Chapter 4: Defying the heavens and changing destiny

A celestial woman with an ethereal presence, exuding a sacred and meditative aura, floated gracefully in the air.

She was breathtakingly stunning, dressed in a flowing glass-like white gown, resembling the celestial goddess of the Ninth Heaven. Just one glance was enough to make it impossible to look away.

Even though Lin Jichen had seen her ten years ago, he still couldn't help but steal a few extra glances.

However, he had no intention of trying to flirt with her. This woman was not someone to be trifled with—she was the Guide of the Immortal Path and the mastermind behind "Eight Desolations"—Nüwa.

Daring to speak recklessly with Nüwa would not end well.

In the past, many players had drooled over her beauty and figure, treating her with great disrespect.

Some tried to flirt, some sought to cling to her, and some even harbored indecent thoughts.

But the consequences were severe. If the flirtation was not overly vulgar, the offender would only be locked in a "dark room" for a few minutes.

If the words were excessively crude or obscene, the punishment was harsher—not only would they be locked up for a day or two, but upon logging back in, their Charm stat would be permanently reduced.

As for those who attempted indecencies, their fate was even worse. They would be imprisoned for seven days, suffer a permanent loss of Charm, and upon release, all NPC goodwill toward them would be set to negative. They would be unable to accept any quests, and for one week, their personal attributes would be cut in half.

Many had fallen into this trap.

Lin Jichen himself had done something similar in his past life, though he hadn't been as perverted. He merely believed that Nüwa must have some hidden quest or reward.

So, he persistently badgered her, asking about hidden quests and rewards over and over again.

Eventually, Nüwa got annoyed and locked him up for a few minutes, after which he finally behaved.

Now that he had returned to the starting point, Lin Jichen had no intention of repeating such a foolish mistake.

He remained silent, patiently waiting for her to speak.

Nüwa gazed at him with serene, luminous eyes. Her delicate lips parted, and her voice was as melodious as celestial music.

"Mortal, do you truly wish to embark on the path of immortality?"

"Yes," Lin Jichen replied.

"Tell me your name."

Without hesitation, Lin Jichen answered, "Lin Jichen."

In his past life, his ID was Lin Aijie—anyone familiar with the term "simp" would understand why.

Now that he had been reborn, Lin Jichen simply wanted to be himself.

"Since you have decided to walk the path of immortality, I shall grant you a fated opportunity. What you gain from it will depend entirely on you."

It's coming! His starting talent was about to be determined!

Lin Jichen's eyelids twitched.

If he guessed correctly, he would receive the same useless innate talent as before—[Business Genius].

The effect of this talent was simple: "All purchases in town shops cost 10% fewer spirit stones".

In other words, it just saved money—completely useless otherwise.

This talent was ideal for a merchant in the game, but Lin Jichen had no interest in that. He had no choice but to pursue the path of immortality with this worthless talent.

Even so, he had managed to become one of the top players, the strongest *arcane cultivator* in "Eight Desolations".

"Whatever, if it's *Business Genius*, so be it. Starting talent isn't everything. With my knowledge of *Bāhuāng*, even if I start with garbage, I can still turn the tide."

Lin Jichen reassured himself.

Nüwa lifted her slender hand, sending a ray of divine light into Lin Jichen's body to assess his constitution.

For some reason, what should have taken only a few seconds lasted much longer this time.

The light lingered within him for a full thirty seconds before finally fading away.

Just as Lin Jichen was about to question it—

A system notification sounded.

"Congratulations! You have obtained the innate talent [Defy the Heavens and Change Destiny]!"

Lin Jichen froze.

Wait—why wasn't it "Business Genius"?

Was it because he had been reborn?

Or did that jade pendant help him?

With this in mind, Lin Jichen hurriedly checked the description.

[Defy the Heavens and Change Destiny]: Born against the heavens, defying fate, and reversing destiny.

Just from these twelve words, Lin Jichen knew this was no ordinary talent.

In his ten years playing "Eight Desolations", he had never heard of anyone obtaining such a talent.

He quickly read further.

This talent had three effects:

- [Born Against the Heavens]: Those who defy the heavens shall be reborn like a phoenix.

- All innate attributes start at maximum.

- However, with each death, all innate attributes permanently decrease by 10%.

- [Defy the Natural Order]: Those who defy the natural order are scorned by the heavens.

- Every time a major realm is broken through, all attribute rewards are doubled.

- However, each breakthrough will summon a Heavenly Tribulation.

- Failing to survive it results in permanent death.

- [Reverse Destiny's Luck]: Those who reverse destiny attract fortune.

- Every time a major realm is broken through, an additional random talent is granted.

- However, each breakthrough requires completing a Heavenly Dao-Level challenge.

After reading the talent description, Lin Jichen was silent for a few seconds—then ecstatically overjoyed.

He hadn't expected his talent to change after being reborn.

[Defy the Heavens and Change Destiny]—this talent was unstoppable!

Although it wasn't all blessings and carried serious risks,

To Lin Jichen, this was nothing!

Great fortune always came with great peril.

If he didn't even have the resolve to face such a challenge, he might as well not have been reborn at all.

He might as well find a rotten tofu block and bash his head against it.

"Your talent has been granted. Now, you must choose your appearance."

As Nüwa spoke, she lifted her delicate hand.

A projection screen appeared before Lin Jichen, displaying his current appearance.

Beside it were various hairstyle options.

This was similar to the character customization in online games.

However, "Eight Desolations" did not allow facial customization—your appearance was fixed.

The only thing that could be chosen was a hairstyle suitable for the xianxia world.

There were loose hairstyles, tied-up styles, and buns.

There were even exaggerated styles, like the spiky explosion of Bu Jingyun from Fengyun, or the bangs-and-bun look of Xianjian protagonists.

One could even go bald, half-bald, or have dreadlocks.

Basically, hairstyles were free to customize, and hair color could also be changed.

Lin Jichen had seen many non-mainstream players before—red-haired freaks, green-haired weirdos, they were everywhere.

This time, he chose a half-loose style with a headpiece, which suited his face well, making him look elegant and refined.

In his past life, he had been an idiot.

Tired of always being handsome, he randomly chose the Bu Jingyun explosion hairstyle.

Only later did he realize that the higher one's charm, the easier it was to gain favor from female NPCs.

That explosion hairstyle had significantly lowered his originally high Charm stat.

This time, Lin Jichen wouldn't make the same mistake.

[Appearance confirmed.]

Next, a scroll appeared before him.

It unfurled in midair—revealing a map.

The map was divided into four regions:

- "Yongning Province"

- "Yuehua Province"

- "Muxian Province"

- "Huafeng Province"

These four regions were the starting locations for players.

Although the world of "Eight Desolations" was vast, these four provinces were only the tip of the iceberg...