The morning air at Notting Academy was crisp, carrying the faint scent of pine and damp earth. The students were bustling about, unaware of the invisible threads tightening around them. He walked calmly through the courtyard, Mandala Snake coiling silently around him, its presence both reassuring and intimidating. Every step felt deliberate; every glance calculated. The system had already begun to alert him.
A bold notification appeared in his vision, glowing sharply:
[Third Copy Holder Selected][Karmic Thread Established]Name: Zhu Zhuqing
He paused, letting the words sink in.
Zhu Zhuqing
Another key player from the academy — strong, agile, and fiercely independent. The system had chosen wisely. Each new copy holder expanded the web of influence, and Zhu Zhuqing's presence would complicate the dynamics between him, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong.
He activated the diary panel.
[Diary Influence Network Updated]
Active Copy Holders: 3
Emotional Resonance Amplification: High
Fate Distortion Rate: 21%
System Expansion Progress: 50%[Warning: High-Fate Entity Attention Imminent]
He smiled faintly. Half of the network had already been established, and the system's expansion was crossing the halfway mark. Every action from here on would amplify consequences.
During breakfast, he noticed Zhu Zhuqing for the first time since the notification. She sat with other students, her usual cool demeanor intact, but a flicker of curiosity crossed her eyes when she glanced at him. That momentary connection did not escape him. He knew instinctively that she had sensed something different, even if she didn't fully understand it yet.
Later, during combat practice, he orchestrated a subtle engagement with her. He moved deliberately — not aggressive, not confrontational — but precise. Their strikes collided with controlled intensity. Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened slightly; she wasn't used to someone handling her with such skill and restraint. Their fight ended without resolution, but the tension lingered. He could feel the diary responding.
[Copy Holder Emotional Fluctuation Detected — Zhu Zhuqing][Reward: Spirit Power Compression Increased][Attachment Level: Emerging]
Meanwhile, Xiao Wu had noticed the subtle interactions between him and Zhu Zhuqing. She sat silently during lunch, fidgeting with her utensils, processing the quiet but undeniable rise of tension. Emotional threads were forming between them, and it made her chest tighten.
He smiled subtly as he wrote in the diary later that night.
"Zhu Zhuqing will notice me. She will test my patience. Her independence is her armor."
He paused, letting the thought settle.
"She will respect strength and discern intent."
The diary flared.
[Emotional Resonance Amplified — All Copy Holders][Reward Multiplier x1.8][Spirit Power Level Increased: 12]
He leaned back, watching the golden threads connecting all three girls. Each pulsed with a different intensity: Xiao Wu, bright and playful; Ning Rongrong, delicate and reactive; Zhu Zhuqing, sharp and analytical. The interactions between these threads were beginning to create complex emotional dynamics that would ripple far beyond the academy.
The next day, Ning Rongrong requested permission from her clan to travel to Notting Academy earlier than canon allowed. Her decision was sudden, but his earlier diary entries had planted the seed. Her movements now signaled the beginning of a long-term shift in the power balance of the continent.
At dinner, he caught Xiao Wu watching him again. She seemed hesitant but curious. Something in her eyes said she was beginning to realize the depth of his influence. The diary had allowed him to shape events subtly, but now, the girls themselves were beginning to act in response to these unseen threads.
That night, he activated the diary once more. This time, he deliberately tested the new system function:
[Diary Insight Projection — Future Fragment]
He sent a subtle projection to Xiao Wu: a vision of herself during the next spirit ring hunting session, struggling against a threat, saved only by someone she didn't know yet. The projection was emotionally charged, enough to provoke curiosity and trust without overwhelming her.
[Copy Holder Emotional Impact: High][Attachment Level Increased — Xiao Wu][Reward: Spirit Power Compression +1 Level][Current Rank: 13]
He exhaled slowly, savoring the controlled growth.
Meanwhile, in the distant Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong observed the continent with her keen senses. She had not yet received a diary copy, but the system's disturbances were impossible to ignore. Multiple significant fates had shifted in rapid succession. The ripple from the first spirit ring hunt, combined with the awakening of three key copy holders, had created anomalies the Hall could not ignore. Her expression hardened.
The game board was expanding.
And he was already several moves ahead.
By the end of the week, the threads connecting all three copy holders pulsed synchronously. Emotional resonance, trust, and subtle attachment had all begun to rise. Even Ning Rongrong, despite her pride, began showing signs of internal conflict regarding her clan and the choices imposed upon her. Zhu Zhuqing's independent spirit had begun to acknowledge him in subtle ways. Xiao Wu's playful concern was turning into genuine attachment.
The system confirmed everything.
[System Expansion Progress: 55%][Network Growth Threshold Exceeded][Warning: High-Fate Entity Awareness Approaching Critical][New Feature Unlock Pending: Multi-Copy Interaction Management]
He leaned back against his bedpost, Mandala Snake coiling protectively around him. Three threads. Three copy holders. One fractured canon. And the system, growing with each deliberate action, had become more than a tool. It was an instrument of fate itself.
And soon, it would force even Bibi Dong to notice.