Chapter Fifty-Eight: Mission Refreshed

"You don't actually think there's only one Child of Fate, do you?"

"Isn't there?"

"Of course not. Every era has its own Child of Fate. Those who set the stage are not omniscient or omnipotent—there will always be unexpected variables." Master Sheng continued, "Take someone like you, for instance—an unexpected factor who can easily disrupt their plans. To prevent things from spiraling out of control, when they choose a Child of Fate, they also select several, perhaps even dozens, of backup candidates. If the first choice meets with misfortune, a backup immediately takes their place. This continues until events unfold as they desire."

Wang Li pondered for a moment and asked, "So, if Ling Xiao suffers an accident in the Chosen Relic, any of those ranked might replace him?"

"No. You can't put all your eggs in one basket. The best seedlings won't all be gathered here." Master Sheng replied, "I won't rule out the possibility that there are backups on the Chosen Ranking. Ling Xiao was the first to stand out, making him the most promising piece on the board—but also the most dangerous. This selection is meant to usher in a new era, so there's very little room for error. There are likely at least three or more backups here, but it's hard to tell who they are. Only when fate converges to a certain degree will their identities become clear."

"Can you see everyone's fate?" Wang Li asked with curiosity.

Master Sheng replied, "Not everyone's fate is visible. It takes calculation to discern most people's fortunes."

"So you calculated Ling Xiao would be the protagonist?"

"Bah! That little fatso didn't even need calculation. When he unleashed his ultimate move from the city walls, the fate of thousands gathered on him. Him being the Child of Fate is as obvious as lice on a bald man's head—plain as day. Why bother calculating?"

"I see. So what should I say to them?"

"Wait!"

"Wait?"

"Yes, wait until the tasks refresh. Stop worrying so much—everyone has their own destiny, and you can't bear the weight of theirs."

"Alright, then I'll just continue simulating battles, okay?"

"Get lost!"

Wang Li told Luo Heng and Jiang Yu to return and wait, instructing them not to interfere with others' choices but to keep an eye on Jiang Yue.

Jiang Yue was, by all accounts, an unstable factor. She'd been out of sight for a long time, and the lack of news made Wang Li uneasy.

The other disciples of Pure Yang Temple were easier to manage. No matter who got into trouble, he wasn't concerned. After all, this was the chosen selection—their fate was in heaven's hands, and Master Liuguang wouldn't say anything. But Wang Li could never let anything happen to Jiang Yue... Master Liuguang was truly unreasonable. With Wang Li present in the Chosen Relic, and Jiang Yue right under his nose, if something did happen, who knew what Master Liuguang might do.

Fortunately, Jiang Yu reported that the little girl had been busy contending with the spirit of the hammer and Rainbow Sword lately, causing no trouble at all. This put Wang Li's mind at ease.

Luo Heng and Jiang Yu couldn't quite understand Wang Li's reasoning.

More and more people left, and the defense of Vengeance City grew weaker by the day. To ignore such a critical security issue was baffling!

However, with Ling Xiao and the Lin brothers gone, Wang Li once more became the pillar of Vengeance City. Since he declared that there should be no interference with others before the tasks refreshed, they had no choice but to comply, restraining only those they could influence, and leaving the rest to their own devices.

Luo Heng was curious why Jiang Yu didn't try her luck outside and see if she could form a Golden Core in one stroke.

Jiang Yu replied, "I don't have any great talents, and I'm timid. Staying in Vengeance City means Steward Wang can look after me. If I went out, I'd have no one to rely on. What do you think, Brother Luo?"

Having spent some time with her, Luo Heng knew her character well. Her claim of timidity was nonsense.

From the start, she had acted decisively and with great force. Taking advantage of the city's construction boom, she had already secured a place in Vengeance City's core management and, by representing several sects, built up her own network of connections. Clearly, she had ambitions.

How could a woman like that be timid?

She was obviously seeking a strong backer—namely, Wang Li.

Despite Wang Li's apparent indifference, his status was unshakable and his generosity was well-known.

Rather than risking it outside, it was far more practical to stay by his side.

Luo Heng saw her intentions clearly but played along, feigning similar reasoning.

As more left, Vengeance City grew quieter. Those who fancied themselves capable had mostly gone out. The remaining defense force was now composed of those at or below the fifth layer of the Body Refinement and Qi Training stages. They weren't unwilling to try their luck, but simply lacked the strength, so they trained with the resources taken from the Direhowl Pack while taking turns on guard and patrol.

Life for those left behind was boring. Endless cultivation was tedious, yet most kept their complaints to themselves—except for one, whose griping and arguments echoed through the city daily.

That was Jiang Yue—the greedy little girl who wanted to slip out and play but was now entangled with the spirits of two spirit weapons.

Why greedy? Because she wanted to claim both the Rainbow Sword and the Giantrock Hammer—two top-grade earth-tier spirit weapons—as her own!

"Little Hammer, Little Rainbow, if you could both follow Grandpa, why can't you both follow me?"

"I am a peerless genius, a future candidate for the True Immortal Realm! You're lucky to have me. When I reach True Immortal Realm, I won't leave you to gather dust in some corner like Grandpa did. I'll take you to conquer the world, and you will become the most famous spirit weapons in the Heavenly Profound World—won't that be wonderful?"

The little girl held the Giantrock Hammer in one hand and the Rainbow Sword in the other, earnestly persuading both spirits.

Both spirits trembled with clear aversion to her words.

A cultivator can wield countless high-tier spirit weapons, but only if their own strength is great enough to subdue the weapon spirits and ensure harmony. Without the power to do so, even obtaining recognition from one spirit requires a long process of persuasion and patience.

Jiang Yue, due to her low cultivation, was already hard-pressed to refine even one top-grade earth-tier spirit weapon. But after listening to Wang Li and others' suggestions, she chose to refine the Giantrock Hammer. By the time she realized she wanted the Rainbow Sword as well, it was too late.

The spirit of the Giantrock Hammer began to reject her fickleness, and the Rainbow Sword had no interest in this "rookie" at all. The result was that Jiang Yue gained neither the Rainbow Sword's approval nor continued progress with the Giantrock Hammer—a heavy loss indeed.

Too embarrassed to ask for help, she spent her days trying to reason with the two spirits, hoping they'd both accept her as their master.

But the two spirits were stubborn, enduring her endless chatter for over a month without giving in, leaving Jiang Yue's greed unfulfilled.

"Should I ask that annoying Wang Li for help?" She shook her head. "No, that would be too humiliating for a princess like me."

"What should I do? Now I can't even fly out. Otherwise, I'd have gone out exploring already."

"Ah..."

"Second stage of the Relic Battlefield mission unlocking!"

As she sighed, a hollow voice suddenly echoed in her mind, and the scroll on her left forearm projected an image into the sky.

Unlike when the Chosen Ranking first appeared, this time the image didn't linger but turned into a beam of light, shooting straight into the ranking.

"The Chosen Ranking missions have refreshed!"

Those who witnessed the phenomenon immediately noticed a flood of new tasks appearing in the mission area.