Xu Tianyi led them along a winding path lined with luminous spirit flowers. Ahead, a serene wooden cabin rested beside a crystal-clear spring, steam gently rising as spiritual energy condensed into mist. Fengfeng, the Phoenix, lay lazily beside the cabin, basking in the warmth of the spring.
Mu Qinglaun's eyes widened. "It's… beautiful."
Xu Tianyi smiled faintly. "This is where I usually stay. Peaceful, isn't it?"
He gestured toward the cabin as they entered. Inside, the scent of sandalwood filled the air. The house was simple yet elegant — every piece of furniture carved from ancient spirit wood, glowing faintly with vitality.
"This is the main room," Xu Tianyi explained, walking slowly as the two followed him. "Over there is the kitchen and dining space — you'll find all the spiritual herbs and seasonings stocked. I prefer cooking myself sometimes; food nourishes the soul as much as pills do."
Mu Qingluan peeked in curiously. "It smells faintly sweet in there…"
"That's the spring mist," Xu Tianyi explained. "Every morning, the dew from the spiritual spring gathers there — it's excellent for tea."
He led them up a narrow staircase to the second floor, where three bedrooms lay in a row. The hall was lined with spirit lamps that flickered softly, giving off gentle warmth.
Mu Qing chuckled softly. "For a supreme elder, you seem surprisingly homely, My lord."
He smiled at that. "I enjoy simple things. Cultivation is already complicated enough."
"Upstairs are the bedrooms. The first room on the right is mine, the next two will be yours. Feel free to rearrange anything as you like."
Mu Qinglaun peeked into one of the rooms and gasped. "It's so cozy… the bed feels like clouds!"
Xu Tianyi turned slightly, amused. "That's because it's made from Cloudweave Cotton, harvested from spirit beasts that live above the starry sky sea."
"And this?" Mu Qing asked, pointing toward a bookshelf filled with ancient scrolls.
"Those are mostly travel notes, formations, and some sword manuals I wrote down when I was bored. You're free to read them, just don't open the ones sealed with runes."
They both nodded obediently, though Mu Qinglaun looked like she already wanted to sneak a peek.
After the tour, Xu Tianyi clasped his hands behind his back. "You can rest for the day. Your rooms are yours now. We'll eat together this evening in the dining hall downstairs."
Mu Qing smiled gently. "Understood, My lord."
Mu Qinglaun bowed shyly. "Thank you, Master."
He watched them walk upstairs, a small, rare warmth flickering in his eyes.
---
Xu Tianyi watched the mother and daughter leave, their light laughter fading softly down the hall. Only when silence returned did he slowly close the door behind him.
The interior of his room was modest — a single jade bed carved from spiritual stone, a low table covered with talismans and jade slips, and an incense burner releasing faint tendrils of golden mist. The air was serene, thick with spiritual qi.
He lifted his hand, and with a thought, his divine sense spread outward like an invisible veil. Every inch of the room came under his control — sound, movement, even the flow of qi was sealed from the outside world.
Once the formation activated, he sat cross-legged on the jade bed, his back straight, his golden eyes glowing faintly under the lamplight. Slowly, he brought his right hand up, pressing his middle and thumb finger together in a peculiar mudra. His breathing became calm, each exhale blending seamlessly with the flow of heaven and earth.
Threads of starlight began to gather between his fingers.
"Let's see how the heavens favor me this time," he murmured softly.
The air trembled. Ancient symbols shimmered faintly within his pupils — remnants of the high-grade divination art he had inherited long ago. The technique was called [Heavenly Mandate Scripture], a method that delved into the fabric of fate itself.
He had acquired this scripture in his second life after obtaining his Regression cheat. Among the countless paths of cultivation — the Sword, Pill, Array, and Body arts — divination had always been the one he valued most. Strength could be regained through effort, but opportunity... opportunity required foresight.
He had learned early that in this world, the so-called "sons and daughters of heaven" weren't just legends. They were the ones whom fate favored — the bearers of destiny, the chosen who gathered fortune around them like stars around the moon.
And fortune… was power.
The faint starlight condensed before him, forming a luminous wheel. Its glow rippled with seven colors — each representing a layer of fate's hierarchy.
White — Mortals with fleeting destinies.
Green — Ordinary cultivators blessed with minor fortune.
Blue — Talented individuals with small karmic opportunities.
Purple — Those with great potential and prosperous luck.
Orange — Heaven's chosen, marked by rare destiny.
Red — Favored by the world itself, the ones whose existence bends fate.
Golden — True children of Heaven, their very being defies the natural order.
Xu Tianyi stared at the wheel with calm eyes as it began to spin. Rays of color intertwined, flowing like liquid silk.
When he was reborn into this world, his fortune had been a dull green — stable yet uninspiring. Through countless struggles, battles, and his own cultivation, he had raised it to blue. Upon forming ties with several fated individuals, it had touched purple briefly.
But now…
His gaze deepened.
A brilliant hue bloomed at the center of the wheel — a deep, regal purple mixed faintly with streaks of gold.
"So, this is the result of taking that little girl as my disciple…" Xu Tianyi mused, his tone quiet yet tinged with amusement.
Mu Qingluan's image surfaced in his mind — her clear eyes, the faint fire essence within her veins, and that ethereal spark that made her different from ordinary cultivators.
He had noticed it the moment he met her — the blazing thread of destiny that coiled around her soul like a golden phoenix.
She was one of those rare existences blessed by Heaven itself.
The divination wheel shimmered brighter as he thought of her, and strands of fate stretched between her image and his.
The Heavenly Mandate Scripture contained two primary paths: one of Seizure, and one of Connection.
In the path of Seizure, one could forcibly strip away another's fortune, devouring their karmic destiny to strengthen one's own. He had done this in the past — a desperate choice born of necessity — and it had allowed him to reach his current realm. Yet, that fortune had always faded with time, vanishing like water slipping through his fingers.
It was crude. Temporary. Inefficient.
The second path, however, was the true essence of the art. Connection.
Through forming bonds — of trust, kinship, loyalty, or intimacy — one could intertwine their fate with another. The stronger the emotional and karmic link, the deeper the resonance of fortune. When the other rose, so too would one's own destiny flourish endlessly.
This… was the difference between stealing the heavens and walking beside them.
Xu Tianyi opened his eyes slowly, golden light flickering within. "A daughter of heaven, hm… not only does she have the Phoenix bloodline, but her karmic threads are intertwined with fate itself."
He let out a low chuckle. "How interesting."
The wheel of fortune gradually faded, leaving behind only faint motes of light that sank into his skin. His aura grew a shade more profound — no longer merely sharp like a sword, but vast and boundless, as though the heavens themselves bent slightly around him.
Purple luck was already rare enough for a Nascent Soul cultivator. But with traces of golden light now within it… his future path was bound to shift once more.
Xu Tianyi looked at his hand — faint streaks of divine light still flickering between his fingers.
"To think I started from green," he murmured. "And now stand before gold. Perhaps this life will be far more eventful than I imagined."
He slowly reclined, closing his eyes as the divination energy dispersed. Outside, the faint cry of a phoenix echoed through the cave heaven, mingling with the soft hum of spiritual energy.
Within that tranquil light, Xu Tianyi's lips curved slightly.
"Let's see," he whispered, "how far my disciple's fate will take me this time."