You had no interest in becoming the disciple of the current Grand Diviner.
After all, there was nothing you wanted to learn, nor did you wish to get entangled in all kinds of strange troubles.
So you shook your head.
"Sorry, I'm not interested…"
Diviner Jingtian did not seem rushed. He simply lifted the teacup in front of him and took a gentle sip.
"Young one, do you believe in fate?"
That question again. You were momentarily stunned. Little Herta had once asked you the same thing when she was young.
You became lost in memories of your childhood with Herta and did not answer Diviner Jingtian's question.
He did not mind your attitude, seeing that you were lost in thought.
"Sometimes, there is only a single path of fate from beginning to end. Everything is predetermined."
He spoke softly, his voice tinged with the vicissitudes of life.
"I have always believed this. I have calculated it. I will have only one disciple, and I will die by her hands…"
"This is a footnote written by fate long ago. In truth… any attempt to change fate is nothing more than a farce, sheer foolishness."
You watched his expression as he spoke. It was very complex, seemingly a powerless melancholy, yet also a carefree acceptance…
However, as a promising young man of the twenty-first century, you had little sense of belief in fate.
You instantly thought of many things. He would become Fu Xuan's master, and then die in battle as part of a plan proposed by Fu Xuan.
In the game, Fu Xuan carried the psychological shadow of having killed her master…
But what did that have to do with you?
You thought to yourself that you simply wanted to live a life without regrets. Moreover, the outcome of the war was not something you alone could change.
You merely observed this man who had suddenly sought you out, silently, as he tried to unravel fate.
"Well then, young friend, if you have no such intention, let us part ways. I sense that we will meet again."
After speaking, Diviner Jingtian slowly stood up and walked away with his hands behind his back. His not-so-tall figure looked even more hunched against the dim light beneath the cavernous sky.
A believer in fate…
It seemed he, too, had once walked a path of defiance.
You picked up the cold tea, gave it a slight swirl, and drank it all.
Fate…
You once again thought of yourself, desperate, lying on a hospital bed…
Then you drank the tea, shook your head, and dispelled the extraneous thoughts from your mind.
Each sweeps the snow from his own door and does not worry about the frost on another's roof…
You were just a… simple… private tutor…
And so, you continued your teaching career.
Time gradually passed, and in the blink of an eye, three years went by. The children you had taught were now scattered among various celestial caverns of the Yuque Sky-Faring Ark.
Hearing their tender voices calling you "Master," "Master"…
You felt very happy and content.
Being a teacher was also something to take pride in.
Watching groups of children learn so many things because of you, the joy brought by that sense of accomplishment was unparalleled.
However, there was a problem. You had been eighteen when this body arrived on the Sky-Faring Ark.
By now, you were already twenty-two.
This was not a long-lived species. It could not ignore the passage of time. You could feel this body maturing, growing stronger, and in the future, gradually aging…
"Master…"
A clear and tender voice from outside the private academy interrupted your reverie.
You looked out the window. It was Fu Xuan's father, holding a small girl with blinking crimson eyes in his arms.
That's right. You suddenly remembered that you had promised the Fu family that once little Fu Xuan turned three, you would become her first teacher.
You smiled and looked at the child. Her wandering eyes also looked back at you.
This was your first meeting.
At that moment, she did not yet have the mystic eye on her forehead, but she was brimming with spiritual energy.
"Master!"
It seemed her parents had taught her in advance. She called out to you as soon as she saw you.
Little Fu Xuan's temperament seemed quite lively…
You couldn't help but laugh and took the child from her father's arms.
"Mr. Su, I entrust my daughter to you."
Fu Xuan's father cupped his fists toward you, feeling relieved when he saw that his somewhat shy daughter did not resist her teacher's embrace.
"Mr. Su, Xuan'er's father is going to war. Do you have a poem that symbolizes good fortune? I want to wish him well…"
The elegant woman who came with the father and daughter spoke. She must be Fu Xuan's mother.
"Hm?"
You were slightly stunned, looking a bit confused. Going to war?
"The war has broken out. The Borisin fleets have frequently harassed the Sky-Faring Ark over the past two years."
"He, as a diviner accompanying the army…"
Fu Xuan's mother's expression was complex, a mix of worry and pride.
You used Precognition, looking five years into the future…
Five years later, Fu Xuan's father was still alive and well on the battlefield. There were no major problems.
You reflected for a long time as several poems you had memorized passed through your mind.
Long clouds darken the snowy mountains of Qinghai,
A lone city gazes afar toward the Jade Gate Pass.
After a hundred battles in the yellow sands, clad in golden armor,
I will not return until Loulan is destroyed.
"I wish the Elder Fu a triumphant return."
A single poem, "From the Army," made the couple tremble.
"Good, good! What a line—'I will not return until Loulan is destroyed'!"
Fu Xuan's father's voice was filled with excitement.
"Mr. Su is a great talent!"
"If such a poem were spread through the army, it would surely make our Sky-Faring Ark Cloud Knights victorious in every battle!"
The two entrusted their daughter to you and, having received a fine poem, left happily.
You looked at the girl in your arms and placed her on an empty desk.
"From today on, you will sit here."
"Okay, Master!"
The child sat properly in her seat, looking around with a lively and adorable expression.
A genuine affection arose in your heart.
Then you began teaching her seriously, instructing her in reading and recognizing objects.
Illustrations…
Fu Xuan's father went to the battlefield. As a family of astrologers, the Fu family, bearing such a title, also had to shoulder corresponding responsibilities.
You paid little attention to these matters and simply taught calmly day after day.
Time passed quickly. Little Fu Xuan was very intelligent, learned characters rapidly, and had an excellent memory.
She was an outstanding prodigy among the children of the Sky-Faring Ark.
Truly worthy of becoming the future Grand Diviner.
In addition to teaching, you had recently begun practicing martial arts. The Sky-Faring Ark had training grounds dedicated to martial disciplines.
You often appeared there, practicing archery…
Your incomparable combat power made your physique extremely strong. You could draw a hundred-stone hard bow.
You greatly enjoyed the sensation of focusing on a target and striking it with an arrow. You broke many high-quality bows.
The caretakers were quite distressed. Those civilian bows and arrows seemed unable to withstand your strength.
Until one day, while you were practicing archery as usual, a general of the Sky-Faring Ark—whose name you had only heard in passing—approached you…