The forest clearing was still, the thick trees around them casting long shadows as the evening light faded. Lin Feng and Elder Shui remained hidden, watching the young mortal in the centre of the clearing. The faint blue glow from the small bottle in his hands illuminated his face, revealing a mix of awe and nervousness.
Elder Shui's gaze was fixed on the bottle. Her experience told her this item was no ordinary trinket; it radiated a rare, subtle power. Lin Feng, meanwhile, assessed the mortal before him, noting the bright red fortune strands surrounding him. To think a lowly mortal would stumble upon such a treasure, Lin Feng mused. Fortune works in mysterious ways.
At Lin Feng's signal, Elder Shui stepped forward, startling the young man, who clutched the bottle tighter, his eyes widening as Lin Feng emerged from the shadows with a calm, commanding presence.
The man's voice trembled as he took a step back. "W-What… What do you want?"
Lin Feng's eyes met his coldly. "The bottle," he said simply. "Where did you get it?"
The young man swallowed hard, his fear evident as he stammered, "It... it was given to me. By a cultivator who owed my father a debt. My father saved him when he was wounded, and in return, he left this… He said it was a token of his gratitude, but I didn't know it was valuable…"
Elder Shui's gaze lingered on the bottle. "Do you even know what this contains?" she asked, her tone calm yet probing.
The man blinked, his confusion showing plainly. "I... I thought it might be worth something, so I came to sell it. I need money…"
Lin Feng's gaze grew colder. So, he really has no idea what he holds, he thought, watching as the red threads of fortune around the man began to fade to a dull orange.
Elder Shui turned to Lin Feng, her expression serious. "Young Master, this bottle contains the Ocean's Pulse. It is the distilled essence of the ocean's tides, stabilizing Qi flow and enhancing breakthroughs for water-path cultivators. With it, one could cultivate with the rhythm of water, adapting and flowing like the tides themselves."
A small smirk appeared on Lin Feng's lips. Such a treasure suits Elder Shui's path perfectly. He glanced at her, making his decision.
"Take it," he said firmly. "This gift will allow you to reach the fifth rank. You've earned it."
Elder Shui's surprise was fleeting, replaced by a deep bow of gratitude. "Thank you, Young Master. Your generosity is beyond measure."
The young mortal looked between them in growing fear and confusion, clutching the bottle as if it could protect him. Panic flashed in his eyes as he began to understand that he'd been holding something of immense value.
"What… What are you going to do with me?" he whispered.
Lin Feng's face hardened. "Did you really think you could sell this and walk away?" he asked, his voice low and menacing. The red strands surrounding the man dimmed further, fading to a pale orange, then a sickly blue.
"Please… I didn't know…" he whispered, his voice breaking.
Lin Feng took a step forward, seizing him by the throat with a swift, precise movement. The mortal gasped, his hands clawing helplessly at Lin Feng's grip as his breath was choked from him. Lin Feng's eyes remained cold, observing the shifting colors in the man's strands of fortune as he struggled for his life.
In another world, Lin Feng thought, a trace of dark amusement touching his lips, this man might have drunk the entire Ocean's Pulse himself, gaining the power to become a formidable water-path cultivator. He chuckled to himself. The irony wasn't lost on him; the fate that had blessed this mortal with such fortune was, at this very moment, stripping it all away.
As he watched the man's blue fortune strands flicker, Lin Feng found himself recalling something even darker. This wasn't the first life I've taken… nor the most difficult, he reflected, his eyes narrowing slightly. In his family's brutal training, he had been forced to kill and abandon his morals. During those years, he'd been thrust into a world where compassion was a weakness, and mercy meant certain death. In those early days, he'd clung to his morals—until the elders had broken him of that habit. A chill ran through him, remembering the fear, the desperation, and how he'd cast aside his humanity just to survive.
A faint laugh escaped him. How naive I was then, thinking I could live honorably in a world built on power and survival. Now, killing was simply part of his path—a necessary act, as trivial as stepping on a snake that dared to cross his way.
The blue strands of the mortal's fortune turned a sickly green, then faded to gray. Lin Feng tightened his grip, watching as the last threads of hope slipped away from the man's fortune, replaced by a deep, ominous black.
With a final squeeze, Lin Feng crushed the man's throat, ending his life. The clearing fell silent, and he let the lifeless body fall limply to the ground.
Elder Shui remained nearby, her face impassive, but her gaze held a touch of awe as she looked at Lin Feng. He raised his hand, summoning a flame that crackled to life in his palm—a dragon-shaped fire that burned intensely, casting a fierce, otherworldly glow over the scene.
Elder Shui's eyes widened, feeling the raw power radiating from the flame. "Young Master… I had no idea you could wield such potent flames…"
Lin Feng extinguished the fire with a flick of his wrist, casting her a sidelong glance and a faint smirk. "The Fire Dragon Fruit brought more benefits than I'd anticipated."
Elder Shui bowed, her respect deepening. "Your power is truly extraordinary, Young Master."
Lin Feng allowed himself a small smile as he looked down at the pile of ashes left behind. So this is what red fortune brings, he thought, a thrill running through him at the possibilities. If red can yield such a treasure, what secrets lie within purple or golden fortune? His heart pounded with ambition, a flame of determination igniting within him.
Soon, he would face the prodigies of the Divine Beast Academy, powerful young cultivators from lands as distant as the Phoenix Continent and the Dragon Isles. He would need every advantage he could gather, every fortune he could seize, to rise above them and surpass his brothers in the Starfall Family. Each step, each calculated act, brought him closer to his goal.
"Come, Elder Shui," he said, his voice steady. "There's still much to prepare for."
As they left the clearing, Lin Feng felt the weight of destiny settle over him—a destiny he would bend to his will. The mortal had been merely a pawn. In a world ruled by power, secrets, and strength, he would ensure his path shone the brightest, his flame outlasting all others.