The improved female villains regained their memories.

“But I have dispelled your confusion,” Zhiyuan said. “You did not learn what the adults taught you, and even gave up on yourself. Since that’s the case, I might as well prove it to you myself.”

"What are you trying to prove to me? Change my fate? Hahaha, don't be ridiculous, what kind of fate-changing is that?"

Xiao Qitian's tone grew increasingly cold: "It's laughable. You're just using your immortal status to manipulate that boy like a pawn. What nonsense about changing fate? Because of you, that child became a member of the demonic sect."

"But you succeeded in changing your fate, didn't you?"

"No, not at all. He was able to change because of you, and meeting you was his destiny!"

“You’ve used the method of knowing one’s destiny, so you should know that the boy has no benefactors in his life.”

"Now he has it."

"That's what I changed. Only by joining the Demonic Cult will he have benefactors."

"What do you value your life for?"

"That's the question I should be asking you, Xiao Qitian: what do you value your life for?"

Xiao Qitian hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Zhiyuan smiled and asked, "How about we take a gamble?"

"What are you gambling?"

"If you believe that enough strength and information can change your fate, then you might as well give it a try."

Zhiyuan scattered a handful of starlight, which floated in mid-air and coalesced into a picture. In the picture was a sick little girl.

"You possess the ability to know one's destiny, so you should be able to see that this girl has less than three months to live."

Zhiyuan's immortal killing move was quite magical. Although it was a reflection of a scene, it was as if the girl was standing right in front of Xiao Qitian. He scanned her slightly with his spiritual energy and was able to see the girl's foundation.

“This girl’s illness isn’t too serious; it can be cured with magical methods,” Xiao Qitian said.

Zhiyuan asked with a smile, "Then can you change her fate like I have?"

"If changing one's fate were that simple, of course I could do it," Xiao Qitian sneered.

"In that case, let's make a bet. If you win, I can do something for you, and if I win, you have to agree to do something for me."

"can."

The two reached an agreement, and Xiao Qitian departed on a cloud.

As Zhiyuan watched his retreating figure, it was as if he saw his younger self.

Back then, he also stood stubbornly in front of that official and said, "If changing one's fate were so easy, of course I could do it too."

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

Three months later, Xiao Qitian came to find Zhiyuan.

He said calmly, "You win."

He used every means at his disposal.

Using the method of knowing destiny, he could clearly see the girl's true nature. If she was sick, he would treat her with elixirs; if she was headstrong, he would persuade her with kind words; if she made enemies, he would kill them with swift and decisive means.

He stayed by the girl's side and protected her like that for three months.

Because of his status as a celestial being, no one dared to offend the young girl or him.

However, the girl still died, on the day she was destined to die.

The reason was that the girl had told Xiao Qitian the night before, "I like you."

Xiao Qitian simply replied, "Is that so?"

The girl asked again, "Can we be together?"

Xiao Qitian countered, "What do you think?"

The girl stopped speaking and, the next morning, bit off her tongue and committed suicide.

Xiao Qitian had set up many defensive and deadly moves on her. These moves could withstand poison, wild beasts, and swords and spears, but they could not withstand a chaotic heart.

The girl died after writing a very long letter.

Xiao Qitian's divine sense was always locked on her. The reason he didn't appear immediately was simply because he was curious about what the girl wanted to do.

By the time he realized what was happening, the girl had already bitten her tongue and committed suicide.

The power of fate was revealed to Xiao Qitian, and it was just as he had thought all these years—so ruthless.

He ignored the girl's letter and her parents' cries, and immediately went to Zhiyuan, saying, "You win."

He was the one who lost; he calculated everything but failed to account for his own fate.

Zhiyuan asked with a smile, "Do you know where you went wrong?"

Xiao Qitian replied expressionlessly, "I lost because of women's inexplicable thought processes."

“Humans are inherently unpredictable,” Zhiyuan said. “They can be as fragile as ants, or as great as the Way of Heaven.”

"This isn't funny."

"Of course it's not funny, I'm not telling you a joke."

Zhiyuan said, "People can be fragile, strong, insignificant, or great; the key lies in this."

His hand pointed at Xiao Qitian's heart.

Everything is here.

The most subtle thing is in the human heart.

Xiao Qitian clutched his pounding heart and asked, "So why were you able to successfully change your fate?"

"Because destiny is created by oneself, what I choose is never to change destiny, but to change oneself."

He led Xiao Qitian back into Bailin City.

"How is that person's life?" he asked Xiao Qitian, pointing to a vendor selling candied hawthorns.

Xiao Qitian glanced at it and said disdainfully, "Kind on the outside, treacherous on the inside, a classic hypocrite, greedy and avaricious. He looks like an honest man, but in reality, he is vicious and cruel. He has no great wisdom and will probably spend his whole life setting up a stall in Bailin City. A classic ant's life."

Zhiyuan smiled, casually conjured a sword, stopped a child, and whispered a few words to him.

The child nodded vigorously, took the sword from Zhiyuan, and ran to the vendor. After exchanging a few words, the vendor gave the child a string of candied hawthorns. The child took the sword, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and quickly packed up and left.

Zhiyuan asked, "And now?"

Xiao Qitian first frowned as he looked at it, then, as if he had seen something that shocked him, he remained silent for a long time.

After a long pause, he finally spoke:

"Resourceful and decisive, a smiling tiger, powerful and of high status, his fortune is like a dragon entering the sea; he is destined for great achievements. Truly a superior destiny, no—"

He hesitated before saying:

"—He is destined to be a hero."

Chapter 438 The Holy King's Mandate

night.

Under the bright moonlight, the vendor, who thought he had gotten a good deal during the day, was afraid that the boy's parents would come looking for him, so he went home early. Little did he know that this time, he would just happen to catch his wife cheating on him with her lover.

The vendor had tolerated the idle gossip, but now that he'd been caught red-handed, he could no longer bear it. The honest man erupted, his boundless rage overwhelming his reason. When he came to his senses, he stood there, the sword dripping blood.

Knowing he couldn't stay there any longer, he packed his valuables and fled towards the Demon Abyss overnight.

Sensing the vendor's escape, Xiao Qitian remained silent.

He and Zhiyuan stood together on the hillside, the moonlight casting long shadows of them.

After a long while, Xiao Qi finally withdrew from the killing move of the Knowing Fate Technique, and sighed, saying, "So that's how it is. In this way, his fate and the terrain of the Demon Abyss are firmly bound together. He's likely to make a name for himself in the upcoming battle between the righteous and the demonic forces."

Zhiyuan didn't speak, but just chuckled softly.

Xiao Qitian remained silent for a long time before asking, "So, how exactly did you do it?"

"How did you do that..." A complex expression suddenly appeared on Zhiyuan's face, as if he had thought of something, and he let out a long sigh.

He stood there for a long time, until Xiao Qitian was getting impatient, before he slowly said, "I can't tell you too much about the hidden things, because if I could tell you, then it wouldn't be hidden anymore. As for the connections between people, there are reasonable and unreasonable ones. Reasonable ones go smoothly, while unreasonable ones lead to difficulties. There are true and false things, and there are also true and false people. If the two cannot be in sync, then disaster will follow."

Xiao Qitian paused, then said, "You mean...?"

"As the saying goes, the key to changing one's fate lies in changing oneself, and the key to changing oneself lies in changing one's heart. One thought is righteous, and the other is demonic. One may be trapped by righteousness or rise up from demonic influence. The heart of a virtuous person is like a clear lake, where even a passing goose leaves no trace."

"The freest thing a person can do is to have their own thoughts; don't let worldly views bind your thoughts."

got windy.

The cool night air stirred Xiao Qitian's heart.

He thought about what that woman had said a long time ago.

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

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

"Fate is created by oneself, and success depends on human effort."

Xiao Qitian looked at the night sky: "Understand, control, utilize."

"I understand. People have many kinds of personalities, but in the eyes of God, these personalities have no advantages or disadvantages. They will show different states in different places. As the saying goes, an orange grown in Huainan is an orange, but grown in Huaibei it is a trifoliate orange. Some people are no more than butchers and dog sellers on the righteous path, but can become heroes on the demonic path."

"Good and evil, right and wrong, are distinctions of humankind, not of the Way of Heaven. From the perspective of the Way of Heaven, there is no right, no wrong, no kindness, no evil. Everything is merely a characteristic presented by the interaction of Yin and Yang. So-called fate is a derivative of these characteristics."

"Every destiny is unique, every destiny has its own purpose, and every destiny is a talent bestowed by heaven. Therefore, understanding destiny, controlling destiny, and utilizing destiny are all important. A chef may not be able to defeat a general on the battlefield, but he can poison him using his knowledge of food. A doctor heals and saves lives, but some special doctors are capable of killing. Some people are diligent but cannot withstand setbacks, becoming lazy afterward; others are lazy but cannot withstand stimulation, becoming diligent afterward. Some people are timid in daily life but can fight bravely and fearlessly on the battlefield; others are bold in daily life but desert in the face of battle, losing all courage. There are no constant rules in this world, so how can one say that destiny is high or low, noble or base?"

"The real difference between high and low, noble and base, lies among people, and people are often bound by this difference in status and baseness. I understand why you were able to change their fate. It's because you fully understand their character and nature, guide them subtly, and use the environment to force them to change their minds."

Xiao Qitian laughed heartily, "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! True destiny alteration is not about forceful change, but about subtle guidance. Although I still can't understand what you mean by the hidden matters, I've already seen through your logic of destiny alteration. Interesting, very interesting. There are actually such methods of destiny alteration in this world."

Zhiyuan smiled and nodded, without denying it.

"Then I want to ask, why can't I see my own fate using the Destiny-Knowing Method?" Xiao Qitian asked.

Zhiyuan smiled and said, "A mirror can reflect objects, but it can't reflect yourself. The fundamental principle of the method of knowing destiny is actually to use your own destiny to observe the destiny of others."

"What? If that's the case, why did that person teach me this killing move? Didn't she say that only by understanding fate can one control it?" Xiao Qitian asked in surprise.

"There are many ways to understand one's own destiny in this world, but the difficulty lies not in the method, but in understanding oneself. It is easy for others to understand your destiny, and it is also easy for you to understand others' destiny. The most difficult thing is self-awareness, knowing one's own destiny, knowing one's own talents, truly understanding and comprehending, and then controlling them at will. This cannot be achieved through observation."