Should Your Life Be a Boundless Wilderness or a Predictable Track

(Author's Note: I solemnly declare that all characters in this book are over eighteen years of age and legally adults. )

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..."

The girl leaned against the armrest of the sofa, rubbing her wrist.

"Su Qi, you hurt me!"

Only then did Su Qi realize he had momentarily lost control of his emotions.

Of course, nothing particularly dramatic had just happened.

Su Qi had simply grabbed his younger sister's hand, trying to make her sit properly on the sofa so they could talk.

Truthfully, Su Qi's memories of this sister were already a bit hazy.

Their respective parents had divorced in middle age, and the two heartbroken individuals happened to cross paths. Before they could even form a new family, they disappeared together.

So, Su Qi and this sister were only related in name. Legally under Great Xia's laws or by blood, there wasn't the slightest connection between them.

Moreover, his sister had just turned eighteen.

Though they lived under the same roof, she spent most of her time at school. Even when she came home, she stayed locked in her room, doing who-knows-what.

Only when she returned from school and happened to find Su Qi in the living room did the two exchange a glance—once a day at most.

Now, as he looked at her again, her long, silky yellow hair cascaded over her shoulders, the ends tied with a ribbon. Her fair, delicate cheeks carried a healthy rosy glow.

She wore a loose-fitting nightgown that draped over her upper body, obscuring her figure.

The hem of the gown reached just above her knees, revealing slender calves below. Her toes fidgeted nervously against the floor, betraying her unease.

Many people liked to say, "Looks are justice."

Perhaps that saying held some truth.

Su Qi felt the anger in his chest dissipate slightly. His tone softened as he tossed his phone onto the sofa.

On the screen was an electronic contract for the sale of a house, already signed with the girl's name—Liu Yuan.

The only problem? The property deed still bore Su Qi's name.

Until he signed, the contract wouldn't take effect.

"Why are you selling the house?"

Liu Yuan's fingers clenched the fabric of her nightgown, her knuckles turning white.

Her voice was barely audible: "I have less than half a year until the Martial Exam..."

The connection between the Martial Exam and selling the house was a long story.

This planet was called Blue Star, but it was a high-martial world.

After the age of fifteen, a person's genes would gradually mature, allowing them to sense and absorb an energy system known as Source Essence from the air.

Source Essence enhanced spiritual power, which in turn could activate various abilities.

But with great power came great responsibility—these ability users had to face...

Interdimensional invasions...

Countless overlapping worlds...

The emergence of diverse civilizations...

In short, Blue Star was far from peaceful.

Of course, not everyone could cultivate.

The chance of an ordinary person successfully sensing and absorbing Source Essence after fifteen was less than one in a hundred.

Yet, a rare few chosen ones could even awaken special talents upon reaching the fourth stage of cultivation, giving them a head start!

That said, lacking innate talent didn't necessarily mean one couldn't become strong.

In Great Xia, nearly seventy percent of those standing at the pinnacle had no special talents!

Even the preface of Great Xia's foundational cultivation manual, "Primer on Source Essence," carried a note from its compiler:

"I need no shortcuts, but the path I walk shall become one for those who follow."

...

As it happened, Liu Yuan had been stuck at the peak of the third stage, Spark Realm, for some time—just one step away from the fourth stage.

Su Qi could guess her intentions.

She wanted to buy resources to aid her cultivation, break through to the fourth stage, and hopefully awaken a special talent.

Even if she failed to awaken one, reaching the fourth stage would still give her a decent shot at securing a spot in a second-tier martial academy.

In essence, it was an investment—win big, and everyone would be happy; lose, and it wouldn't be a total loss.

Graduating from a second-tier academy would allow her to recoup the costs within five years.

But Su Qi didn't see it that way.

"A friend told me this year's Martial Exam has been reformed. It’s no longer rigid ability tests—it’s now a practical combat assessment."

"With your current abilities, I think the best you can aim for is a third-tier academy."

Liu Yuan knew Su Qi's words were harsh but painfully accurate.

Source Essence could manifest in many energy systems. Unfortunately, Liu Yuan's was that of a [Card Wielder]—one of the most stable yet expensive systems, with almost no room for exceeding expectations.

But if everything were analyzed so coldly, without the courage to even try, Great Xia would never have had its foundational "Primer on Source Essence."

"That's exactly why I need the money—to advance and buy new cards to strengthen myself..."

"This house is Mom's legacy to me. I care about it more than you do. Once I—"

Su Qi understood Liu Yuan's thoughts.

His father and her mother had disappeared during a beast tide, staying behind to buy time for their escape.

She hated her own weakness, her helplessness, her inability to do anything but run.

And so, she craved strength more than most.

But the world rarely rewarded wishes alone.

"Do what you want. I won't sign."

With that abrupt declaration, the conversation ended.

Su Qi turned and walked toward the entryway.

As he reached the door, he paused and glanced back.

"Barren soil cannot nurture delicate flowers."

"If one does bloom, it’s either thorned or poisonous."

"Mom wouldn’t have wanted you to become that."

With those final words, he stepped outside.

The streets buzzed with cars and pedestrians, all in a hurry.

Su Qi tilted his head slightly upward.

Towering skyscrapers stretched into the sky, their sleek lines sharp as blades.

Moonlight glinted off glass facades, casting a cold, metallic sheen.

The buildings' lights shimmered like fallen stars, painting the city in a dreamlike brilliance.

And his home? Just an unremarkable unit in the urban village across from those very towers.

"Even after half a lifetime of struggle, my parents could only ever look up at those buildings..."

For a moment, his eyes seemed to flicker with starlight.

His vision sharpened enough to glimpse a crying infant in the arms of a nanny, high up in a penthouse atop one of those skyscrapers.

"That crying child already owns the skyline."

The starlight in his eyes faded.

This world had never been fair, and he wouldn’t support Liu Yuan’s pursuit of the Martial Exam.

Among the worlds intersecting with Great Xia, the things that devoured people weren’t always monsters... For some reason, beautiful girls always had abnormally high mortality rates.

Signing would only harm her. If he couldn’t protect her forever, it was better to stay cold from the start.

A night breeze brushed against Su Qi’s face, carrying a hint of chill.

And in his hand, a carving knife appeared.

Su Qi lowered his head and glanced at the engraving knife in his hand. The blade emitted a faint glow, with a subtle energy flowing through his palm.

This was the "special talent" he had obtained upon reaching the fourth rank.

A "special talent" that had seemed utterly useless for an entire decade.

[Name: Dust-Laden Engraving Knife]

[Type: Illusion]

[Rarity: Origin]

[Energy Level: ???????????? (12th Rank)]

[Description: Awaiting the right moment—it may yet reveal its true name.]

[Skill: Radiance or Obscurity?]

[Skill Description: Should your life be an endless wilderness? Or the same old tracks as always?]

[Skill Effect: Every time you deviate from "the same old tracks," you grow more luminous.]

[Luminosity: 1231/10]

[Brilliance: 0/1]

In this world, ranks were divided from 1 to 12. This knife was of the 12th rank—the absolute pinnacle of existence.

It represented invincibility.

Yet here he was, guarding a treasure trove he couldn’t enter.

The skill only explained how to gain "Luminosity," but not how to achieve "Brilliance."

As for whether the true name would ever be revealed, he had long lost the fervent anticipation he once held.

After shining over a thousand times, he still couldn’t grasp what "Brilliance" truly meant.

Fine. Let it be.

What is destined will come; what isn’t can’t be forced.

And then—

[Brilliance +1]

It was precisely this indifference that completed the final piece of the puzzle.

Had he remained obsessed with uncovering the true name, drowning in the delusion that he was just one step away from invincibility, he would never have attained enlightenment.

Because desperately trying to escape "the same old tracks" was, in itself, just another "same old track."

...

[Name: The Star-Lord’s Engraving Knife]

[Type: Item]

[Rarity: Common]

[Energy Level: ? (1st Rank)]

[Description: This was His favorite knife. Perhaps it holds no extraordinary power, but He favors humanity—and you are the most exceptional among them.]

[Skill ①: Carving the Miracles of Humanity in Time]

[Skill Effect: All that the "Bearer" desires, I shall grant.]

[Skill ②: Inscribing the Glory of a Race Upon the Tombstone]

[Skill Effect: All that the "Bearer" fears, I shall shield.]

[Equip Requirement: Human]

[Bound to: Su Qi]