The Fallen Star Ravine quaked.
The moment Lin Tian gripped the Ancient Sword, its radiant glow surged violently, like a beast refusing its new master. Sword intent exploded outward, shredding the mist and splitting the stone walls with deafening cracks.
BOOOOM!
Lin Tian staggered as a torrent of killing will crashed into him. Countless phantom blades appeared in the air, all pointing toward his chest. The sword's rejection was absolute.
Ding!
[ Warning: You are attempting to seize a Protagonist-Tier Inheritance. Rejection level – Extreme. ]
[ Survival probability: 32%. ]
Lin Tian's lips curved upward, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Thirty-two percent? Hah… sounds more than enough."
He planted his feet firmly, aura blazing crimson as he forced his blood essence into the sword. His veins bulged, his flesh tore, but his grip never loosened.
The Ancient Sword shrieked, vibrating with fury. Waves of sword qi sliced open his skin, carving bloody gashes across his arms and chest. Yet his laughter rang louder than the sword's rebellion.
"Struggle all you want… you'll submit in the end. Even fate can't deny me!"
Ye Feng, broken and bleeding at the altar's base, could only stare in disbelief.
"That sword… it should've rejected him completely! Why… why is it bending to him?"
His nails dug into stone until they split. Hatred, despair, and unwillingness flooded his heart. He had endured every trial, every scar, yet in the end, Lin Tian stood where he should have.
His hoarse scream tore through the Ravine.
"LIN TIAN!!!"
But his voice was drowned by the roar of the sword's rebellion.
Lin Tian's body burned from within, his blood essence nearly exhausted, but his eyes glowed with madness and triumph.
Ding!
[ Synchronization in progress: 70%... 80%... 90%... ]
The Ancient Sword's violent tremors slowed.
Its glow, once rejecting, now pulsed in harmony with his heartbeat.
[ Synchronization complete. ]
[ Ancient Sword Inheritance – Successfully Integrated! ]
[ Reward: Sword Intent (Elementary), Bloodline Resonance unlocked. ]
The world fell silent. The phantom blades dissolved, leaving only Lin Tian standing atop the altar, drenched in blood, the Ancient Sword gleaming proudly in his hand.
He raised it high, his voice echoing like a vow carved into the heavens.
"From this day forth… destiny belongs to me."
---
The Fallen Star Ravine slowly calmed, the storm of sword intent dissipating into faint echoes. Lin Tian descended the altar, his every step leaving faint traces of blood.
The Ancient Sword rested casually in his hand, its once-rebellious aura now subdued, its sharp edge humming in silent obedience.
Behind him, Ye Feng lay unconscious amidst shattered stone, his breathing shallow, his face pale as death.
Lin Tian glanced back once. His smile was sharp, merciless.
"Rest well, Heaven's Chosen. When you wake, remember this pain. The more you struggle, the sweeter your despair will taste."
With that, he vanished into the mist.
Outside the Ravine.
A crowd of young cultivators, elders, and sect disciples waited anxiously. Whispers rippled through them as the violent surges of sword intent finally died down.
Suddenly—Whoooosh!
A figure emerged from the depths, drenched in blood yet radiating an overwhelming aura. In his hand… an ancient sword gleamed like captured starlight.
Gasps erupted instantly.
"The Ancient Sword!"
"Impossible… someone actually claimed it?!"
"Wait, isn't that—Lin Tian?!"
Shock rippled through the gathering like wildfire.
Lin Tian's steps were unhurried, his gaze sweeping across the sea of stunned faces. Where once they had looked upon him with disdain, now their eyes burned with fear and awe.
"Lin Tian…he was supposed to be mediocre, a stepping stone…" someone whispered in disbelief.
Lin Tian smirked, lifting the Ancient Sword slightly. The blade's glow flared, silencing the crowd in an instant.
"Remember this moment," he said, his voice calm but carrying across the mountain.
"From now on, I am no one's stepping stone. I carve my own fate by the edge of my sword."
Ding!
[ Achievement Unlocked: First Public Fate Rebellion. ]
[ Reward: Villain Reputation +100. Influence in sect rising. ]
---
In the shadows, certain elders exchanged dark glances. The sect master narrowed his eyes, interest flickering.
"A sword that should have belonged to Ye Feng… ended up in his hands? Interesting. Very interesting."
Unnoticed by the crowd, Ye Feng's unconscious body still lay in the Ravine, hidden by mist. His fall had been unseen, his shame preserved for now. But when he awoke…
Darkness.
That was all Ye Feng knew when his eyes fluttered open. His body ached as if torn apart by a thousand blades. Every breath was agony.
Slowly, memory returned. The altar. The Ancient Sword. His desperate struggle.
And Lin Tian.
The image struck like a hammer—Lin Tian's mocking smile as he stole his sword, his chance, his destiny.
"...No."
Ye Feng's trembling hands clawed at the stone beneath him. His voice was hoarse, ragged.
"No… it was supposed to be mine. The heavens promised me… promised—!"
He coughed violently, blood spilling from his lips. His reflection in the crimson pool before him was a twisted shadow of the youth who once thought himself destined to rise.
Ding.
[ Fate Progression – Severely Interrupted. ]
[ Host's destiny thread has weakened. Probability of Heaven's favor continuing: 42%. ]
Ye Feng froze. The cold, mechanical voice that had always reassured him now sounded… uncertain.
His heart clenched with fury. "Forty-two percent?!"
The system's response was indifferent.
[ Warning: A variable (Lin Tian) has disrupted your predetermined script. ]
[ Suggested Action: Overcome the variable or risk complete derailment. ]
Ye Feng's nails dug into his palms until blood flowed freely. His teeth ground together, eyes reddened.
"Lin Tian… Lin Tian… LIN TIAN!!!"
His roar echoed through the Ravine, carrying pure hatred. His entire body trembled, his aura unstable, but within his gaze a dark seed had begun to sprout.
Heaven's Chosen no longer looked like the proud son of destiny. He looked like a broken beast, clawing desperately against the chains of despair.
At that moment, deep in his heart, a whisper stirred.
Do you want revenge? Do you want to reclaim what was taken?
Ye Feng froze. His eyes widened as he felt something foreign—something cold and poisonous—slip into his fate thread.
The system stuttered, flickering.
[ Unknown interference detected. ]
But Ye Feng… he didn't reject it. His lips twisted into a bloody smile.
"Yes… whatever it takes. I'll burn the heavens themselves if I must. Lin Tian… you will regret being born."
Somewhere far above, in the void unseen by mortals, threads of fate tangled violently. A new future had been born—one that even the heavens themselves could no longer clearly see.
The story of Heaven's Chosen was no longer pure.
A villain had stolen his light.
And now, the chosen would walk the path of darkness.
---
The sun was setting when Lin Tian returned to the outer sect. His clothes were torn, his body wrapped in fresh bandages, but in his hand… the Ancient Sword gleamed like a shard of starlight.
The moment he appeared at the gates, silence fell. Dozens of disciples stopped their training, their chatter, even their breathing.
"That sword…"
"Ancient… that's the Ancient Sword, isn't it?"
"Impossible! How could he be the one to claim it?"
The disbelief in their eyes quickly twisted into fear. The memory of his cold gaze, the suffocating aura radiating from the blade — none dared to mock him now.
In the elders' hall.
Elder Zhou's wrinkled hands trembled slightly as he peered at Lin Tian through the crystal mirror.
"This boy… he was supposed to be mediocre."
Another elder snorted. "Mediocre boys don't walk out of the Fallen Star Ravine with that sword in hand."
The sect master's eyes narrowed, deep and unreadable. "Interesting. The heavens chose one, yet another has stolen the blessing. Could it be… fate itself is shifting?"
His gaze lingered on Lin Tian's bloodied but unbowed figure. "Keep a close eye on him. A seed like this can either grow into a towering tree… or a calamity that swallows us all."
Meanwhile, Lin Tian had already locked himself in his cultivation chamber.
He set the Ancient Sword before him. Its faint hum filled the room, a low vibration that resonated with his heartbeat.
Ding!
[ Synchronization with Ancient Sword: 78%. Potential yet untapped. ]
[ New function unlocked: Sword Spirit Communication. ]
Lin Tian raised a brow.
"Oh? So you're hiding secrets still, are you?"
The sword vibrated softly, almost resentfully, but it no longer resisted him. A sly grin tugged at Lin Tian's lips.
"Good. Keep your pride. It makes breaking you all the more satisfying."
He closed his eyes and began to cultivate, his blood essence flowing like wildfire. The Ancient Sword's aura wrapped around him, sharpening his will, carving his intent into something lethal.
Shhhh.
A faint ripple of killing intent spilled from his chamber, causing nearby disciples to shiver uncontrollably.
Late that night, whispers spread through the sect.
"Lin Tian claimed the Ancient Sword."
"They say even the sect master is watching him now."
"Best stay out of his way… the old Lin Tian is gone."
And far away, in the infirmary, Ye Feng's unconscious body stirred. His fingers twitched, his breath uneven.
The first embers of hatred had already begun to burn.