Defy Heaven and Change Fate?!
Seeing this so-called fate talent appear before him, Chen Xuan was visibly taken aback.
Without much thought, he immediately clicked on this entry.
Clearly, wasn't this just another innate gameplay option offered by this little game?
From Chen Xuan's 'professional' perspective, wasn't this just a way to trigger more quests, albeit starting with weaker attributes?
In the future, he might even need to pay for various items to recover...
However, even so, a small sense of anticipation still welled up in Chen Xuan's heart.
What if?
What if this little game was a bit different?
Accompanied by his gaze, finally, this blood-red identity selection seemed to reach its end:
[5. Please name yourself. This name will either echo throughout the world or vanish into dust.]
(Note: A normal human surname and name will help you understand this world more quickly, and will also allow this world to recognize you more swiftly.)
Chen Xuan thought for a moment, then expressionlessly typed in the name:
[Chen Siming]
A wuxia game without adolescent delusions, what's the point?
[Everything is ready. Your story begins tonight, begins with—]
[Choose your birthplace.] (This will determine your initial location and environment):
[1. Outside Jinling City, ruined temple in the night rain. You wake up in a cold rain, with only a dying campfire beside you.]
[2. Northern Desert border, lonely city under the cold moon. With yellow sand filling the sky, you tighten your clothes and step into this border town.]
[3. Jiangnan water town, Seaside Town. The sound of waves rises and falls, and you awaken in the home of a kind-hearted family.]
[4. Capital City center, beneath the emperor's feet. The three teachings and nine schools, nobles and officials all have their ears and eyes here. What changes will your arrival bring?]
Chen Xuan glanced over, and still felt the first choice was more reliable and simple. After all, the ruined temple always seemed linked with encounters.
Besides, there was another factor; he had visited Jinling a few times in real life.
Clicking confirm, the blood-red text finally vanished.
The screen turned pitch black again.
After a few seconds, bright white text began to appear on the screen.
Simultaneously, the screen continued to flicker, and the next moment, a rumbling thunder and crackling campfire sound came through the earpiece.
This scene made Chen Xuan's eyes light up.
Not bad, really well done!
However, in a text-based game, it's still all about the text:
[You were awakened by the cold.]
[The cold didn't seep in from the skin, but drilled out from the bones.]
[You huddle by a half-collapsed wall, your back against moss-covered bricks, your old green robe soaked, unsure if it's rain or dew.]
[The weak firelight dispels some of the chill. You instinctively move closer to the dying campfire, looking around in confusion:]
[A somewhat dilapidated offering table, dusty prayer mats, and dripping eaves.]
[You feel as if you have no strength left in your body, weary like a dying person.]
[...]
Chen Xuan looked at the stark white text, frowning slightly,
This style doesn't seem right?
Where's the pay-to-win interface? Damn it, where's my newbie gift pack? Is it because the guide isn't finished yet?
He glanced at the top right corner of the screen, where there was a large square box, with a small square in the center, bearing the two words 'Ruined Temple'. Apart from an 'Exit' option, the surroundings were pitch black.
Clearly, this should be the mini-map and movement buttons.
Besides this, beneath the map was a black box representing the environment inside the ruined temple. The top right corner also displayed text:
[Location: Eastern Outskirts of Jinling City · Nameless Ruined Temple]
[Time: 4th Year of Tianwu, August 2nd, Hour of the Rat, Third Quarter]
On the left side of the interface, there was only a bare character option, along with the equally plain attributes:
[Chen Siming]
[Age: 16]
[Title: Seeker of the Dao]
[Fate: Defy Heaven and Change Fate]
[Realm: None]
[Combat Experience: 0] [Potential Points: 0]
[Constitution: 0+1]
[Comprehension: 0]
[Movement Technique: 0+1]
[Strength: 0+1]
[Fortune: 0]
[Qi and Blood: 15/15] [Stamina: 1/23] [Inner Force: None]
[Status: Hunger (Your stamina depletes faster and cannot be restored through rest.)]
[Summary: Dying Person.]
Chen Xuan didn't bother with his pitiful attributes, clicking on the backpack beside him.
Fortunately, there were items in the backpack:
[Half of an Heirloom Jade Pendant (Yellow) (Equipped): Constitution, Strength, and Movement Technique each gain +1 if they are ≤3 points, with an additional 10 points of stamina.
Note: The jade is snow-white, made of top-quality mutton-fat white jade. If you don't mind the secrets it might hold, you can pawn it for a decent price.]
[A Blood Letter: A messily written blood letter, difficult for anyone but acquaintances to decipher. However, upon seeing it, you always recall a shout in your mind, 'Hand him over to Sun Buli, Hall Master of Ten Thousand Carp Hall of the Golden Dragon Society.']
Clearly, these two items should be the things bolstering his background.
And when Chen Xuan clicked on it, he indeed saw another starting title:
[Seeker of the Dao: When practicing martial arts, whether online or offline, your efficiency increases by 10%, and you are more likely to attract the favor of 'Hidden-Recluse' type NPCs.]
That was it.
Chen Xuan shook his head, then closed the character panel, looking at the vast black screen of the ruined temple.
In the center of the map representing the ruined temple, there was only one option:
[Campfire]
[A campfire about to go out, with some unlit damp branches, can probably last for about two hours. Countdown: 1:59...]
[You can choose to extinguish it, but the cold will accelerate your stamina depletion. If stamina reaches zero, qi and blood will decrease over time. If qi and blood reach zero, you die.]
[You poked at the dying campfire, the faint firelight slightly illuminating your frail face, and also revealing a few peaches 'offerings' on the offering table behind.]
[Your stomach growling with hunger, you struggle to get up and eat one, restoring your stamina. You gain three wild mountain peaches.]
[With your stamina restored, you see the entirety of the ruined temple.]
[A broken earthen statue, a leaking roof, this place can barely be considered a shelter from the wind.]
Just as Chen Xuan was looking at this stark page, feeling for the first time that even a small game like this was somewhat tricky, finally, the text took a turn:
[You now have sufficient understanding of the current scene. Would you like to activate the fate ability 'Defy Heaven and Change Fate'? View all encounters and trigger conditions in the current scene.]
Seeing this prompt, Chen Xuan's eyes finally lit up.
[You activated Defy Heaven and Change Fate. In the mysterious void, your eyes turned golden, and the threads of fate and causality appeared as clear as the lines on your palm.]
[You have observed all fixed encounters and trigger conditions in the 'Ruined Temple' map:]
[1. Traveler's Relic (Mortal): Stay in the ruined temple until the campfire countdown reaches 30 minutes, click on the campfire, choose to add new fuel, and select the tablecloth to discover hidden items beneath the table.
Gain a Tattered Map of the outskirts of Jinling City and a piece of dry rations, unlocking the map outside the city. Retain the map and learn the 'Appraisal' skill to 'Advanced' level to use on the map, unlocking new encounter quest extensions.]
[2. Promise of the Chen Clan (Mortal): In the northeast corner of the ruined temple, within the wall beneath the window ledge, a token from the early years of the Jinling noble 'Chen Family' is hidden. After knocking a thousand times, retrieve it, and you might find a meal and a place to settle at the Chen Family Estate on the outskirts of Jinling City.]
[3. Mysterious Offering (Earthly): Why would such a ruined temple have offerings? To answer this question, you need to return on a clear day, the first or fifteenth, with a Constitution attribute ≤2 at the hour of the dragon to find out.]
(Note: Current encounters are one-time encounters. Once triggered by a player, others cannot trigger or discover them again.)