The days slowed.
Not outwardly—tasks were still assigned, bells still rang, cultivation still progressed at its usual uneven pace—but to Li Yuan, time felt heavier, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
Chen Yue confirmed it three days later.
"I went to the infirmary," she said quietly as they sat together in the evening. "The elder said my body is stable. Healthy."
She paused.
"Too healthy."
Li Yuan did not smile.
He did not celebrate.
He simply nodded, as if acknowledging a conclusion he had already reached.
"I understand," he said.
Chen Yue watched him closely. "You're not surprised."
"No," Li Yuan replied. "Because this isn't an accident."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"You mean… this was expected?"
"Yes."
She frowned. "You planned this?"
Li Yuan shook his head. "Not planned. Prepared."
There was a difference.
He met her gaze steadily. "What happens next won't be easy. The sect isn't kind to outer disciples who slow down. And it's even less kind to those who carry… responsibilities."
Chen Yue lowered her gaze to her hands.
"I won't regret it," she said after a moment. "Even if it costs me advancement."
Li Yuan's voice softened. "It won't."
She looked up sharply.
He continued, calmly. "You're not being left behind. You're stepping ahead—just not in a way the sect understands yet."
---
That night, Li Yuan sat alone and summoned the system.
---
[Eternal Progenitor System]
First Descendant: Confirmed
Estimated Manifestation: Stable
Risk Level: Minimal
[Legacy Authority Pending.]
---
A new panel unfolded beneath it, one he had not seen before.
---
[Legacy Preview]
Bloodline Tier: Foundational
Inheritance Type: Direct
Potential Variance: High
Warning:
The first descendant establishes bloodline direction.
Subsequent evolution will follow this precedent.
---
Li Yuan's gaze sharpened.
"So this child decides more than I do," he murmured.
The system did not deny it.
---
The sect noticed changes soon after.
Chen Yue was excused from heavy labor under the guise of physical instability. Some outer disciples whispered. Others mocked quietly. A few envied her.
Li Yuan ignored them all.
Instead, he began adjusting his routine.
He cultivated less aggressively, focusing on stability rather than speed. He avoided attention. He declined offers to assist inner disciples. He stayed invisible.
The foundation phase must not attract pressure, he reminded himself.
Pressure shattered weak structures.
---
One afternoon, an outer elder summoned him.
Li Yuan stood respectfully before the elder's desk, head lowered.
"I've noticed you haven't advanced," the elder said flatly. "Six months, no breakthrough."
Li Yuan answered calmly. "This disciple's talent is limited. I'm prioritizing stability."
The elder snorted. "Excuses."
But he waved Li Yuan away.
"Don't disgrace the sect," he said. "That's all."
Li Yuan bowed and left.
Outside, he exhaled quietly.
Good, he thought. Still beneath notice.
---
That night, the system activated again.
---
[Eternal Progenitor System]
[Bloodline Influence: Awakening]
Passive Effect Updated:
• Minor luck alignment
• Reduced environmental hostility
• Subtle fate resistance
---
Li Yuan's fingers tightened.
"Fate resistance already?" he murmured.
This was earlier than expected.
The child was not even born yet—and the bloodline was already pushing back against the world.
---
Weeks passed.
Chen Yue's condition stabilized completely. Her cultivation slowed, but her spiritual energy became purer, more cohesive than before. Elders found nothing wrong—and that confused them.
Li Yuan watched everything carefully.
The system isn't just strengthening me, he realized.
It's smoothing the path.
Not with force.
With inevitability.
---
One evening, as rain fell softly against the roof, Chen Yue spoke quietly.
"Li Yuan… what kind of future do you see?"
He thought for a long time before answering.
"A future where our child won't have to beg for opportunity," he said. "Where they won't be erased just because they're ordinary."
She rested a hand lightly on her abdomen.
"That's enough," she said softly.
---
That night, Li Yuan stood by the window as the rain washed the mountain paths clean.
The system appeared one last time.
---
[Eternal Progenitor System]
[Countdown Initiated.]
[The First Descendant approaches.]
[The world will begin to adjust.]
---
Li Yuan closed his eyes.
In his previous life, fate had dragged him forward.
This time—
Fate would follow him instead.
---