Fate and Karma

Mu Shen had transferred the space over into an opened cave and the ripples which had been on the surface of the water instantly calmed down.

Mu Shen looked around him, unsure of whether to enter the cave or not. The allure of the entrance was so tempting that it was hard to not want to enter. In the end, he decided.

The cave was so calm that it was hard to tell if there were dangers within but Mu Shen did not let his guard down. 

Finding a safe spot, he sat down and got out the Cosmic ring with 1000 star crystals and he started to cultivate. 

Starting from 10 star crystals, he crushed them and then the misty air dissolved into the air, drifting about in random motion until Mu Shen absorbed them. 

The process was very slow. 

For Mu Shen, becoming a Sentinel wasn't too hard and reaching the bottleneck did not take time but, a Sentinel's energy core is complex and woven intermittently with channels and strings that makes up the complete energy structure so, it needs more essence into it and that might take a very long time. 

Mu Shen did not know how long he would stay within the Tianyuan cosmos, but he knows that it would take long, so maybe by then he should have been able to fill up those channels and strings with star essence to prepare for his breakthrough to become a Melder.

Mu Shen had crushed almost a hundred star crystals when he suddenly heard something coming from behind. Normally, Mu Shen would take his time to separate the impurities from the pure essence but now, a vortex suddenly manifested and all of the essence was sucked into his body both the pure and impure. 

He stood up and turned sharply. But he froze. 

Up ahead, from the depth of the cave a fairy-like lady walked down. She wore an ethereal pixie dress, well fitted which clung to all the right places. There was a glowing crown that sat atop her head giving Mu Shen the feeling of a goddess. 

Mu Shen did not move as he observed her beauty, those snowy white skin that lay exposed, her pretty face and Ivory hair. Everything looked so— 

Delicious. 

However he frowned. 

"Am I in the cave of temptations?" 

He stared at her again, his brows furrowing in displeasure. But then, he watched her walk towards him and then offered a charming smile.

"I sensed a human and I came to welcome him." 

A huge question mark suddenly bolted down, slamming Mu Shen right in the head. 

'What the?' 

In the Tianyuan cosmos, nothing has ever been normal so he hadn't expected that she would be welcoming him instead of attacking. 

"So— you won't attack me?" He asked just to be sure he heard correct.

"Why would I do that to my fellow human?"

Mu Shen was suddenly confused. 

"You? A human? I didn't expect that." 

She walked even closer to him and said, his expression turning solemn.

"I was once a human, lost and hopeless on the surface of Tianyuan waters until I met something that changed me completely." 

Mu Shen glared at the beautiful woman and said: "changed you?" 

"Yes.." Mu Shen had already let his guard down, only a little bit. 

"I can only get my freedom by doing a little exchange." 

Mu Shen suddenly felt chills crawl down his spine. "What?"

The next minute, she was before him and a flower appeared on her face, illuminating and chilling. Mu Shen did not even get the chance to dodge. Everything just happened in a blink of an eye and Mu Shen stood still, unable to move, unable to dodge the transfer of fate.

Mu Shen's eyes were filled with indescribable horror but then, he froze as something clicked. 

He immediately asked: 

"Who are you?" 

"I'm Luo Xiaolei, the enchanted fairy of the Starsybil clan. We are adept in the power of divination and Fortune telling." 

Mu Shen was surprised. 

"Starsybil clan? I did not imagine that such a clan existed." 

"You wouldn't know, because they all hid themselves after they learnt of my disappearance." Luo Xiaolei smiled sweetly and asked a question of her own.

"You are Mu Shen right? A direct descendant of the exiled Mu family." 

Mu Shen's face paled. 

"You know about that?"

"Who doesn't know that your Mu family was banished because they committed a grievous crime." 

Mu Shen's eyes became frosty. 

"I don't have my memories. I hope you'll be kind enough to tell me what happened." 

Luo Xiaolei laughed loudly and said.

"Wouldn't you even ask me what I'm doing to you? I mean, it seems weird to not be able to move." 

Mu Shen simply stared at her. 

"Ok fine, I'll tell you. Transfer of fate is what I call it. My misfortune will be transferred over to you." 

Mu Shen suddenly smiled. "I thought as much. I will ask you a simple question and you'll answer honestly, are you ready?" 

Luo Xiaolei stared at him, feeling wary for some reason.

"What happens if fate fights karma?" 

Her pupils immediately shrink. 

And then Luo Xiaolei suddenly felt as if something much stronger pushed back her own fate. 

Fate and karma, these two are the same thing, but mean something different. Both are overbearing.