Her sword plunged down, piercing through scale, bone, and skull.
Lin Yao stood panting, chest heaving, her blade buried deep in the frost lizard's head. The beast gave a final shudder, icy vapor spilling from its mouth, before collapsing with a dull thud that echoed through the Hollow Cave.
Silver moonlight reflected off her pale cheeks, where sweat glistened like dew.
Su Ming stepped forward with a rare smile."Well done. I am proud of you."
And he meant it. At the same cultivation level, even he might have struggled against this beast. Yet Lin Yao—his disciple—had defeated it through grit and skill.
From his sleeve, he produced a pale-blue pill, smooth as jade, radiating a soft fragrance.
"Take this spirit-replenishing pill. Steady your breath, restore yourself, and reflect on your gains."
Lin Yao accepted with trembling fingers, bowing before swallowing the pill. She sat cross-legged, her Crimson Flame Mantra circulating as her aura pulsed gently.
Su Ming stood watch, his divine sense stretched like an invisible net across the cave and its outskirts. He picked up nothing.
Good. No beasts, no lurking threats. Thankfully, the commotion did not attract anything.
Satisfied, he moved to harvest their spoils.
Moon-Bloom Flowers radiated faintly, petals curling like frozen flames. One by one, he plucked thirty with practiced care and sealed them in a jade box—just enough for the mission. He eyed the rest but shook his head.
"Let's leave some for nature… or others who'll come later."
From the frost lizard's corpse, he carved out a shimmering blue beast core. It pulsed with icy qi in his palm before he slipped it into his spatial ring. Turning the ring on his finger, he gave a small, wry smile.
Thank you, Sect Master. Without this, I would be carrying a lizard's body through the streets.
But his wealth was fleeting. He could not always rely on the sect's resources.
Time passed. One hour. Two hours.
Finally, Lin Yao's eyes opened. Her qi flowed smoother, steadier, glowing faintly beneath her skin. Su Ming's Essence Sight revealed it clearly—her meridians had stabilized, her cultivation had advanced.
Qi Condensation Realm, ninth stage.
Lin Yao stood, bowing low. "Master, I… broke through."
Su Ming chuckled softly. "I see. And your sword technique?"
She raised her blade, movements flowing with newfound sharpness. Each stroke of the Cloud Chasing Sword Technique carried her intent.
Stable at Great mastery. Su Ming noted with approval.
"At this rate, you'll surpass me in swordsmanship."
Lin Yao flushed, shaking her head. "Master jests." But the fire in her heart only grew brighter hearing this praise.
With the task complete, the duo left the cavern.
After a night's rest at the city inn, they set out again at dawn.
***
Greenwall City loomed vast on the horizon, its walls lined with glowing runes. Within, streets bustled with merchants and cultivators alike, incense and roasted meats thick in the air. Towers of stores, inns, auction houses, and restaurants gleamed with wealth.
Su Ming raised an eyebrow. Quite extravagant.
From Yellow Forest City, he had to come here to complete his missions. Bringing her was not necessary, but Su Ming thought it would be better for to gain some more experience.
His identity associated with the Heavenly Cloud Sect secured rooms at a respectable inn near the central market easily. Lin Yao moved to her room to rest while Su Ming descended to the counter.
The inn's manager, a plump man with gleaming cheeks, brightened at his approach."My lord, how may I serve you?"
Su Ming placed two low-grade spirit stones on the counter.
The man's smile widened knowingly. "Ah, for questions, one stone is plenty. For two… you'll hear what even tavern gossips whisper."
"Then speak."
The manager leaned closer, lowering his voice."My lord must have heard already, but it remains the talk of Greenwall—the tragedy of Lin Fan."
Su Ming's brow twitched. Lin Fan?
"An orphan of the minor Lin Clan," the man continued, "a peerless genius. His talent rivaled the young geniuses of the great clans even in the Qi Condensation realm. At fifteen, he was the clan's pride, engaged to none other than Lady Zhang Yuexin of the Zhang Clan."
Zhang Yuexin… why does this name seem familiar...
"She was accepted into the Alchemy peak of the Heavenly Cloud Sect this year."
Yes, I remember. Inner disciple. Peak Master Huo Lianyi of the Vermilion Flame Peak also known as the Alchemy Peak, took her in as an Inner Disciple at the last disciples' recruitment ceremony.
"But," the manager lowered his tone dramatically, "on the very night he broke through to Foundation Establishment… disaster struck. His cultivation vanished. Gone, utterly."
Su Ming's eyes narrowed.
"His engagement was annulled. Lady Yuexin was engaged instead to Wang Tian, the young master of the Wang Clan. Lin Fan, stubborn as ever, challenged him to a duel. Stripped of cultivation, he was humiliated publicly. No mercy. From genius to laughingstock in a single night. Since then, he has vanished."
The man sighed theatrically. "Such is the fate of heaven's favorites. Blessed one moment, abandoned the next."
Su Ming slid him another spirit stone, more out of the gravity of the situation than generosity. Then he returned to his room.
In silence, he sat cross-legged, the steady lamp light flickering across his face.
Lin Fan. An orphan genius. Engagement broken. Humiliated by a young master of a great clan.
His pulse quickened.
This… this is too familiar.
He thought of his life back on Earth. Of the countless novels he had devoured—fallen prodigies, hidden inheritances, ancient entities in rings, divine treasures that turned their despair into destiny. Stories of chosen ones rising higher than ever… oh, and always with a trail of beauties behind them.
Fate's chosen ones. The Protagonists.
And now one stood here, in this very world.
Su Ming's hand instinctively pressed against his chest, over the mysterious Lantern item he had carried since his transmigration.
He was never in denial.
If he existed, so could others.
But what kind of world was this?
Among the cultivation novels he had once read, he primarily divided them into three categories. He recalled the types as the gears in his head started to turn.
Category One: The "original" cultivation novels. In these worlds, the protagonist follows the rules of the realm itself. They are blessed by fortune, stumbled upon by destiny, or simply born with extraordinary talent. Sometimes they awaken ancient bloodlines, inheritances from fallen sects, or treasures buried deep in forgotten ruins.
Their story is one of steady ascension. They fight rivals, crush obstacles, and, step by step, they conquer realms and even the heavens themselves. These are the "righteous" young heroes. Proud, upright, and Arrogant. Always unyielding in their pursuit of power. In the end, the world bends to their will, and beauties naturally gather by their side.
They may suffer, but their path is never truly broken. Fate itself ensures their rise.
Category Two: The most popular ones. Earth transmigrators - just like Su Ming himself, gifted with systems or other external cheats, but mostly systems. With the help of a mechanical voice that grants impossible abilities, they bend the world's logic around them.
With this, they rise quickly, hailed as the sole chosen one. They do everything a protagonist is expected to do. Cultivate at impossible speed, defeat geniuses, and gather beauties into their ever-expanding harem.
On the surface, such figures are portrayed as clever, cunning, and endlessly resourceful. But Su Ming, having read the novels before, knew better. Strip away their so-called "system," and they are nothing. It was rather laughable. In truth, they are nothing but puppets dancing to the commands of a screen or voice only they can hear.
Brainless fools presented up as "geniuses," blindly obeying their cheat without thought or true struggle.
Category Three: Recently, they have become popular and the most dangerous of all.
These worlds are not ruled by a single chosen one, but are littered with them. Heaven's favorites walk everywhere—both the "natural" geniuses of Category One and the transmigrated cheats of Category Two.
But in these stories, the true protagonist is not just another gifted individual.
No—the true protagonist is the one who sees through the narrative itself. The one who can recognize the stories of others, see their fortune, and insert themselves at the precise moment to grab it.
They are the scavengers of destiny, opportunists of the highest order.
Am I in such a world? No… that wasn't the right question.
Such characters defeat rival protagonists, plunder their inheritances, and even turn them into subordinates or disciples. Every "chosen one" they encounter is either consumed or crushed.
Am I supposed to become like this?
Because, if one looked closely, these people - these predators of destiny were no different from villains. Ruthless, scheming, trampling over others to climb higher.
Was that the role waiting for him?
His jaw clenched but soon relaxed.
But does it even matter, though?
If the world insisted on forcing roles onto him, then let it.
"When problems come, I'll answer them. If the world throws enemies at me, I'll defeat them. If it calls me a villain, then so be it. If it calls me a hero, then let it be. In the end, I'll be true to myself, and that's what matters the most."