The celestial mirror in Ao Xian's idyllic retreat perfectly captured the final moment in the Black Fire Sect's hall: Lin Fan's crimson gaze turning towards the heavens, filled not with chaotic rage, but with a cold, calculating patience. A slow, genuine smile of appreciation spread across Ao Xian's face. "Oh, this is wonderful," he said, setting down his teacup. "He gets it. He finally understands."
Lian Xin, the Succubus Queen, fanned him gently. "Understands what, Young Lord?"
"That this isn't a fight. It's a game," Ao Xian elaborated, his eyes gleaming with renewed interest. "He was playing checkers, trying to gather enough pieces to overwhelm me. Now he realizes we're playing chess. His pieces are limited, his moves are restricted, and he's just figured out that the only way to win is to outsmart the player, not just smash the board."
In the celestial city, the other onlookers also noted the shift. "The anomaly is evolving," Ancestor Meng murmured, his ancient eyes seeing the subtle, yet profound, change in Lin Fan's destiny line. "The bloody mist is no longer chaotic. It's coalescing, forming a new, unforeseen path. He is actively trying to escape the script."
Granny Jiu let out a thoughtful hum, a sound less like a cackle and more like grinding stones. "He's suppressed the Asura's madness with his own will. The hatred is no longer his master; it is now purely his weapon. The boy's spirit is more resilient than I anticipated."
"Troublesome is good," Mo Lisha said with a predatory grin, placing a galaxy on the board. "It means the game will last longer."
Lin Fan did not linger in the ruins of the Black Fire Sect. He flew for a day and a night, finally landing in a secluded, nameless valley. He sat down in a cave behind a waterfall, the roar of the water masking the violent, demonic energy that still pulsed from his body.
"He gave me this power knowing it was a cage," Lin Fan said, his voice calm and steady, speaking to the soul in his pagoda. "He wanted me to be a rabid dog, attacking his enemies for his amusement. He gave me rules."
"And you have seen the truth of them, Master," the old soul replied, its voice filled with a new respect. "This power is a double-edged sword. It grants you the strength to smite the wicked, but it forbids you from touching your true foe."
"Then I will not use it on him," Lin Fan stated. "Not directly." He closed his eyes, his mind a whirlwind of strategy. "He sees my destiny as a script. He enjoys derailing it, taking my fated opportunities. He expects me to continue seeking power, to find the next treasure so he can swoop in and take it. That is the game he wants to play."
"So, what will you do, Master?"
A cold, sharp smile touched Lin Fan's lips. "I will stop playing." He opened his eyes, the crimson glow within them now completely under his control. "Let him watch an empty stage. I will not seek out any more fated encounters or legendary treasures. I will not hunt down demonic sects. I will do the one thing he doesn't expect. I will build my own power. In the shadows," Lin Fan declared. "I will use this Asura's Heart not just as a weapon, but as a furnace. I will devour the wicked, yes, but only to fuel my own cultivation, to refine my own techniques, to strengthen my own soul. And I will create an organization, a hidden force loyal only to me. I will gather the outcasts, the disenfranchised, those with grievances against the so-called righteous sects that he would never notice. I will become a king in the darkness." He stood up and walked to the mouth of the cave, looking out at the world. "He wants a villain to play with? Fine. But I will not be his villain. I will be a villain for my own sake. And when my power is absolute, when my influence is everywhere and nowhere, I will write a new script. And in my script," his voice dropped to a venomous whisper, "the gods fall."
Ao Xian watched through the celestial mirror as Lin Fan declared his grand ambitions to the empty cave. He didn't laugh. Instead, he gave a single, slow clap of genuine appreciation. "Bravo," he said to his maids. "The little ant has decided to build its own anthill. It thinks that by hiding underground, the sky will forget about it. How utterly charming."
"He is attempting to move outside of your predictions, Young Lord," Hu Mei'er noted, pouring him a fresh cup of tea. "It is a sign of desperation, but also of a certain cunning."
"Exactly!" Ao Xian beamed. "This is the part of the story I love. The protagonist, beaten and broken, goes into hiding to cultivate in secret for a hundred years, builds a secret army, and thinks he's preparing for a grand comeback. It would be terribly rude of me to interrupt his training montage. That's the best part."
In the celestial city, the mood was similarly unconcerned. "He's going to build a 'hidden force'?" Mo Lisha giggled. "It's adorable. It's like a child building a castle of twigs in the shadow of a mountain."
Ao Tian finally made his move on the cosmic chessboard. "Let him play in the dark," he said, his voice flat and utterly dismissive. "An ant that learns to dig is still just an ant. Its world is dirt. It will never comprehend the heavens. This is a waste of time to even watch." With that, he waved his hand, and the projection of Lin Fan vanished from his view.
Ao Xian, feeling the same way, stood up and stretched. The game with Lin Fan had just entered a long, slow phase. "Well, that's settled then," he announced. "Let him have his little rebellion in the shadows. We'll check back in on him in a few decades." He turned to his maids, a bright, tourist-like enthusiasm in his eyes. "In the meantime, let's go be tourists."
The Myriad Flowers Valley was a breathtaking sight. Under the silver and azure light of the realm's twin moons, countless species of spiritual flowers had unfurled their petals in a synchronized, silent explosion of color. Ao Xian and his maids stood on a floating jade platform, observing the cultivators who had gathered for the rare event. His eyes inevitably began to scan the crowd, cataloging the stories and fates of those below. It was a sea of unremarkable cultivators, until his gaze fell upon a young man standing alone on a prominent cliff edge, his back straight and his aura radiating an almost suffocating arrogance.
[Name: Xiao Yan]
[Karmic Value: +230]
[Fortune Value: 15,000 (Blazing Halo - Child of Alchemy)]
[Identity: Reincarnation of the 'Pill Sovereign']
[Secret Treasure: The 'Celestial Flame Cauldron' hidden in his sea of consciousness, containing a remnant soul of his past life.]
Ao Xian's eyebrows shot up in delight. This one's Fortune Value was even higher than Lin Fan's. Down on the cliff, Xiao Yan looked upon the valley not with wonder, but with the critical eye of a master appraising his garden. "A bunch of fools, scrambling for scraps," he muttered. "They see pretty flowers. I see ingredients."
An ethereal, ancient voice echoed in his mind. "Patience, Yan'er. The 'Lunar Dewdrop Lotus' only appears at the peak of the bloom. It is the key to refining the Soul-Nourishing Pill that will fully awaken my consciousness."
"Hmph. As if these ants could distract me," Xiao Yan scoffed. "My destiny is to reclaim my throne as the Pill Sovereign."
Just then, a wave of energy, purer and more potent than any other, washed through the valley. In the very center, on a small island in a glowing lake, a single lotus bud, shimmering with the condensed light of the twin moons, began to unfurl.
"It's here!" the old soul exclaimed in his mind.
Xiao Yan's eyes lit up with a greedy, triumphant fire. He was about to move when he saw it. The jade platform carrying Ao Xian and his maids had drifted, purely by chance, to a position directly above the island.
"Look, Young Lord, that one is the prettiest of all," Hu Mei'er said, pointing directly at the Lunar Dewdrop Lotus.
"It is quite lovely," Ao Xian agreed. Without a second thought, Hu Mei'er simply waved her hand. A gentle, invisible force plucked the lotus from its stem, root and all, and floated it up towards their platform.
Down below, Xiao Yan froze. His expression went from triumph to disbelief, and then to pure, cold fury. "Insolent fools!" he roared, his voice booming across the valley. "Unhand that spiritual treasure! Some things are not for the likes of you to touch!" He shot into the air, his powerful aura flaring, ready to teach these ignorant dandies a lesson they would never forget.
"Did you not hear me?!" he boomed, his voice laced with the arrogance of a king addressing peasants. "That Lunar Dewdrop Lotus is a priceless treasure! Your filthy hands are unworthy of touching it! Place it back and kowtow in apology, and I may grant you a swift end!"
On the jade platform, Ao Xian didn't even stand up. "Another one who loves to shout," he commented idly. He turned his head slightly to address Long Jing. "This one's a reincarnator, a 'Pill Sovereign.' Apparently, he feels this flower is his by right of destiny. Please explain to him the concept of 'first come, first served'."
Long Jing nodded. She took a single, graceful step forward to the edge of the platform and simply looked at the charging Xiao Yan. It was the gaze of a primordial being looking at a mayfly.
Xiao Yan's confident charge came to a screeching halt. The air in front of him solidified into a barrier of pure, absolute authority. His soul, the proud and ancient soul of the Pill Sovereign, screamed in mortal terror. He hung in the air, trembling, unable to advance or retreat, his face pale with a terror he hadn't felt even in his past life's final moments.
"My Young Lord finds the flower aesthetically pleasing," Long Jing's voice was calm and devoid of emotion, yet it echoed in Xiao Yan's soul like a divine judgment. "Therefore, it is his. Do you have an opinion on the matter?"
The ancient soul in his cauldron was shrieking in his mind. "Fool! You arrogant fool! That is not a cultivator! That is a true dragon! Apologize! Apologize now before you get us both erased from existence!"
Ao Xian sighed theatrically. "See? Now it's gotten all quiet and awkward. The mood is ruined." He gestured to Hu Mei'er. "He wanted the flower to make a pill, right? Well, I'm a generous person."
Hu Mei'er understood instantly. She held up the beautiful Lunar Dewdrop Lotus, casually plucked off a single, luminous petal, and sent it fluttering down towards Xiao Yan. "My Young Lord is benevolent," she said, her voice carrying a hint of pity. "He grants you this leaf as a gift. Now, be on your way. Your presence is disturbing the scenery."
The single petal, containing a fraction of the lotus's power, landed in Xiao Yan's trembling hand. The humiliation was a physical blow, more painful than any wound. He wasn't an opponent. He wasn't even a nuisance. He was a beggar, being granted a scrap from the master's table. Without another word, he turned and fled, a streak of light disappearing over the horizon.
"That Pill Sovereign was at the peak of the 'Soul Formation' stage, Young Lord," Lian Xin giggled. "A rare talent for a lower realm, yet a single glance from Sister Jing was enough to shatter his will."
Ao Xian nodded. "It's not about cultivation level. That's the mistake these little protagonists always make. The foundation of all cultivation in these lower realms can be broken down into a few simple stages. First, you have the Body Tempering realms. Then comes Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Formation, like our little alchemist friend. Beyond that lies the Void Amalgamation stage, and finally, the Dao Tribulation stage, where they face heavenly lightning to try and ascend. To the people here, a Dao Tribulation master is a god. To us, they are infants. Our power isn't based on this ladder. A true dragon like Long Jing, even with her cultivation suppressed, could erase a Dao Tribulation master with a single breath. Her very existence is from a higher plane. Fortune is like having the wind at your back while you sail. But we," he gestured to himself and his maids, "are not the wind. We are the ocean. And if the ocean decides to be calm, the wind can blow all it wants, but the ship goes nowhere."
A few weeks later, Ao Xian was strolling through a city known for its master craftsmen when his eyes landed on a small, humble smithy. The young man working the forge was broad-shouldered and plainly dressed, his face smudged with soot as he hammered a piece of glowing ore with intense focus.
[Name: Shi Tou]
[Karmic Value: +850]
[Fortune Value: 3,000 (Earthen Halo - Child of Crafting)]
[Identity: Descendant of the 'Divine Craftsman' Clan (Forgotten)]
[Secret Treasure: The unassuming hammer he wields is the 'Mountain-Breaker,' a sealed divine artifact.]
Ao Xian smiled. This was a different flavor of protagonist. Genuinely good. As he approached, a richly dressed young master, flanked by guards, kicked over a rack of newly forged swords. "Shi Tou! My father ordered a set of armor three months ago! Where is it?"
Shi Tou stopped hammering, his honest face filled with frustration. "Young Master Zhao, I told you, the materials you provided were inferior. I cannot forge a proper suit of spiritual armor with it. It would be a danger to whoever wears it."
"Insolence!" the young master sneered. "You dare to blame my family's materials? You will forge the armor now, or my guards will break your hands!"
Shi Tou stood his ground. "I will not forge a faulty product. My master taught me that a craftsman's integrity is his most important tool."
Before the guards could move, Ao Xian spoke, his voice calm but carrying an authority that stopped everyone. "He is correct." He picked up a piece of the discarded ore. "This is third-rate Earth-Core Iron at best. To ask a master craftsman to work with such shoddy materials is the real insult." He turned to the fuming Young Master Zhao. "You have wasted this craftsman's time and insulted his honor. For that, you should compensate him."
"Compensate him? I'll kill him!" Zhao shrieked.
Ao Xian simply raised an eyebrow. The air grew heavy, forcing Zhao and his guards to their knees. "I believe," Ao Xian said pleasantly, "that one hundred high-grade spirit stones would be a fair price for his wasted time and your rudeness. Don't you agree?"
Under the crushing pressure, Zhao could only nod frantically. He threw a pouch of spirit stones on the ground and fled. Shi Tou stared at the pouch, then at Ao Xian, utterly bewildered. "Sir... I... I cannot accept this."
"Nonsense," Ao Xian said with a wave. "You earned it by standing your ground. Continue your work. Integrity should be rewarded."
As Ao Xian and his maids walked away, he paused for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. He had just written a satisfying conclusion to a short story, but he knew the nature of petty, mortal resentment. "How unaesthetic," he said to himself. "Leaving a loose end like that would ruin the entire experience. A clean ending is required." He didn't even need to give a command. Long Jing simply nodded once in understanding.
Miles away, in the opulent Zhao Family estate, Young Master Zhao and his father were screaming in a rage, gathering their guards to destroy the smithy. Just as they gave the order, a single, colossal eye of pure, golden light opened in the sky above, radiating an ancient, draconic pressure that was absolute and unforgiving. A voice echoed directly in their souls. "The blacksmith, Shi Tou, is a person of integrity. My Young Lord finds his continued existence pleasing. A choice is offered. Option one: The Zhao family will leave this continent by sunrise, never to return. A Karmic Contract will be bound to your bloodline. Should any of you, or your descendants, ever attempt to harm a being with a net positive karma, your bloodline will be instantly extinguished. Option two: A full karmic audit will be performed on your entire bloodline, effective immediately."
Patriarch Zhao, his arrogance instantly evaporating into pure, primal terror, fell to his knees, kowtowing frantically. "We choose option one! We accept the contract! We will leave! We beg for mercy!"
The eye stared for a moment longer, then slowly faded. Ao Xian, having already continued his stroll, received the confirmation in his mind. He smiled, satisfied. "There. A much cleaner ending. Now, the story is complete."
Ao Xian's casual interventions were, to him, momentary diversions. But for the individuals involved, the ripples changed the course of their lives. For Shi Tou, the anonymous donation from the "sale" of the Zhao estate allowed him to purchase the highest quality spiritual ores. A few months later, he accidentally dripped his blood onto the Mountain-Breaker hammer. The divine artifact, sensing his pure heart and the trace of its original master's bloodline, finally recognized him as its owner. A torrent of information and pure spiritual energy flooded his body, awakening his dormant bloodline and setting him on the true path of the Divine Craftsman.
In a completely different part of the continent, Xiao Yan, the reincarnated Pill Sovereign, was not faring as well. The humiliation in the Myriad Flowers Valley had become a venomous heart-demon. His luck, which had always been extraordinary, seemed to have soured. He would arrive at an ancient ruin only to find it had been picked clean a day before. A rare spiritual herb he needed would wither just as he reached for it. The wind of fortune that had always been at his back had died down, leaving him struggling against the current.
In the celestial city, Ancestor Meng observed these changes with fascination. "It's remarkable," he murmured to Ao Tian, who was busy tending to the newly planted Lunar Dewdrop Lotus in his garden. "Your son's actions are like stones tossed into the pond of fate. For the arrogant alchemist, the ripples have disrupted his fortune. But for the honest blacksmith, the ripples have washed away the debris blocking his path. His fortune is now shining brightly."
Ao Tian grunted, unimpressed. "The blacksmith is a decent sapling. The alchemist was a weed. Xian'er simply did some gardening. It is of no consequence." To him, the fates of lower realm beings were as fleeting as the morning mist.