The more I read, the more absurd it felt to me.
Right now, I was twelve, yet the destiny written here stated that I would die at the age of thirteen.
In just one year.
"So not only were my uncles planning to rob what truly belongs to me, they were also going to let Li Wei kill me?" I muttered in disbelief.
"Why? For money? For land? Is wealth really so important to them that they would kill their own nephew for it?!"
"What kind of people are they?!"
A shiver ran down my spine.
These uncles were dangerous, far more dangerous than I had thought at first.
I needed to be quick and careful.
I barely managed to restrain myself from running straight to Uncle Chen's house to ask for help and kick everyone out.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself as much as possible and muttered softly, "Calm down… what's written here hasn't happened yet… I still have plenty of time to prevent it… The system itself says that my fate has already changed."
Diverting my thoughts, I went through the details again and noticed things like Fate Color and Fate Value.
I couldn't make much sense of them, so I focused on something else that caught my eye.
"Cultivation?!" My eyes widened.
"I have the talent to become a cultivator?!"
That revelation shocked me deeply.
"I have a Fire Spirit Root?!"
Talent for cultivation was extremely rare.
Even among the prestigious families of Qinghe City, it was a one-in-a-million opportunity.
"If I become strong enough… can I avenge my parents myself?"
I clenched my fists at the thought.
Evil cultivators, they were the very reason my miserable destiny had begun.
Not only my parents, but many innocent people had died because of them.
I didn't know exactly why they killed innocents or why they were called demon cultivators.
But one thing was certain, because of their inhuman actions, countless children like me must have lost their parents, their only support in life.
What would happen to them?
Would they all end up like me, betrayed and robbed of what rightfully belonged to them?
How many of them would die, just as written in my destiny?
Just thinking about it made my blood boil with pure hatred.
I remembered everything people had said during the yesterday funeral.
Capturing or killing those evil cultivators was far beyond the capabilities of the kingdom's security officials.
To common people, cultivators were almost like deities, while we were nothing but powerless mortals.
They lived longer lives than us.
They wielded powers beyond our comprehension.
Yet most common people didn't want to become like them.
We only wanted to live peacefully, to grow up healthy, marry a good person, have a family, and grow old while watching our loved ones live happily.
My parents never wanted to become cultivators.
Those people were different from us.
We knew it.
We acknowledged it.
But then why did they kill my parents?
If they wanted to become stronger, they should fight other cultivators and rob them.
Why us?
Why my parents?
They wanted nothing to do with those people.
Even if cultivators slaughtered each other until none remained, it would have nothing to do with our lives.
That was how unrelated they were to common people.
If they wanted to become gods, they could go ahead and do so.
So why did they interfere with our lives?
The lives of ordinary people?
I may be very young to understand people, but no matter how much I thought about it, all of this seemed to be nothing but strong yet petty people bullying the weak, using their power to steal from those incapable of defending themselves.
This also brought a question to my mind, why could only very few people cultivate instead of everyone?
How were mortals supposed to defend themselves against such evil cultivators?
If heaven and the gods were truly fair and benevolent, as my parents once said, how could they allow such an imbalance to exist?
If people who had no desire for longevity and only wished to live peacefully without ever involving themselves in cultivation, were forced to grow stronger just to protect their families, what would they ultimately become?
Wouldn't they eventually turn into the very things they once sought to protect themselves against?
Heaven and the gods should either allow everyone to cultivate or no one at all.
Wouldn't that be the fairest decision?
Or perhaps… heaven and earth were never fair to begin with.
They chose to grant power to only a few, while abandoning the rest.
They wished for those unable to cultivate to die miserably, while only cultivators were allowed to live.
That was the only conclusion that made sense to me.
So cultivators were the chosen ones, while everyone else was nothing.
Heaven didn't want common people, it only wanted battle-crazed, power-hungry cultivators.
Hatred boiled and gathered like a storm in my heart as a sudden thought crossed my mind.
"What would heaven and the gods do if someone decided to oppose their unfairness? What if someone began killing every cultivator—good or evil alike—leaving behind only ordinary people?"
"What would they do once everything related to cultivation turned to dust, when no one could cultivate anymore?"
"How would they—"
[Would you like to open the Beginner Package right away? Yes / No]
The sudden sound instantly pulled me back to reality.
Another question appeared before me.
"Beginner Package? …Yeah, I remember something like that from when I slept…"
I looked at the newly opened screen.
A small gift box icon sat in the left corner, while most of the space remained empty.
Taking a deep breath, I chose 'Yes' in my mind, testing whether verbal confirmation was necessary or if thought alone would suffice.
[Ding! You have obtained… Heavenly Ledger Eye]
[Ding! You have obtained… Glimpse of the Dao of Precise Calculation]
[Ding! You have obtained… Imprint of the Money-Lending System]
[Would you like to bind with all items immediately? Yes / No]
"So, even without speaking verbally, I can choose the option just within my mind... It's amazing!"
I didn't know what are the things I have obtained, but every single one of them carried an incredibly powerful name.
Without wasting a moment, I chose 'Yes'.
Before my eyes, two enormous eyeballs, a golden scroll, and a red crystal appeared out of nowhere.
The two eyeballs were shrouded in blinding light, far larger than any human eye.
At the center of their pupils were countless cracks, revealing innumerable marks and words buried deep within.
Just looking at them made my head spin.