Cloudpierce Hall, Lin Clan's Main Pavilion.
Jade cranes soared overhead. Golden runes shimmered across floating talismans. On this day, the Lin Clan — one of the Ten Supreme Clans of the Eastern Martial Continent — was hosting an imperial-level gathering.
But this was not a celebration.
It was a humiliation ceremony.
A ritual to break an engagement.
In front of hundreds of guests — elders from great sects, nobles from ancient empires, genius cultivators from famed academies — a scroll lay unrolled on a raised altar.
Upon it, the words glowed with radiant qi:
"As of this day, the engagement between Ye Qingxue of the Heavenly Sword Sect and Lin Xian of the Lin Clan is nullified."
The guests whispered. Many tried not to laugh.
Lin Xian — that arrogant young master with a cruel reputation — was finally getting what he deserved, they thought.
A fair punishment for his overbearing pride.
Among the crowd, Ye Qingxue, Saintess of the Heavenly Sword Sect, stood in silver robes that sparkled like moonlight. She was the dream of a thousand sects — a beauty unmatched, with a sword heart as pure as snow.
Beside her stood Mu Yihan, dressed in white with a long sword strapped to his back. His features were sharp, righteous, and cold — the picture-perfect genius. A famed prodigy with a Destiny Halo so bright, it nearly made the spirit qi around him bow.
"Saintess Ye," a Lin Clan elder said, barely hiding the bitterness in his voice, "Is this… truly your will?"
Ye Qingxue hesitated.
She looked at the scroll. At Mu Yihan. Then at the empty seat meant for Lin Xian.
He hadn't shown up.
Coward, some whispered.
But Ye Qingxue's heart was strangely heavy. She remembered Lin Xian's gaze in past years — aloof but steady. Proud, but never cruel to her.
He had never laid a hand on her. Never forced her. Never mocked her status, though she was from a lesser sect.
She bit her lip.
"Yes," she said softly, "I, Ye Qingxue, withdraw from the engagement."
Mu Yihan smiled. A faint aura of fate shrouded him.
But just as the elder raised his hand to finalize the scroll—
BOOM.
A crack of thunder split the sky, though there wasn't a single stormcloud.
A crimson sword light cleaved down from the sky, striking the altar.
The scroll burst into flames.
The crowd gasped.
"What—?!"
A figure descended slowly, walking across the air as though the very heavens bent for him.
Dressed in black robes embroidered with gold, long dark hair dancing behind him, a faint smirk on his face — Lin Xian appeared.
Not trembling. Not pale. Not defeated.
But divine, confident, and dangerously handsome.
[Villain Aura +300][Female Targets Affected: Ye Qingxue (Conflicted), Pavilion Maid (Infatuated), Elder's Granddaughter (Blushing)]
"Am I late?" he asked casually, as though interrupting a dinner.
"You—!" the elder stammered. "You dare interrupt a sacred ceremony?!"
Lin Xian waved a hand. "Sacred? You mean this farce?"
He landed lightly on the jade platform. His gaze swept over the crowd, stopping on Ye Qingxue.
Her breath caught.
Something about him… was different. Too different.
This wasn't the spoiled young master she remembered.
"Ye Qingxue," he said slowly. "You want to cancel the engagement?"
She swallowed. "Yes."
He stepped forward, golden eyes narrowing.
"Then look me in the eyes… and say you do not regret it."
The crowd stiffened. Even Mu Yihan frowned.
Ye Qingxue tried to speak, but her voice wavered.
Why couldn't she say it?
Why did this Lin Xian… look so untouchably distant? So coldly divine?
[Target: Ye Qingxue – Emotional Stability Disrupted][Chance of Regret: 37% → 52%][Luck Steal Window Opening…]
Mu Yihan stepped forward, righteous fury flashing in his eyes. "Lin Xian, you've humiliated the Saintess for years. The heavens themselves reject your ways—"
"Spare me," Lin Xian interrupted. "Righteous dog."
"You—!"
Before he could react, Lin Xian lifted a finger.
A blast of demonic qi surged forward like a dragon's roar.
Mu Yihan raised his sword—
Too slow.
The blast struck his chest, sending him flying into a spirit tree. He crashed through the trunk, coughing blood.
"YIHAN!"
Several elders moved to interfere, but a cold pressure swept the field.
Lin Xian's villainous aura expanded.
[Villain Points +1,000][Target Defeated: Mu Yihan – Fate Luck Stolen: 17%][Reward Unlocked: Yin-Yang Demon Physique][System Upgrade Available]
Everyone froze.
Even the Lin Clan Patriarch — watching from the shadows — raised his eyebrows slightly.
Was this really… their young master?
Ye Qingxue stood frozen in place, her lips trembling.
He walked up to her, slowly, and leaned close.
"You once said I wasn't worthy of you," he whispered in her ear. "Now I wonder… are you still worthy of me?"
She looked at him, eyes wide.
He didn't strike her. Didn't curse her.
He just turned away.
And the echo of his footsteps left more pain in her heart than a thousand slaps.
[Ye Qingxue's Regret: 72%][Target now susceptible to Corruption Path – Do you wish to begin Seduction Mission in Arc 2?]
Lin Xian smiled.
"Trash world," he murmured to himself. "It's time you learned… villains write their own fates."