"Obedience leads to mediocrity; defiance leads to immortality. Cultivation is a path against the heavens. Why follow the script and fade into the crowd? Each time you defy fate, you shall be rewarded."
Jiang Xuan read the system prompt in silence, his eyes slightly narrowed.
"…So that's why I've suffered endless disasters for eighteen years. I've been doing it all wrong?"
A surge of power erupted within him. His bloodline howled, divine light radiating from his veins. Ancient laws shimmered faintly in the air around him—it was a sacred transformation, a glimpse into forbidden power.
Jiang Xuan looked back at the elder with steely eyes."This matter ends here. Even if Nangong Mingyue is no more than a mortal now… I will protect her for a lifetime."
He waved his hand."I've had a sudden epiphany. Elder, please leave."
The elder's eyebrows twitched violently. He opened his mouth to argue again, but seeing the divine radiance swirling around Jiang Xuan, he clenched his jaw, bowed, and took his leave.
Nothing was more important than Jiang Xuan's breakthrough.
—
Back in the ancestral hall of their bloodline…
Several elders were waiting.
When the elder returned, they all looked up with questioning eyes.
"…Jiang Xuan has refused the engagement with the Desolate Heaven Saintess."
"What?!"
Shock swept through the room.
"That Nangong girl is crippled! How could she possibly compare to the Saintess of Desolate Heaven?" one elder shouted.
The Grand Elder at the head of the room scowled. This was bad. Really bad.
A marriage alliance with Desolate Heaven wasn't a casual arrangement. For a sect of that stature to propose it—and even name Jiang Xuan personally—was a gesture of unprecedented goodwill.
To reject it was a slap to their face.
And Desolate Heaven wasn't a sect to swallow humiliation.
If they grew angry—even slightly—it could easily affect Jiang Xuan's claim to become the next patriarch. In fact, it could cripple their entire lineage's momentum.
The Grand Elder's voice dropped cold."If he truly refuses the engagement… we may have made enemies of Desolate Heaven."
The old elder clenched his fists, but eventually nodded."It's his marriage. It should be his decision."
"But—" the Grand Elder tried to argue.
"Enough," the elder cut him off. "Let him emerge from seclusion before we discuss this further."
He swept a stern gaze across the hall."This matter must not be leaked. Until we have a plan, no word of this leaves this hall."
"Understood!" The elders nodded quickly, though their expressions remained grim.
None of them could understand Jiang Xuan's decision.
The Desolate Heaven Saintess was superior in every category—talent, beauty, background, potential.
Why choose a broken engagement… to a cripple?
Did he not realize how dangerous this choice was?
But secrets rarely stayed secret.
It didn't take long—within hours, the entire Eternal Jiang Clan had heard the news:
Jiang Xuan refused the Saintess of Desolate Heaven.
Thousands of clan members turned their eyes toward his mountain peak, expressions full of confusion.
"What is he thinking?"
In his own estate, one of the Four Pillars—Jiang Minghao—stood up in disbelief.
His gaze pierced the clouds and locked onto Jiang Xuan's domain.
"…He's lost his mind," Minghao muttered.
The Saintess was a peerless genius with the Profound Yin Body, a talent said to rival the first God Lord of her sect.
Some diviners even predicted she could surpass True Gods and reign over the Xuantian Realm.
And Jiang Xuan… turned her down?
For a girl with shattered meridians?
Minghao's lips curled into a faint smile."Well then. That makes things easier."
If Jiang Xuan had formed that alliance, Minghao's side would have been forced into a desperate war of succession.
But now?
Jiang Xuan had chosen to offend Desolate Heaven.
Minghao casually turned to an elder beside him."Do you think his bloodline can survive Desolate Heaven's fury?"
The elder nodded slowly. "Let's make sure they hear about the refusal."
Minghao turned away, hands behind his back."Oh, and send a message… Let them know I've long admired the Saintess. If the opportunity arises, I'd be honored to speak with her."
The elder's eyes lit up.
Desolate Heaven might have been humiliated—but if they could shift the marriage to Minghao, they could save face and still gain influence in the Jiang Clan.
Compared to Jiang Xuan, Minghao's strength and talent were just as good—perhaps better.
"…They'll accept," the elder said, smiling.
—
Meanwhile, in Jiang Xuan's cultivation chamber…
Blood light surged.
His veins shone like rivers of molten gold. Power gathered around him in waves, and ancient laws poured from the void into his body, refining his bloodline and tempering his flesh.
He opened his eyes—glowing with ancient brilliance.
"Bloodline purity… seventy-seven percent."
He grinned.
A two percent increase might not sound like much, but for cultivation, it was a massive transformation.
He was already ahead of the other three Pillars by virtue of his seventy-five percent purity. Now?
He would crush them even more easily.
He'd heard that Jiang Minghao recently had a few lucky breaks and might have caught up in cultivation, but Jiang Xuan wasn't worried.
With his new bloodline and power—
He would win.
"Even my cultivation bottleneck is loosening… I can almost sense the peak of Spirit Condensation."
He chuckled.
In this world, the nine stages of cultivation were:
Body Tempering
Foundation
Spirit Condensation
Soul Shaping
Earth Profound
Heaven Origin
Dao Fusion
Exalted
Void God
True God
Most never reached Earth Profound. Heaven Origin could start a sect. Exalted ranked with emperors.
As for True Gods?
None had appeared in ten thousand years.
Those stuck before that realm were Void Gods, unmatched in power.
And Jiang Xuan—just from a two percent bloodline boost—was about to reach the peak of Spirit Condensation?
That was monstrous.
Then another prompt appeared:
[Bloodline evolution continuing… In 3 days, purity will reach 80%. You will inherit the Seven-Star Art of the Star Ancestor.]
"…I love this system," Jiang Xuan whispered.
But then he remembered the marriage again—and his expression darkened.
If he had broken off the engagement, the system might've punished him.
And more importantly—she clearly had main heroine potential.
If he rejected her now, wouldn't that make him the mid-tier villain?
"…I can't just sit here. I need to do something. Earn a few favorability points."
He pulled out a spiritual scroll and infused it with divine qi. His thoughts became brush strokes, forming a heartfelt message filled with care and unwavering respect.
He sealed it, then took out a storage ring packed with rare resources—nearly all his savings.
"Servant."
A powerful Jiang Clan cultivator entered and bowed. "Young Lord."
Jiang Xuan handed him the ring and scroll."Ride the immortal crane. Deliver this personally to Nangong Mingyue. No delays!"
"Yes!"
The cultivator summoned a majestic crane and flew off into the clouds, speeding toward the distant border where the Nangong clan resided.
And then—
[You have once again broken fate's script. You supported a Chosen Heroine. You are now bound to her growth.][Each time Nangong Mingyue levels up, you will also gain rewards. These may even be multiplied.]
[As her strength and destiny rise, so will yours.]
Jiang Xuan's eyes lit up.
Bound to a Chosen Heroine?
If her cheat system kicked in, she'd skyrocket—and he'd get dragged upward with her?
"…Wait."
"Did I… not send enough stuff?"