The forest felt quieter on the return journey.
Too quiet.
Not because the danger had passed — but because something invisible had shifted.
He walked at the front of the group now, the faint purple-black glow of his Mandala Snake spirit ring orbiting his body with restrained menace. It was denser than it should have been. He could feel the difference in its structure — the +300-year enhancement had subtly altered its quality.
Behind him, Tang San remained silent.
Observing.
Calculating.
There was no childish resentment in Tang San's gaze. Only adjustment. The Mandala Snake had not been his this time. Fate had not aligned in his favor.
Which meant Tang San would adapt.
That made him more dangerous — not less.
Back at camp that evening, once the instructors confirmed the forest perimeter was stable, he sat alone beneath a tree and activated the diary.
The pages shimmered before he even began writing.
He inhaled slowly and started.
"The Mandala Snake was supposed to belong to Tang San."
He wrote it plainly.
"No one knows that but me."
The diary flared faintly.
He continued.
"But fate doesn't belong to one person. It responds to opportunity."
The golden light intensified.
[Major Canon Divergence Confirmed][Long-Term Timeline Instability Increased][Reward: Spirit Power +1 Level][Current Rank: 11]
The breakthrough came smoothly.
No violent surge.
No instability.
His foundation was simply too solid now.
He flexed his fingers slightly, feeling the venom attribute integrate into his spirit power flow. The Mandala Snake's ability granted paralysis toxins — subtle, efficient, deadly.
He closed his eyes and accessed the system panel.
[Diary Influence Network]
Active Copy Holders: 2
Emotional Resonance Amplification: Active
Fate Distortion Rate: 14%
System Expansion Progress: 34%
Fourteen percent.
Already.
And this was only the first spirit ring.
Suddenly, the diary trembled again.
A new alert surfaced.
[Emotional Spike Detected — Ning Rongrong]
Far across the continent, within the lavish interior of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, Ning Rongrong stood near her window, the glowing diary clutched tightly to her chest.
She had felt it.
The danger.
The shift.
The victory.
The pages had shown fragments — not full visions, but sensations. A forest drenched in spirit pressure. A serpent collapsing. A ring forming.
Her heart had raced in ways she didn't understand.
She had never met him.
Yet when she realized he survived—
Relief had washed over her.
Which irritated her greatly.
"I don't even know him…" she muttered, cheeks faintly warm.
Back in the forest, he observed the notification carefully.
Emotional resonance was scaling.
He began writing again.
"The little princess probably felt something today."
He paused deliberately before continuing.
"She hides behind arrogance. But she worries more than she shows."
The diary pulsed strongly.
[Emotional Resonance Amplified][Reward: Spirit Power Compression Increased]
Good.
Very good.
The more they reacted, the denser his growth became.
He shifted his thoughts toward another thread.
Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu
He wrote more carefully now.
"Xiao Wu would have been reckless if she were here."
"She hates seeing people get hurt."
He added a softer line.
"She doesn't realize how transparent her heart is."
The page glowed warmly.
[Copy Holder Emotional Synchronization Rising][Trust Level Increased]
He leaned back against the tree trunk, mind racing.
Two threads active.
Both strengthening.
And the political implications were beginning to take shape.
Because Ning Rongrong wasn't just a girl.
She was influence.
She was the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
And if her emotional alignment shifted toward him before canon events—
The balance of power in the continent would tilt.
The thought excited him.
But it also required precision.
The system wasn't rewarding reckless romance.
It rewarded impactful connection.
Suddenly, another notification appeared.
Unexpected.
[High-Fate Entity Awareness Detected][Source: Spirit Hall][Observation Probability: Minimal — For Now]
His expression sharpened instantly.
Spirit Hall.
Which meant—
Bibi Dong
She hadn't received a copy.
Not yet.
But fate disturbances had been sensed.
That meant large-scale divergences triggered continent-wide ripples.
He exhaled slowly.
Good.
The bigger the waves—
The greater the rewards.
But attracting Bibi Dong too early would be catastrophic.
He wasn't ready for that level of political gravity.
Not yet.
The next morning, they returned to Notting Academy.
The atmosphere had changed.
Students whispered when they saw his spirit ring.
Tang San approached him later in the courtyard.
Calm.
Composed.
"You adapted well in the forest," Tang San said evenly.
He met Tang San's gaze without flinching. "So did you."
A brief silence lingered.
Tang San's eyes flickered faintly toward the spirit ring.
"That snake chose you," Tang San added.
He smiled faintly.
"Or maybe I chose it."
For the first time, Tang San's expression shifted — just slightly.
Recognition.
This wasn't luck.
This was intention.
When Tang San walked away, the invisible tension between them thickened.
Rivalry had officially begun.
That night, the diary appeared with a deeper glow than usual.
He began writing slowly.
"Today, Tang San looked at me differently."
"He realized I'm not background."
The page radiated brilliantly.
[Rivalry Thread Established][Fate Anchor Conflict Initiated][Long-Term Reward Scaling Increased]
He closed the diary gently.
This was bigger than romance now.
Bigger than spirit rings.
This was narrative control.
And somewhere far away, in the grand halls of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong's gaze lingered toward the horizon for reasons she could not explain.
The continent had felt the first fracture.
And fractures—
Spread.