Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 195 The Mystery of Fate
A world within a world, the next morning.

On the east side of Tianjing Tower, outside the Soul Imprint Platform, the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

Li Jing'an stood in front of the Soul Imprint Platform outside the Tianjing Tower, watching the plaque on the steps of the Soul Imprint Platform slowly light up.

That was the ceremony for newly promoted Soul Masters to "establish their seal and leave their name," symbolizing that their identity and trajectory were officially recognized by the Realm Within a Realm.

He turned to look at Chu Ning and Lei Jingjing:

“Someone from the Soul Form Pavilion is already trying to stop you. During the Soul Trial at the Boundary Seal Platform… they are very likely to make a move.”

Are you still going?

Chu Ning replied calmly:

"Now that I have come to this world, I shall naturally establish my seal."

Even if this is the first bloodstain on my name.

In the morning mist, stone steps extend upwards from the clouds, leading to a three-tiered circular altar. The top of the altar is engraved with the "Five Rings of Soul Imprint," which is the only passage for all souls in the Realm Within a Realm to formally establish their seals and inscribe their soul tracks.

At this moment, the steps below were filled with disciples of the Soul Mirror Pavilion.

"There are six people who have established their seals today." An elder guarding the seals flipped through the Soul Scroll, looked up and glanced around at everyone, "One of them is 'Soul Lock Four Patterns'."

A whisper arose, like an undercurrent in the fog.

"Is it him? Chu Ning, the one who defeated Xian Fenghuai in the Soul Trial..."

"He actually came."

"The Soul Form Pavilion... are they really just going to tolerate this?"

At the edge of the fog, Chu Ning walked slowly towards them.

He was clad in a blue-patterned soul robe, his steps were steady, his gaze was sharp as knives, and although his soul aura was not yet fully revealed, there was a faint echo of thunder. The moment he stepped onto the steps, the soul imprint platform trembled slightly.

"Chu Ning, the one who stepped into the name."

The elder guarding the seal glanced at him, his expression shifting slightly, but he said nothing, only nodding to signal him to walk into the center of the soul seal.

In the center of the Soul Imprint Altar, the five-ring imprint array slowly lit up, revealing a series of soul runes—Chu Ning's soul lock, soul imprint, trial trajectory, and Soul Platform battle record were displayed one by one.

Suddenly, a sudden change occurred.

Just as the Soul Rune Ring began to seal, a thin, almost imperceptible gray Soul Thread quietly seeped into the edge of the Light Array, as if someone—at the moment the Soul Imprint was constructed—attempted to intrude in reverse.

Chu Ning's eyes sharpened, and the Soul Lock spontaneously appeared in his palm. The illusory image of the fourth rune flickered slightly, and the Soul Imprint Ring immediately emitted a "hum" of vibration before returning to stability.

He appeared to be fine, but his brow was slightly furrowed.

There was a trace of killing intent within the soul imprint.

He wasn't unaware of it.

Meanwhile, at a seat in the Soul Form Pavilion some distance away on the steps, a figure slowly withdrew the talisman bone from his hand and whispered:
"As expected... even if I attacked when he was enshrined, I still couldn't break his soul lock."

"Then only the Land of Locked Source remains."

As night slowly fell, the sky above the realm within the realm took on a strange bluish-purple hue, with faint lights drifting through the void like dust particles. This was a unique phenomenon of soul energy backflow that occurred when the outer edge of the realm lock was activated.

Chu Ning sat quietly in Jingyun Studio, the Soul Lock Imprint on her palm pulsating gently, the fourth mark seemingly attracting some kind of "transcendental gravity".

He opened his eyes and muttered to himself:

"Lock Source... has begun to respond."

Outside the door, Lei Jingjing quietly appeared.

Her complexion was poor, and her soul clothes were still stained with some pale gold soul ash that had not been wiped off.

"I've found the gray aura at the Soul Imprint Platform."

"Who is it?" Chu Ning asked calmly.

Lei Jingjing's tone turned serious:
"Chao Jue, the third steward of the Soul Form Pavilion. He had been dormant for three years, but was suddenly recalled this time, though his identity remains unknown."

“His soul aura appeared under the temporary projection platform set up by the Soul Map Pavilion in the far north, less than a month after the last ‘Soul Remnant Recording’.”

Chu Ning's brow twitched slightly.

"The Soul Form Pavilion and the Map Pavilion have joined forces?"

"Uncertain. But what they all care about is you."

Lei Jingjing stared at him: "The Soul Map Pavilion wants to 'write about you'; the Soul Form Pavilion wants to 'ruin you'."

Chu Ning lowered his eyes, looking at the Soul Lock in his palm, his tone calm, yet heavy as if it could suppress the entire night sky:
"...Then let's not let them have their way."

After a moment, he looked up and said, "I will enter Suoyuan tomorrow."

Lei Jingjing answered without hesitation:
"I'll accompany you."

However, he simply shook his head, his tone calm:

"unnecessary."

"My soul lock has already caused an anomaly in the realm's source. After entering that ruin, I'm not sure if I can still maintain my own will."

"If you go with them—you might not get out."

At that moment, Lei Jingjing's gaze faltered slightly.

She stared at him for a long time, her voice slightly hoarse when she spoke, as if some emotion was rising from deep in her throat, but before it could take shape, it was cut off by reason:
"you are always like this."

Her next sentence was tinged with a barely perceptible sob, but she forced it back down, her tone turning cold again:

"Always shoulder everything alone and refuse everyone's approach."

Chu Ning did not refute, but simply looked at her quietly and said softly:
"That place will record the consciousness of any soul that comes near it."

"I don't want you to appear in my 'Source Image Memory'."

These words were like a sudden, thin layer of snow, silently pressing down on her heart.

In an instant, Lei Jingjing's gaze shifted from slight hurt to a deeper, silent worry and understanding.

Chu Ning turned and left.

The world was silent, with only the lingering shadow of the soul drifting slowly in the air.

Lei Jingjing remained standing in the same spot, without moving.

She seemed not to hear the buzzing sound that echoed when the door was sealed, nor to notice the subtle fluctuations in spiritual pressure around her.

I just quietly gazed at the now empty steps.

After a long while, she slowly lowered her head.

The hand that was clenched into a fist slowly loosened, the knuckles turned white, and there were thin, long dents on the palm that almost pierced the skin.

No blood flowed, but it was faintly red.

She silently looked at her palm, then slowly moved it to her left wrist—the soul ring inlaid with a deep blue soul crystal remained quietly fastened there.

But at this moment, the ring seemed a degree colder than usual, with an icy chill seeping from the inner metal wall, penetrating straight to the bone marrow.

On the surface of the soul crystal, a faint, almost imperceptible dim light appeared, like a last ember of struggle before falling into a deep sleep.

She paused, her brow twitching almost imperceptibly, as if sensing some ominous fluctuation—perhaps a premonition, or something unspeakable from the depths of her memory, that had awakened for a moment.

But she ultimately said nothing.

She slowly raised her head and looked again in the direction where Chu Ning had disappeared.

His gaze flickered slightly, remaining calm as ever, yet no longer indifferent.

Rather, it was a deep, suppressed emotion that coalesced into light in the depths of the eyes.

She took a deep breath and clenched her fist again.

But this time, it wasn't because of repression, but because of determination.

She turned around, her soul robes billowing in the wind, her steps firm, silently blending into the night.

It's as if the next time we meet, she will no longer be the Lei Jingjing of today.

……

The main tower of the Soul Map Pavilion, Jade Star Water stands alone on a high platform, overlooking the soul tides of the entire realm.

A familiar spiritual connection gathered in the air; it was a messenger from the higher echelons of the Tu Pavilion:
"Is Chu Ning confirmed to have entered the Lock Source?"

Yu Xingshui closed her eyes and said, "Yes."

Has the fourth mark been formed?

She didn't answer, only uttering one sentence:
"The Soul Lock Seal Array within his body briefly shook open the 'Old World Residual Frequency' when the Soul Seal Platform was closed today."

"That's not a natural reaction, it's some kind of—echo of will."

"...It might not just be a remnant of the source seal." "It could be some kind of... breach in the seal."

There was a long silence on the other end of the soul's mind, leaving only one sentence:
“You must make sure that when he comes out, he is one of your Tuge people.”

Yu Xingshui opened her eyes, her gaze as cold and clear as a mirror.

She whispered:

"No, he must—decide for himself."

The other end of the soul remained silent, seemingly angered, yet had not yet responded.

Yu Xingshui lowered her eyes, her expression calm to the point of indifference, only a brief but clear thought flashed through her eyes:
"...Only one's own choices can reflect the true trajectory of the 'source'."

She wasn't unaware of the efficiency of control, nor had she never experienced submission.

But she already knew:

The closer you are to the "source," the less you should interfere with its trajectory.

Otherwise, what is "seen" is merely a shadow cast by the researcher's desires.

That will no longer be the "source", but the "mirror".

The wind swirls atop the tower.

The coordinates of the Locked Source Land have quietly appeared below the boundary map.

Within the Soul Imprint of the Terrain, the four characters "Legacy Realm - Sealed Key" faintly appear.

—The three-day deadline has arrived.

The northern border of the boundary within the boundary, below the Valley of Sinking Souls.

This place was originally a forbidden area for sealing souls, but it has been erased from the boundary map since the "Primordial Chaos Boundary Severance" decades ago and marked as a "high-risk area for soul erosion". None of the three pavilions are stationed here anymore.

But today, behind a nearly weathered boundary stone, a soul map array quietly lit up.

Yu Xingshui was the first to appear.

She wore a grey-blue soul robe, with a broken ring and seal on her back—the emblem of the Soul Map Pavilion's outer map envoy. She unfolded a black-gold soul scroll in her hand and embedded it into the boundary stone.

Beneath the boundary stone, the earth's veins trembled slightly, and an almost imperceptible ancient soul aura surged from the ground, like mist and light, gathering into a semi-circular soul gate.

Chu Ning appeared from the valley wind.

He walked with light, steady steps and a calm expression. His robes bore faint traces of lightning energy, as if he had just experienced another "trial by fire" on his way here.

Yu Xingshui glanced at him and asked softly:
"Is someone stopping you?"

Chu Ning said calmly, "The reach of the Soul Form Pavilion extends further than you imagine."

"However, the soul pressure is too crude, like a pawn being used to test the waters."

He walked to the gate of the soul, his gaze slightly somber.

"Is this the Gate to the Source?"

“The surface entrance.” Yu Xingshui nodded. “The true ‘Locking Source Ruins’ is not below the Realm Within a Realm, but within it… the ‘Offset Shadow Domain’.”

"These are the boundary coordinates left by Master Hunyuan. We need to use the Four-Pattern Soul Lock to open the 'Breakpoint Source'."

Chu Ning opened his palm, and the Soul Lock slowly lit up.

At that moment, all four of his Soul Lock patterns were released simultaneously, lightning flashed, and the fourth-colored Soul Pattern burned like a remnant, casting a faint Soul Shadow above the Soul Gate.

The Soul Gate trembled violently.

A blue-gold soul ring emerged from the ground, engraved with nine boundary symbols. The sixth symbol glowed faintly, while the others remained dormant.

Yu Xingshui said softly:

"There are nine boundary symbols in total, with six layers being the previous ones and three layers being the forbidden layers."

“If you go inside, I can accompany you and assist you up to the seventh ring. But after that… you will have to rely on yourself.”

Chu Ning nodded.

"how about you?"

“I won’t go into the seventh ring,” said Yu Xing Shuidao. “I will study the structure of the Lock Source, but I will not seek the answer.”

Chu Ning glanced at her and suddenly asked:

What do you want to see?

Yu Xingshui did not answer immediately.

In that instant, her figure standing in front of the Soul Gate leaned forward slightly, as if she wasn't looking at Chu Ning, but rather her whole being was drawn to that ancient seal, and a part of her body was unconsciously pulled and tugged by that unknown force.

Her right hand was still resting on the black and gold soul scroll.

Her knuckles had turned slightly white, but she didn't even notice it herself. Her fingers were gripping the curled edge tightly, as if she wanted to "embed" the talisman page that she had studied repeatedly into her palm bone.

Her gaze lingered on the remaining markings on the Soul Gate for a long time, her eyes revealing a deep, almost hidden pain.

Then, she spoke in a low voice, as if to Chu Ning, but also as if to herself:

"...Where exactly did we go wrong in the first place?"

The voice was extremely soft, yet it sounded like a breath of soul being pulled from the throat, trembling slightly and carrying a hint of barely perceptible bitterness.

"We use images to observe the world, to draw paths, deconstruct forces, and mark order."

"But it always rejected us."

"...Why does Lock Source refuse 'images'?"

As she uttered the last sentence, a faint hint of resentment flickered in her eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by calmness.

She finally released the scroll of souls, and the blood color between her fingers instantly returned.

Then, turning around gently as if nothing had happened, she calmly said:

"go in."

"Your Soul Chains will tell you that you've been here."

Chu Ning stood before the Soul Gate, took a deep breath, and slowly extended his palm.

The fourth pattern vibrated, and a blue-purple light flowed, as if it were about to ignite the deepest layer of the entire sealed structure.

The translucent soul gate emitted a low, resonant sound, and complex soul diagrams and rotating characters appeared on its surface, as if some ancient system was performing a "recognition response".

[...Identity unknown, access restrictions fluctuating]

[A non-local soul frequency has been detected. Should we enable the Shadow Domain Offset Channel?]

At that moment, even the air seemed to freeze for a second.

Chu Ning's eyes remained unchanged, and he said coldly:
"open."

[Soul Lock Source Confirmed]

Offset Channel Enabled

[Deployment Point: Initial Layer of Lock Source - Echo Gate]

"boom--"

A silent explosion erupted inside the Soul Gate, the space twisting like a distorted water surface. The entire gate suddenly shattered into countless points of light, forming a bridge with shimmering boundary patterns that stretched straight into the unknown depths of the gray domain.

Chu Ning's figure was drawn by that soul power and slowly disappeared into it.

The moment he stepped in, the surroundings fell into complete silence. The soul map, the boundary marker, the sealing array... everything seemed to have vanished from this world.

Only one name remained, echoing silently in the air:

—Chu Ning.

……

Lock Source Boundary.

Silence, stillness.

Chu Ning walked alone on the boundary bridge shimmering with a ghostly blue light. All around him was endless emptiness—not darkness, but a spatial afterimage "deleted" by the rules, as if this ruin did not belong to any dimension of the boundary within a boundary.

The boundary bridge beneath his feet was formed from soul stones and covered with sealing patterns. Each step he took caused ripples of light to echo, as if an invisible entity was "recording" his steps.

After walking a hundred steps, he finally saw a door appear in front of him.

He gazed at the translucent soul gate traversed by a crack, and the fourth soul lock in his palm quietly began to glow.

The moment the Soul Lock touched the door mark, the surrounding space suddenly froze.

An invisible "consciousness" suddenly pressed down—not from a physical entity, but a remnant of a rule-based will within the ruins, cold, mechanical, and incredibly powerful, like a boundary stone turning over, like a judgment of fate.

(End of this chapter)