The sun had climbed higher by the time Lin Ye returned to his small courtyard.
The noise from the main grounds faded behind him—clan disciples shouting in the training field, servants calling to each other, elders' voices drifting from distant pavilions. Here, at the far edge of the compound, the air was quieter.
He closed his door and leaned against it for a moment.
[Ding.]
[Main quest "Step Onto the Stage" active.]
[Objective: Body Tempering – 3rd Stage before the spring exam. Rank within top 30 of city contestants.]
[Reward: 50–100 Luck Points. Unlock: Shop (Basic).]
The translucent panel hovered in his vision like a silent challenge.
In his last life, he'd scraped his way to Body Tempering 2nd Stage after two years of grinding. Third stage in three months would have been a fantasy.
Now, with a stronger foundation and the ability to steal opportunities, it was pressure—but not hopeless.
He moved to the washbasin in the corner, splashing cold water on his face. The bronze mirror showed a young man with damp hair and cool eyes.
"Three months," he murmured. "Body Tempering third stage, top thirty…"
He sat on the bed, crossing his legs.
"System," he thought, "show me the main quest details."
[Ding.]
[Main Quest: Step Onto the Stage]
[Description: In the original timeline, host watched the Spring City Examination as a bystander. This exam is the first gate leading to the Heaven's Navel Academy and the wider world. By stepping onto this stage, you formally enter the flow of major fate.]
[Requirements:]
[1. Reach Body Tempering – 3rd Stage before the exam date (89 days remaining).]
[2. Participate in the exam as a Lin Clan representative.]
[3. Achieve a ranking within the top 30 among all city contestants.]
[Failure Consequences:]
[• Shop function locked for an additional year of host time.]
[• Future opportunities related to Heaven's Navel Academy become harder to access.]
Lin Ye's eyelids lowered slightly.
A year without the shop… in this world, a year was enough for several "geniuses" to leap ahead, for countless opportunities to appear and vanish.
Too expensive.
He exhaled slowly.
"Then I don't have the option of failing."
He mentally brought up his status again.
[Name: Lin Ye]
[Age: 16]
[Realm: Body Tempering – 1st Stage (12%)]
[Spirit Root: Low‑Mid grade (40%)]
[Fate Value: 5]
[Luck Points: 35]
[Skills:]
• [Basic Fate Vision (Lv.1)] – See basic luck color, halos, and simple fate routes of nearby individuals.
• [Phantom Shadow Steps (Lv.1)] – Low‑grade movement technique. Slightly enhances speed and reduces noise.
His brows twitched.
"Only 12%…"
Breaking through had taken him to the threshold of first stage. To reach third stage, he'd need far more spiritual energy than a normal low‑tier clan could supply.
And he couldn't exactly tell the elders, "Please give me all your treasures, I promise I won't die early this time."
He rubbed his fingers together.
"System," he said silently, "besides the main quest, are there other ways to gain opportunities right now?"
[Ding.]
[Searching for nearby fate fluctuations…]
A faint hum vibrated in his skull.
[Result: 3 minor opportunity points found within clan grounds.]
[1. "Abandoned Training Manual" – old martial technique discarded in outer storeroom. (Low value)]
[2. "Spirit Rice Barrel" – miscounted extra barrel in pantry, scheduled to be returned in three days. (Very low value)]
[3. "Fallen Jade Pendant" – dropped by a visiting elder's disciple this afternoon. (Low value)]
[Note: These opportunities were originally fated to minor background characters with gray luck. Stealing them yields minimal Luck Points.]
Minimal.
If he were still the powerless boy from his last life, he would have thrown himself at all three without thinking. Now, with a system and knowledge of greater chances ahead, they looked like crumbs on the floor.
Still, crumbs could fill a stomach when nothing else was on the table.
"Mark them," he said. "But give them low priority."
[Ding.]
[Marked.]
He stood up, rolling his shoulders.
A subtle strength answered the movement; his muscles felt denser, more responsive than before. He could almost feel the qi circulating faintly under his skin.
"In the exam," he murmured, "they'll test more than cultivation level. Combat skill, endurance, reaction…"
In his previous life, he'd watched from the crowd as Lin Feng dominated the arena with well‑practiced sword forms. Lin Ye himself had never had the chance—or the resources—to train properly.
This time, that excuse wouldn't hold.
He left his room and stepped into the courtyard.
The morning sun had cleared the walls now, pouring pale light over the cracked stone tiles and the straggly tree in the corner. A few fallen leaves drifted in the breeze.
Lin Ye drew in a breath.
Flowing qi, he knew, loved structure.
Without a proper technique, his progress would soon slow.
"System," he said, "can Phantom Shadow Steps be trained to higher levels without the shop?"
[Ding.]
[Yes.]
[Low‑grade techniques can be enhanced through repeated practice, actual combat, and comprehension.]
[Training suggestion: Use Phantom Shadow Steps for 1 hour daily at minimum. Engaging in real combat increases proficiency gain by 300%.]
He nodded.
Reasonable.
He took his stance—feet shoulder‑width apart, knees slightly bent, weight centered.
Memories of clumsy attempts from his old life flickered in his mind. Back then, he had thrown himself at techniques without understanding, forcing his body to follow the diagrams until his muscles bled.
Now, with a stronger foundation and a clearer mind, the same movements flowed more naturally.
He took a step.
The world blurred, just a little.
His foot landed almost exactly where he'd pictured it, silent on the stone.
He turned, stepped again.
Again.
The technique focused on shifting weight at the last possible moment, using the body's center as a pivot. The qi in his meridians responded eagerly, flowing along the path he carved with each move, reinforcing his muscles and joints.
As he moved, his mind drifted—not away from the technique, but around it.
Lin Feng's halo.
Shen Wuyou's calm eyes on the execution platform.
The Heaven's Navel Academy's towering gates.
Each image sharpened his focus.
"Every step forward," he thought, "is one step closer to the day I drag you all off your pedestals."
Time slipped by.
Sweat dampened his back, but it was clean, healthy sweat, not the clammy weakness of his old mortal body.
[Ding.]
[Phantom Shadow Steps proficiency increased.]
[Lv.1 → Lv.1 (37%).]
He slowed, catching his breath.
A shadow fell over the courtyard entrance.
"Training so early?"
The voice was soft, amused.
Lin Ye turned.
A girl of about twelve or thirteen stood in the doorway, holding a small food tray. Her hair was tied in a simple ponytail with a faded ribbon, and her robe was neat but clearly patched in a few places.
Her eyes—bright, clear, slightly upturned at the corners—widened when she saw him.
"Big Brother!"
Lin Xiaoyu.
In his previous life, this girl's face had been the last family face he saw before leaving for the academy. When the clan war came years later, he had been too far and too weak to protect her.
He'd only heard afterward, through a single line in a battle report, how the Lin clan's rear courtyard was overrun and the "patriarch's younger daughter" died in the flames.
Seeing her now, alive and real, almost hurt.
Lin Ye's grip tightened unconsciously.
"Xiaoyu."
She bounded over, eyes sparkling. "I heard from the kitchen auntie that you were summoned to the main hall. They didn't punish you too badly, did they? I thought they'd make you kneel outside for at least two hours!"
She paused, suddenly worried.
"They didn't, right?"
Lin Ye couldn't help a small, helpless laugh.
Some things about her never changed.
"No," he said. "They didn't."
She visibly relaxed. "That's good…"
Only then did she notice the faint qi lingering in the air.
Her eyes widened again.
"Wait… Big Brother, are you… cultivating?"
"Yes."
"Really?!" She nearly dropped the tray. "Didn't the elders say you don't have a spirit root? How—"
"It's a long story," he said. "Come in first."
She followed his gesture, setting the tray on the stone table.
Steam rose from the bowls—simple spirit rice, a bit of vegetable, a tiny strip of meat. For a low‑tier outer branch, this was already generous.
"Mother told me to bring this," Xiaoyu said proudly. "She said you'd probably forget to eat if you were sulking."
Lin Ye's chest tightened.
In his last life, he'd left home after the exam with stubborn pride and anger still burning. By the time he understood how much his mother had sacrificed for him, she was already gone, buried under rubble from a retaliatory attack.
He swallowed.
"…Tell Mother," he said quietly, "that I'm not sulking."
He forced a small smile. "I broke through to Body Tempering."
Xiaoyu froze.
Then her entire face lit up.
"You— you're not lying?!"
He let a thread of qi leak out, swirling faintly around his fingertips.
Her mouth fell open.
"Big Brother, you're amazing!"
Her joy was pure, unfiltered. No calculation, no comparison to other cousins, no talk of "clan interests." Just happiness that her brother had climbed one step higher.
He'd forgotten how bright that felt.
"If you become a great cultivator," she chattered, eyes shining, "you can beat up those cousins who laugh at you! And you can take Mother away from the laundry courtyard, and—"
"That's the plan," Lin Ye said softly.
Her words faded as she finally noticed his expression—calm, but older than sixteen.
"Big Brother…" she murmured. "You look different."
"Do I?"
"Mm." She tilted her head. "Not like a trash who got dumped."
He blinked, then snorted a quiet laugh. "Xiaoyu."
"What? It's true," she huffed. "You look… um… like one of those genius young masters in the storybooks."
If only she knew.
He reached out and flicked her forehead lightly.
"Genius or not, even they have to eat. You should go back before Mother worries."
She stuck out her tongue but nodded.
At the doorway, she hesitated.
"Big Brother."
"Yes?"
"Yesterday… when they said those things about you and that Chen girl…" Xiaoyu chewed on her lip. "I wanted to come out and yell at them, but Mother held me back."
"Mother was right," Lin Ye said. "You would have just been scolded with me."
"I don't care," she muttered, fists clenched. "If anyone says you're trash again, I'll throw rice at their heads."
He smiled.
"Save the rice," he said. "When I'm strong enough, they won't dare say it at all."
She beamed, gave him a quick awkward bow, and ran off.
The courtyard quieted again.
Lin Ye stood there a long moment, staring at the spot where she'd disappeared.
Then his gaze hardened.
"System," he said, "mark all events related to the Lin Clan's destruction in my previous life. I want reminders when I'm approaching any of those timelines."
[Ding.]
[Searching host's memory…]
[Result: 7 major events identified.]
[Example: "Three‑Clan Alliance War," estimated to begin in 5–7 years.]
[Detailed breakdown locked until host's strength reaches appropriate threshold.]
"Fine," he murmured. "One thing at a time."
He sat at the table, ate quickly, and returned to the center of the courtyard.
If he wanted to reach third stage in three months, he couldn't waste a single day.
He sank into a cultivation posture, drawing in the thin ambient qi, guiding it through his meridians. The Spirit Vein Leaf's aftereffects were still there, making the flow smoother, easier.
Hours slipped past.
[Ding.]
[Body Tempering – 1st Stage: 12% → 19%.]
Not fast enough.
He opened his eyes, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"With this rate, even if I cultivate all day, I won't reach third stage in time," he mused. "I need denser qi. Pills. Techniques. Or…"
His mind flicked back to the panel above Lin Feng's head and the line that had flashed there.
[Opportunity – "Broken Sword in Collapsing Trial Ground."]
That opportunity wouldn't appear until the academy's first secret realm.
Too far.
But there had to be earlier ones.
"System," he said. "Scan for fate routes in the city that mention 'spirit herbs,' 'secret realms,' or 'hidden caves' within the next three months."
[Ding.]
[Host's current authority is insufficient for large‑scale off‑site scanning.]
[However, nearby fate holders with upcoming opportunities can be detected when within visual range.]
"In other words," Lin Ye muttered, "I need to get out more and look at people."
He stood, stretching.
Fine.
Staying shut in the courtyard all day would only get him so far.
Besides… the city examination wasn't just about cultivation level. It was about understanding rivals.
If he wanted to steal their fates later, it would be useful to know their faces now.
He adjusted his robe and stepped toward the door.
As he slid it open, another chime sounded in his mind.
[Ding.]
[Side quest generated: "First Hunt."]
[Description: Fate has scattered minor treasures throughout the outer city. Originally, they would go to forgettable background characters. Seize them to strengthen your foundation.]
[Objective: Steal 3 minor opportunities within the next 10 days.]
[Reward: 10–30 Luck Points. +1 Fate Value.]
A slow smile spread across Lin Ye's lips.
"First hunt, huh…"
The morning sun spilled over the threshold, bright and clean.
He stepped out into it.
"Then let's see," he murmured, "just how much of this city's good fortune I can take… before anyone realizes the rules have changed."