. Ye Feng's knees buckled, the half-freed Ancient Sword ringing in protest as if rejecting its struggling wielder.
Ding!
[ Warning: Ye Feng's Fate Progression is destabilizing. Probability of protagonist reclaiming balance: 47% ]
[ Suggested Action: Apply overwhelming pressure. ]
Lin Tian's eyes glinted at the system prompt. Exactly what I planned.
He stepped forward, aura flaring crimson from his earlier breakthrough. His wooden blade glowed faintly, wrapped in the fire of his blood essence.
Whoooosh!
The blow landed. Ye Feng's grip slipped, his palm split open, blood splattering across the altar. The Ancient Sword's glow faltered, wavering between submission and rebellion.
"No—!" Ye Feng howled, madness in his eyes. "I won't lose to you! Not again!"
His roar shook the mist. Sword intent burst out from his battered body, forming a desperate storm around him. For a moment, it was as if countless phantom swords danced to shield him.
But Lin Tian only sneered.
"Beautiful… but fragile."
He raised his blade high. Boom! His strike shattered the phantom swords, piercing straight through Ye Feng's storm. The force hurled Ye Feng across the Ravine, crashing him against jagged stone.
Blood poured from his mouth. His wooden sword snapped in half.
The Ancient Sword… loosened in its stone cradle, as though no longer answering Ye Feng's call.
Lin Tian's footsteps echoed as he approached the altar. Each step was unhurried, merciless.
Ye Feng's vision blurred, but his hoarse voice rasped out: "Why… why do you keep interfering? You were supposed to be a stepping stone… nothing more…"
Lin Tian paused, looking down at him, eyes gleaming with ruthless amusement.
"Because, Ye Feng…" He reached out, wrapping his hand around the trembling Ancient Sword's hilt. His voice dropped to a whisper that cut deeper than any blade.
"…I'm not here to follow the script."
CRACK!
The stone shattered.
The Ancient Sword leapt free, falling into Lin Tian's grasp. Its blade hummed violently, sword intent exploding outward. The mist of the Ravine swirled into a vortex, as if the heavens themselves trembled at this rebellion against fate.
Ding!
[ Alert: Ancient Sword Inheritance successfully plundered! ]
[ Reward: Sword Mastery (Intermediate) acquired. Fate Points +500. ]
Lin Tian exhaled slowly, the Ancient Sword gleaming in his hand. Its edge whispered promises of conquest, its aura already bending to his will.
Ye Feng, sprawled and broken, could only stare in horror. His destiny… stolen before his eyes.
Lin Tian's smile was cold, cruel, and victorious.
"Get used to it, Ye Feng. Every chance you're given… every treasure, every inheritance, every drop of fate itself…"
He raised the Ancient Sword, its glow cutting through the mist like dawn breaking the night.
"…will belong to me."