[Act 1: Returning to the Village — The Mountain Gate is First Quiet]
Outside Sunset Town, Lin Bufan and his three companions set out on their return journey.
It was unnaturally quiet along the way, as if it were the calm before a storm.
However, the system suddenly popped up a prompt:
[Mission Completed: "Copy Trial — Ancient Temple Seal"]
Reward Settlement in Progress...
Main Character Level: Late Qi Refining (Solid).
Unlocked characteristics: Fate Soul Perception - Elementary
New Phrase Activation: Hostile Premonition and Aura Feedback.
Lin Bufan felt as if an additional layer of "world murmur" had entered his mind, and he could faintly sense the emotional fluctuations of those who approached him.
"Is this a change brought about by the Destiny Soul?" He wondered.
This feeling was like his soul breathing in sync with the world.
However, Su Wumian suddenly stopped and warned in a low voice,
"Someone is waiting for us."
Lin Bufan scanned the area and spotted a silhouette standing under the withered pine at the entrance of the village.
Draped in a brown cloak, he stood with his hands behind his back. His appearance was blurred, but he seemed strangely familiar.
[Act 2: Mysterious Visitor — Unusual Scent]
"Are those the people waiting for us?" Luo Qingdao's eyes were alert.
However, that person slowly turned around, revealing half of his face.
"Lin Bufan, long time no see."
Lin Bufan stared sharply. "You're..."
In an instant, a vague memory surfaced in his mind.
When he was a teenager, he had been seriously ill and on the verge of death. That night, a man in a cloak had knelt in front of his mother's grave and said,
"Destiny Soul, do not awaken."
He couldn't recall what the man looked like, but at that moment, memories swept over him like a tsunami when he heard the voice!
"It's you?!"
The mysterious person smiled. "You really aren't dead."
"It seems...that you really are the descendant of 'that person.'"
Su Wumian's expression shifted, and his gaze became complicated.
Luo Qingdao, on the other hand, violently drew her sword and asked, "Who the hell are you?"
The other person gently waved his sleeve, sweeping away the aura at the mouth of the village and brushing away the intent to attack.
"Don't be nervous. I'm not here to kill anyone."
"I'm here to remind him—"
"The awakening of the life soul may not necessarily be a blessing."
Lin Bufan was just about to speak when a rumble came from his brain!
[System Alert: Destiny Soul Source Point reacts violently.]
Emotional resonance activated!
Reaction source: Target: "Mysterious Visitor"
Related keywords: Legacy Race, Broken Vein, Forbidden One
"Whose legacy clan are you really?"
Lin Bufan asked in a low voice, his tone unprecedentedly grave.
However, the other party just laughed and slowly walked away.
"If you want to know, come to Qingzhou City."
Once you're there, someone will naturally tell you who you really are."
[Act 3: System Alteration: Destiny Soul Re-Upgrade]
The man's figure disappeared completely into the mountains and forests, but Lin Bu Fan felt a burning sensation in his chest.
"Ding! System Alteration!"
Fate Soul Resonance Points have been triggered!
Unlocked: Fate Soul Phrase: "Fate Source Tracing — Beginning Stage"
You can now open the side quest, 'The Source Seeker's Path.'
Does this open the route? (√)
Lin Bufan took a deep breath and tapped "Confirm."
The next second, he felt as if a crack had opened in his brain. A blurry figure surfaced in the depths of the Sea of Consciousness.
"The Heaven Breaking Destroyer will eventually move toward his own destiny."
"Freedom or destruction, the choice is yours."
Lin Bufan remained silent for a moment and suddenly smiled.
"Destiny? I never believed in that stuff."
"But I will thwart any attempt to control my 'destiny.'"
[Epilogue: Mountain Village Night Talk]
That night, the three of them returned to the village and resumed their duties as elders.
Lin Bu Fan didn't mention the mysterious man.
However, he was more determined than ever about one thing:
The "soul of life" in his body is by no means simple.
At that moment, far away in another mountain, a silhouette looked at the night sky and muttered in a low voice,
"The first Fate Soul Awakening has appeared."
"The game of chess has fallen, and the game will finally begin."