Heavenly Mansion

It was midnight within the secret realm, the surroundings plunged into a pitch-black, deathly silence.

Ye Lin stood atop a towering tree, lost in deep thought.

"Given my current destiny, the chances of finding a fortuitous encounter on my own are slim—no, that's an understatement. They are practically non-existent."

Ye Lin was painfully confident in his own destiny; forget about opportunities, simply staying alive was a luxury he could barely afford.

"No, I must find someone. It would be best if I could run into Lin Zisheng. Before entering the secret realm, the Phoenix Bathing Heaven Technique didn't show that Lin Zisheng would obtain this place."

"In other words, the panel only displays significant opportunities once enough time has passed. If I could catch a glimpse of Lin Zisheng's secret realm now, I would surely strike it rich."

"However, let me check my own panel first. Lin Zisheng is coming to find me in the secret realm; this is the perfect time to see exactly when."

Name: Ye Lin
Cultivation: Qi Refining, 8th Layer
Destiny: Black (Calamity-ridden)
Fate Traits: [Cursed with Bad Luck] [Divine Comprehension]
Fate: You defeated Lin Ziyou, and his elder brother's personal disciple, Lin Zisheng, learned of it. Enraged, Lin Zisheng will assassinate you in the Inner Sect Secret Realm in five minutes. You will be caught completely off guard and severely wounded by Lin Zisheng, but you will use a Sword Talisman to escape at the critical moment.
Recent Opportunities: None

[Cursed with Bad Luck]: Your luck is abysmal; for instance, you are guaranteed to trip while walking and be cheated on if you marry.

[Divine Comprehension]: Your comprehension is transcendental. You learn various techniques at an incredible speed. While others might need three months to master a technique, you only need a few days.

After reading the panel, Ye Lin's muscles tensed. Five minutes—did that mean Lin Zisheng had already found him?

Ye Lin quickly leaped down from the tree into the tall grass, scanning his surroundings.

"I've already found you. Come out."

Ye Lin gripped a Sword Talisman in his hand and spoke toward a patch of darkness ahead.

Just then, the bushes in front rustled, and Lin Zisheng, clad in white robes, stepped out holding a long sword.

"I am curious, how did you discover me?"

Lin Zisheng held his sword, seemingly in no rush to strike.

"You already discovered me back in the cave, didn't you?"

At these words, Lin Zisheng laughed heartily.

"Hahaha, indeed. Such keen perception. However, today shall be the day of your death."

He had discovered Ye Lin hiding in the ruins back in the cave; the perception of someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm was terrifying. A small cave was well within the range of his senses.

"Die."

Without another word, Lin Zisheng unleashed a full-powered strike. In his eyes, Ye Lin was nothing more than a passerby, unworthy of his serious attention.

Killing him would suffice.

"Want to kill me? Try your next life. Here's a surprise for you."

Ye Lin's lips curled upward as he threw the Sword Talisman. The next moment, a scorching beam of sword light flashed through the air.

"Nine Swords of Shining Heaven, Slash!"

Lin Zisheng roared, shattering the incoming sword light with a single strike, but Ye Lin had already vanished.

"Intent... it was actually Intent."

Lin Zisheng's right arm began to bleed. He had been wounded. He never expected that the strike would contain Intent, and that very force was now traveling up his arm toward his heart.

"Ye Lin, is it? Very well. If I don't kill you, I will never be able to quell the hatred I feel today."

Lin Zisheng let out a furious roar and sat down on the ground to begin suppressing the sword intent within his body.

"I should be out of reach by now, right?"

After fleeing for three hours straight, Ye Lin stopped by a riverbank. Before him hovered a transparent panel.

Name: Lin Zisheng
Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Early Stage
Destiny: Yellow
Fate Traits: [Transcendental Luck] [Sword Dao Leader] [Divine Comprehension] [Child of Heaven's Favor] [Reincarnated Great Being]
Fate: After experiencing many hardships along the way, he will eventually break through to the Mahayana stage and become one of the great beings of the human race. Upon his final ascension to immortality, he will be struck dead by the Heavenly Tribulation.

Recent Opportunity 1: The Heavenly Mansion will descend tomorrow. Obtain the Profound-grade high-tier Foundation Establishment Pill beneath the Tiger God Statue on the third path of the Heavenly Mansion.

Recent Opportunity 2: Obtain the Earth-grade low-tier illusion technique, Demon Shadow No Trace, beneath the Dragon God Statue on the third path of the Heavenly Mansion tomorrow.

Recent Opportunity 2: One month from now, while descending the mountain to eliminate demons, he will be ambushed by an evil spirit on Hundred-Broken Mountain. Falling off a cliff, he will find a Profound-grade high-tier spirit fruit, the North Wind Fruit, at the bottom. After consuming it, his cultivation will surge, stepping directly into the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Recent Opportunity 3: One and a half months from now, he will purchase the only worn-out vase at the Fate Treasure Pavilion in the Golden City antique market for a low price. After breaking it, he will find an ancient mural hidden inside. Upon comprehending it, he will obtain the ancient immortal technique, One Breath Becomes Three Purities.

[Transcendental Luck]: Your luck is exceptional. You always stumble upon opportunities along your path, and even when facing life-or-death crises, you can turn danger into safety.

[Sword Dao Leader]: A natural-born swordsman. You possess an understanding of the Sword Dao that transcends mortals, and you progress with terrifying speed on the path of the sword.

[Divine Comprehension]: Your comprehension is transcendent; you grasp various cultivation techniques with incredible speed. For the same technique, while others require three months, you only need a few days.

[Child of Heaven's Favor]: You are favored by the fortune of the Heavenly Dao. On the path of cultivation, you face no bottlenecks; breaking through is as simple as eating or drinking water.

[Reincarnated Great Being]: You are the reincarnation of a great being from the Immortal Realm, though your soul was damaged and your memories sealed during the process. Once you reach the Nascent Soul Realm, your memories will be unsealed, and from then on, it will be like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate—smooth sailing all the way.

"The Heavenly Mansion descends tomorrow?"

Looking at Lin Zisheng's panel, Ye Lin pondered in his heart. He did not know what this "Heavenly Mansion" was, so he could only wait—wait for the arrival of this so-called Heavenly Mansion tomorrow.

Lin Zisheng's two opportunities are both within this so-called Heavenly Mansion. If the commotion is significant, it will surely attract other disciples. By then, even if I cross paths with Lin Zisheng, he wouldn't dare do anything to me.

Ye Lin thought to himself.

Inner Sect disciples held a transcendent status in the Azure Cloud Sect. Even though personal disciples were ranked above Inner Sect disciples, they still dared not kill Inner Sect disciples at will.

If a personal disciple dared to kill an Inner Sect disciple over some trivial matter, they would face severe punishment once discovered by the Azure Cloud Sect.

Ye Lin believed that since Lin Zisheng was a Child of Heaven's Favor, he could never do something so moronic.

"While the spiritual energy in this secret realm is dense, I should cultivate first."

After thinking this, Ye Lin sat on the ground and began to cultivate, the surrounding spiritual energy surging toward his body.

In the blink of an eye, the night passed.

Deep within a thicket, Lin Zisheng opened his weary eyes.

"Damn it, it took all night just to barely suppress the sword intent. Ye Lin, I will have you dead."

Lin Zisheng's face was filled with killing intent. The sword intent had already reached the level of a conceptual realm, which was not something his current cultivation could fully purge; he could only suppress it temporarily.

He had spent the entire night struggling to suppress the sword intent, preventing it from invading his heart, for otherwise, not even the gods could save him.

"Now that the sword intent is temporarily suppressed, I will ask my master to help me purge it once I get out. But Ye Lin, you must die."

At this moment, Lin Zisheng's eyes were brimming with murderous intent. Since he began his cultivation, Ye Lin was the first person to injure him while only at the Qi Refining stage.

"Whew, after cultivating all night, I'm getting closer and closer to the ninth level of Qi Refining. Once I leave this secret realm, I must start preparing to break through to the ninth level."

Just then, Ye Lin opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and muttered to himself.

At that moment, a loud boom echoed from the sky, and Ye Lin looked up.