Chen Yinyin stood still, speechless. The strange happenings at Taishan Mountain were beginning to overwhelm her. Though she had once been a Sovereign, those powers belonged to a life long past. Now, she was weak and had to tread carefully. She could no longer trust this place.
It wasn't safe here, not anymore.
As she turned to leave, Xie Ren's voice rang out behind her.
"Little girl, become my disciple. I'll help you take revenge. The Sovereign realm is not some distant dream. It's just the starting point for someone truly strong!"
Chen Yinyin froze, her thoughts spinning. The Sovereign realm is just the beginning? She couldn't help but laugh inwardly. This man certainly had a big mouth.
"Sir, you're only at Qi Refining. How dare you speak so boldly?" she shot back.
In that moment, Chen Yinyin had unknowingly softened her tone toward him, calling him "sir." She hadn't meant to, but the way he carried himself, so confident, was hard to ignore.
Xie Ren arched an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Little girl, do you think Qi Refining is weak? Then tell me, why haven't you managed to land a single hit on me?"
Chen Yinyin's expression wavered. "That's... That must be trickery. There's no way I could lose to someone at Qi Refinement."
"That's what every weak person says." He casually said.
She narrowed her eyes, regarding Xie Ren warily. "Why do you want to take me as a disciple?"
"Because you're beautiful, oh, wait, no, it's because we're destined to meet!" Xie Ren replied with a grin, giving half a truth and twisting it into a playful lie.
Chen Yinyin stiffened at his answer.
"I'm not destined to be your disciple. This is where our paths part," she said firmly, turning to walk away.
She had no interest in being ogled by a scoundrel like Xie Ren every day. Her own mission, her need for vengeance, consumed her thoughts. She did not have time to indulge in this nonsense. Plus, she had to cut off his hand that had smacked her back repeatedly.
But Xie Ren wasn't ready to let her go so easily.
"Little girl, where will you go after leaving here? Aren't you worried your enemies will find you and kill you before you have the chance to grow stronger?"
Chen Yinyin halted, her eyes flashing coldly as she turned to face him. "If I become your disciple, can I kill you? After killing you, can I become the Sect Leader of Taishan Sect? Can I control the protective mountain formation?"
She had come to Taishan Mountain to find peace and focus on her cultivation. She intended to spend the next thousand years honing her strength to take back what's her. She didn't need distractions, but now, this proposition stirred something in her. She believed this formation had to do something with Xie Ren great strength.
Xie Ren tilted his head, his voice playful. "You can, but there's one thing you should know, if you fail to kill me, you'll have to accept the punishment like before, for attacking your Master."
Chen Yinyin's expression darkened.
"Fine," she said without hesitation. Once she regained her peak power, she would handle him easily.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Xie Ren grinned. "Come and bow to me as your Master!"
Chen Yinyin shot Xie Ren a sharp glare. This scoundrel actually had the gall to make her call him "Master."
She clenched her fists, resisting the urge to lash out. But, she would endure it for now. Once she regained her powers, she'd find a way to make him regret this. She'd hang him up, make him call her "Master" a thousand times.
"Disciple Chen Yinyin, pays respects to Master," she said, her tone cold and with a forced smile.
As the words left her lips, a system notification chimed in Xie Ren's mind.
[Congratulation to host for successfully accepting Chen Yinyin as a disciple. You have received the SSS-Grade Disciple Gift Pack]
[Cultivation +20 levels]
[Luck Points: +5000]
[Received: Earth-grade low-level martial technique: Mountain Crushing Divine Finger 1x]
[Received: Divine-grade technique: Silent Soul Scripture 1x,]
[New feature added!]
[True Nirvana Gate has fused with the host! Its divine sight pierces the veil of fate, allowing the host to seek out the Child of Destiny and perceive the essence of all creation.]
[Special reward: The System Shop is now accessible! The "Hunting the Child of Destiny" function has been awakened!]
[The host may seize the Child of Destiny's luck and opportunities by suppressing or eliminating them. Luck Points may be expended within the System Shop. However, the host is forbidden from claiming the Child of Destiny's opportunities for themselves, these must be bestowed upon one's disciples. Otherwise, the host will die!]
[The martial technique Mountain Crushing Divine Finger has been fully mastered.]
[The host is advised to pass the Silent Soul Scripture to disciple Chen Yinyin so she can improve her cultivation.]
Xie Ren blinked, in amusement. "Child of Destiny…It's been a long time since I heard that phrase."
"System, why can't I use the child of destiny's opportunities?" he asked.
[It's due to the heavy restriction placed upon those opportunities. Once the Heavenly Dao notices you, it will attack you. The child of destiny's opportunity is a gift from the Heavenly Dao for them. If you interfere with it, the Heavenly Dao will notice you!]
"Heavenly Dao huh…" He muttered. "Why does it look like I'm going against heavenly Dao here?"
"Oh, this must be the surprise," He added. "system's other goal for raising a host."
[…]
[Yes. Hunting Child of Destiny is a side task.]
[The child of destiny is simply the Heavenly Dao's enforcer! Your true enemy is the Heavenly Dao itself.]
The system explain, The Heavenly Dao was the ruler of the entire world, the force that controlled the fate of all things. Opposing it meant certain doom. But Xie Ren didn't seem too shocked by the revelation, but it was the opposite, he was grinning.
"System, why do you wish for your host to go against the Heavenly Dao?" He casually asked.
[The Heavenly Dao is heartless. It sees all beings as nothing more than livestock. Those who follow it live; those who defy it die. The Heavenly Dao isn't a protector, it's a cage that locks this world in place!]
"I see, Chaos and order,"
...
[A/N: The conversation between system and xie ren is cannot be heard by others, something like internal communication.]