"Talent, huh…" Avinash murmured under his breath, his voice laced with scorn as he stood by the window. Outside, the early morning sunlight spilled over the rooftops of the manor, bathing the land in hues of soft amber and gold. The chirping of spirit birds echoed from distant treetops, but his expression remained unreadable.
His eyes—deep and ancient far beyond their nine years—reflected a subtle flicker of disdain.
"In this world, talent is worshipped. Cultivation is everything."
Just then, the door creaked open, and a chubby youth waddled in, puffing slightly as he made his way over. His round face glistened with the faintest sheen of sweat.
"Brother, standing by the window again? Basking in the sun like usual?"
Shorter and softer in frame, the boy shared no resemblance with Avinash. And yet, they were called brothers.
Avinash turned slowly. For a fleeting moment, a complicated light flickered in his eyes.
This boy...
The very "good brother" he had just been thinking about. The same one who, with the help of their adoptive parents, had once stolen his True Yang Bone in a past life to awaken his own dormant bloodline—
The Chaos Qilin Bloodline.
A divine heritage said to rival even the ancient Primordial Races. If awakened properly, it granted the bearer unparalleled cultivation talent and an indestructible physique.
"The youngest future True Immortal," Avinash mused. "The one who will one day shatter records the demonic path couldn't even touch."
His lips curled into a warm smile—so flawless that even the heavens might have believed it.
Meanwhile, Abhimanyu looked down, his eyes scanning the floor near his feet—though his round belly blocked most of his view.
"I saw your window open, so I thought we could go for our morning run together," he said. "The talent awakening ceremony is tomorrow, after all... After that, our real journey begins!"
It was a simple suggestion, but his tone carried the subtle tremble of someone used to being turned away.
Avinash chuckled inwardly. This fatty... Tomorrow, when his talent doesn't manifest, people will mock him. They won't know the truth—that the Chaos Qilin Bloodline needs immense yang energy to awaken. Without it, he'll seem worthless. A joke. But in truth... he's a monster in disguise.
In his past life, it wasn't until the ancient tomb of a True Immortal appeared in the Lotus Realm that the boy's true nature was revealed. Powerful cultivators from the upper realms had descended—some wielding arcane artifacts to tear the void open. Among them, an old man with a single glance had seen through both of them.
To that old monster, Avinash's Yang Bone was trash. But Abhimanyu's sealed bloodline?
A treasure worth killing over.
And yet, instead of abducting him, the old man spoke sweetly. He coaxed, revealed secrets, and sowed doubts. Abhimanyu listened. And when he learned the truth, he hadn't hesitated.
He begged their parents for help.
And they—those hypocrites Avinash had once called "mother" and "father"—had agreed with smiling faces.
Avinash's eyes narrowed slightly. Even hypocrisy should have limits.
Still, his expression never broke. He rubbed his temple and spoke in a lazy tone.
"Aa… Fatty—I mean, brother. I'm just not in the mood today. One day of exercise won't change fate, right? You go ahead. I'll catch up later."
Abhimanyu hesitated, then sighed. "Alright," he mumbled before waddling out, shoulders slumped, the door clicking gently shut behind him.
As silence returned to the room, Avinash's expression shifted.
The warmth vanished like smoke in the wind. His eyes grew cold, focused.
"Don't worry, fatty. I'll set you free from this pitiful life. I'll give you eternal peace. That will be my final gift to you."
With practiced precision, he locked the door, then made his way into the bathroom. The small chamber smelled faintly of herbal soap and sandalwood, but he didn't notice. His mind was razor-sharp now, every thought arranged with clinical clarity.
He stripped down, folded his clothes neatly, and sat under the tap in silence. His sharp eyes reflected the dim light like mirrors.
"System," he called softly. "Take out the Body Purifying Lotus. Suppress the medicinal aura."
[Ding! As you command, Host.]
A transparent barrier shimmered into existence, locking the bathroom in an invisible dome. Moments later, a pure, colourless lotus bloomed mid-air—its petals glowing faintly like starlight.
Even sealed, its medicinal strength was potent enough to make the walls hum.
Avinash didn't hesitate. He popped the lotus into his mouth.
BOOM—!
A crackling surge exploded within his body. Every cell screamed. His skin flushed and peeled, muscles twisted, bones shrieked in agony. Blood erupted from his pores. It wasn't cultivation—it was rebirth through torment.
Like a mortal baptized by divine thunder.
Black grime poured from his skin in thick clumps. Crimson toxins oozed from his very marrow. Still, no sound escaped. The barrier held firm.
Eventually, his trembling body collapsed, unconscious, soaked in rot and filth.
Time passed.
By the time Avinash's eyes fluttered open, the sun had risen to its peak. Sweat clung to his lashes. The pain was gone, but his limbs ached with a dull weakness.
Then came the stench—pungent, vile, unbearable.
He gagged, staggered to his feet, and turned on the tap. Using soap, he scrubbed off the filth with methodical strokes. The grime swirled down the drain like oil in water.
Once dry and changed into a fresh robe, he returned to his room.
"System," he said calmly. "Show me my current status."
[Ding! As you wish, Host.]
[Destiny Stealing Villain System]
Host: Avinash
Age: 9
Physique: True Yang Bone, Celestial Reincarnation Eyes (Always Awakened)
Bloodline: None
Cultivation Technique: Not started
Technique: None
Destiny Value: 10,000,000
Destiny Alignment: Monarch, Villain
Cultivation Talent: Average
Storage:
Foundation Building Peak Cultivation Card (2 hours)
100 High-Grade Spirit Stones
Illusion Formation (usable below Divine Transformation Realm, 2 uses)
Avinash smirked.
"Average talent, huh…"
Not good. Not bad. But far better than trash.