The sun dipped low beneath the horizon, cloaking Qinghe Village in a soft amber glow. Shadows lengthened between the trees as the villagers hastened their tasks, eager to finish before darkness claimed the forest.
Li Yun wiped the sweat from his brow, the sharp scent of pine and fresh-cut spirit wood filling his lungs. The labor of chopping four hefty logs weighed on his muscles, but he welcomed the exhaustion.
The Meridian Tempering Pill, concealed beneath his robe, felt like a secret promise against the cold.
As the last light faded, Li Yun slipped away from the others, heading toward the small clearing on the forest's edge. The land was quiet, save for the distant calls of night birds. Beneath the thick canopy, he knelt and carefully extracted the pill from its silk wrapping.
The pill was pale and smooth, resting heavy with potential. This rare treasure was his only hope of breaking free from the grinding limits of his Entry Qi Awakening Realm.
With measured breath, he placed the pill on his tongue, the faint bitterness blooming in his mouth. A slow warmth spread through his chest, weaving its way through veins and tendons like a gentle current stirring stagnant water.
Li Yun closed his eyes as the medicinal energy coursed through him. The mundane forest around him seemed to blur, shadows twisting and folding in ways the mortal eye shouldn't see.
A soft hum stirred beneath his skin—a signal that the pill was taking effect.
But the night was far from still.
A flicker of golden light hovered faintly in the distance,Meng Fei's Somewhat Lucky fate, shimmering around the system panel of himself.
Li Yun's senses sharpened. The hidden thread of spiritual energy within him stretched silently, reaching toward that golden glow. A silken tether extended through the darkness, weaving invisibly toward Meng Fei's destiny.
His chest tightened,a flash of sharp cold fireas if fate itself sensed the impending theft.
Pain struck him like a thousand needles, blurring his vision then sharpening it anew.
With a breath caught between worlds, the golden fate pulsed free from Meng Fei, drifting across the dark forest air until it settled softly around Li Yun's form.
He had stolen it.
A new warmth bloomed inside, richer and steadier than before. The Meridian Tempering Pill had unlocked something something the villagers could never understand.
Li Yun's eyes opened, glowing faintly with the stolen light. The world was suddenly sharper, every sound crisp and clear.
The village remained unaware. Meng Fei still moved among its shadows, none the wiser that his fate had slipped away.
Li Yun's heart pounded—not with simple triumph, but with the weight of a destiny newly claimed.
Later, sitting alone within his modest dwelling, Li Yun let the familiar panel flicker into life within his mind.
[Name: Li Yun]
[Realm: 1st Level of Qi Awakening Realm]
[Fate: Somewhat Lucky (Yellow)]
[Destiny: Will die at the Hands of bandits while crossing the wilderness.]
[Talent]: Profound Grade]
[Recent Opportunity: Meridian Tempering Pill consumed; Fate stolen from Meng Fei.]
The Somewhat Lucky fate glimmered softly,a modest but vital spark among the dark threads binding his life.
It indicated small chances granted by fortune—moments when survival tilted just enough in his favor.
Not the dazzling glory of higher fates, but a subtle thread to hold onto in the harsh mortal world.
Li Yun clenched his fist around the pouch once more.
His journey had changed. The narrow path before him might yet be walked with sharper steps.
Outside, the village sprawled—ordinary and untouched by cultivators' ambitions. To them, life was toil without hope for power.
But Li Yun now bore a flicker of chance—a flame stoked from stolen fate and rare medicine.