A look of understanding dawned on Li Qingxian’s face, and he smiled faintly.
Magical Power surged in his hand. He used the most basic Destiny Measuring Technique and threw the dice he was holding.
’Let this be a six.’
The dice landed with the six facing up.
The Stone Man leaped lightly, landing on the Martial Arts Hall.
The other nine residences all disappeared.
The mist further ahead dissipated, revealing ten new squares.
A Destiny Star hovered over each square.
Step two: choose a Destiny Star.
The Destiny Stars were originally blurry, but when Li Qingxian looked with his Spiritual Eye, they all became clear.
The corners of Li Qingxian’s mouth curled up. ’Without a powerful Spiritual Eye or a special Life Artifact, I’d have to expend Magical Power to perform Inference on each Destiny Star one by one. If I consume too much Magical Power now, the three difficulties in the later stages will become a true calamity.’
The ten Destiny Stars, from nearest to farthest, were: Refined Iron Forging a Sword, Deep Roots and Lush Leaves, Microscale Submerged Grass, Raging Furnace Fire, Mountain Range Cross-Cut, Rusty Sword Re-sharpened, Tall Tree Holding Up the Sky, Great River’s Flood, True Fire in the Cauldron, and Ten Peaks Towering.
Li Qingxian examined the ten Destiny Stars one by one, constantly contemplating the effects they would have if placed in the Destiny Gentleman’s Life Mansion.
’Two Gold Destiny Stars are already enough. Any more Gold Fate, and it will be too rigid and easily broken.’
’Gold overcomes Wood, so I can’t choose a Wood one. Although Fire overcomes Gold, a small fire refines gold...’
’And while Gold gives birth to Water, this person’s primary fate is Gold, with Water being secondary. Choosing Water would be putting the cart before the horse...’
’Overall, choosing an Earth Fate or a minor Fire Fate would be best, but I also have to consider other factors like the Life Pillar and Life Mansion.’
Li Qingxian stared at Ten Peaks Towering for a long time before deciding against using the All-Purpose Jade Pendant and choosing Mountain Range Cross-Cut instead.
A Fate Technique verse reads: Mountain Range Cross-Cut obstructs the flow of water, nurturing the mountain, the wood, and fattening the fish.
He threw the dice again. The Destiny Gentleman leaped up and landed on the square containing Mountain Range Cross-Cut. The Destiny Star shot straight into its Life Mansion, landing on the Moon Pillar.
Li Qingxian sensed that the Destiny Gentleman’s Treasure Basin and Mountain Range Cross-Cut had formed a new, subtle connection.
Mountain Range Cross-Cut blocked external calamities, completely eliminating the Treasure Basin’s flaw.
Furthermore, Earth gives birth to Gold, so the Treasure Basin and Iron Pestle Grinding Needle Destiny Stars were enhanced by at least fifty percent.
Once the Destiny Star was chosen, ten more squares appeared ahead, with a person standing on each.
Step three: choose a Master.
There were signs next to each of the ten people: Jiangdong Pirate King, Northern Hegemon, Martial Arts Hall Master, Martial Arts Family Head, Fallen Marquis, Hermit Elder, Capital Camp General, Border Army Governor, Minister of War, and Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch.
Li Qingxian glanced at the last four and immediately dismissed them. ’Classic traps.’
’A Destiny Gentleman from a Martial Arts Hall background simply can’t withstand the turmoil caused by those four major figures. If he had a submissive Water Fate or a sturdy and stable Earth Fate, there might be a chance. But with a Gold Fate, entering one of those great powers means the slightest misstep will lead to losing the entire game.’
’Forget the Pirate King. The Martial Arts Hall Master is redundant. Wait, the Pirate King...’
Li Qingxian thought of his Treasure Basin, which would be a good match for the identity of a Pirate King’s disciple. But unfortunately, becoming an outlaw was always the last resort.
Li Qingxian’s gaze fell upon the Fallen Marquis and the Hermit Elder.
’The Martial Arts Family Head looks good, but a Patriarch is still a Patriarch; he’ll give more resources to his own family. This Fallen Marquis and the Hermit Elder are interesting in the same way as the Pirate King. Besides their Martial Arts, both must have a wealth of experience and be intricately connected to all sorts of fortuitous encounters...’
So, Li Qingxian used Observing Fate and Qi to perform Inference on the Fate Grids of the Fallen Marquis and the Hermit Elder.
’Interesting...’
Li Qingxian hadn’t expected the Fallen Marquis to be hiding the potential for a comeback, while the Hermit Elder had a significant Martial Arts faction backing him.
’Both are good choices. But while it’s called choosing a Master, it’s really choosing a life path. Is this Destiny Gentleman suited for the slaughter of military life, or the path of the Martial Arts World? Personally, I prefer the carefree path of the Martial Arts World, but the times are different. The current trend is for martial artists to seize military power and ride the dragon to ascend. That’s the great tide of the era. I, or this Destiny Gentleman, could walk the carefree path, but as a Fate Master, I must prioritize fate!’
Li Qingxian decisively chose the Fallen Marquis.
The mist ahead parted again, once more revealing ten squares.
Step four: tread the path forward.
Different locations appeared on each square: Divine Capital Martial Arts Hall, the frontlines of two armies, escorting on the long road, the shifting sands of the desert, the vast ocean, a small border town, the Ministry of War, the Capital Camp, the Grand Imperial Palace, and a Martial Arts Dojo.
’According to the rules of the Promotion Map, the upcoming three difficulties and three joys will basically occur in one of these ten locations. The Martial Arts Dojo is actually the best, but since I chose to follow the great tide of the era, I must give it up.’
’The frontlines are the best for tempering a person, but the risk is too great. As for the Grand Imperial Palace... whoever thinks they have too long to live can choose that one...’
In the end, after considering the Fate Grids, the great tide of the era, and common sense, Li Qingxian chose the small border town.
Then, a screen of light that only Li Qingxian could see appeared behind the Destiny Gentleman, with shimmering text on it.
Origin: Son of a Martial Arts Hall Master.
Destiny Stars: Treasure Basin, Mountain Range Cross-Cut, Iron Pestle Grinding Needle.
Master: Fallen Marquis.
Destination: A small border town.
Taught personally by his father from a young age, he came from a wealthy family. He also happened to obtain a Bone Forging and Body Refining Treasure Medicine, giving him a solid foundation in basic Martial Arts. With Minor Mastery of his Martial Arts, he far surpassed his peers.
One day, he came across a drunken old man being beaten by thugs. He intervened to help and was unexpectedly gifted an Upper-Grade cultivation method, the Celestial Profound Skill, by the old man. He returned home to cultivate and broke directly into the Ninth Grade.
Later, the two met by chance on the street, and he discovered that the drunken old man was actually the Fallen Marquis. Seeing that the young man had achieved success with the Cultivation Technique, the Marquis took him in as a disciple and began to instruct him with great care.
The Fallen Marquis discovered that this young man cultivated diligently and had a profound foundation, so he taught him an additional Upper-Grade Saber Technique, the Great Star-Destroying Saber, and gifted him the Middle-Grade Treasure Saber, "Moon Resistance."
Having achieved some success in his studies, the young man was appointed as a Ninth-Grade County Captain and sent to the small border town of Beisha County.
Li Qingxian smiled faintly. The Great Star-Destroying Saber and Moon Resistance were clearly unexpected gains.
’The Treasure Basin Fate Grid makes it easier to obtain treasures, and Iron Pestle Grinding Needle made him cultivate diligently, earning the Marquis’s appreciation. The combination of the two is what upgraded the reward.’
’So that’s how it is. Some Fate Grids seem to only enhance one’s own Cultivation, but if the opportunity is right, they can attract the help of Benefactors, surpassing many so-called Fugui Fate Grids. It seems I need to re-evaluate what "Fugui" Fate Grids really are, and re-examine Destiny Stars related to diligent study and steady progress...’
While Li Qingxian was deep in thought inside his Fate Box, a lively discussion broke out on the Beast Bridge.
The people inside could only see their own small promotion path, but the people outside could clearly see all thirty-four promotion paths.
"That Bull Head is so reckless. He used up three Jade Pendants at the very beginning to choose the best origin, Destiny Star, and Master, without any consideration for whether the Destiny Gentleman can handle it. That guy... he won’t pass the second difficulty."
"That Panda Head is really impressive. With just a little Inference, even his random dice throws all end up matching the Destiny Gentleman’s Fate Grid."
"Who knows that White Deer Head? His Fate Skill is truly exquisite. Of course, it’s mainly because he has a lot of Life Artifacts."
"I actually prefer the life path the Cross-Eyed Dog Head chose. It’s steady and solid, balanced between offense and defense, with no weaknesses."
"Having no weaknesses often means having no particular strengths either."
"Completely wrong. If we were in the game ourselves, being too cautious would naturally waste many opportunities. But a Fate Master can see the bigger picture. Being steady at the start and advancing later is the true path to victory."
"Since a Fate Master can see the bigger picture, advancing bravely and swiftly is the true path to victory..."
People with different views began to debate.
The number of silver taels bet on the Cross-Eyed Dog Head slowly increased.
"This newcomer is steady as an old dog." A Spotted Dog Head placed a full bet of one thousand taels of silver on Li Qingxian.
Liu Laohu slammed his hand down and announced, "Cross-Eyed Dog Head has completed the first four steps! Betting is now closed!"