五月丁香五月丁香激情

Some time ago, the Chaotic Fate Practitioner emerged, and Shi Yunjing was ordered to hunt them down. He had been stationed in Zhi Lan Valley ever since. He originally thought that his target wouldn’t last long under the pressure and would soon flee, but unexpectedly, nearly a month had passed with no trace of them. Not only that, but the once-chaotic Heaven\'s Fate Divine Domain had stabilized significantly.

Realizing that his target wouldn’t surface anytime soon, Shi Yunjing arranged for subordinates to keep watch and boarded a flying Source Beast to return to Destiny Hall. A long absence had left many affairs piling up, requiring his immediate attention.

As he reminisced about his quarters in Destiny Hall, a faint smile appeared on his face. He had remained unmarried throughout his life, with no wife or children, and had not purchased a property. Instead, he lived in a room within Destiny Hall. Although not large, the room was meticulously decorated with various formations: defense arrays, energy-gathering formations, and concealment formations—over a dozen in total.

This was not out of fear of assassination or cowardice but tied to his cultivation path. He practiced Treasured Destiny, a technique that allowed him to break through his cultivation bottlenecks by collecting rare artifacts and valuable treasures. As the esteemed Hall Master of Destiny Hall in the Zouyi Dynasty, his lofty status made treasure collection relatively easy. Consequently, his quarters were filled with precious jade, agate, ancient paintings, calligraphy, and even a variety of porcelain items.

These treasures were his lifeblood. Every time he returned home, he would meticulously clean them, taking more care than he did for his own bath.

“It’s been days since I’ve seen my treasures. I’ll give them a thorough cleaning when I get back,” Shi Yunjing thought with a smile. Thinking of his collection, the fatigue and exhaustion from the past few days seemed to dissipate.

“Hurry up. Fly faster, and I’ll reward you with something delicious later,” he urged, standing atop the beast’s back, hands clasped behind him, gazing forward.

Soon, the sprawling Zouyi City appeared in his sight. Towering stone walls and bustling streets teeming with people showcased the city’s prosperity.

“Chirp, chirp!”

Hearing the command, the Source Beast nodded, flapping its wings like a meteor streaking across the sky. In just over ten breaths, the towering buildings of Destiny Hall came into view.

“Finally, I’m home…”

Excitement flushed Shi Yunjing’s face red at the thought of soon seeing his treasures. As he prepared to leap from the beast’s back, he noticed Elder Zhu Xun rushing out of a room with a group of people, looking anxious.

Shi Yunjing frowned. Elder Zhu was usually calm and composed. Why was he so flustered today?

As he wondered, more elders came running out, all equally panicked. Shi Yunjing grew displeased. His absence seemed to have made everyone restless and unsettled.

Just as he was about to reprimand them, a loud “Boom!” came from the towering, sturdy Destiny Hall in front of him. The entire building collapsed in an instant. Rooms crumbled, and in the blink of an eye, it was reduced to rubble.

“???”

Shi Yunjing froze, darkness clouding his vision. He almost fell off the Source Beast in disbelief.

“I was gone for a bit… and my home is gone?”

“My jade, my treasures, my collection…”

Unable to hold it in, he felt his chest tighten and spat out a mouthful of blood. These items were the culmination of his life’s work. Could they have all been destroyed in the collapse of Destiny Hall?

---

Rewind to a few minutes earlier, inside the room:

Zhang Xuan was absorbing Heaven\'s Fate Energy at an astonishing speed. The entire River of Destiny seemed to flow backward, and countless golden koi fish surged madly into his body. This made everyone else incredibly anxious.

“It’s truly impossible to compete with Teacher… He’s too outrageous!”

“We need to focus on finding our own Heaven\'s Fate and extract as much as possible,” Luo Ruoxi called out urgently.

“Understood!”

Everyone knew time was running out. Setting aside any reservations, they began madly absorbing the Heaven\'s Fate energy from their respective alignments.

Boom!

Over a dozen prodigies, all surpassing the Imperial Grade, simultaneously absorbed Heaven\'s Fate energy. It was as if multiple whirlpools had formed in the river, splitting its once-surging flow into countless tributaries. The River of Destiny, now riddled with gaps, teetered on the brink of collapse.

Feeling the instability, Zhang Xuan opened his eyes and slowed his absorption. Although he needed the energy, he was willing to compromise if it meant others could make significant progress.

However, the others showed no restraint. Especially Luo Ruoxi and Luo Qiqi, whose energy-devouring speed rivaled Zhang Xuan’s.

Boom!

With their simultaneous absorption, the river’s illusionary form could no longer hold. The stone tablet engraved with runes inside the room emerged, and tremors rippled across the floor.

The River of Destiny was not entirely real but a projection extracted from the main river. To maintain it, Destiny Hall’s formations were used to balance the energy flow. With the river’s collapse, that balance was disrupted, triggering an uncontrollable chain reaction—like demolishing a building’s load-bearing wall.

“This group of lunatics…” Zhang Xuan sighed helplessly.

Although his absorption was aggressive, he had some regard for balance. These people, however, had obliterated the foundation of Destiny Hall in their frenzy.

"Just look at them… How did I end up with such reckless students?"

It was too late to stop anything now.

With the collapse underway, not even the strongest cultivator could prevent the destruction. And with Zhang Xuan\'s current strength, there was no way he could stabilize the situation.

"Forget it. Once the formation breaks, the Heaven\'s Fate Energy will dissipate into the world. Instead of wasting it, we might as well absorb everything!"

After pondering briefly, Zhang Xuan decided to follow his principle of avoiding waste and continued to absorb the remaining energy alongside the others.

In the span of just over ten breaths, the room—which had held nearly seventy to eighty million strands of Heaven\'s Fate Energy—was drained to the last drop. Zhang Xuan himself only absorbed around thirty million strands, less than half of the total, while the rest was divided among the others.

Immersed in the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Despite absorbing so much energy, he still hadn’t broken through to the Second Stage of Pathos of Heaven. The energy demands of this cultivation path were truly immense.

Lifting his gaze, he glanced at the others. Luo Ruoxi, Luo Qiqi, Yuan Tao, Liu Yang, and the rest were all radiating dazzling light as they gained insight into their own Heaven\'s Fate. Their auras surged rapidly, marking significant progress.

Boom!

Luo Ruoxi was the first to break through. Behind her, a Dharma Aspect emerged, appearing as a saintly figure floating in the void, pure and ethereal beyond compare.

Following her lead, Luo Qiqi, Yuan Tao, Liu Yang, Lu Chong, and Wei Ruyan also broke through one after another. In just a few breaths, everyone had reached the Ninth Level of the Source Pool Realm—Dharma Aspect.

The comprehension of Heaven\'s Fate had significantly bolstered their cultivation, allowing them to ascend rapidly.

"Not bad," Zhang Xuan said with a satisfied nod.

Having gained Heaven\'s Fate and achieved enough strength, this group no longer required his protection. They could now explore the Source World and make their mark.

Rumble!

With their breakthroughs and the complete absorption of the Heaven’s Fate Energy, the examination room could no longer hold together. It crumbled completely, the collapse reverberating through the surroundings.

"Be careful!"

Zhang Xuan waved his hand, forming a protective barrier around everyone. Once they were safe, he finally exhaled in relief.

---

Meanwhile, at the distant and enigmatic Destiny Hall headquarters...

The once-in-a-century Heaven\'s Fate Selection Competition was underway.

"I hope everyone will give it their all. The top three winners will have the opportunity to inherit the secrets of the Key of Destiny!"

Hovering above the stage, an elder with a halo around his head spoke, his serene voice spreading like a gentle spring rain, penetrating the hearts of all present.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“The Key of Destiny?”

“That’s the power to break the Fate Lock! Once inherited, one can control the laws of cultivation in the heavens and earth, becoming one of the strongest figures of the era. I must succeed!”

“That belongs to me, Hao Tianyi! I am the most outstanding genius in this world!”

“Nonsense! It’s mine, Murong Feng’s! My ancestor was once a Hall Master of Destiny Hall. I’ve inherited his bloodline and am born to claim this legacy!”

“Bloodline means nothing! I, Xuanyuan Mu, am the true chosen of Heaven’s Fate. The rest of you might as well stop dreaming!”

The audience erupted in a commotion.

Destiny Hall commanded countless Heaven\'s Fate Masters and controlled countless fates, but only one stood at the pinnacle—the fate of Source.

Among the Eight Eternal Heavens’ Fates, the Key of Destiny represented the most powerful branch of Source’s fate. While not the root itself, it could unlock the Fate Lock imprisoning the heavens and earth. This was a power countless cultivators dreamed of but could never attain.

“The competition begins now!”

Satisfied with the crowd\'s enthusiasm, the elder in the sky nodded and waved his hand. A stage abruptly appeared in the void, encased in a special barrier.

“Your cultivation is too strong. Without the barrier, your clashes might cause spatial disturbances and endanger the Source World. Inside this barrier, you can unleash your full strength.”

“Yes!”

The crowd responded in unison. As the elder finished speaking, two young men stepped forward.

“I am Xuanyuan Mu.”

“Murong Feng.”

The two geniuses stood tall and proud, prepared to face off. However, before they could exchange blows, the spherical dome above them flickered, and a thin, dragon-like line streaked across it.

The line shimmered like lightning, stretching from north to south, as though splitting the space itself. At the same time, the ground beneath their feet glowed brilliantly. A majestic River of Destiny suddenly materialized in the air, radiating the brilliance of countless stars.

Startled, both combatants froze, unable to take their eyes off the spectacle.

“What…? Someone has independently comprehended the Supreme Secret of Source\'s Fate? This… this is impossible!”

Hovering mid-air, the elder\'s pupils contracted, his face filled with utter disbelief.

Author\'s Note