Chapter 4: The Path Opens

The courtyard was quiet.

Not the silence of peace—but the heavy quiet after a storm.

Ye Tian stood alone under the shadow of the sect's practice trees. The crowd from earlier had long since dispersed. His robe was still slightly wrinkled from the earlier clash with Zhou Han, but his gaze was calm—unshakably so.

He had humiliated someone who once looked down on him.

And he had done it effortlessly.

But his mind wasn't on that anymore.

He sat down cross-legged in the center of his courtyard, exhaled slowly, and closed his eyes.

Inside his consciousness, the world shifted.

Floating before him was a golden, glowing interface—hovering like a divine command board in a void of endless space.

[Heaven's Redemption System Initialized][Calibration Complete. Soul Sync: 68%][Welcome, Ye Tian]

Seven glowing tabs unfolded before him:

Status

Skills

Inventory

Legacy Skills Archive

Quests

Heaven-Defying Bead

??? (Locked)

He opened Status first.

📊 STATUS

Name: Ye TianRealm: Body Tempering – 4th StageBloodline: ??? (Suppressed)Spiritual Root: Variant Type – Compatibility: 94%Soul Strength: EnhancedFate Value: 137System Sync: 68%

Then he moved to Skills.

📘 SKILLS

Active:

[Void Palm] (Sealed)

[Mystic Void Movement] (Pending)

[Heaven's Sight] (Locked – Requires Foundation Establishment)

Passive:

Spiritual Memory Retention

Qi Absorption Boost

Combat Instinct Sync (15%)

He tapped on the Legacy Skills Archive.

🔥 LEGACY SKILLS ARCHIVE

A massive list unfolded—ancient techniques, long forgotten by the world but preserved in the depths of Ye Tian's soul.

Each technique showed its current state:

[Heaven-Slaying Palm]

Lv. 0 – Fragmented Form

Lv. 1–5 – Mortal → Heaven Rank

Evolved: Calamity Edition (Locked)

He selected a simpler one: Void Palm – Lv. 0

Back in the real world, Ye Tian stood slowly.

He took a breath, focused his qi, and struck the air.

BOOM. A ripple of force cracked the training stone ahead of him.

[Void Palm Proficiency: 42%]

📡 Elsewhere…

Behind a paper screen in the outer sect hall, two figures watched silently.

Elder Wei, and a cocky young man with refined robes and narrowed eyes.

Liu Sheng – Inner Sect Candidate.

"That's him?" Liu Sheng scoffed. "The one who beat Zhou Han?"

"Yes," Elder Wei said, eyes sharp. "He's… unusual."

"Hah. Unusual or not, I'll put him back in place soon."

The two turned away.

At that exact moment, Ye Tian's body tensed.

Something deep in his Sea of Consciousness pulled him inward—without warning.

The world shattered around him.

🌌 Inside the Heaven-Defying Bead

Ye Tian found himself in a vast, golden realm.

Land floated. Oceans hung in the sky. Mountains shimmered midair.

This wasn't just a storage tool.

This was a dimension.

A self-contained world.

"This is… inside the bead?"

Without warning, energy surged into him—pure elemental essence, flooding his dantian, meridians, heart, bones, and even his soul.

His entire foundation evolved in real time.

[Time Compression Ratio: 1,000,000:1][Warning: Stay limit – 6.3 real-time seconds]

He absorbed like a black hole. Energy refined every inch of him.

[BREAKTHROUGH DETECTED][Body Tempering – 6th Stage (Mid)][Qi Circulation: +12%][Soul Strength: Enhanced]

[Forced Extraction Engaged.]

The world shattered again.

🧍‍♂️ Back to Reality

Ye Tian dropped to one knee, drenched in sweat—but stronger than ever.

He stood.

"6th stage… in seconds."

The courtyard felt too small now.

"I haven't even started trying yet."

Then—

A breeze stirred.

Snowflakes danced.

She had arrived.

❄️ Reunion – Yun Qingyu

She stepped silently into the courtyard, dressed in white robes flowing with spiritual frost. Her expression unreadable. Her presence… calm but cold.

They locked eyes.

In that instant—

Something inside her snapped.

🌀 Vision Triggered: Soul Resonance

A pulse from Ye Tian's soul hit hers.

And she saw—

A battlefield.Her own dying breath.Ye Tian screaming, holding her in his arms.The blood. The collapse. The silence.

Her heart throbbed violently.

She gasped, staggering backward.

Tears spilled from her eyes.

"I died… protecting you?"

Ye Tian's voice was quiet.

"You were the only one who never betrayed me.""You gave your life to save mine.""And I couldn't save you."

"That pain haunted me. Every moment. Every breath."

She sobbed—but stood still.

"This time," he said, stepping forward, "I will protect you.""Even if it means destroying heaven itself."

DING![Fate Thread Reactivated: Yun Qingyu][Status: Soul Resonance Achieved][Bond: Echo of Reincarnation]

She looked at him one last time, wiping her eyes.

"Don't die again… Ye Tian."

"Promise me."

"I swear," he said softly.

She flew off like a shard of moonlight in the breeze.

And Ye Tian looked to the sky.

"Now, she remembers.""And this time… I'll rewrite fate itself."