Chapter 10: The Moment Fate Was Supposed to Be Simple
The road leading toward Shrek Academy had never been important.
In the original flow of the world, it was just a stretch of dirt road where Tang San and Xiao Wu walked, talked, and argued about nothing important. A place where destiny had not yet revealed its teeth.
But this time—
This time, the road felt wrong.
Tang San stopped walking.
The sun was in the same position as he remembered. The trees were the same. Even the breeze smelled familiar. And yet, his heart was beating faster for no reason at all.
Xiao Wu tugged his sleeve.
"Third Brother… do you feel it too?"
Tang San nodded slowly.
"I do."
It felt as if the world itself was waiting.
Not far ahead, Dai Mubai leaned against a tree, arms crossed, golden eyes sharp. He should not have been here this early. Oscar paced nearby, muttering under his breath. Ning Rongrong frowned at the sky as if arguing with it, while Zhu Zhuqing stood quietly, already tense.
None of them spoke, but all of them understood the same thing.
This meeting is happening too soon.
Memories surfaced like broken mirrors.
Battles. Loss. Victory that didn't feel like victory.
And at the center of it all—
a blurry figure who never hurried.
That figure yawned.
Bai Ze stood by the roadside, hands tucked into his sleeves, posture lazy, expression bored. He looked like someone who had been dragged out of bed rather than summoned by fate itself.
He glanced at the approaching group and tilted his head.
"…So this is the Shrek Academy cast?"
Tang San's pupils shrank.
The moment their eyes met, his mind exploded with images.
A divine battlefield.
Collapsed heavens.
Gods screaming.
And Bai Ze—standing there, unhurried, uninjured.
Tang San instinctively reached for his hidden weapons.
"You," he said quietly, voice controlled with effort. "You shouldn't exist."
Bai Ze smiled.
"People keep saying that."
The air trembled.
Not from killing intent.
From recognition.
The world had reached a node it remembered.
Ding.
Timeline Convergence Detected
Primary Destiny Figures Present
Bai Ze sighed.
"So this is the checkpoint."
Tang San's eyes hardened.
"What checkpoint?"
"The one where the world decides whether to repeat itself," Bai Ze replied casually.
That answer chilled everyone present.
At that exact moment, golden light descended from the sky.
Spirit Hall arrived.
Bibi Dong stepped forward, black robes fluttering, her presence alone enough to silence the road. Qian Renxue followed, eyes sharp and calculating. Hu Liena's gaze locked onto Bai Ze the instant she saw him.
"This," Bibi Dong said coldly, "is earlier than planned."
Tang San turned sharply.
Spirit Hall should not have been here yet.
He remembered that much.
Bai Ze scratched his cheek.
"Yeah… sorry about that."
Bibi Dong's eyes narrowed.
"You triggered this convergence."
"I existed," Bai Ze corrected.
The world shuddered.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
Ding.
Major World Awareness Spike Confirmed
Host acknowledged by protagonist, antagonist, and fate anchors
Bai Ze felt something open inside his mind.
Not power.
Understanding.
He looked at Tang San's stance.
Every weakness.
Every strength.
Every future possibility.
He looked at Dai Mubai's muscles, Oscar's spirit fluctuation, Ning Rongrong's hidden fear.
He understood all of it.
Reward Granted: Infinite Comprehension
Anything observed is fully understood, regardless of level or origin.
Bai Ze blinked.
"…That's cheating."
His gaze drifted downward.
A sword lay near Dai Mubai's feet.
Without thinking, Bai Ze stepped forward.
And tripped.
His fingers brushed the hilt.
The world screamed.
Sword intent flooded him like a tidal wave—countless eras, countless masters, every possible path of the blade. Killing, protection, severing fate itself.
He didn't swing.
He didn't need to.
Tang San staggered back, face pale.
"…That sword," Tang San whispered, "recognized you."
Reward Unlocked: God-Level Swordsmanship
Condition fulfilled: Physical contact with a blade
Bai Ze stared at his hand.
"…I really need to watch where I walk."
Bibi Dong stepped forward sharply.
"Enough."
She reached out to grab Bai Ze's collar.
At the same moment, Bai Ze turned to respond.
They collided.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't passionate.
It was fate making a mistake.
Their lips brushed.
Time froze.
Oscar fainted instantly.
Hu Liena's soul temporarily left her body.
Qian Renxue forgot how to blink.
Tang San forgot how to breathe.
Bibi Dong stared at Bai Ze.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"…Did you just—"
Bai Ze bowed so fast it created wind.
"I swear on my life that was an accident."
Ding.
Achievement Unlocked: Accidental Pope Kiss
Effect: Political Hostility Increased
Bonus: Fate Resistance Enhanced
Ling Yu appeared out of nowhere and punched Bai Ze into the dirt.
"You absolute catastrophe."
Bai Ze lay on his back, staring at the sky.
"…Worth it?"
"No," Ling Yu said flatly.
Bibi Dong turned away, expression unreadable.
"This meeting," she said coldly, "never happened."
Everyone nodded immediately.
Tang San looked down at Bai Ze one last time.
This time, he understood.
This man was not chasing destiny.
Destiny was stumbling into him.
And that terrified Tang San more than any enemy ever had.
The road to Shrek Academy stretched ahead.
It was supposed to be simple.
It never would be again.