Ethan’s eyes flickered with surprise. The bone-deep exhaustion that had weighed him down moments ago had completely vanished.
Not only had his fatigue evaporated, but his capacity to channel mana had expanded exponentially. With his newly refined physique, he could now effortlessly handle up to Rank-4 magic spells without overwhelming his meridians.
A dark, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Right at that moment, a crisp digital chime echoed inside his mind, accompanied by a system notification:
[DESTINY INTERCEPTION]
[Target : Heavenly Chosen One - Kyle vance]
[Status: Major Destiny Altered]
[Intercepted Opportunity: Stonefish Body]
[Target Fate Points Deducted: -50,000]
[Host Fate Points Gained: +50,000]
Ethan’s eyes widened slightly as a secondary status panel popped up, displaying Keal’s remaining fortune:
[TARGET FORTUNE ASSESSMENT: KEAL VANCE]
[Initial Fate Value: 9,000,000]
[Current Fate Value: 8,950,000]
Staring at the glowing digits, Ethan couldn’t help a sharp intake of breath. E-Eight million nine hundred and fifty thousand?! Even after having fifty thousand points brutally stripped away, the little bastard still possessed nearly 8.95 million fate points! The sheer magnitude of a protagonist’s natural luck was staggering.
"Hold on," Ethan frowned mentally, questioning the system interface. "Back then, you wouldn’t show me anyone’s total fate points or destiny values. Why are you suddenly displaying Kyle’s complete fortune to me now?"
[Host, to unlock the clearance level required to view a Heavenly Chosen One’s total fate statistics, you must successfully strip away at least two major fortunes from them.]
[You previously plundered the fire fairy stone from Arthur.]
[You have now seized the Stonefish Body from Keal.]
[Condition met. The Target Destiny Appraisal function has been permanently unlocked.]
Realization dawned on Ethan. A cold smirk spread across his face. "Show me Arthur’s total fate points as well."
With a flicker of light, a second appraisal panel materialized in his mind’s eye:
[TARGET FORTUNE ASSESSMENT: ARTHUR]
Current Fate Value: 9,450,000
Ethan froze, a jolt of genuine shock flashing across his expression.
Arthur’s total fate value stands at a staggering 9,450,000?!
Even after Ethan had targeted Arthur and systematically plundered his fated encounters and stolen his destinies two to three separate times, the protagonist’s fortune was still higher than Keal’s, sitting comfortably above nine and a half million points!
The terrifying resilience of a true child of the heavens left Ethan both astounded and deeply amused.
No matter how much I clip their wings, their foundational luck is a deep, bottomless well, Ethan thought, his blue eyes flashing with dangerous ambition.
The greater their fortune, the more lucrative it will be when I harvest it all.
"Does it have any other functions?"
[Yes host. As you steal more fate value, additional functions will gradually be unlocked.]
After seeing this, He quickly swam upward through the ocean and broke through the surface, emerging back onto the shore.
Keal’s mother and sister were standing there waiting for him.
Keal mother (Selena), saw Ethan emerging from the sea.
She immediately knelt on the ground and pulled her daughter, Mia, down with her.
As Ethan approached them, he looked at the two of them.
"What are your names?"
Selena lowered her head respectfully.
"My name is Selena, Master, and this is my daughter, Mia."
She hesitated for a moment before speaking with gratitude in her voice.
"Master, you saved both of us from that hell. Thank you... thank you so much for giving me a new life."
She clenched her fists slightly.
"As long as I live, I will always serve you."
Ethan smiled when he heard her words.
Then he asked, "What is your current power level?"
Selena answered honestly.
"I am currently a Rank One Warrior."
She paused before continuing.
"I once possessed a special physique called the Warborn Physique, but it was destroyed, and it hasn’t returned to me. Even so, with my experience, I should be able to reach Rank Three Warrior fairly quickly."
A hint of disappointment appeared in Ethan’s eyes.
Rank Three Warrior...
That’s not enough to be of much use to me.
His gaze then shifted toward Mia.
Unlike her mother, Mia still possessed her special physique(Astral Ice Constitution).
Even if Selena isn’t useful to me right now, keeping her daughter close could be extremely beneficial in the future.
And who knows? By the time I need her mother again, I might have already found a way to restore her Warborn Physique.
Ethan looked at the two of them.
"You can both stand up."
Ethan instructed, "You must also train your daughter when she turns five."
Hearing this, Selena looked down at her daughter with a conflicted expression. Initially, she muttered, "I don’t really want to make her a warrior..." but immediately corrected herself with firm resolve, "Yes, Master. I will train my daughter so she can survive in this ruthless world."
Ethan nodded silently. A thought crossed his mind: Where should I keep these two? Should I bring them along with me as maids, or should I buy a house for them? I certainly have plenty of coins. If I trade items from the system, I can easily acquire a fortune.
Right at that moment, the system’s crisp voice echoed in his mind: [Host, you don’t need to bother arranging a residence for them.]
Simultaneously, the system projected an image of a peculiar stone artifact from within its interface.
It was shaped like a traditional Buddhist pagoda, cylindrical and tiered, but covered in faint, ancient cracks and radiating a mysterious aura.
A text description hovered beneath it: Star Concealment Pagoda (First Floor).
Inside this first floor, between 15 to 20 living beings could be comfortably stored. Furthermore, any living being placed inside the first floor experienced a dilated time flow—time passed at twice the speed of the outside world.
Ethan looked at the treasure in shock.
It was an Time-Type Treasure, which also possessed powerful storage capabilities.
Treasures of this type were usually only possessed by people who owned their own empires and needed to travel to other realms.
With such a treasure, an entire empire could be stored inside it, allowing its owner to carry the entire empire with them during their journey while keeping it safe from external threats.
And now, Ethan possessed such a treasure.
In my previous life, Arthur must have possessed something similar.
Otherwise, how could he have taken his entire empire with him when he left this space and traveled beyond the Lower Realms?
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
This treasure is far more valuable than anything.
Even though its first floor could only accommodate up to twenty people, its value was incalculable.
Ethan then purchased the pagoda from the System Store.
The moment it appeared in his hand, Selena and Mia were stunned.
It was a magnificent white pagoda, its elegant structure covered in mysterious patterns. A faint blue energy was constantly flowing from its first floor.
It was clear that only the first floor was currently active.
Ethan looked at Selena and Mia.
"Touch this treasure."
The two of them looked at him in confusion.
"As soon as you touch it, you’ll be able to enter its space. After some time, I’ll order you to come out. When you receive my order, you will come out immediately."
Selena was completely shocked.
A treasure capable of storing living humans was incredibly rare.
Even within the empire, such treasures were usually only possessed by the Emperor and a few other extremely special individuals.
Could the person standing before me actually be an Emperor?
The thought flashed through Selena’s mind.
But she didn’t dare ask.
She could only silently wonder about the true identity of the mysterious man standing before her.