Chapter 5: Hua Lian
"Aerich Yu." While he was lost in thoughts of a glorious future if he had still been the protagonist, Aerich heard the elder call his name.
As soon as Aerich appeared in front of the Celestial Fate Stone, the crowd began to murmur.
"Is that him?" someone asked.
"It's my first time seeing the Young Master," someone from the Yu Family said. It wasn't surprising, as the Yu Family was large, and due to his status, not just anyone could meet him.
"Young Master is so handsome and cute," a pretty senior sister commented.
There were many similar remarks among the crowd. It was Aerich's first time being the center of attention, and the feeling was a little overwhelming. He couldn't help but feel flustered.
He could already sense people pointing at him and preparing to mock him for his lack of talent.
With a trembling hand, he placed his palm on the Celestial Fate Stone. The stone started to glow brightly, nearly blinding him, but the brightness was noticeable only to him as he stood closest to the stone.
Like everyone else who had awakened their talent, he experienced the same intensity from the stone slab.
"...Earth Fate," the elder announced loudly to the audience. But there was a slight hesitation in his voice, as he sensed the young man was from a prominent family in Yinhe Hollow Village.
"What?"
"Did I hear that right?"
"The Celestial Fate Stone must be broken..."
"Only commoners have Earth Fate! It's rare for a noble family's children to have Earth Fate, and even then, it's usually only illegitimate children..." said the head of the Shen Family.
Others had similar thoughts but didn't have the courage to voice them. Only other family heads dared speak openly without fearing consequences.
Yu Zhong opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. Unconsciously, he began gathering Qi in his hand, his aura intensifying.
Shen Longwei, the head of the Shen Family, also began gathering Qi in anticipation of Yu Zhong's attack.
The audience began to back away from the family heads' seats, knowing that if a fight broke out, mortals like them would be like ants waiting to be crushed by the mere release of Qi blanketing the battlefield. Their only hope now was the elder sent by the kingdom.
"Father." Aerich's calm voice cut through the tension.
"Please don't fight, or else everyone gathered here today will get hurt." Aerich addressed his father, keeping his voice steady to command attention.
Yu Zhong didn't care about the others, but with his son here, he temporarily dispersed the Qi gathering in his palm.
Before Shen Longwei could say anything, the elder continued, calling out the next name.
"Hua Lian."
Hearing Hua Lian's name was somewhat surprising. He had wondered why the girl hadn't been called yet, only to realize she was the last on the list.
'The system did say my protagonist status had been abolished and transferred to someone else. Rebirth of an empress... that's classic protagonist material,' he thought.
A little girl walked out from the crowd. She had her hair tied back in a ponytail and wore an expressionless face. But when she glanced at Aerich, a glimmer of curiosity appeared, possibly because things were unfolding differently from what she remembered.
However, Hua Lian didn't stare for long and looked away, perhaps attributing the changes to her rebirth as a butterfly effect.
Hua Lian approached the stage. Her father, the Hua Family Head, was visibly anxious. He loved his daughter but worried—what if her fate turned out similar to Aerich's?
Hua Lian placed her hand on the stone slab. Spiritual energy flowed from the slab into her palm, entering her meridians and initiating the awakening process. The light from the stone intensified, far surpassing the brightness seen when Aerich had awakened his fate.
"...Heavenly Fate." The elder's voice rang out, leaving the audience stunned.
There had been a brief hesitation before he announced it, leading many in the audience to expect "Earth Fate."
People's doubts and prejudice against Earth Fate stemmed from the fact that those with it were generally limited to the Foundation Building Realm, with a very slow energy absorption rate. What someone with Sky Fate could achieve in a year might take an Earth Fate cultivator five or six years, depending on their dedication to cultivation.
"What? Heavenly Fate!!" There was a loud exclamation from the crowd.
Hua Mei-Ling, the Hua Family Head, rushed onto the stage, scooped up Hua Lian, and spun her around joyously, disregarding his image.
Although he himself was of Sky Fate, with a Nascent Soul Realm limit, he was still in the Core Formation Realm. But a person of Heavenly Fate was different—they weren't bound by mortal restrictions and had the potential to ascend to the immortal realm.
Individuals with such fate were often considered Holy Sons or Daughters by top-tier sects.
Hua Mei-Ling could hardly believe his daughter possessed such fate. Even Hua Lian blushed, flustered by the attention showered upon her.
Sensing her embarrassment, Hua Mei-Ling gently set her down and turned to the elder, seeking protection from any threats.
He was wary of the family heads, fearing that jealousy might drive them to harm his daughter.
The elder, well-versed in the world of politics, knew the darkness in people's hearts. Often, one's own would betray them out of envy when they suddenly gained success.
"No one is permitted to harm Hua Lian. If I hear of any such act, the responsible individual or family will face complete annihilation," the elder declared, warning the other prominent families of Yinhe Hollow Village.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhong quietly took his son and left with their family guards, unnoticed amid the crowd, who were busy flattering the Hua Family Head. Once the weakest of the four families, it was now clear that news of Hua Lian's Heavenly Fate would elevate them once it reached the ears of the top-tier sects.
Aerich turned to glance one last time at Hua Lian. She was surrounded by her family guards, with the elder from the kingdom standing nearby to protect her.
He felt no envy, knowing that being the center of attention often brought trouble. Without sufficient strength, it would be nearly impossible for her to guard against the internal and external threats that awaited her.