That cold, electronic voice.
Rigid. Mechanical. Devoid of emotion.
A perfectly formatted tone.
Alex's pupils constricted slightly.
As someone who had read countless novels in his previous life, recognition struck him instantly.
A system.
The realization hit like lightning.
Alex's heartbeat quickened, not from fear, but from exhilaration.
So that was how it was.
He had transmigrated into a cultivation world, into the body of a doomed villain… and of course, the system followed.
How could a transmigrator not have a system?
For a brief moment, the suffocating pressure of fate that had wrapped around his neck loosened.
With a system, even a villain destined to die could flip the chessboard.
Changing fate would be nothing more than a matter of method.
Instantly, Alex lost almost all interest in the despicable couple standing before him. Knox's righteous expression and Isolde's tearful resolve no longer stirred anger... only calculation.
His attention turned inward.
"System," Alex asked calmly in his mind, "what exactly are you? And what did you mean by what you just said?"
The voice responded immediately, crisp and unhurried.
[Host: This system is called the God-Tier Providence System.]
[The purpose of this system is to assist the host in becoming an invincible existence across all realms.]
[This system specializes in plundering providence.]
[The host may seize the luck, opportunities, and fate of Chosen Ones, thereby changing the host's inevitable death ending.]
[Chosen Ones are protected by the Heavenly Dao and possess immense fortune.]
[If the host forcibly attempts to kill a Chosen One while they are still protected by destiny, Heaven will retaliate.]
[Outcome: the Chosen One survives. The host dies.]
"What?" Alex's gaze darkened slightly.
"So Chosen Ones can't be killed?"
That was troublesome.
Extremely troublesome.
If the protagonist could not be killed, didn't that mean Knox was guaranteed to grow rapidly? Every Chosen One in these stories rose at an absurd pace—treasures falling into their laps, inheritances waiting for them, beauties throwing themselves into their arms.
Given enough time, Knox would become invincible.
Alex knew the plot too well.
If Knox survived this scene, his next major turning point would come soon.
The Heavenly Flame Empress.
A monarch who ruled vast territories.
A supreme existence whose authority eclipsed countless sects and noble families.
Her strength was terrifying—beyond Alex's current level.
Even now, Alex was no match for her.
In the original storyline, the Heavenly Flame Empress was Knox's greatest backing when he finally turned his blade toward the Hale family.
With her protection, Alex's defeat was inevitable.
And as for her fate?
Naturally, she became one of Knox's women.
In cultivation novels, women of higher status were never spared. The more powerful the women, the more readers enjoyed watching her conquered.
Alex's eyes flickered coldly.
If he allowed Knox to grow unchecked and reach that stage, things would become far more complicated.
He did not want to gamble his life on a future confrontation with a protagonist protected by both Heavens and an empress.
Before Alex could continue his thoughts, the system spoke again.
[Host need not worry.]
[As previously stated, the God-Tier Providence System exists to plunder providence.]
[Chosen Ones are not invincible.]
[Their strength stems from providence.]
[By continuously diminishing the Chosen One's providence, the Heavenly Dao's protection will weaken.]
[Once the Chosen One's providence is exhausted, they will revert to an ordinary person.]
[At that point, the host may kill them freely.]
[Furthermore, killing a fallen Chosen One will yield massive rewards.]
Alex's interest was fully piqued.
"And how exactly do I diminish their providence?" he asked.
The system replied without delay.
[Methods include—but are not limited to:]
[1. Seizing opportunities that should have belonged to the Chosen One.]
[2. Robbing treasures, inheritances, women, or connections tied to the Chosen One's growth.]
[3. Interrupting or preventing moments of major events, such as life-saving encounters or dramatic breakthroughs.]
[4. Destroying emotional anchors that stabilize the Chosen One's mind.]
"So that's how it works…"
A sharp glint flashed through Alex's eyes.
Opportunities.
In other words, everything Knox relied on to rise.
If another person were in Alex's position, this might have been difficult.
But Alex wasn't guessing.
He knew the story.
He knew every major opportunity Knox would encounter.
Every inheritance.
Every beauty.
Every so-called "miraculous coincidence."
Suppressing Knox's providence?
For Alex, it would be effortless.
A faint smile curved at the corner of his lips.
"I know all of Knox's opportunities," Alex thought calmly.
"Plundering his providence is no different from harvesting ripe fruit."
With the God-Tier Providence System, he didn't just avoid death.
He could grow stronger at an absurd speed by stepping on the protagonist's path.
The fate that awaited the original villain?
It would never happen to him.
The slaughter of the Hale family.
His soul being scattered.
Those endings belonged to a foolish version of Alex who indulged emotions and ignored logic.
Not him.
His thoughts snapped back to the present hall.
Knox was still speaking passionately.
Isolde was still kneeling, eyes filled with resolve and misplaced affection.
This scene—this betrayal—was itself a crucial node of fate.
Alex's gaze shifted slowly… and landed on Isolde.
This woman was not merely emotional baggage.
She was an opportunity.
In the original story, Isolde possessed a special artifact.
The Seven Orifices Divine Heart.
An extraordinary mental and spiritual aptitude.
It was Alex who had personally nurtured it, consuming countless resources of the Hale family.
Because of this heart, Isolde's comprehension was terrifying.
After betraying the Hale family, she repeatedly used the Seven Orifices Divine Heart to help Knox escape life-and-death crises, calculate enemies, and resolve bottlenecks.
She was one of Knox's most important supports in the early and mid stages.
Alex's smile deepened slightly.
"If Isolde loses her Seven Orifices Divine Heart…"
Then Knox would lose a crucial pillar in the future.
No perfect calculations.
No miraculous survivals.
No smooth breakthroughs.
Knox, what will you do when death truly comes knocking?
Alex found himself genuinely curious.
At that moment, Knox's voice rang out again, filled with righteous fervor and false nobility:
"Hmph. Isolde, don't waste your breath on these selfish bastards who prioritize their family's interests over your happiness. Let's leave this place and never come back."