Wu Huang looked at the broken jade with mixed emotions. His fingers traced it carefully, as if he feared that the slightest movement might break it even further.
"If this jade is like the book described… it should lead to a secret realm," he thought, frowning slightly.
But that wasn't the real concern occupying his mind. What truly unsettled him was that the jade existed in the tangible world. That something described in the book—supposedly revealing the future—had a concrete manifestation, a real object… was enough to cast doubt on many things. At least part of the book seemed to reflect the truth.
His eyes darkened for a moment as his mind wrestled between disbelief and fascination. But he quickly pushed those thoughts aside; this was not the time to get distracted with theories about destiny.
"Here," he said naturally, tossing the broken jade to his younger brother.
"Eh…? For me?" Su Feng asked, frowning, a trace of confusion in his voice as he carefully took it so it wouldn't fall to the ground.
Wu Huang nodded, calm and confident as always. For him, there was no doubt: this object had been destined for Su Feng from the start. There was no reason for him to keep it, nor did he even desire it. The idea of venturing into a secret realm or claiming opportunities that belonged to others had never crossed his mind.
Su Feng held the broken jade with trembling hands.
Wu Huang chuckled softly and turned, heading back to his residence, thinking that at least his brother appreciated the little jade.
But in reality, Su Feng was shaking inside as he heard the system confirm that he had stolen his elder brother's destiny value.
A small void began to form within him. It wasn't anyone's fault; simply having stolen, even accidentally, part of his elder brother's destiny value brought an invisible weight he didn't know how to release.
"If I return the broken jade, will the destiny value come back?" he asked, trying to sound calm, though worry seeped through every word.
[Once destiny value is stolen, it is impossible to return it.]
"And what happens if it reaches zero? You said it could kill him… but what about others besides me?"
[Destiny backlash only works on the Villain of Destiny. Normal people can eliminate Children of Destiny without triggering destiny backlash.]
"What happens if all destiny value is lost?"
[The difference between someone with low destiny value and one with high destiny value is tied to their future opportunities and talent for cultivating immortality.]
Hearing this, Su Feng felt a chill run down his spine.
His elder brother had moderate talent. Reaching the seventh stage of Qi Refinement had already cost him tremendous effort.
If the destiny value decreased further… advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage would become progressively more difficult, to the point of complete stagnation.
"That's something I can't allow," he muttered to himself, clenching his fists.
Su Feng considered several alternatives. The first and simplest was to rely on pills and various celestial artifacts to accelerate his elder brother's cultivation. But he quickly realized the problem: the cost of these items was extremely high, even for the sect's resources. It was too expensive, impractical, and virtually impossible.
Just as despair began to creep in, a thought flashed in his mind like a spark in the darkness:
"Wait… the system's store," he told himself.
If he could use the system's store, he would have access to all the materials he needed: pills, techniques, celestial materials, even rare objects normally reserved for the most powerful inner disciples. He could gather everything necessary and give it to Wu Huang to accelerate his cultivation without relying on the costly resources of the sect. The idea filled him with a brief but intense optimism.
However, a crucial detail immediately struck him:
"But to use it, I'd have to keep stealing destiny value…" he murmured anxiously.
That was something Su Feng was unwilling to do under any circumstances. The first time had been an accident, an unexpected mistake caused by confusion and inexperience. He would never allow it to happen again. Deliberately stealing his elder brother's destiny value went against everything he considered right.
"System, is my elder brother the only Child of Destiny?" he asked, his voice cautious but curious.
[No, he is the closest Child of Destiny, but two other Children of Destiny have been detected nearby.]
Su Feng's eyes widened. He hadn't expected so many designated Children of Destiny in one place, though considering the scale and influence of the Celestial Sword Sect, it wasn't entirely surprising. Still, the news sent a chill down his spine.
"Tell me where they are," he ordered immediately, his voice firm and resolute.
His eyes shone with determination, and a faint tremor of excitement ran through him. He didn't care about the life or death of those other Children of Destiny; as long as Wu Huang was safe and could continue advancing in cultivation, nothing else mattered.
While Su Feng was already considering how to deal with those other Children of Destiny, Wu Huang returned to his residence at the main peak. The calm of the place contrasted sharply with the turmoil of his thoughts. Upon entering, he wasted no time, letting himself fall onto his bed with a soft sigh and unfolding the ancient book before him.
"Good thing I didn't discard it…" he muttered under his breath, caressing the worn covers. "Otherwise, it would have been a huge headache to find it again."
Wu Huang quickly immersed himself in reading, carefully analyzing every detail.
Although the first scenario he had tested had worked, he understood that the book's power went far beyond that. As long as he could manipulate the "cards" correctly, adjusting each move and decision as if playing on a celestial board, he could guide his little brother, Su Feng, along the path to immortality. The book was like a map, each card an instrument for shaping the future.
But then, as he finished reading the next chapter, a new concern arose immediately:
"Why are there so many enemies within the sect?" he murmured quietly, frowning.