Chapter Ninety-Seven: Destiny

After Lin Zhongshi left, Lin Zhongqing immediately wilted, leaning back against the sofa.

“Damn him. I really want to give him a proper beating for daring to doubt me,” she muttered under her breath, with not a trace of a queenly air left.

“Calm down. Only by controlling your emotions can you go farther,” Eastern Unity said evenly.

“Oh, Brother Eastern, you just said you were born under the mandate of destiny. What exactly is this mandate?” Lin Zhongqing asked cautiously all at once.

She had never truly asked this question before. Today, using Lin Zhongshi’s words as a pretext, she had finally found the right moment.

In her memory, such things never had a real origin. They were among the most mysterious and unknowable cheat-like powers, devoid of logic, unconcerned with reason, and yet unimaginably strong.

As trust deepened, she wanted to know more.

Eastern Unity fell silent.

The system was thinking...

...

Phoenix Song Valley.

Fan Bei saw everyone off, then returned alone to cultivate.

The pressure Lin Zhongshi was facing now was the same pressure he would inevitably encounter in the future. Only by growing stronger could one move through the world in ease.

Only the strong have the right to speak of seclusion and freedom. When the weak say such things, it is only escape and a lingering refusal to die...

Now he had such wonderful conditions. He had techniques, he had resources, he had a path laid before him... all he needed was diligence, and diligence was the one thing he lacked least.

A trace of refined spiritual power was drawn from the phantom white book in the world of consciousness, then poured into the sycamore sapling, where it was absorbed without the slightest resistance.

It was a pity that both daily absorption and growth had limits, and he had already reached them long ago.

At this pace, he estimated that in another two months he would break through to silver-tier spiritual strength.

About two hours later, today's meditation cultivation came to an end.

He then began practicing the Heavenly King Jade Control Art, tempering his elusive skill in manipulating ethereal substance.

Close your eyes, extend your thoughts, and sense the void; the gray-white essence diffused through the endless mass of matter was spirit itself.

Control it, then drive it to follow certain laws and combinations, so that it affects material reality. What emerges from that is extraordinary power.

Halfway through his practice, the phantom white book in the world of consciousness sent a warning.

Since the binding, this convenience had existed: prompts on the pages no longer required him to open them and look with his eyes. They would appear directly in his mind.

“The host of the steward system is pressing for the system’s origin. The system cannot answer. Please have the system creator handle this. Improper handling will reduce trust.”

After sensing the prompt, Fan Bei shook his head and stopped cultivating.

People were people, after all, not machines, not nonplayer characters whose loyalty could be locked in place. Even if complete trust was achieved for a time, it would fluctuate under another person’s instigation or interference.

It was obvious that Lin Zhongqing had met Lin Zhongshi and been influenced by him to some degree. After all, he was her biological younger brother.

He opened the steward system interface and reviewed what had just happened. The facts were exactly as he had expected.

“Hmm, I need to come up with a reason. Destiny... that is a good one, though it needs to be refined.”

“I’ve got it.” Fan Bei felt fortunate to have two lifetimes’ worth of experience. Otherwise, it would not be easy to talk his way through this. “The current situation on Earth is clear enough: it is facing the prospect of becoming a breeding ground for higher-dimensional beings. The system is the ultimate rescue plan summoned by the accumulated history of hundreds of millions of years of human civilization, no—of all life on Earth over billions of years.”

“Every life on Earth is a life system. From the simplest form of life, viruses, to the most complex, humanity, all are included.”

“Those unknown existences absolutely do not have humanity’s best interests at heart. Humanity’s attitude toward other forms of life is purely one of exploitation, and that is the easiest thing to understand.”

“Just as chickens and pigs on an industrial farm would regard humans as the most terrifying natural disaster, the retreat of the dark tide does not necessarily mean the arrival of hope. On the contrary, it may well mean the coming of the abyss.”

“Faced with such a situation, only a system that encompasses all things can save humanity.”

As he thought this through, Fan Bei suddenly felt that the appearance of the Father of Systems was precisely for this reason. Otherwise, why could it not create something from nothing? Why were all its abilities traceable to some source?

Whether it was drawing on spiritual power, exchanging for techniques, displaying attributes, upgrading and assigning points, or even that mysterious system space, one could say that all these extraordinary abilities could be found on those unknown beings.

That was also why the three systems that had been released were so easily mistaken by outsiders for unknown existences.

“Exactly. The highest realm of a lie is that even you yourself believe it.”

The more Fan Bei thought about it, the more convincing it seemed, so he quickly wrote the idea into his diary, to serve as the true origin of the system’s future birth.

What is destiny? Destiny is himself.

After finishing this work, he passed the thought into the creation pages of the three systems. If any host asked again, this would be the answer.

Still, today’s matter gave him another warning, which he likewise recorded in his private diary.

“The next version of the system distribution must be given a new face. We can no longer use something as bluntly essential as a system. As for what to use instead, I already have a few ideas; they just need further refinement.”

“Also, should I recover the other two systems and keep only one? If destiny is involved, in the end only one person can bear it. That would fit the usual novel formula. In that case, I could also fill in this huge hole. Worth considering.”

“But I can’t just recover them directly. Maintenance has to be clean, and considering Big White, I need to leave something behind.”

...

Copper Fortress.

At last, Lin Zhongqing obtained the explanation she wanted.

“I told you, I was born under the mandate of destiny. That mandate is to save Earth from those unknown existences...”

After hearing this, Lin Zhongqing was overcome with excitement.

“I knew it. I really am unique, different from everyone else!”

In the end, Eastern Unity truly could not bear to watch any longer, or perhaps it had begun to gradually slip free of the system’s shackles and develop its own awareness.

It faintly reminded her, “Since you now know the source of my existence, you should understand that if your performance does not fit this mandate, you may very well lose me.”

“What?” Lin Zhongqing instantly cooled from her excitement, a chill running through her entire body.

“That can’t be. Didn’t you say you would never leave me?”

“I never said that. I only said I would never dislike you, and that I would accept everything about you. But since I was born under the mandate of destiny, if I trust the wrong person, then destiny will naturally erase me...” Eastern Unity said lightly.

Lin Zhongqing suddenly felt tremendous pressure.

But that was only right. Sure enough, there was no free feast in this world. If you want to gain something, you must lose something else. Even if you are born into a noble family, there will still be an arranged marriage waiting for you. If you truly want to idle your life away, you will lose your dignity.

A look of incomparable resolve appeared in her eyes.

“Rest assured. I will absolutely never let that day come.”