Before dawn, the Luoyang Sect slept beneath a veil of mist. The mountain bells had not yet rung, but one light still burned in the eastern dorms.
Lu Tianheng sat by the window, one leg stretched, the other folded beneath him.
Silver moonlight draped across his face, reflecting in his eyes like cold steel.
"The moon sure is beautiful," he murmured. "Maybe I'll paint it red someday."
A soft laugh escaped him. "Hah… listen to me, talking like an old man."
The air in his room trembled. Thin, invisible threads of light shimmered in his vision — the Fate Threads. Every breath, every heartbeat in the sect pulsed faintly within that endless web. He could see them now.
A black ledger appeared in his hand. On it, neat golden script glowed faintly.
Fate Debt: –99,700 Fate Coins
A low whistle.
"Progress," he muttered. "Kill that guy and the debt's gone."
He leaned back, recalling a scene from that book — the story he once read in another life.
Li Shen, the humble outer disciple, destined by Heaven.
The Azure Dragon Fate.
The sect's "chosen one."
And the arrogant young master who slapped him before his awakening — sealing his own doom.
Tianheng smiled faintly. "So… should I slap him again? Or maybe stab him a few times this time?"
But unlike the fool in the story, this Tianheng already knew the ending — and had no interest in playing cannon fodder.
By sunrise, the Luoyang Sect had come alive.
Disciples lined the mountain path, whispering about the prophecy.
Inside the Heavenly Scripture Hall, mist curled around ancient pillars. The Sect Master and elders stood solemnly, waiting for Heaven's sign.
Li Shen knelt in the center, trembling. His tattered robe couldn't hide the faint glow crawling beneath his skin.
Then, light descended.
A dragon's roar split the sky. Azure brilliance poured down, wrapping around him like divine fire.
[Fate Coin Value Detected: +120,000]
Tianheng's eyes flickered.
"Oh… look at those numbers. Compared to the scraps I've been picking up, this one's worth two lives."
Gasps filled the hall. Disciples fell to their knees in awe.
Everyone looked on in reverence — except one man.
Lu Tianheng stood at the edge of the platform, hands behind his back, gaze calm.
"Glory, destiny, Heaven's favorite toy…"
His thoughts were steady, detached.
"You shine too brightly, Li Shen. Let's see how long that light lasts."
The glow around Li Shen reached its peak. His eyes snapped open, blazing azure. Power surged through him like an ocean storm.
He rose to his feet, trembling, voice filled with newfound arrogance.
"You!" Li Shen pointed, trembling with righteous fury. "You bullied me! Today—"
"Ah," Tianheng interrupted softly, lips curling. "The script begins."
He moved before the next heartbeat.
A flash of light — steel, killing intent, inevitability.
Blood splattered across the sacred platform.
[Target: Fate Bearer — Li Shen] [Terminated] [Fate Coins Acquired: +120,000] [Debt Cleared — Balance: +20,300]
Tianheng stood still amid the silence.
Then, a quiet laugh. "Hah… you? A protagonist? Even those nameless elders had better life expectancy."
Screams broke the air. Elders surged forward.
"What have you done, Tianheng?! He was chosen by Heaven!"
"Lu Tianheng, you've doomed us all!"
He brushed the blood from his sleeve, tone casual.
"He was an orphan. Don't worry — the heavens can make another one."
Gasps. Rage. Fear. None of it mattered.
Tianheng turned his gaze upward, voice calm and cold.
"Heaven's chosen, huh? Then come collect him yourself."
Above, the sky darkened. The faint rumble of thunder rolled through the peaks — divine displeasure.
But Tianheng only smiled, hands in his pockets.
"Come on, Heaven. Don't be shy."
As the first raindrops fell, the hall descended into chaos. Tianheng walked through it like mist, vanishing into the storm.
-------------
The rain came quietly.
Soft drops fell against the crimson-stained stones, washing away what remained of Heaven's "chosen."
Lu Tianheng walked down the steps, his robes fluttering in the wind. Each step left ripples in the puddles — faint, golden, and fading fast.
Inside his mind, a whisper echoed:
[FATE SYSTEM: New Function Unlocked — Fate Appraisal]
You may now perceive the cost of rewriting people.
You may view life-and-death fate.
You may measure affection and success toward destiny.
Tianheng's eyes glowed faintly, scanning the world around him. Threads of light stretched from every living thing — shimmering lines of fortune and doom.
He chuckled under his breath.
"So… now I can even price a soul. You're giving me quite the tools, Heaven."
His gaze swept the courtyard.
[Disciple — Fate +3 Affection +0]
[Elder — Fate +42 Hatred +95]
[Dao Ren — Fate +800 Affection +17]
His eyes paused.
Across the rain-slick steps, a young woman stood motionless.
Dao Ren — the Blade Immortal's daughter. Her sword hung loosely at her side, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Lu Tianheng…" she whispered, rain tracing down her face. "You killed him… You killed Heaven's Child!"
He tilted his head slightly, almost curious.
"Did I?"
A faint smirk. "Then Heaven might want to file a complaint."
She stepped forward, fury burning through the grief. "You've gone mad!"
"Mad?" He raised a brow, then smiled — sharp, elegant, detached.
"I've simply stopped pretending. Tell me, Dao Ren — if fate chose someone to trample you, would you still call it divine?"
Her sword trembled. She couldn't answer.
He took another step closer, the rain parting around him like afraid of his presence.
Her fate threads flickered in his sight, glowing with warmth — stubbornness, anger, admiration, confusion.
"Fiery and strong," he murmured. "I'll keep you in mind."
Dao Ren's heart skipped. "What—"
He was already gone. The rain swallowed him whole, leaving only silence.
High above, thunder rumbled again — low, warning, divine.
Tianheng looked up through the mist, whispering to the storm.
"You can send more of your chosen if you like. I'll just keep the change."
A faint hum answered — Heaven's rage building, unseen.
He smiled faintly. "Step one complete: erase your protagonist."
The smile widened.
"Step two… build my own."
He descended the mountain as dawn finally broke, golden light spilling across the valley — bright, innocent, and unaware that destiny itself had been stolen.
[FATE BALANCE +20,300]
[Rewrite Protocol Unlocked — Limited Access]
Heaven's Correction Pending…]
Lu Tianheng's laughter echoed faintly through the morning fog.
It was not the laughter of a hero, nor of a villain — only a man who had learned how to break the world's rules and call it art.