The night air was cold and damp.
Lin Ye moved along the shadowed corridor, footsteps light on the worn stone. The Lin clan compound slept uneasily around him; a few distant lanterns still burned, but most windows were dark.
Above the tiled roofs, the moon hung low and swollen, its pale light washing the courtyard in silver.
At the edge of his vision, the translucent arrow from the system floated, pointing steadily toward the back of the estate.
[Ding.]
[Guide active: "Opportunity – Spirit Vein Leaf."]
[Estimated distance: 120 meters.]
[Location: Old well behind the abandoned ancestral storeroom.]
The "old well."
Lin Ye's eyes narrowed.
In his previous life, he had never paid attention to that place. A few days after the annulment, he'd heard rumors of Chen Yu "miraculously" awakening a mid‑grade spirit root after a visit to the Lin compound.
So that was how.
"The world tossed a small blessing at her," he murmured. "This time, I'll pick it up myself."
He reached the end of the corridor and vaulted lightly over a low wall.
Phantom Shadow Steps activated with a thought.
His body felt lighter, his steps falling almost soundlessly on the packed earth. The technique was crude, incomplete, but compared to his mortal body from the last life, the difference was night and day.
He cut through a narrow alley between storage sheds, the smell of dust and mold thick in the air.
Ahead, beyond a tangle of dry weeds and a leaning wooden fence, stood the ancestral storeroom—an old, sagging building that no one visited anymore. Behind it, half‑hidden by overgrown grass, lay a circular stone ring.
The old well.
The arrow brightened.
[Ding.]
[You have arrived at the designated location.]
[Opportunity "Spirit Vein Leaf" will appear here within: 00:06:12.]
A countdown appeared in the corner of his vision, numbers ticking down in cold blue light.
Six minutes.
Lin Ye stepped over the broken fence and approached the well.
Up close, the structure looked even more pathetic. The stone ring was cracked, the rope pillar rotted through long ago. No bucket, no cover. Just a dark hole yawning in the ground, exhaling a faint, damp chill.
In his past life, he'd walked past this place hundreds of times without a second thought.
Now, with Fate Vision active, he saw it differently.
Thin strands of pale light seeped from the darkness below, curling lazily in the air before fading. They were so faint that even with the system's help, he had to focus to see them.
Fate.
Opportunity.
In another timeline, Chen Yu would have followed some vague "intuition" to this place three nights from now, peered into the well, and somehow noticed a single glowing leaf floating on the surface of the water. She would have taken it home, swallowed it, and "miraculously" awakened a stronger spirit root.
On that path, she would have avoided a few dangers, lived a narrow, safe life as the wife of a minor hero.
Now…
Lin Ye sat on the low stone wall and closed his eyes, letting the cold night wind brush his face.
The clan was still talking about him somewhere behind these walls—mocking, speculating, perhaps a few quietly pleased. It didn't matter.
All of that noise was far away.
Here, there was only the well, the ticking timer, and the slow, steady beat of his own heart.
Three minutes.
Two.
One.
[Ding.]
[Opportunity "Spirit Vein Leaf" has manifested.]
A soft glow spilled out of the well, faint but unmistakable.
Lin Ye leaned forward.
Far below, in the black water, a single leaf floated.
It was a little larger than his palm, veins forming a delicate pattern like flowing rivers. The leaf shone with gentle emerald light, illuminating the stone walls of the well in wavering green.
Spiritual energy rose from it in thin wisps, purer than anything a low‑tier clan like the Lin Family should have access to.
Even without the system, anyone with a nose for cultivation would recognize it as a treasure.
"Spirit Vein Leaf," the system confirmed.
[A leaf that absorbs the essence of underground spirit veins.]
[Effect: Upon consumption, slightly enhances the quality of the spirit root and gently clears meridians. Most effective on mortals and low‑stage cultivators.]
[Originally fated bearer: Chen Yu (Luck: Blue).]
[Steal?]
[Yes / No]
Lin Ye's answer was already moving his body.
He kicked off his sandals and swung his legs over the stone ring, fingers finding purchase on the rough inner wall.
The damp stone was slick, but Phantom Shadow Steps let him shift his weight easily. He descended hand over hand, feet braced, the cold dampness of the well wrapping around him like a second skin.
Water glimmered below, dark and still.
When his toes brushed the surface, the glow of the leaf intensified, as if welcoming him.
He reached out carefully.
The leaf drifted to his palm like it had been waiting there all along.
It was cool and strangely heavy, the veins pulsing faintly with spiritual energy. The moment it touched his skin, a faint numbness tingled up his arm.
[Ding.]
[You have stolen the opportunity "Spirit Vein Leaf" from its original bearer.]
[Calculating…]
[+10 Luck Points.]
[Total Luck Points: 35.]
The purple thread above Chen Yu's head, far away in the city, dimmed a little more.
Lin Ye tucked the leaf into his inner robe, climbed back up, and pulled himself over the edge of the well.
He crouched there for a moment, catching his breath.
In his previous life, he would have needed months of working odd jobs for the clan, begging for scraps of resources, just to afford a single low‑grade Spirit Gathering Pill.
Tonight, in less than an hour, he had secured a treasure that could change his foundation.
"This is the difference between begging fate and stealing from it," he murmured.
The cold night felt less harsh now.
He glanced around once to make sure no one was watching, then slipped back into the shadows, moving toward his small courtyard.
By the time he closed his door again, the noises outside had faded. The household was settling into sleep.
Inside, everything lay exactly where he'd left it—a chipped bowl, a stack of thin blankets, a wobbly stool.
Lin Ye lit a small oil lamp, its dim flame throwing long shadows on the walls.
He sat cross‑legged on the bed and pulled the Spirit Vein Leaf from his robe.
Up close, its beauty was almost hypnotic.
The veins shimmered with shifting patterns, like finger‑length rivers constantly rearranging themselves. The green light that seeped from it made his skin look paler, his eyes darker.
[Ding.]
[Suggestion: Consume the "Spirit Vein Leaf" in a calm environment. Do not move for one hour afterward.]
[Do you wish to begin consumption now?]
"Yes," Lin Ye said quietly.
He brought the leaf to his lips and bit down.
The texture was soft, almost like biting into tender, fresh snow. A burst of coolness exploded in his mouth, followed by a wave of pure spiritual energy that rushed down his throat and spread through his body like a flood.
His meridians burned.
It wasn't the searing agony of heavenly flames—nothing could match that—but it was sharp enough to make his breath hitch.
He closed his eyes, spine straight, hands resting on his knees.
The system's calm voice whispered.
[Ding.]
[Minor Spirit Root Enhancement triggered.]
[Purifying meridians…]
[Clearing blockages…]
[Upgrading spirit root quality: 25% → 40%.]
[Time required: 00:59:59.]
The world narrowed to a tunnel of sensation.
Energy flowed through him in cold waves, blasting through stubborn clots in his veins. Places that had always felt tight, heavy, unresponsive now tingled and opened like old, rusted hinges finally oiled.
He guided the flow instinctively, using half‑remembered breathing patterns from his past life.
Draw in.
Hold.
Release.
The night slowly passed.
Oil in the lamp burned low, flickering.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, soaking his thin shirt. Each breath came with a faint hiss, but his expression remained calm.
This pain was nothing.
He'd suffered worse.
He'd died worse.
When the flood finally ebbed, leaving only a gentle current flowing through his limbs, a clear chime sounded in his mind.
[Ding.]
[Spirit Vein Leaf fully absorbed.]
[Spirit root quality: 40% (Low‑Mid grade).]
[Meridians cleared: 60%.]
[Host is ready to begin Body Tempering.]
A warmth blossomed in his dantian, like a small candle suddenly lit in a dark room.
Lin Ye exhaled long and slow.
The air leaving his lungs carried a faint, foul odor; when he opened his eyes, he saw a thin film of greasy black residue on his arms and neck.
Impurities.
He smiled and wiped them with a rag, mind already on the next steps.
In his last life, awakening his spirit root had been a dream he chased for years, always a step behind those born with gifts.
Now, after a single night and one stolen opportunity, he was already past the starting line.
He glanced at the faint panel still hovering before his eyes.
[Name: Lin Ye]
[Age: 16]
[Realm: Mortal (Awakening ready)]
[Spirit Root: Low‑Mid grade (40%)]
[Fate Value: 5]
[Luck Points: 35]
[Skills: Basic Fate Vision (Lv.1), Phantom Shadow Steps (Lv.1)]
"Thirty‑five Luck Points…" he muttered. "What can I buy?"
As if hearing his thoughts, the system responded.
[Ding.]
[Shop function temporarily unavailable.]
[Requirement: Reach Body Tempering, 3rd Stage.]
[Suggestion: Use current spirit root enhancement to break through the mortal shackles first.]
Of course.
Lin Ye folded his legs tighter and rested his hands atop his knees.
The old breathing technique he'd learned long ago surfaced in his mind. It was crude compared to the high‑tier arts he'd seen in the academy, but for Body Tempering, it was more than enough.
He closed his eyes again.
Outside, the first faint light of dawn brushed the horizon.
Inside, in a tiny courtyard everyone in the clan looked down on, a boy they called trash sat motionless, drawing in the world's spiritual energy for the first time in two lives.
Thin strands of qi seeped into his pores, trickling along the newly cleared meridians, gathering in his dantian.
[Ding.]
[Body Tempering – 1st Stage: 0% → 12%…]
[→ 23%…]
[→ 37%…]
Time blurred.
By the time the morning roosters crowed and the clan began to stir, another chime woke him from his trance.
[Ding.]
[Congratulations.]
[You have broken through to: Body Tempering – 1st Stage.]
A subtle strength filled his limbs—nothing dramatic yet, but undeniable. His senses felt clearer; the world seemed sharper, more solid.
In one night, he had crossed a threshold that had once chained him for years.
Lin Ye opened his eyes.
In the reflection of the small bronze mirror on the table, a young face looked back at him—pale, eyes dark and calm, faint smile at the corner of his lips.
The same face as ten years ago.
But the gaze was different.
"In my last life," he whispered, "I stood on that execution platform as a cripple, sacrificed like an animal so someone else could ascend."
He slowly clenched his fist, feeling the new strength there.
"This time, before anyone thinks about climbing over my corpse…"
His eyes turned cold.
"…I'll strip them of every opportunity, every stroke of luck, every scrap of fate they ever thought was theirs."
Outside, footsteps approached his courtyard.
Voices rose.
"Have you heard? The elders are holding a clan meeting this morning. It's about last night's engagement annulment…"
"They're definitely going to punish Lin Ye…"
Lin Ye stood.
He straightened his robe, wiped the last traces of sweat from his neck, and opened the door before anyone could knock.
If the clan wanted to "deal" with him, that was fine.
He had returned.
He had a system.
And he had already stolen his first piece of fate.
Whatever they planned to do next—
He intended to use it too.