The power of fate, even in a fantasy world, remains an enigmatic and unfathomable force.
Before Wang Rui transmigrated, he was not a fan of metaphysics and knew nothing about concepts like the I Ching or Eight Trigrams in his original world. It was only after transmigration, with an extra eye on his forehead, that he slowly explored and discovered how to wield this power.
He crudely divided the world perceived by the Eye of Fate into two parts: "Fate" and "Fortune."
Fate was akin to threads of a spiderweb, linking people to each other or to objects. It roughly corresponded to causality and affinity. The intersections of these threads formed nodes, representing events that had happened or were about to happen to an individual.
Fortune, on the other hand, represented the luck or trajectory of a country, region, or individual. It was a broader trend, visualized as floating, flowing clouds of light in various colors. The density and abundance of this light directly influenced how favorable one's luck would be.
Fortune and fate were interdependent and inseparable. Fortune influenced the formation of fate, while fate, in turn, altered fortune.
However, the violet-haired, red-clad senior was an anomaly. Though connected by threads of causality, she lacked the light clouds representing personal fortune.
This was bizarre.
Wang Rui frowned. Even the unluckiest person he had encountered had some fortune clouds surrounding them.
He had seen something similar before—the infamous "Ultimate Jinx," Star Douluo's Heavenfiend Douluo, Huang Jinxu. His martial soul was outrageously unique—a celestial phenomenon known as the "Heavenfiend Lone Star." After his birth, Huang's mother died, followed by his father at age eight, severing all familial ties.
Heavenfiend Douluo grew up alone, wild, and untamed. He had no family or friends, and his threads of causality were almost nonexistent. However, faint, blood-red fortune clouds still floated around him.
Another exception was Wang Rui's puppet clone, Di Feng.
When observed through the Eye of Fate, Emperor Feng had threads of causality connected to him, but as a puppet, he possessed no fortune of his own.
The only other possibility was a recently deceased corpse. A dead person's fortune dissipates, but their threads of causality persist due to the memories and affections of their surviving loved ones.
But the senior was clearly alive. Could she be a puppet like Emperor Feng? Wang Rui's brow furrowed. Did Shrek Academy possess the technology to create such a puppet? Even if they did, the materials required would be incredibly rare.
"First-year student Wang Dong, versus first-year student An Wen." The violet-haired girl's voice was cold and detached, devoid of emotion, almost mechanical in its monotony.
"The match begins."
As soon as she spoke, the girl floated backward out of the arena like a weightless leaf or a graceful bird.
Wang Dong and An Wen immediately activated their martial souls.
The moment Wang Dong's dazzling butterfly wings unfurled, a subtle ripple finally surfaced in the girl's previously calm, bottomless eyes.
"Butterflies..." She tilted her head, gazing at the wings with pure longing, whispering, "So beautiful."
When she moved, a faint spark of electricity flashed beneath her feet.
Lightning attributes?
The most famous lightning attribute character in the original story was Bei Bei. Could she be from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?
A glint of cold vigilance flashed in Wang Rui's eyes.
Even from a distance, he could sense the terrifying explosive power contained in her faint lightning aura. This power was so potent that it made him wary. Her lightning attribute was clearly far superior to ordinary lightning martial souls—close to the extreme, or perhaps already at the extreme.
The priority now was to investigate her identity. If she stood with Shrek and couldn't be recruited, then... Wang Rui crossed his arms and tapped his finger lightly against his elbow.
Although the Star Dou Forest feared no one, Wang Rui would prefer to avoid unexpected, powerful opponents during this critical period.
As Wang Rui contemplated the lightning attribute senior, Huo Yuqing was secretly watching him.
A strange, sour pang of disappointment stirred within her heart.
Wang Rui was handsome, had a good personality, and was exceptionally strong. Surely, plenty of beautiful girls admired him. She wondered what kind of girl he might like.
"Who cares what kind he likes? You better hurry up!" Tianmeng Iceworm urged her in her mind. "Don't humans say something about seizing opportunities? You're already living under the same roof as him and even have the cheat of a martial soul fusion skill! If you let him slip away, I'll laugh at you... Go get him!"
Huo Yiqing ignored him.
The girl blinked, tugging lightly at Wang Rui's sleeve. "Hey, Rui Rui, who do you think will win?"
"Hmm?" Wang Rui's attention returned to her.
In the arena, Wang Dong and An Wen had already begun fighting.
This time, Wang Dong had learned his lesson and flew high into the air, far out of An Wen's reach.
Even with her absurd "stepping-on-her-own-foot" flying technique, An Wen couldn't touch Wang Dong as he soared high above.
After a few attempts, she gave up, simply raising her head and squinting at him.
Wang Rui suddenly recalled a black tiger cub pouncing on butterflies in a flower field. After failing several times, it sat down on the ground in frustration.
"It's hard to say," he said with a smile. "An Wen's approach is to weaken his opponent and enhance himself with soul skills, then rely on melee combat and spear techniques. Such a path naturally lacks long-range attack capabilities. But Wang Dong might also struggle to hit him. However, the Radiant Goddess Butterfly martial soul is powerful; flying seems instinctive and doesn't consume soul power. This match is now a battle of patience and composure. Whoever loses their cool first will likely lose."
Just then, An Wen's sole yellow soul ring flashed.
In mid-air, Wang Dong's body suddenly wobbled as if he was about to fall. His wings flapped frantically before he managed to stabilize himself.
"What was that..." Huo Yiqing saw through her spiritual detection that Wang Dong's blue-pink eyes had turned completely black, as if veiled by shadows.
An Wen's first soul skill, Veil of Shadows!
The skill's effect was simple: it created a curtain-like shadow in front of the opponent, blocking light and causing temporary blindness.
At lower soul master levels, where spiritual detection was rare, this skill was exceptionally powerful. The momentary panic caused by sudden blindness could easily lead to fatal openings.
The audience erupted into a commotion.
The spectators, clearly noticing Wang Dong's abnormal state, began discussing how they would handle such a skill if they encountered it. The martial spirit-rich Shrek students were brimming with ideas.
"This skill isn't entirely unbeatable. Your spiritual detection sharing alone counters it," Wang Rui shrugged. "If a soul master can rely on spiritual power, heightened senses, or large-area attack skills, this move loses much of its potency."
If Wang Dong remained calm and continued circling An Wen from above, it would still be hard for her to claim victory.
But did Wang Dong have the composure for that? Could he handle the fear brought by sudden blindness? Could he remain level-headed and continue to spar with her while unable to see?
Probably not.