Chapter 1: The Idiot’s Realization and the Broken Engagement

The cold autumn rain fell over Qingyun City like endless needles, tapping against the blue-tiled roofs of the Lin Clan manor. Inside the heated pavilion, scent of rare spirit incense drifted from a bronze burner shaped like a coiled dragon.

Lin Chen sat on a cushioned wooden chair, staring blankly at the tea cup in his hand. The steam rose in pale wisps, carrying the fresh, bitter aroma of Third-Order Snow Lotus Leaves.

Three days had passed since he woke up in this body. Three days of total confusion, followed by the slow, painful merger of memories that belonged to two entirely different people.

In his previous life, he had been a completely average college student who spent his nights reading thousands of web novels until his eyes burned. In this life, he was the only son of the Lin Clan’s Patriarch in Qingyun City—a notoriously worthless young master famous for wasting mountain-loads of spirit stones on alcohol, rare beauties, and expensive pastimes.

Lin Chen sighed and rubbed his temples. “What a terrible start.”

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a pale blue translucent panel hovered directly in front of his vision. It was motionless, floating quietly like a ghost that only he could see.

[Target Identification: Lin Chen]

[Current Identity: Young Master of the Lin Clan]

[Heavenly Fate Role: Minor Supporting Character / Early-Stage Stepping Stone]

[Current Attributes & Titles:]

• Heaven’s Envy:Innate cultivation talent is exceptionally high, but life energy drains twice as fast during deep meditation.
• Friend of Villains:Naturally attracts anti-social, morally ambiguous, or ruthless individuals.
• Innate Heavenly Furnace:Rare physical body type. Absorbs spiritual energy from the environment at five times the normal rate and automatically purifies it. When dual cultivating or sharing origin energy, the partner receives eighty percent of the purified benefits while clearing all internal toxins.

Lin Chen stared at the panel for a long time. The tea in his cup gradually went cold.

“A stepping stone,” Lin Chen muttered under his breath, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips. “And an Innate Heavenly Furnace body? That isn’t even a villain setup. That’s a human-shaped nutrient pill waiting to be drained dry by some chosen hero.”

According to the memories of this world, the Nine Provinces were vast beyond measure. Qingyun City was merely a tiny speck on the edge of the Eastern State, governed by powerful clans and local sects. Above them were grand holy lands, ancient dragon families, and giant sects like the Two Polarities Sect that ruled the Endless World Sea.

In those places, people fought over every inch of resource. Blood flowed into rivers over a single Third-Order herb, let alone a living, walking human furnace like him. If the grand elders of the major sects ever found out about his body type, they wouldn’t even bother killing him; they would chain him to an altar and use him to farm cultivation breakthroughs for their favorite disciples.

“Young Master,” a quiet, chilly voice called out from the doorway.

Lin Chen looked up.

Standing in the frame of the wooden door was a young woman dressed in a plain black robe tied tightly at the waist with a simple blue cloth belt. She held a long, unadorned steel sword in her left hand. Her face was pale, cold, and striking, like a blossom made of solid ice. Her eyes were deep and void of any warm emotion.

This was Zhao Ling.

On the surface, she was Lin Chen’s personal bodyguard and head maid, appointed by his father to keep him from getting murdered during his late-night tavern crawls. But Lin Chen knew her true background from the memories he had recovered. Two years ago, Zhao Ling had been a middle-stage Core Formation expert whose golden core was shattered during an ambush by a rival faction. She had fled to Qingyun City, hidden her aura, and taken a low-profile job in the Lin Clan to recuperate in peace.

To the previous arrogant young master, Zhao Ling was just a quiet, arrogant servant who never smiled and refused to let him touch her hand. The old Lin Chen had yelled at her, punished her with reduced monthly allowances, and threatened to fire her dozens of times.

Zhao Ling bowed her head slightly, her posture stiff and formal. “Miss Su Qingyao of the Su Clan has arrived at the outer reception hall. She requests an immediate meeting with you. Your father is currently at the spirit stone vein outside the city, so she was brought straight to the inner courtyard.”

Lin Chen blinked. “Su Qingyao? She came here personally?”

“Yes,” Zhao Ling said, her voice completely flat. “She brought three chests of mid-grade spirit stones and two guards. From her demeanor, it appears to be regarding the commercial agreement between the Su Clan and the Lin Clan. Or… the rumor regarding her engagement.”

Lin Chen set his teacup down on the small table. A small, dry laugh escaped his throat.

Su Qingyao.

The most famous beauty in Qingyun City. Cold, proud, intelligent, and fiercely loyal to her family’s merchant business. And more importantly, she was currently engaged to Ye Tian.

Ye Tian had been a genius three years ago. At fifteen, he reached the Ninth Level of Qi Refining and was considered a once-in-a-decade prodigy in the region. But then, overnight, his cultivation dropped like a falling stone. His spiritual sea dried up, his meridians withered, and he was reduced to a useless cripple stuck at the First Level of Qi Refining. The Ye Clan had fallen into decay, and everyone in the city mocked him.

According to every web novel plot Lin Chen had ever read, Su Qingyao was supposed to come here today to break her engagement with Ye Tian, or use the Lin Clan’s influence to pressure the Ye Clan. Then, Ye Tian would shout the classic line—‘Thirty years east, thirty years west, do not bully a poor youth!’—and three years later, Ye Tian would return, destroy the Lin Clan, kill the arrogant young master Lin Chen, and take Su Qingyao back or leave her behind in regret.

“Young Master?” Zhao Ling prompted when Lin Chen remained silent. Her dark eyes swept over his face, detecting a strange difference in his posture today. Usually, the moment Su Qingyao’s name was mentioned, Lin Chen would jump up, comb his hair, put on his most expensive silk robes, and rush out like a hungry dog.

Today, he just sat there, looking at his own hands with a thoughtful expression.

“Zhao Ling,” Lin Chen said suddenly, looking at her.

“Yes, Young Master?”

“If a person knows they are going to be struck by lightning if they stand under a specific tree, what should they do?”

Zhao Ling frowned slightly, confused by the strange question. “They should step away from the tree.”

“What if the tree is full of golden apples, and five other people are running toward it with swords?”

Zhao Ling’s grip on her sword scabbard tightened fractionally. “Then they should cut down the tree, take the apples, and let the others fight over the empty ground.”

Lin Chen laughed out loud. It was a genuine, lighthearted laugh that caused Zhao Ling to stare at him with a trace of suspicion.

“Good answer,” Lin Chen said, standing up from his chair. He straightened his dark green outer robe, which was embroidered with subtle gold thread. “Let’s go meet Miss Su. We shouldn’t keep the grand beauty waiting.”

The main reception hall of the Lin Clan was grand and spacious. Red sandalwood pillars supported the heavy ceiling, and long banners painted with mountains hung along the walls.

Su Qingyao was sitting on the left guest chair. She wore a light blue dress that fluttered slightly despite the lack of wind. Her long black hair was held together by a single white jade hairpin. Her skin was as pale as cream, and her face was carved with absolute precision. She held a cup of warm tea, but she had not taken a single sip.

Behind her stood two sturdy guards from the Su Clan, both at the Seventh Level of Qi Refining, looking tense and alert.

When the heavy wooden doors clicked open, Su Qingyao raised her eyes. She expected to see the familiar, greedy grin of Lin Chen—the young master who always looked at her like a piece of rare meat at an auction.

Instead, Lin Chen walked in calmly. His posture was relaxed, his shoulders back, and his eyes were completely clear. There was no desperate eagerness in his step, no sleazy smile on his face. Behind him walked the cold maid, Zhao Ling, standing half a step back like a silent shadow.

Lin Chen walked to the main seat at the center of the hall, sat down smoothly, and gestured with his hand.

“Miss Su,” Lin Chen said, his tone casual and polite. “Forgive me for making you wait. The rain outside makes one lazy.”

Su Qingyao’s eyes narrowed slightly. The subtle change in his attitude did not escape her notice. She placed her teacup down on the small table beside her with a sharp clack.

“Young Master Lin,” Su Qingyao began, her voice crisp and melodious, like cold water flowing over smooth stones. “I will not waste your time with useless pleasantries. The Su Clan’s spirit herb shipments near the Northern Hills were intercepted by the Black Wolf Bandit Gang yesterday. We lost thirty percent of our autumn stock. I know the Black Wolf Gang has secret ties with your family’s outer elders.”

Lin Chen took a slow breath, nodding slightly. “The Black Wolf Gang, is it? My father handles clan affairs, but I know they operate on the border. What does Miss Su wish for the Lin Clan to do?”

Su Qingyao leaned forward slightly. Her pale fingers tightened against her silk sleeve. “I need the Lin Clan to clear the road and return our stock. In exchange…” She paused, her chest rising and falling as if suppressing a deep humiliation. “…In exchange, the Su Clan will transfer three spirit herb stores in the eastern market directly to your name. And… I will owe you a personal favor.”

Lin Chen looked at her.

As he looked at Su Qingyao, a second light blue window flickered into view right beside her head.

[Target Identification: Su Qingyao]

[Heavenly Fate Role: Primary Heroine / Empress of Absolute Frost (Unawakened)]

[Current Destiny Bind: Bound to ‘Son of Heaven’ Ye Tian (Childhood Fiance)]

[Current Affection toward Ye Tian: 35/100 (Rapidly Declining due to family pressure and Ye Tian’s stubborn pride)]

[Current Affection toward Lin Chen: -10/100 (Disgust/Distrust)]

[Special Physique: Heavenly Nine-Ice Divine Body (Sealed)]

Lin Chen’s eyelids twitched.

Primary Heroine? Empress of Absolute Frost?

He blinked twice to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. Su Qingyao—the girl currently sitting in front of him, begging for help with a regional trade route—was destined to become a top-tier Empress?

Lin Chen mentally slapped himself. Of course. In these stories, the childhood sweethearts of the fallen geniuses always had insane hidden physiques or secret inheritances that only unlocked later when the protagonist reached higher realms.

And right now, this future Empress was sitting in his hall, offering him three stores and a vague “personal favor” while her current fiancé, Ye Tian, was probably sulking in the Ye Clan manor, training blindly with a broken ring or an ancient soul.

Lin Chen rested his chin on his hand, looking at Su Qingyao with genuine interest.

“Miss Su,” Lin Chen said softly. “Three stores in the eastern market are worth about twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones a year. The Black Wolf Gang’s loot from your shipment is worth at least fifty thousand. You are asking me to use my family’s force to crush a useful dog, and you’re offering less than half of what they stole.”

Su Qingyao’s expression tightened. “Young Master Lin, those three stores are prime locations! Once the Su Clan recovers, we can—”

“And as for your personal favor,” Lin Chen interrupted smoothly, his voice dropping an octave. “What is the personal favor of a young lady whose family is on the verge of bankruptcy worth? If I ask you to marry me right now, will you agree?”

Su Qingyao’s face turned completely red, then deathly pale. A flicker of cold anger flashed in her eyes. This was the Lin Chen she knew—always trying to push her into a corner, always using her family’s weakness to force her into his arms!

“Lin Chen!” Su Qingyao stood up, her aura as a Ninth Level Qi Refining cultivator flaring slightly, causing the tea cups on the table to rattle. “If you intend to insult me, I shall take my leave immediately! The Su Clan may be in trouble, but I will not sell myself to a famous playboy!”

Behind Lin Chen, Zhao Ling’s hand silently rested on the hilt of her sword. Her cold eyes locked onto Su Qingyao, ready to draw her blade at a moment’s notice.

Lin Chen didn’t flinch. He didn’t even raise his voice. He simply raised one hand, motioning for Zhao Ling to relax.

“Sit down, Miss Su,” Lin Chen said calmly. “No one is asking you to sell yourself. I am a businessman today, not a villain in a play.”

Su Qingyao frozen. She looked at Lin Chen’s deadpan, honest eyes. There was no lust in them. No sneer. Just a calm, almost scary rationality. Slowly, reluctantly, she sat back down, though her hands were clenched tightly into fists on her lap.

“What do you actually want then?” she asked, her voice trembling slightly with suppressed frustration.

Lin Chen leaned back into his chair.

“First,” Lin Chen said, holding up one finger. “The Lin Clan will wipe out the Black Wolf Gang entirely within three days. Every single herb they stole from you will be returned to the Su Clan intact. We won’t take a single leaf.”

Su Qingyao’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You… you will return everything? Without taking the three stores?”

“I don’t want your stores,” Lin Chen continued, holding up a second finger. “Second, the Lin Clan will sign a five-year exclusive transport agreement with the Su Clan. We will protect all your trade caravans within three hundred miles of Qingyun City for a flat twenty percent fee.”

Su Qingyao felt her head spinning. This wasn’t a extortion—this was a lifeline! With the Lin Clan’s martial protection, the Su Clan’s trading routes would be completely secure against all rival clans.

“Why?” Su Qingyao asked, her voice laced with intense skepticism. “Why would you offer terms so generous to my family? What is the catch, Lin Chen?”

Lin Chen smiled lightly. He stood up, walked down the wooden steps of the main dais, and stopped three paces away from her.

“The catch is very simple, Miss Su,” Lin Chen said, looking down into her bright, anxious eyes. “I want fifty percent of the raw spirit ice ore your family mines from the Cold Frost Mountain behind your clan estate.”

Su Qingyao froze completely.

Cold Frost Mountain was a desolate, frozen hill owned by the Su Clan. The spirit ice ore mined there was notoriously hard, cold, and possessed very little usable spiritual energy for ordinary Qi Refining cultivators. The Su Clan had tried to sell it for years, but merchants barely paid two copper coins for a cart full of it. It was practically useless waste rock.

“Spirit ice ore?” Su Qingyao asked, her voice full of confusion. “That useless stone? You want half of it?”

“Yes,” Lin Chen said calmly.

In reality, Lin Chen knew from his system information that Su Qingyao’s Heavenly Nine-Ice Divine Body required a massive amount of cold energy to trigger its first awakening. If she stayed in contact with high-grade spirit ice, her physique would slowly absorb the ice essence, purifying her bloodline. But because the Su Clan thought the mountain was useless, they rarely allowed anyone near the deep ice core.

By demanding half the output, Lin Chen would force the Su Clan to dig deeper into the mountain, eventually uncovering the Nine-Ice Core at the bottom—and he would use his Innate Heavenly Furnace body to help refine the cold poison that usually killed people who tried to absorb it unprepared.

More importantly, helping her family survive would break her dependency on Ye Tian.

In the original timeline, Ye Tian would eventually stumble upon a secret medicine, heal his meridians, beat up a few thugs, and give Su Qingyao a few low-level pills, earning her eternal gratitude while her family was destroyed.

Lin Chen was going to cut that entire plotline off at the root before it even sprouted.

“Do we have a deal, Miss Su?” Lin Chen extended his hand toward her.

Su Qingyao looked at the hand extended toward her. It was fair, long-fingered, and clean. She looked up at Lin Chen’s face. For the first time in three years, she realized she couldn’t read this young master at all. He wasn’t the foolish, loud-mouthed hedonist everyone claimed he was. He was calculating, sharp, and strangely… direct.

“We have a deal,” Su Qingyao said, standing up and taking his hand.

The moment their palms touched, a light spark of cool energy passed between them.

Ding!

A silent notification flashed in Lin Chen’s mind:

[Affection of Su Qingyao toward Lin Chen increased from -10 to +15!]

[Destiny Thread Altered! Ye Tian’s Heroic Rescue Plotline has been disrupted!]

[Reward: 500 Fate Value points acquired!]

Lin Chen smiled warmly, withdrawing his hand smoothly before she could feel uncomfortable. “My maid, Zhao Ling, will escort you out. The Black Wolf Gang will cease to exist by tomorrow evening.”

Su Qingyao bowed deeply, her mind still in a state of shock. “Thank you… Young Master Lin.”

She turned and left the hall, her steps much lighter than when she arrived.

Once the heavy doors closed behind Su Qingyao, the hall returned to quietness.

Zhao Ling stepped forward from the shadows, her dark eyes staring at Lin Chen with an intense, probing gaze.

“Young Master,” Zhao Ling said softly.

“Hmm?” Lin Chen walked back to his chair and picked up his cold tea.

“You changed your strategy.”

Lin Chen paused, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? How so?”

“In the past, you would have demanded she drink wine with you, or forced her to give you her personal jade pendant,” Zhao Ling said coldly, her tone devoid of fear. “Today, you acted like a seasoned merchant lord from a grand sect. And… you asked for Cold Frost Mountain ice ore.”

Lin Chen took a sip of the cold tea and set the cup back down. “People change, Zhao Ling. Sitting on a mountain of spirit stones without the strength to hold them just makes you a target. I decided I don’t want to die early.”

Zhao Ling remained silent for three full breaths. She looked at Lin Chen’s face, searching for any sign of possession or disguise. But the spiritual aura was definitely his. The physical body was his. Yet the soul inside seemed entirely different—calmer, deeper, like a quiet lake with hidden undercurrents.

“The Black Wolf Gang has two experts at the First Level of Foundation Establishment,” Zhao Ling said flatly. “The elders of our clan will not easily send their personal guards to destroy them for free just because you made a promise to Miss Su.”

Lin Chen looked at Zhao Ling and smiled gently. “Why would I ask the elders? I have you.”

Zhao Ling’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits. “Young Master, my official strength registered with the clan is only the Eighth Level of Qi Refining. A Foundation Establishment cultivator would kill me with one strike.”

Lin Chen leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Your official strength is Qi Refining. But two years ago, when you fought the three shadow assassins in the alley behind the Crimson Pavilion, you used the Void Shadow Sword Style—a high-grade movement technique only found in Core Formation sects near the Endless World Sea. Your golden core is cracked, Zhao Ling. Every time you channel full spiritual energy, your meridians burn like fire.”

Clang!

A flash of silver light filled the hall!

Before Lin Chen could finish his sentence, the cold tip of Zhao Ling’s steel sword was resting less than half an inch from his throat. The air in the room temperature instantly plummeted, frost forming on the wooden table beside them.

Zhao Ling’s eyes were cold, filled with killing intent.

“Who are you?” she whispered, her voice like a knife edge. “How do you know about my core?”

Lin Chen didn’t move. He didn’t blink. He just looked straight into her fierce, cold eyes.

“I am Lin Chen,” he said quietly. “And I am the only person in this entire city who can fix your shattered core.”

Zhao Ling’s hand remained steady as ice, but deep inside her eyes, a massive storm raged.

For two years, she had hidden in this backwater city, enduring the humiliating gaze of useless young masters, hiding her broken core while her life energy slowly leaked away day by day. She had accepted her fate—that she would die quietly as a maid within five years when her core collapsed completely.

Now, the worthless young master she had looked down on for two years was staring into her blade without a trace of fear, telling her he could heal a shattered golden core?

“You are lying,” Zhao Ling said, her voice dropping lower. “Even a Sixth-Order Alchemy Grandmaster cannot reverse a shattered golden core without a Rank-Seven Heavenly Rebirth Pill. You are a mere Qi Refining waste.”

“I don’t need alchemy,” Lin Chen said smoothly. He slowly raised his hand, pointing two fingers toward his own chest. “My body is an Innate Heavenly Furnace.”

Zhao Ling’s breath caught in her throat.

Innate Heavenly Furnace?

As a former Core Formation expert from a grand faction, she had read ancient texts in the sect’s hidden library! That was a legendary physique—a body that naturally purified heaven and earth spiritual energy, acting as a living, breathing natural furnace! If a cultivator with a damaged core or clogged meridians refined energy alongside an Innate Heavenly Furnace, the purified origin energy could re-knit broken foundations!

“You…” Zhao Ling’s sword tip trembled slightly. “You have the Heavenly Furnace physique?”

“Test it yourself,” Lin Chen said softly. “Put your hand on my shoulder. Channel a thread of your broken spiritual energy into my chest. If I’m lying, you can slice my throat open right now.”

Zhao Ling stared at him for three long seconds. Slowly, she lowered her sword. She reached out her pale, slender left hand and pressed her fingertips against Lin Chen’s right shoulder.

She carefully pushed a tiny, jagged thread of black-colored ice energy into his body.

The moment that jagged energy entered Lin Chen’s meridians, his Innate Heavenly Furnace physique triggered automatically. The dark blue light panel in his vision flickered:

[Incoming Damaged Origin Energy Detected!]

[Innate Heavenly Furnace Activated: Purifying…]

[Refining Efficiency: 100%. Converting into Pure Origin Dew…]

Buzz!

A warm, radiant stream of pure, crystal-clear spiritual energy flowed back from Lin Chen’s shoulder straight into Zhao Ling’s hand!

The instant that warm stream entered her body, the constant, agonizing pain in her shattered golden core vanished! The cracks in her core were coated in a soft, golden glow, soothing her broken meridians like rain after a ten-year drought!

Zhao Ling gasped aloud. Her hand flew back as if she had been burned. She staggered backward two steps, her chest heaving heavily, her pale face flushed with a dark, reddish warmth.

She looked at her own hand, then looked at Lin Chen with absolute shock and terror.

“It… it’s real…” she whispered. “Pure Origin Dew… without any impurities…”

Lin Chen smoothed out the wrinkles on his collar, smiling mildly.

“I told you,” Lin Chen said. “I don’t lie to my friends. Or my people.”

He looked up at the panel floating next to Zhao Ling’s head:

[Target Identification: Zhao Ling]

[Heavenly Fate Role: Secondary Heroine / Future Primordial Witch of the World Sea]

[Current Status: Broken Golden Core (30% Functionality)]

[Current Affection toward Lin Chen: Increased from -20 to +40!]

Lin Chen mentally nodded. Forty affection points in one go. Not bad at all.

“Now,” Lin Chen said, standing up and dusting off his robes. “Tonight, you and I will pay a little visit to the Black Wolf Gang. We will take back Su Qingyao’s herbs, eliminate the bandits, and gather our first batch of resources.”

Zhao Ling looked at the young man standing before her. The arrogant, foolish young master was gone. In his place stood someone terrifyingly mysterious, powerful, and holding the key to her very life.

She slowly dropped to one knee, lowering her head, holding her sword horizontally with both hands.

“Zhao Ling…” she said, her voice filled with a reverence that had never been there before. “…will obey the Young Master’s command.”

Late that night, the rain stopped, leaving behind a thick mist that hung over the mountains north of Qingyun City.

The stronghold of the Black Wolf Gang was built inside a wooden fortress halfway up a cliff. Torches burned brightly along the perimeter walls, casting long, flickering shadows over the armed guards patrolling the gates.

In a dark clearing two hundred yards away, two figures stood hidden beneath the shadow of an old pine tree.

Lin Chen was wearing tight black night-robes, a cloth mask covering the lower half of his face. Beside him, Zhao Ling was wrapped in full black attire, her eyes shining like cold stars in the dark.

“There are eighty bandits inside,” Zhao Ling reported in a low whisper. “The Chief, ‘Iron Wolf,’ is at the First Level of Foundation Establishment. His Second Brother, ‘Blood Wolf,’ is also at First Level Foundation Establishment. The rest are Qi Refining thugs between the Third and Eighth levels.”

Lin Chen checked his own status panel:

[Host: Lin Chen]

[Cultivation: Fifth Level Qi Refining]

[Fate Value: 500]

[Innate Physique: Heavenly Furnace (Passive Speed +500%)]

“Five Level Qi Refining is too weak to fight Foundation Establishment directly,” Lin Chen muttered to himself. He opened the system store in his mind.

[System Store:]

• Basic Shadow Steps (100 Fate Points)
• Third-Order Lightning Flash Talisman x 5 (200 Fate Points)
• Impurity Cleansing Pill Recipe (300 Fate Points)
• Concept Blade: Silent Strike (400 Fate Points)

“Buy 5 Lightning Flash Talismans and Basic Shadow Steps,” Lin Chen ordered in his mind.

Ding!

[Purchased! 300 Fate Points deducted. 200 Fate Points remaining.]

[Basic Shadow Steps Mastered!]

Instantly, a warm surge of knowledge flooded Lin Chen’s brain and muscle memory. His footwork naturally adjusted, his posture becoming lighter and more fluid. Five yellow paper talismans painted with glowing lightning runes materialized inside his inner sleeve.

“Zhao Ling,” Lin Chen said whispered.

“Yes, Young Master?”

“I will draw the guards away from the East gate using lightning talismans. You take the high ground and strike directly at Blood Wolf. Once he falls, Iron Wolf will come out. We double-team him.”

Zhao Ling looked at him with a slight trace of worry. “Young Master, drawn away? If you are caught by three Qi Refining guards, you—”

“Don’t underestimate me,” Lin Chen smiled behind his mask. “Just make sure your sword is fast enough.”

Without waiting for her reply, Lin Chen blurred into a shadow, executing the Basic Shadow Steps! His body moved like a ghost through the wet bushes, completely silent, leaving behind only the faintest rustle of leaves.

Zhao Ling’s eyes widened slightly. His footwork… it’s at the Mastery Level! How did he learn a mid-grade movement technique without anyone knowing?

She didn’t have time to ponder further. She bit her lip, lightly tapped her foot against the tree branch, and melted into the high canopy above like a shadow phantom.

BOOM!

A brilliant flash of golden lightning burst near the eastern wooden wall of the Black Wolf fortress! The explosion tore through the timber, sending charred splinters and smoke high into the night sky!

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack at the East Gate!” lower bandit guards screamed in panic.

“Kill them! Don’t let them near the storage warehouse!”

Dozens of bandits armed with sabers and spears rushed toward the Eastern fire.

Amidst the chaos, Lin Chen moved like a shadow along the western outer wall. He threw two more Lightning Talismans into the main courtyard, causing massive secondary explosions that shattered weapons racks and set the wooden barracks ablaze!

“Who dares disturb the Black Wolf Gang?!” a loud, roaring voice echoed from the main wooden hall.

A tall, heavily built man with a scar running across his nose burst through the double doors. He held a massive steel battle-axe that glowed with a dark red aura. This was Iron Wolf, the leader of the gang!

Beside him was a thin, sickly-looking man holding twin daggers—Blood Wolf.

“Brother, it’s an ambush! Someone is trying to burn our warehouse!” Blood Wolf shouted, his body poising to dash toward the east gate.

“Die!”

A cold, sharp whisper cut through the rain-soaked air from directly above!

A beam of icy white sword light descended from the dark clouds like a falling star! The air temperature within fifty yards plummeted below freezing instantly!

Blood Wolf’s eyes widened in horror. He raised his twin daggers to block, but his movement was already slowed by the terrifying frost aura!

Pfft!

The white sword light passed straight through Blood Wolf’s neck!

A line of red blood sprayed into the air before immediately freezing into crimson ice crystals! Blood Wolf’s body collapsed onto the muddy ground, his head rolling two yards away!

“Second Brother!” Iron Wolf roared in rage and disbelief. He turned his head and saw a masked figure in black landing gracefully on the roof of the wooden hall, holding a dripping silver blade.

“A Core… no, a peak Foundation Establishment sword strike?!” Iron Wolf’s face turned white with fear. “Who are you?! Why is a high-level cultivator targeting my small gang?!”

“Because you stole things you shouldn’t have,” Lin Chen’s voice echoed from the shadowed corner near the storage hall.

Lin Chen stepped out from the darkness, holding a paper talisman between his fingers. His mask hid his face, but his eyes were cool and full of composure.

“Attack together!” Iron Wolf roared, rallying the remaining thirty guards around him. “Kill the boy first!”

Iron Wolf swung his heavy battle-axe, creating a red arc of fire energy that surged straight toward Lin Chen!

Lin Chen didn’t panic. He slapped the Lightning Talisman onto his own chest!

Bzzt!

A yellow lightning barrier expanded around him! The fiery axe strike slammed into the barrier, sending sparks flying everywhere! Lin Chen was pushed back five steps, his boots digging deep grooves into the mud, but he was completely uninjured!

“Now, Zhao Ling!” Lin Chen shouted.

From the roof, Zhao Ling dropped like a swift eagle! Her sword unleashed three icy crescent beams in rapid succession—The Frost Moon Tri-Strike!

Iron Wolf was forced to turn around, lifting his heavy axe to block the cold crescent light!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The force of the impacts forced Iron Wolf onto his knees, the wooden boards beneath his feet shattering into pieces! Ice crept up his arms, freezing his heavy leather armor!

Before he could recover his breath, Lin Chen’s figure flickered using Basic Shadow Steps! He appeared directly at Iron Wolf’s right side, a sharp steel dagger in his hand coated in volatile lightning energy!

“Die!” Lin Chen thrust the dagger straight through Iron Wolf’s throat!

Iron Wolf’s eyes bulged. He looked down at the young man in front of him, feeling the lightning energy destroy his internal organs from the inside out. He opened his mouth to speak, but only black blood came out.

Thud.

The giant body of the Foundation Establishment gang leader crashed heavily onto the wet ground.

The remaining bandits panicked instantly.

“The Chief is dead! Blood Wolf is dead!”

“Run! Run for your lives!”

Within two minutes, the remaining bandits fled into the dark forest, throwing away their weapons and armor in utter terror.

Silence returned to the stronghold, broken only by the crackling of the burning wooden barracks and the quiet pitter-patter of rain.

Inside the main storage hall, row after row of wooden crates were stacked against the walls.

Zhao Ling used her sword to slice open three crates. Inside were hundreds of glittering spirit herbs—Third-Order Snow Lotuses, Crimson Sun Grass, and Spirit Refining Roots—all neatly packed in cold jade boxes.

“Everything is here,” Zhao Ling said, turning to Lin Chen. She was slightly breathless, pale sweat glistening on her forehead. The short fight had taxed her fragile meridians, and her face showed a hint of pain.

Lin Chen walked over to her. Without a word, he reached out and took her soft, pale hand in his.

Zhao Ling flinched slightly, but she didn’t pull away.

Lin Chen channeled his Innate Heavenly Furnace physique once more. A warm, golden flow of refined origin energy passed from his palm into her arm, instantly sweeping through her meridians and soothing the violent internal cold pain.

Zhao Ling sighed softly, her body relaxing completely. She looked at Lin Chen’s face as he removed his cloth mask.

“Young Master…” Zhao Ling whispered. “Why are you doing all this? You could have stayed safely in the Lin Clan, living a life of wealth and comfort. Why risk your life fighting Foundation Establishment cultivators?”

Lin Chen looked at the crates of spirit herbs, then looked back into her deep, dark eyes.

“Because living a life of quiet comfort in this world is an illusion,” Lin Chen said quietly. “If you don’t grow stronger, if you don’t take control of your own fate, you will eventually be crushed by someone stronger who walks past your house. I want to build something real, Zhao Ling. And I need people I can truly trust.”

Zhao Ling’s heart skipped a beat.

She looked into his clear eyes. There was no deceit, no lust, no arrogance—only an absolute, quiet determination that commanded respect.

Ding!

[Affection of Zhao Ling toward Lin Chen increased from +40 to +60!]

[Relationship Level Up: From ‘Loyal Servant’ to ‘Trusted Companion’!]

“I understand,” Zhao Ling said softly, her cold face softening into a tiny, almost unnoticeable smile. “I will stand by your side, Young Master.”

“Good,” Lin Chen smiled. “Now let’s search the Chief’s private quarters. A gang leader like Iron Wolf must have accumulated some nice personal stash.”

Five minutes later, in the hidden basement under Iron Wolf’s bed, Lin Chen found a small black wooden box sealed with a low-grade spirit lock.

Zhao Ling sliced the lock with her sword.

Inside the box lay three items:

1. Fifty high-grade spirit stones (worth 5,000 low-grade spirit stones).
2. A middle-grade Earth-rank movement technique scroll: Cloud Crossing Steps.
3. A rusty, ancient copper key shaped like a sleeping dragon.

When Lin Chen picked up the rusty copper key, his system panel flashed brightly with a red warning border!

[CRITICAL ITEM DETECTED!]

[Item Name: Key to the Ancient Dragon-Tiger Secret Realm]

[Fate Association: This key belongs to ‘Son of Heaven’ Ye Tian! He was destined to buy this key from a black market stall three days from now!]

[Destiny Severed! Ye Tian’s Major Early-Game Inheritance Opportunity has been stolen by Host!]

[Reward: 2,000 Fate Value Points acquired!]

[Host’s Role Progress: ‘Stepping Stone’ status reduced by 25%!]

Lin Chen held the cold copper key in his palm, his mouth twitching slightly.

“Ye Tian’s secret realm key?” Lin Chen chuckled softly under his breath. “Sorry, my dear protagonist. It seems your luck is officially being transferred to my account.”

Zhao Ling looked at the key in his hand. “Young Master, do you know what this key is for?”

“I have a good idea,” Lin Chen said, putting the key into his spatial ring along with the high-grade spirit stones. “We take the herbs back to the Su Clan tonight. Tomorrow, the city of Qingyun is going to be very interesting.”

The next morning, Azure Cloud City was shaken by two massive pieces of news!

First, the notorious Black Wolf Gang, which had terrorized the northern trade routes for three years, was completely wiped out in a single night! Their leaders were slain, and all stolen merchant goods were returned to the Su Clan intact!

Second, Young Master Lin Chen of the Lin Clan personally led the delivery convoy, dropping off thirty crates of precious herbs at the Su Clan’s doorstep without charging a single extra copper coin!

At the Su Clan Manor:

Su Qingyao stood in the courtyard, staring at the crates of returned herbs in shock. Beside her stood her father, the Clan Leader Su Shan, who was laughing with pure joy.

“Qingyao! You truly saved our family this time!” Su Shan laughed, slapping his knee. “Young Master Lin actually kept his word! He even signed the five-year protection contract at a twenty percent discount! How did you convince that famous playboy?”

Su Qingyao held the signed parchment contract in her hands, her mind completely numb.

She remembered Lin Chen’s calm, sharp eyes from yesterday. He hadn’t asked for her body. He hadn’t demanded her family’s debt. He had simply delivered everything he promised, clean and fast, like an absolute master of trade.

“Father…” Su Qingyao whispered softly. “I think… everyone in Qingyun City has been wrong about Lin Chen all along.”

Just as Su Shan was about to reply, a furious shout echoed from the main entrance of the Su Clan estate!

“Qingyao! Is it true?!”

A young man dressed in a faded gray robe rushed into the courtyard. He had sharp eyebrows, intense black eyes, and a worn wooden sword strapped to his back. His face was flushed with deep anger and humiliation.

This was Ye Tian!

“Ye Tian?” Su Qingyao frowned slightly, her tone turning cool. “Why are you barging into my clan’s courtyard so unannounced?”

Ye Tian rushed forward, stopping five paces away from her. His hands were tightly clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white.

“I heard the rumors in the street!” Ye Tian roared, his voice shaking with anger. “They say you went to the Lin Clan manor alone yesterday! They say you begged that worthless playboy Lin Chen, and now he wiped out the Black Wolf Gang for you! Qingyao, how could you go to him?! Don’t you know what kind of scoundrel Lin Chen is?!”

Su Qingyao’s face instantly turned cold as ice.

She looked at Ye Tian—the childhood friend she had defended for three years while his cultivation collapsed. For three years, her family suffered, her stores lost money, and she bore all the pressure alone. And during all that time, Ye Tian did nothing except sit in his room, making grand promises about how he would become a genius again “someday.”

And now, when the Lin Clan actually saved her family from bankruptcy, Ye Tian’s first reaction was not to ask if she was okay, but to storm in and accuse her!

“Ye Tian,” Su Qingyao said, her voice dropping below freezing point. “Mind your words. Young Master Lin saved my family’s livelihood today. He acted as a true gentleman. What have you done for the Su Clan in the last three years?”

Ye Tian felt as if he had been slapped hard across the face. He staggered back a step, his eyes wide with shock and betrayal.

“Qingyao… you… you are taking his side?!” Ye Tian pointed a shaking finger at her. “He is a famous degenerate! He only helped you because he wants your body! I came here today to tell you that I found a way to recover my cultivation! In three months, during the City Tournament, I will prove to everyone—”

“Enough!” Su Qingyao interrupted harshly, her eyes filled with deep disappointment. “I don’t want to hear your promises anymore, Ye Tian. The Su Clan is busy processing our goods. Please leave.”

“Qingyao!” Ye Tian screamed, his heart burning with unimaginable humiliation and rage.

Deep inside his mind, an old, shadowy voice echoed from a dark jade ring on his finger: ‘Calm down, brat! The girl’s heart has shifted! That Lin Chen kid played a clever move! If you make a scene now, you will only look like a clown!’

Ye Tian gritted his teeth so hard that blood dripped from his lip. He glared at Su Qingyao, then looked toward the direction of the Lin Clan manor with eyes full of poisonous hatred.

“Lin Chen…” Ye Tian hissed through his teeth. “You took my dignity, and you seduced my fiancée! I, Ye Tian, swear to Heaven—I will tear you into ten thousand pieces!”

He turned around sharply and stormed out of the Su Clan estate.

Meanwhile, in the tranquil rear garden of the Lin Clan manor:

Lin Chen was sitting comfortably on a bamboo lounge chair, enjoying the gentle sunshine after the rain.

Zhao Ling stood nearby, quietly slicing a red spirit apple into delicate, uniform slices, placing them on a silver plate.

Ding!

A notification popped up in Lin Chen’s vision:

[Target: Ye Tian’s Emotionally Disturbed!]

[Relationship Status between Ye Tian and Su Qingyao: Severe Fracture!]

[Fate Value +1,000 acquired!]

[Total Fate Value: 2,200!]

Lin Chen opened his eyes, taking a slice of spirit apple from the plate Zhao Ling offered him.

“Ah,” Lin Chen chewed thoughtfully, a soft smile spreading across his lips. “What a wonderful morning.”

Zhao Ling looked down at him, her dark eyes flickering with curiosity. “Young Master, the news of Ye Tian raging at the Su Clan gate has already spread across the city. He swore to kill you at the City Tournament in three months.”

“Three months?” Lin Chen chuckled softly, swallowing the sweet apple slice. “In three months, Ye Tian won’t even be qualified to sweep the leaves in front of my door.”

He looked up at the blue sky above Qingyun City, his mind working through the long-term plan.

He had the Innate Heavenly Furnace physique. He had the system interface to track fate lines. He had a future Primordial Witch maid by his side, and a future Ice Empress slowly turning toward his side.

The male protagonists of this world thought they were the absolute centers of the universe, destined to conquer everything while women waited for them blindly.

“Well,” Lin Chen whispered to himself, his eyes gleaming with a sharp, dangerous light. “Let’s see who ends up being the stepping stone in the end.”