While the system's voice was still echoing within Zhang Wen's consciousness, another voice cut in from ahead.
"So you are Zhang Wen?"
Zhang Wen paused for a moment, his thoughts still in disarray as they were interrupted. He lifted his head and looked at the young woman standing not far away, a sword in her hand, before asking instinctively,
"Who are you?"
The woman did not answer. She merely raised her hand and removed a spatial ring from her finger. A faint vibration of power rippled outward, and in the next moment, a flying ship of modest size emerged from the empty air. The vessel was simple in appearance, yet the power concealed within it was steady and profound, impossible to ignore.
Before Zhang Wen could ask anything further, a gentle yet irresistible force enveloped his body, lifting him effortlessly from the ground, like a leaf being raised from the surface of a stream. The flying ship shot into the sky at once, leaving the Ancient Beast Forest behind.
The wind brushed against his face, the sound of the ship's wings cutting through the air soft and steady. Only then did the woman speak, her tone calm and even.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lin Qingtong."
She paused briefly, then continued with straightforward composure.
"I am your fiancée."
Zhang Wen was still watching Zhang Lin being taken away by members of the Phoenix Clan, a sense of relief settling in his heart. But upon hearing those words, he could not help but be slightly startled. By now, his body had almost fully recovered from its injuries, yet his mind stalled for a moment. He turned back to look at the woman before him with a serious expression.
Old memories surfaced.
He remembered being forced by Zhang Lingyue to accept an engagement in exchange for certain resources. His engagement contract had come from a mysterious old man, while Zhang Lin himself had been bound by another engagement, one arranged with the daughter of the Phoenix Clan's leader.
The woman before him must be the fiancée Zhang Lingyue had chosen for him.
But before Zhang Wen could say anything, Lin Qingtong spoke again. Her voice remained calm, without the slightest hint of evasion.
"There is something I want to tell you first."
She turned her gaze toward the horizon as her flying ship left the Ancient Beast Forest behind.
"I know that you are facing a very difficult situation right now, and this may not be the right time to talk about such matters."
Lin Qingtong took a soft breath, then turned back to look at him once more.
"But what I want to tell you in advance is this. I wish to cancel the engagement."
Her words were flat, without hesitation.
"I have devoted myself to the Dao. The engagement between us is nothing more than an arrangement made by the elders."
She paused briefly, then spoke it out without the slightest doubt.
"So why don't we just cancel it altogether?"
After hearing Lin Qingtong's words, just as Zhang Wen was about to say something, she spoke again before he could. Her tone remained calm and unhurried, yet it carried a sincerity that was not the least bit pretentious.
"I understand your situation. You are going through a very difficult time."
The flying ship continued to move steadily across the sky. The wind brushed past the hems of their robes. Lin Qingtong looked straight ahead and continued clearly.
"So, I will grant you a chance to participate in a special trial, one that allows entry into the Holy Land of Chaos."
Zhang Wen looked at her quietly. His expression showed neither shock nor excessive joy. Within his consciousness, information about the woman before him surfaced silently.
[Name: Lin Qingtong]
[Cultivation Level: Body Integration, Stage 9]
[Special Physique: Chaos Sword Body (???)]
[Luck: Gold]
[Affinity: 55]
Zhang Wen paused for a moment. Those numbers and details made him understand more clearly that the woman before him was no ordinary person, but a genius walking a completely different path.
After thinking for only a brief moment, he took a soft breath, steadied himself, and replied in a simple voice.
"Alright. I agree."
The answer left his lips without the slightest hesitation.
Zhang Wen raised his hand and opened his spatial ring. A faint glow flashed, and a single engagement contract drifted out. He handed it directly to Lin Qingtong without pretense.
Lin Qingtong, who had maintained a calm expression until now, showed a trace of surprise. She had not expected him to agree so easily. She reached out and accepted the contract almost absentmindedly, her fingers brushing the thin sheet of paper as if she could not quite believe what was happening.
"You really agreed?"
Zhang Wen smiled faintly, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.
"Of course. I have never lied about matters like this."
The words were simple, yet firm.
Lin Qingtong fell into a daze. She was unsure whether he truly did not understand how special she was, or whether he was deliberately belittling her.
While she was still lost in thought, Zhang Wen slowly stood up. He walked to the edge of the flying ship and looked back toward the sky behind them. In the distance, several flying ships were pursuing openly, the auras they released making it clear that they were not here to negotiate.
Zhang Wen spoke calmly, as if he were discussing something ordinary.
"The special trial for entering the Holy Land of Chaos."
He paused, thinking for a moment, then continued.
"Please give that opportunity to my younger brother instead. He should be at the Phoenix Clan right now."
At that moment, Lin Qingtong was so relieved that she nearly lost her composure.
Although her cultivation was astonishingly high for her age, she was only eighteen this year. Being bound by an engagement since she was too young to understand had left her feeling suffocated and pressured for years, as if her life had been decided in advance by people who had never once asked for her wishes.
Yet today, with just a short answer from Zhang Wen, the chains that had been tightly wrapped around her heart were suddenly shattered.
Relief surged through her with overwhelming force, her heart pounding violently. She did not even realize that she was smiling.
However, when Zhang Wen's next words rang out, that surge of joy froze instantly.
Lin Qingtong fell silent. For the first time, her eyes truly fixed on the young man's back. Not as a fiancée bound by contract, but as a man standing on a path utterly different from that of ordinary people.
At the same time, she saw a massive flying ship burst out from the edge of the Ancient Beast Forest. A huge banner bearing the emblem of the Gu Clan fluttered arrogantly in the air. The aura it released immediately tightened the surrounding atmosphere.
Lin Qingtong merely glanced at that ship once, showing little concern, before turning back to Zhang Wen and asking in a serious tone,
"Are you certain you want to give that opportunity to your younger brother? That is one of the branches of the Holy Land of Chaos. It is the number one force in this world, and one of the top forces in the greater world."
Zhang Wen smiled faintly. In his eyes, there was not the slightest hesitation.
"Yes."
As soon as the word left his mouth, he stepped forward slowly, walking straight off the flying ship. His body drifted into midair, like water separating from a stream.
Lin Qingtong froze. She stood there for a moment before asking in confusion,
"Where are you going?"
But before Zhang Wen could answer, a clear, youthful voice sounded from ahead.
"So you are Zhang Wen, Zhang Lin's older brother?"
When that voice fell, Lin Qingtong raised her head toward its source. Her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw a familiar face.
The young woman standing there was Gu Lanyue, the Sacred Daughter of the Gu Clan. Beside her stood Gu Yisheng, the son of the Gu Clan's leader. And not far away, Zhang Lingyue, the woman who was the mother of both Zhang Wen and Zhang Lin, stood with an indifferent expression.
In that instant, Gu Lanyue's gaze swept quickly over the two of them.
The first was Lin Qingtong, the Sacred Daughter of the Lin Emperor Clan, one of the contenders for the position of Sacred Daughter of the Holy Land of Chaos.
The second was Zhang Wen, the elder brother of the Son of Destiny, Zhang Lin.
Name: Lin Qingtong
Identity: Protagonist of Fate, contender for Sacred Daughter of the Holy Land of Chaos, [???]
Cultivation Level: Body Integration, Stage 9
Special Physique: Chaos Sword Body (???)
Luck: Gold (???)
...
Name: Zhang Wen
Identity: [???]
Cultivation Level: Spirit Formation, Stage 9
Body: Pure Water Sacred Body (Sacred Level)
Luck: Red (500,000)
Countless thoughts raced through Gu Lanyue's mind in an instant.
After adjusting her plans to plunder Zhang Lin's luck, another idea surfaced. If she could make the two brothers sever ties with each other, Zhang Lin's luck might drop drastically. And even if it did not go that far, at worst it would only mean killing a Spirit Formation level cultivator.
There was no reason not to try.
Yet at that moment, before the atmosphere could grow any tenser, a voice rang clearly within Zhang Wen's mind.
[Ding. Detected that the Host has given an engagement contract to Lin Qingtong]
[Investment successful]
[Calculating returns based on Luck Color. Target: Gold]
[Return multiplier: 10,000 times]
[Obtained: Engagement Contracts x10,000]
Zhang Wen: (⊙ _ ⊙)
System: (⊙ _ ⊙)