Fate: Trajectory Distortion

Barn named the Fate Law he had comprehended "Trajectory Distortion."

Its effect was straightforward: it could forcibly distort a target's movement trajectory, causing it to veer off course uncontrollably.

The target could be large or small, an object or a person; all could be affected. There was just one rule: the higher the target's power level, the weaker the effect of Trajectory Distortion. Against a Midgod or even a Highgod, this power would likely be like a stone sinking into the sea, unable to stir the slightest ripple.

This happened to complement the part of the Fate Law he had comprehended before, "Destined Hit." Destined Hit targeted Barn himself, forcibly correcting his own trajectory so that his attacks could land successfully. Trajectory Distortion, on the other hand, specifically affected things other than Barn, focusing on disruption and control.

But Barn had always harbored a doubt: his comprehension of Trajectory Distortion alone was nowhere near the minimum required to become a god of one Element. It was even shallower than the Law he had comprehended when he had become a god by fusing the Water Element and the Water Body Technique Profound Mystery in the Water Element.

After much thought, he arrived at the only reasonable explanation: the Destined Hit he had comprehended before and the newly comprehended Trajectory Distortion had fused and complemented each other, earning the recognition of Heaven and Earth's will and allowing him to successfully become a Lowgod under the Fate Law.

In the Coiling Dragon World, people generally believed there were three clear paths to independently becoming a Lowgod:

First, completely comprehend a single Profound Mystery within an Elemental Law; second, fuse two or more Profound Mysteries within an Elemental Law, with the degree of fusion reaching the standard recognized by Heaven and Earth's will; third, comprehend any one of the Four Great Rules to the standard recognized by Heaven and Earth's will.

(The second and third paths should still count separately, since the protagonist of this book is going to cultivate the Fate Law.)

But in Barn's view, these three paths were fundamentally no different. They had just one core principle: gaining the recognition of Heaven and Earth's Laws.

Whether one fully comprehended a single Profound Mystery, fused multiple Profound Mysteries, or merely touched on the Four Great Rules, in the end, one had simply met the threshold set by Heaven and Earth's will, allowing one to draw upon the power of Heaven and Earth, condense a divine spark, and become a god.

"In terms of actual combat ability, my Fate Clone is probably not even half as strong as my Water Clone," Barn privately assessed. "My Water Clone became a god through the fusion of Dual Profound Mysteries. Even if its offensive power isn't top-tier, it's still much stronger than a Lowgod who has only comprehended a Lesser Profound Mystery. But my Fate Clone still hasn't found a suitable way to bring its power to bear."

But he also knew that the Fate Law might not be weak. "When my Fate Clone first condensed, the Divine Power it could draw upon came from ten meters beneath the Sea of Divine Power, the same as my Water Clone at the beginning. That means the Fate Law I comprehended isn't weak in itself. I just haven't found the right way to use it or brought out its full power."

He couldn't help thinking of how, in the original story, Linley had fused the Wind Element's Profound Mysteries of Swiftness and Slowness, yet unexpectedly comprehended the higher-level Dimension Profound Mystery, becoming a top-tier Lowgod in a single leap.

"Perhaps Destined Hit and Trajectory Distortion are both branches of some kind of Higher Rule?"

According to the original story, each of the Four Great Rules formed its own system and had no specific Profound Mystery branches. Barn speculated that perhaps once he had extrapolated these two Fate-related Laws to their limits, he would find the connection between them, merge them completely, and comprehend the true core of the Fate Law.

But he had no idea when that opportunity would come.

Barn brought Declan and Adele's family all the way to the wasteland west of the Ice Prison Royal City. It lay far from the city's heart and the border battlefield, and was deserted. Only a few displaced Sanctuary Beasts and humans eked out a living there, left to fend for themselves.

In the eyes of Godlevel experts, places like this were called "pastures"—the term implied that low-level Sanctuary inhabitants were left to struggle for survival like livestock in a pasture. If any Sanctuary inhabitant managed to become a god there, the legion soldiers stationed around the wasteland would appear immediately and recruit them into the Heavenly River Legion to bolster its strength.

Barn had come only to study practical applications of the Fate Law. He had no intention of harming these low-level Sanctuary inhabitants. Besides, he was now a registered Godlevel Squad Captain in the Heavenly River Legion, so naturally no one would stop him from testing out techniques here.

"Most people think the Fate Law's greatest strength is Soul Attack. But in my view, its real terror lies in its strange, unpredictable traits." Barn murmured to himself, images of the games from his previous life flashing through his mind. "If I were to compare it to a game from my previous life, a god who cultivates the Fate Law isn't a character who wins by overwhelming their opponent with stats. They win through skill and mechanics."

With skillful play, one could overcome stronger opponents and control the battle. But if one made a mistake, then in a straightforward contest of offense and defense, the Fate Law would probably rank at the bottom among god-level fighters of the same rank. Aside from a slight advantage in Soul Attack, everything else—physical attack power, defense, and speed—was a weakness.

This was also the main reason Barn was eager to leave the base and test out his techniques in the wasteland. His Fate Clone was currently far too weak in combat. If he couldn't quickly find a suitable way to fight, then when he encountered a powerful enemy in the future, the only use of this Fate Clone would be to provide Fused Divine Power.

Barn found an underground cavern deep in the wasteland. He settled Declan and Adele's family in a neighboring cave, then entered the deepest cavern alone and sealed it off so he could focus on developing his techniques.

In the neighboring cave, Declan and Adele's family sat quietly, sensing the Divine Power fluctuations coming from Barn's cavern—sometimes obscure, sometimes violent. They couldn't help speaking in hushed voices.

"Barn's really changed a lot," Declan grumbled, though his tone was full of admiration. "More than a hundred years ago, he fought Gideon and was unconscious for a whole month. After he woke up, it was like he'd become a different person. He comprehended Laws as easily as drinking water. It's only been a little over a hundred years, and he's already become a god in two Elements. It's ridiculous."

As Adele listened to him complain, her gaze drifted toward the cave where Barn was staying. "In Gobada, Sanctuary inhabitants without the protection of a god are usually warped by this harsh environment. They become cruel and bloodthirsty, focused only on their own interests, and will fight over even the smallest resources."

Adele continued softly, "But after spending this time with him, I can tell that Lord Barn still has a kind heart. He doesn't embezzle resources or kill indiscriminately. He was even willing to take our family in and give us cultivation resources. Didn't you suffer in the past?"

Declan scratched his head. "We definitely suffered. When we first arrived in Gobada, we were barely able to keep ourselves alive. But we only went through a real life-or-death crisis once, and fortunately we made it through. After that, we met Miss Fukaloss, and things settled down quite a bit."

At the mention of Fukaloss, Declan suddenly perked up and leaned closer to ask, "By the way, Adele, it seems you knew Miss Fukaloss before. What's her background? We only knew she was powerful and generous. We never asked about her origins."

Adele raised her brows slightly, surprised. "Didn't she tell you? She's the granddaughter of Lady Annabelle, the Ice Prison King. Her status in the Royal City is extremely high."

"The Ice Prison King?!" Declan's voice rose in shock. "No way! She's the King's granddaughter? No wonder she was so wealthy back then, and Midgods treated her with such respect!"

Adele gently shook her head and explained, "Most of the Midgods in the Royal City know. I heard it from my father long ago. But the Ice Prison King is aloof and has never liked relatives flaunting her name. She also despises people trying to use the connection to curry favor, so everyone tacitly pretends not to know."

Declan was stunned for a long while before slapping his forehead in regret. "If I'd known she was the Ice Prison King's granddaughter, I should've gotten closer to her and asked for more cultivation resources! I missed a huge opportunity!"

Adele didn't reply. She slowly stood up and looked toward her own cave. "I'm going to cultivate. I hope I can break through my bottleneck soon."

Watching her leave, Declan sighed helplessly. He glanced toward Barn's cave, his eyes full of anticipation, then turned and returned to his own cave to focus on cultivating and breaking through the final bottleneck in fusing Profound Mysteries.