Chapter 102: More Mystery

The old man gazed once more in Yu Xuan’s direction — though now, unlike before, he could clearly see the golden thread attached to him. It shimmered faintly, trailing off into the distance.

But beneath that brilliance, he noticed something else.

A faint, dark aura nestled deep within Yu Xuan’s spirit — twisted and unnatural. A curse. Nasty, subtle, old. Its origin was hidden, but its presence undeniable.

He exhaled slowly.

"Troublesome," he muttered.

Yet what made him sigh even deeper were the entangled lines of affection surrounding Yu Xuan’s fate.

Dozens of delicate threads, shimmering in shades of pink and red, coiled toward the youth like moths to a flame.

"So many love lines... This child’s karma is an entangled mess, what the hell did he do in his past."

His gaze lingered.

Among those threads, one pulsed faintly as if trying to hide, a connection from the Elemental Heaven Peak. But from his view everything was visible.

That young girl, trying hard to suppress her feelings, as though her heart hadn’t already betrayed her.

He shook his head.



"My disciple truly chose someone with a mountain of complications," he murmured, almost affectionately. But that was precisely why he had come.

The primary purpose of his visit wasn’t to meddle in love... but to sever the bond he couldn’t allow to linger.

The connection between Yu Xuan and his disciple. Not out of disdain, but respect. He wished for her to choose freely, without the burden of fate weighing down her will. But it seems fate really had other plans.

With that, the old man retrieved an obsidian-black dagger. Its blade glinted with immortal runes that hadn’t been seen for ages. He made a small cut across his palm, and out flowed golden blood — thicker than water, glowing with divine essence.

The drop hovered before him, suspended in the air like a miniature sun.

In a long-forgotten tongue, he chanted softly. The air around him shimmered, resonating with the power of the old language.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the golden blood dissolved into a fine mist, scattering over the karmic threads around Yu Xuan.

Slowly, each visible love-line faded from view, hidden from all but the highest realms of sight.

Only that nasty curse was in view, and he knew that the little girl would already have knowledge about it and it was her problem to solve that.

Now, unless someone of comparable strength tried to pry into Yu Xuan’s fate, they would see only the mundane: a talented, if not unusual, disciple with no grand destiny.

And that was the point.

Because in this Heaven...

He was the strongest Diviner.

Just then, a flicker of light shimmered beside him. The artifact spirit Tianling appeared.

"Was it really necessary?" he asked. "That boy carries the mark of immortal fate."

The old man didn’t even turn to face him. "Yes. Especially because of that."

He watched Yu Xuan from afar, the boy now peacefully sleeping.

"We don’t know when those dark bastards might come for him," he said, voice low. "Even though he’s still young... fate doesn’t wait."

Tianling was silent. They had known each other for a long time, and he could tell from his tone that the old man had already made up his mind.



And then, like a wisp of incense in the wind, the old man vanished without a trace — leaving behind only the lingering scent of mystery.

***

Oblivious to the schemes of bigshots happening in the background, Yu Xuan awoke from his restful slumber.

Still groggy, he stumbled out of bed to relieve himself, and as he did, he couldn’t help but think, "Did more than just waste leave my body? Even my impurities feel like they’ve taken a hike."

He stretched and yawned, muttering to himself, "That food was really something special..." mentally jotting down a reminder to visit the mysterious middle-aged man’s stall again, unaware that he never could.

After bathing and freshening up, Yu Xuan decided he wanted a quiet start to his day.

No noise, no drama. Only peace.

He wandered to the outskirts of town, where nature still reigned.

Eventually, he arrived at a tranquil river basin, its waters a calm and ethereal shade of blue, the kind of color that looked like it belonged in a painting. Nearby stood a solitary tree with wide branches casting a soothing shade.

Yu Xuan sat cross-legged beneath it.

Taking in the serene atmosphere, he closed his eyes and began to breathe in a practiced rhythm, activating his breathing technique — Primordial Breath.

His goal was simple: to make this breathing method second nature, as instinctive as normal breath. The more he did it, the closer he’d get to mastery.

As he inhaled, the spiritual energy around him coalesced, swirling toward his body like a gentle vortex. With every exhale, he released refined streams of energy back into the air. It was a steady cycle, quiet and calming.

Until it wasn’t.

Just as Yu Xuan was reaching a state of calm focus, a small splash interrupted the silence.

A mischievous fish, no longer than his palm and with a ridiculously tiny mouth, peeked out from the river. It blinked at him with curious eyes.

"Huh?" Yu Xuan opened one eye.

The fish suddenly puffed up its cheeks which looked funny, and—

SPLASH!



A perfectly aimed ball of water launched directly into Yu Xuan’s nose.

He recoiled immediately, flailing slightly as he sputtered and coughed. His meditative state? Shattered. His peace? Gone.

"What the hell was that for?!" he exclaimed, glaring at the river.

The fish made a triumphant flip in the air before vanishing back into the water with a smug splash.

Wiping his face with his sleeve, Yu Xuan muttered, "I swear this world’s getting weirder day by day..."

But somewhere deep down, he was smiling.

***

(Author’s Explanation)

[A/E]: Fate, Destiny and karma are all three different concepts, so don’t get confused, I will give the basic explanation and the remaining will be known as the story progresses.

Karma: The consequence of one’s action, your past karma even previous life’s may affect the present karma and present karma may in-turn affect the future karma. This is a continuous cycle, until true death.

Destiny: Destiny is usually something that one achieves or reaches, though action(karma) is necessary for that to happen. People with strong destiny usually stand out from the rest, like protagonist. Heaven and Earth itself helps those destined, but destiny is changeable.

Fate: It is predestined, bound to happen.