The improved female villains regained their memories.

Xiao Qitian suppressed his surprise, watched Li Chumo's retreating figure, and couldn't help but chuckle, "This is really..."

A pleasant surprise.

Unfortunately, compared to that lord, Li Chumo is still...

His memories inevitably drifted back to the past, to the first time he met that man.

Chapter 435 Knowing Fate

My destiny is to have eight measures of rice, but I will never have enough to fill a bushel, no matter where I go in the world.

This means that whatever you are destined to receive is what you will receive; even if you seek it everywhere, you will not get anything in return.

The girl and Li Chumo were not the only ones with precocious intelligence; Xiao Qitian was one of them as well.

From a young age, he read extensively, studying both ancient and modern times. While his peers were still playing, he would sit alone under the dragon tree, contemplating the principles of destiny.

Fate is undeniable, isn't it?

He looked at the branches that resembled a net of stars and thought to himself.

Those chosen ones, walking their destined journey, either starting from humble beginnings or rising from the ranks, ultimately use their talents to overcome countless difficulties and surpass everything.

A popular saying goes, "Small fortunes come from hard work, great fortunes come from heaven."

Human effort cannot surpass the power of nature.

Xiao Qitian stood under the Fulong Tree, touching its trunk, and sighed as if resigned to his fate.

Everyone in the sect always kept things from him, but he knew everything.

He was brought into the sect by Li Yaoyang, and even the name Qi Tian was given to him by Li Yaoyang. Although his surname is Xiao, he knows what his true identity is.

That is the greatest taboo of the Kongling Sect.

He had considered asking Yang Pingsheng about his biological father, but when he saw Yang Pingsheng, he realized that Yang Pingsheng was an empty monster in human skin, and his so-called concern was no different from that of others.

What is fate?

If everything is predetermined, then what is the meaning of life?

The more you search for answers in ancient books, the more lost you become.

who am I?

Why was I born into this world?

What is my mission?

Even at such a young age, Xiao Qitian felt that he had developed a demon in his heart.

Should we hate them?

I hate that father I've never met.

Or perhaps she hates her tragic past?

However, compared to the protagonists whose entire families were wiped out, Xiao Qitian's situation is nothing.

It was as if everything was predetermined.

His talent, his birth, his destiny.

As the saying goes, you can't choose your birth, but you can choose your future choices.

Xiao Qitian could only smile helplessly at this.

His background limited his choices. He was born and raised here, so what choices could he possibly make?

Life.

What exactly is fate?

The inner demon grew stronger and stronger, revealing its terrifying face to him.

Neither the sect leader nor his master could give him an answer, so he came to the Dragon Tree to seek it.

"Dragon Tree, Dragon Tree, is your presence here also an arrangement of fate?"

He touched the jagged surface of the tree and asked himself the question.

"Was it because I was born in this time period that my background was determined, or was it because of my background that the time period of my birth was determined?"

There is a long-standing tradition of fortune telling among the people.

Qimen Dunjia, Bazi, Ziwei... there are countless methods. These are all methods of divination from incomplete ancient texts by immortals. Fortune tellers use them only to make a living.

Xiao Qitian himself could contact immortals, but now he is seeking answers from the common people.

He wanted to know the answer.

However, no one could give him that answer.

"Heaven determined my birth, Earth determined my origins, so what am I? What role do I play?"

...What am I?

My fate is sealed, what can I do?

No one can tell him.

The inner demon grinned. Xiao Qitian was terrifyingly precocious, and because of his special background, everyone in the sect kept their distance from him, and no one noticed his abnormality.

Soon, it will be able to devour Xiao Qitian's consciousness and take its place.

As his inner demons grew stronger, Xiao Qitian began to drift into a daze.

During that period, he appeared no different from ordinary people on the surface, but in reality, his heart was filled with chaos and confusion.

Everything is already predetermined, so what about me?

What meaning do I have for myself?

Then, he met that person.

Even now, he still remembers what that person looked like when he first met him.

That day, he was tormented by his inner demons and ran desperately in the back mountain. He eventually fell into a stream and, soaked to the bone, felt his limbs were ice cold. His inner demons had already bared their fangs and were about to devour his consciousness.

He wanted to know the answer, he desperately wanted to!

The more you want to know, the happier your inner demons become, because that's how they grow stronger.

"Is this fate? Is it because of my curiosity that I was ultimately consumed by my inner demons? Is this my destiny?!"

His eyes were bloodshot as he pounded the stream with all his might.

He wanted to know, he wanted to know no matter what.

"Fate, what are you? Answer me!"

No one answered him.

A thunderclap suddenly resounded in the clear, cloudless night sky.

"My lord, what's so special about this person that you would send an avatar here? If you need guidance, I can do it myself."

“No, Zhiyuan, he is different from others.”

The conversation coming from the side interrupted Xiao Qitian's daze.

He covered his head and looked to the side.

An old Taoist priest and a woman dressed in coarse linen clothes.

The woman had an ordinary face, a single ponytail, and wispy bangs. She carried a sword at her waist. Although she was not particularly beautiful, her eyes were like the stars and the sea, and her aura was as deep as the ocean, making her impossible to ignore.

She looked at Xiao Qitian kneeling in the stream, smiled slightly, and asked, "Young man, what is troubling you?"

"Fate, tell me, what is fate?"

The woman laughed heartily, pointed at Xiao Qitian, and then at herself.

"This is life."

She spoke loudly, her voice soaring to the heavens: "I am my destiny."

That day, the inner demons vanished.

That day, Xiao Qitian found his true master.

-------------

“Fate is like a sword in my hand; the more I understand it, the more I control it.”

In the woods, the woman drew her sword and spoke to Xiao Qitian.

Everyone says, "Fate is a secret of Heaven, and heavenly secrets cannot be revealed." I say, "Bullshit!"

There are many principles in the world, but only a few are truly practical: understand them, master them, and then you will succeed. These principles are timeless and apply to all ages.

As the woman spoke, she brandished her sword, the sword's wind sharp and fierce, continuously shattering the large tree in front of her without using any spiritual energy.

In just a quarter of an hour, the tree disappeared, leaving behind a wooden carving.

The wood carving depicts the adult version of Xiao Qitian.

The girl sheathed her sword and, under Xiao Qitian's shocked gaze, said, "The reason you develop inner demons because of the question of fate is ultimately because you've fallen into fatalism."

"You peruse human history, looking at the heroes of the past and present, and marvel at how those rough heroes were once just butchers and dog sellers, but suddenly became incredibly resourceful and brave. Therefore, you believe that this was determined by their fate, by heaven, and that they deserved their wealth and honor. But you overlook the fact that they can 'grow'."

Xiao Qitian was intimidated by the girl's imposing manner, but he still braced himself and asked, "Could it be because their growth is also a part of destiny?"

The woman laughed heartily: "If this is fate, then our human race would not have developed to this extent."

Human history has always been about understanding destiny and following the times, but ultimately, it has all been about relying on destiny.

"There is nothing in this world that cannot be used."

"You can't take advantage of it simply because you don't understand it."

Understanding, controlling, and utilizing – this is the path women firmly believe in.

It's like a sword in your hand.

"Understanding fate, utilizing fate, and ultimately achieving growth—this has been true throughout history."