She then realized that all the truths she had shared were about other people. There was one person left.
She looked at her reflection in the calm water of the pond. She saw a girl in a plain maid's uniform, her face bright with excitement and power.
"I am Chen Yue," she whispered to her reflection. Her voice felt like a promise. "And I am tired of being invisible. I am tired of being polite and obedient. I am envious of the Young Masters and Misses who have everything handed to them. I want power. I want the power to make them all look at me, to make them acknowledge me, to make them fear me."
It was the deepest truth she had ever spoken because it came from the very depths of her soul.
The system responded with a message that burned in her mind like a golden sun.
[Absolute Self-Honesty validated. Truth Purity: 100%. Reward: Breakthrough to the Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation.]
BOOM!
The final breakthrough was the most profound of all. It marked a fundamental change. A bright seed of power solidified within her Dantian. She felt connected to the world in a way she never had before. The power of a Fifth Layer cultivator was hers.
She stood up, a true expert. The night's work was done. Tomorrow, she thought with a giddy smile, the Chen Family would meet the real Chen Yue.
The next morning, she woke up feeling like a goddess. The aches and pains from years of servitude had replaced by a vibrant energy that buzzed beneath her skin. She walked through the estate with the confident stride of a master. The air tasted sweeter, and the sun shone brighter. Everything felt perfect.
Her first task was to grab some ingredients from the main kitchen for one of the Young Misses. She entered the busy kitchen with a newfound sense of superiority. The greasy smell of cooking oil, the loud shouting of the chefs, and the clatter of pots and pans felt so… ordinary.
Today, the atmosphere in the kitchen was different. The usual loud energy was replaced by a nervous tension. Servants huddled in small groups, whispering with fearful glances. Chen Yue's sharper senses easily picked up their conversation.
"…found him this morning in his own room," a young kitchen hand mumbled, his voice shaky as he peeled a potato furiously. "The servant who brought his tea just… screamed."
"They say the room was a total mess," another added, her face pale. "And he was… covered in blood. They're saying it was a cultivation accident, but he was only at the Second Layer! How could a mishap be that… brutal?"
Chen Yue paused, a flicker of recognition sparking in her mind. They were talking about Young Master Chen Wei. That pathetic cousin, who was a constant embarrassment to the family. She had seen him sulking in his courtyard just yesterday.
Chen Wei, she thought, her internal voice filled with scorn. He was weak. The world of cultivation is a harsh river, and the weak are bound to drown. He probably did something foolish, tried a technique far beyond his abilities, and paid the price.
The whispers continued, speculating about curses and assassins. Chen Yue scoffed to herself. They didn't understand. They couldn't. They were mortals, scraping in the dirt.
His fate has nothing to do with me, she affirmed, a strong sense of superiority flooding over her. He was a stray dog on the path. I am a soaring phoenix. I am different. I have a System. I am chosen. His death doesn't matter.
She pushed the thought of the dead Chen Wei from her mind. He was a minor detail in a story that was now entirely about her.
Her gaze drifted across the kitchen and settled on the main chopping station, where a junior cook hacked at a pile of spirit-yams with wild energy. She felt a surge of pity for him, a grand pity that only the truly powerful can feel for the truly insignificant. He would spend his whole life here, chopping yams until his hands were worn and his back was bent, while she was meant for greatness.
So absorbed was she in her glorious future, she didn't notice the small puddle of spilled cooking oil on the stone floor right in her path.
Her foot slipped out from under her. For a terrifying moment, she was airborne, her arms flailing uselessly. As she fell, her hand brushed against the berserker cook. His grip on his sharp cleaver weakened.
The cleaver flew from his hand. It spun through the air in a beautiful arc, a silver comet heading straight for her.
A final message flashed in Chen Yue's mind as the world flipped upside down.
[Warning: Host's karmic luck value has reached zero. Retribution cycle starting.]
Time seemed to slow. She saw the shocked faces of the kitchen staff. She saw the steam rising from a pot of soup. She saw the spinning cleaver reach its highest point and then begin its descent.
She landed hard on her back, the impact knocking the wind from her lungs. The cleaver followed a moment later, its path perfectly aimed at her throat.
There was no pain. Just a sudden chill and then a deep silence. The immense power of the Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation, the power she had earned with one night of bold honesty, offered no resistance at all.
Her last clear thought was one of comical disbelief.
But… I was just getting started…
In the chaotic aftermath, amid the screaming and the fainting, no one could explain how such a freak accident happened. It was simply an unfortunate case of being in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong flying kitchen utensil.