The world ended quietly.
No thunder. No wrathful skies. Only silence.
A single drop of golden dew slid down his finger, dissolving into light.
Lu Tianheng smiled faintly. The Heaven he once challenged had finally claimed his soul.
"This time too, Third time's the charm," he murmured, as the darkness devoured him whole.
"Let's see if this last life will be any good."
When awareness returned, there was no divine chorus nor flames of rebirth — only the faint fragrance of sandalwood, and the dull echo of chanting disciples.
His eyes fluttered open. Wooden beams. Incense smoke curling to the ceiling.
A modest disciple's room.
He sat up slowly, rubbing his temples.
"...Not a battlefield. Not a palace. A sect?"
A memory drifted to the surface — one that didn't belong to him, yet felt vividly real.
Luoyang Sect.
He froze.
That name. He knew it — not from any past life, but from a book.
The Chronicles of the Immortal Path.
A faint, humorless chuckle escaped him.
"So… I reincarnated inside a novel? And not even as the protagonist…"
He looked around the shabby room and sighed. "Great. A side character. The young master of Luoyang Sect — arrogant, stupid, and fated to die by chapter thirty."
For a moment, silence stretched. Then his lips curled into a crooked grin.
"Hahaha… fate, huh? So this time you're playing with my life for fun?"
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "You should've picked someone else. I don't do roles."
The original story flashed through his mind. The so-called young master was nothing more than a stepping stone — a self-important fool who provoked the destined protagonist and died miserably.
"Arrogant, talented, and doomed," Tianheng murmured, voice low and steady. "A perfect sacrifice for someone else's rise."
He rose to his feet, eyes glinting coldly.
"But that story wasn't written by Heaven."
His voice grew colder, sharper.
"Not anymore."
He smiled — the kind of smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"The plot itself… will kneel."
At that moment, a faint ding echoed in his mind.
[System Log Initiated]
[FATE SYSTEM v0.1 — BETA]
Fate Ledger Online
Status: Debtor of Fate detected
Initial Balance: –100,000 Fate Coins
Correction Protocol: Active
Tianheng blinked.
"…A debt?"
He frowned, and the air trembled — subtle, like Heaven itself sighing.
Then came a whisper, soft as silk and cold as death:
"Everything you alter must be paid."
He exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable.
"So, the tab finally caught up with me, huh…"
Memories from his previous two lives flashed — battles, worlds torn apart, realms challenged, heavens bent to his will.
Every time, he reached beyond fate.
And every time, fate demanded a price.
He looked down at his hands, flexing them.
"So even after death, I'm still in debt."
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips.
"Well, guess it's time to rob Heaven again."
Outside, the morning bell of Luoyang Sect rang, echoing through the misty mountains.
He turned toward the window, watching the crimson dawn crawl over the horizon.
This was the world of The Chronicles of the Immortal Path.
And the protagonist — Heaven's chosen child — would awaken tomorrow.
He still had one night left.
-----------
Tianheng stood by the window, watching the first rays of light fall over the Luoyang valley.
From up here, the disciples looked like tiny insects—training, chanting, breathing in rhythm.
All so serious. All so obedient.
He muttered, "A sect that prides itself on enlightenment but can't even see the chains wrapped around its neck."
His gaze darkened. "I wonder how many of you will scream when fate burns you alive."
He turned his palm upward. Golden threads shimmered faintly—dozens, hundreds, stretching toward the horizon. Each thread pulsed softly, tethered to a life below.
And beside each thread… small numbers floated in his vision.
[Disciple, Ordinary Fate: +1]
[Outer Elder, Minor Fate: +32]
[Protagonist (Unawakened): +10 000]
He smirked. "So that's what Heaven calls value now… numbers."
His fingers brushed the air, tracing one of the golden threads. The sensation was electric—like touching the heartbeat of the world itself.
But then, he remembered the whisper.
Everything you alter must be paid.
"So, let's test the price."
He drew a spirit blade from the air, slicing a neat cut across his palm.
Blood evaporated instantly, forming shimmering characters before him.
Rewrite: Water tastes sweet.
The world hummed. A breeze slipped through the room.
He raised an eyebrow and tasted the air—sweet. Honeyed.
Then—
[Rewrite Failed — Target Scope Too Large]
Required Fate: 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
He froze, then laughed quietly.
"Oh, so I accidentally tried to sweeten every drop of water on Earth. My bad."
His eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Let's narrow it down then."
Rewrite: Water in the glass before me is black.
The sound this time was softer, like a sigh from the heavens.
[Rewrite Successful]
–300 Fate Coins deducted.
He stared as the water on his table turned black, rippling faintly like ink.
Not an illusion. Reality itself… had changed.
"Fascinating." He tilted his head, watching the liquid. "So reality can bend… as long as I can pay the price."
His smile widened—thin, sharp, dangerous.
"In that case, I'll just earn more."
He turned toward the mountain peaks beyond the sect.
The world of Chronicles of the Immortal Path spread before him—vast, intricate, crawling with Heaven's chosen children, each shining with their own fate.
And tomorrow, the protagonist would awaken.
His system window pulsed faintly as if anticipating the storm.
[Upcoming Event: Awakening of Fate Bearer]
[Location: Luoyang Sect — Heavenly Scripture Hall]
[Estimated Fate Value: +10 000 → +100 000 upon activation]
Tianheng's eyes narrowed.
"So, when he awakens, his value increases tenfold…"
He brushed his thumb against his palm, feeling the faint sting of the cut.
"One life. One rewrite. A hundred thousand Fate Coins. That's enough for a small miracle."
He turned away from the window, his robe brushing against the wooden floor.
His shadow stretched across the room, merging with the morning light.
"Guess I'll pay him a visit tomorrow," he said softly, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
"I'll rewrite the story before it even starts."
The bell tolled again, marking dawn.
Outside, the disciples bowed toward the rising sun, reciting verses of destiny.
And high above them, Lu Tianheng watched in silence, eyes gleaming gold.
"The story has begun…" he whispered.
"…but not the way the author intended."
His gaze turned cold.
"I will rewrite it—to fit my taste."
End of Chapter 1