A week has passed since the bloody night that erased the Luo Family from the power map of Yonghe City. Seven days may seem short to the average person, but in the world of the upper echelons, it was a storm that tore apart the old order. The destruction of two great families—the Shen Family (the old opposing faction) and the Luo Family—caused a great uproar, the reverberations of which reached the very heart of government.
Speculation abounded among the elite, but no one dared point fingers. This was because Shen Ruolin's move to claim the assets left behind by the two families was utterly illogical. With a speed that defied bureaucratic logic, the "Midas Hand" absorbed the entire Luo business empire and the remaining Shen properties into its corporate umbrella in a matter of days. Economic observers called it a "faceless predator," because legally, the transfer of power appeared so clean and legitimate, as if fate itself had forced the change of hands.
While the world outside was in turmoil, life at Yonghe High School seemed to go on as usual to those blind to the undercurrents. Lin Fan, the protagonist with his inherited pendant, is still living his routine as a bullied loser. The last time Wei Yan saw him, Lin Fan seemed even more depressed; his aura dimmed as if his destiny was being slowly eroded by an anomalous presence nearby. Meanwhile, Ye Fan remains behind bars, but news reports suggest he will be released in three days. Of course, he will emerge into a world completely different from the one he left.
On the physical construction front, Wei Yan's Qinshan Resort project has been completed at a supernatural pace. The building stands majestically on the mountainside, awaiting its opening day for recruitment. However, most crucial is the progress of Wei Yan's intelligence department. Over the past week, the locations and backgrounds of the nine new women of destiny have been fully investigated.
Eight of them were already "tied" to, or attached to, a particular male protagonist—a pattern of destiny Wei Yan had already predicted. However, the remaining woman was a free agent, a mysterious figure who hadn't yet crossed paths with anyone, making her the most enticing piece to claim.
Wei Yan, the maestro behind this symphony, was truly enjoying life in style. At school, his image had shifted from mere genius to untouchable school idol. His gradually leaking sovereign charm had led four destined women in his class to openly pursue him. Those who had once been indifferent were now drawn as if by an invisible magnet, vying for the attention of the Emperor of Anomaly.
"Mr. Wei Yan, do you have some free time after school?" one of the popular girls asked shyly during recess.
Wei Yan merely gave a faint, enigmatic smile, an expression enough to make the girl's heart race before he left. Behind the scenes, Wei Yan's affection for his wives at Qinshan Mansion grew more intense. Every night was a session of in-depth cultivation, not only for satisfaction, but also to strengthen their power base.
Thanks to the cumulative effects of Wei Yan's marathon dual cultivation, the cultivation levels of all his wives had increased drastically. Luo Mengyi, who had only joined the city a week ago, had shown remarkable physical progress; her skin now radiated a spiritual glow and her eyes possessed an unprecedented sharpness. Not only those in the Mansion, but the 105 women in the Pagoda World had also experienced a surge in power. With the time manipulation within the special chamber, the seven days in the outside world were like years of training for them, making them increasingly in tune with Wei Yan's Chaos energy.
Wei Yan paced the school corridors with his hands in his pockets, gazing out the window at Mount Qinshan. He could feel every inch of the "new plot" he had carved out in this city solidifying and stabilizing.
"Lin Fan is still crawling, Ye Fan will soon come out to witness his destruction, and the other seven destiny kings are still playing in their own mud," Wei Yan muttered softly.
Wei Yan entered the classroom with Ning Shuang, leaning back in a wooden chair that felt too narrow for his air of sovereignty. His eyes stared blankly out the window, but his mind was dissecting the pages of destiny he had just received from the intelligence report. A lopsided smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"This cliché of seven sisters..." Wei Yan muttered softly, barely audible to the other students. "It seems I'll have to take a different approach. Moreover, this man's plot differs from the cliché of three women and one man on the mountaintop. One approach requires active action, and the other simply requires the execution of the three women. It seems like an interesting challenge."
Ning Shuang, who was sitting nearby, disguised as a graceful honor student, leaned in slightly. She could sense the fluctuations in energy from her master. "Master, is there something troubling you about this new target?" she whispered in a very formal yet reserved tone to avoid suspicion.
Wei Yan glanced at him briefly, then gave a general explanation of the situation of the destiny holders he had just analyzed. "We're facing a variety of scenarios, Shuang'er. Some are protected by seven powerful women with backgrounds in ancient sects, and some are trapped in a personal bodyguard plot with three women on the mountaintop. They're all the 'golden boys' of this world."
Ning Shuang furrowed her beautiful brows. "The second cliché, that bodyguard... why don't we just lure him out of his mountain? Wouldn't it be easier to destroy his foundation if he's in our territory?"
Wei Yan chuckled softly, a magnetic voice that caused several female students in the front row to turn their heads involuntarily. "It's a good idea. But I think the trajectory of their destinies is still undeveloped. What happened with the Luo Family and Ye Fan yesterday... I feel like it was a beta test."
"Beta test?" Ning Shuang blinked in confusion, the modern term still unfamiliar to her ears, which were more accustomed to ancient cultivation terms.
"It's a term used in mortal games," Wei Yan replied casually. "A confined space where new things or features are tested before they're implemented widely. I wanted to see how the Heavenly Law of Fate would react if I roughly cut off one of its branches."
"Like the Research and Development (RnD) within Sister Ruolin's corporate structure?" Ning Shuang asked, trying to connect it to what she'd learned from Shen Ruolin recently.
"Ah... you got it. Right on," Wei Yan nodded in satisfaction. "I'm measuring this world's resilience to anomalies like me before I actually 'devour' all seven paths of fate at once."
Their secret conversation was interrupted as the classroom door opened. Lin Zixuan, the homeroom teacher and history teacher known for her strictness, stepped in. Her high heels clacked against the corridor floor, creating a rhythm that demanded full attention. And in just microsecond, Wei Yan catch her eyes had a slight move towards him.
If the four women of destiny in this class—the popular girls who were now constantly stealing glances at Wei Yan—pursued him like they were chasing true love, a flowery affair, then Lin Zixuan's gaze was completely different. When her eyes met Wei Yan's, it was like a beast tamer observing the wild side of a calm lion.
"Open your history books, page one hundred and eighty," Lin Zixuan's voice echoed coldly yet elegantly.
Throughout the lesson, Wei Yan could feel Lin Zixuan's eyes constantly returning to him. It wasn't the lustful gaze of a teenager, but rather a gaze filled with deep curiosity, as if he could smell the scent of blood and power Wei Yan hid beneath his school uniform.
"Wei Yan," Lin Zixuan called out suddenly in the middle of his explanation of the fall of the ancient dynasty. "In your opinion, what is the main factor that caused an invincible emperor to fall overnight?"
The entire classroom suddenly fell silent. The four girls who admired Wei Yan held their breath, waiting for their idol to deliver a stunning answer.
Wei Yan stood calmly, his movements slow and controlled. "The emperor didn't fall because his enemies were strong, Ms. Lin. He fell because he began to believe in the narrative of destiny written by others, and forgot that he himself held the brush. Destruction always begins with complacency in a 'chessboard' that he thought he had mastered."
Lin Zixuan paused for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly, as if dissecting the double meaning behind his student's words. "A very... philosophical answer. Please sit down."
As Wei Yan sat down, he felt a slight kick on his leg from Ning Shuang under the table. "Sir, Ms. Lin seems to be starting to suspect something. The way she's looking at you... it's as if she wants to tame you."
Wei Yan only smiled faintly, his eyes remaining fixed on the blackboard. "Let it be. A tamer will only realize his mistake when he realizes that the 'beast' he's facing is actually the owner of the forest in which he stands."
On the other side of the classroom, the four women of destiny who adored Wei Yan could only stare at his back with deepening admiration.
Seeing Lin Zixuan still staring at him with unusual intensity, Wei Yan turned his gaze back to the window. His thoughts drifted away from the chalk dust and the humming sound of the ceiling fan.
In his mind, he began a cold calculation. "If I recalculate... adding this beautiful teacher to Ye Fan's scenario as a new variable would bring my collection to 21 women of destiny. Interesting. She has a mature aura of authority, something that will add a different touch to Qinshan Mansion later."
Wei Yan's seemingly deep and blatant daydreaming in the middle of class apparently ignited Lin Zixuan's anger. The history teacher slammed his textbook onto the desk with a loud thud, causing several female students who had been admiring Wei Yan to flinch.
"Wei Yan!" Lin Zixuan's voice rose, sharp as a dagger. "It seems the window is far more interesting than the material on monarchical leadership I'm explaining. Since you think you're so expert that you can ignore my lesson, explain: What is a leader's fatal mistake in maintaining their sovereignty when faced with an unexpected anomaly?"
The entire class held their breath. Ning Shuang glanced at her master out of the corner of her eye, ready to defend herself if necessary, but she knew Wei Yan didn't need help. Lin Zixuan walked over, stopping right in front of Wei Yan's desk, the scent of her elegant and domineering perfume wafting over her, trying to suppress the young man's presence.
Wei Yan didn't flinch. He stood slowly, casually adjusting his uniform before staring directly into Lin Zixuan's eyes, which were burning with anger.
"His fatal mistake?" Wei Yan repeated the question in a flat yet compelling tone. "It's not that he lacks strength, Ms. Lin. A leader's fatal mistake is when they become trapped by conventional leadership dogma—like the ones in your textbooks—and fail to realize that the rules of the game have fundamentally changed."
Lin Zixuan crossed his arms, challenging. "Be more specific. What perspective do you offer besides empty rhetoric?"
"The first perspective: Leadership isn't about control, but about resonance," Wei Yan replied, stepping out of his seat and slowly circling Lin Zixuan. "A leader who relies solely on the old power structure will crumble when faced with anomalies, because anomalies don't play within those structures. They are systems in their own right."
Wei Yan continued, his voice now dominating the classroom. "The second perspective: Radical adaptation. In your book, leadership is about stability. But in reality, stability is the beginning of decay. A true leader must become an anomaly themselves in order to lead other anomalies."
Lin Zixuan paused. The slur he had been preparing to utter seemed to be swallowed back down. Wei Yan's answer wasn't from any history book; it was a thought that carried the weight of experience, as if this young man had led thousands of troops across different eras.
"And the final perspective," Wei Yan stopped right behind Lin Zixuan, whispering words that only the teacher could hear as his hand accidentally—or perhaps intentionally—touched the edge of the wooden table where Lin Zixuan was leaning. "A leader must know when to relinquish his authority and when to submit to a greater force he cannot tame. Does Mrs. Lin think she can tame something that doesn't follow the laws of history?"
Lin Zixuan's face flushed, not from anger, but from the immense mental pressure brought on by Wei Yan's answer and presence. The situation had completely turned upside down. He, who had initially wanted to corner Wei Yan with insults about leadership, now felt like a disciple being tested by his own emperor.
The four women of destiny in the class could only watch with open mouths. They saw how their most feared and authoritative homeroom teacher now seemed to falter before Wei Yan's calm aura.
"Enough... please sit down, Wei Yan," Lin Zixuan said in a slightly trembling voice, trying to regain her dignity. She immediately turned to the blackboard, avoiding further eye contact, but her hand holding the chalk seemed to tremble slightly.
Wei Yan sat back down with a faint, triumphant smile. Beside him, Ning Shuang whispered softly, "Sir, you just destroyed his mental defenses in less than five minutes. It seems that the number 21 wasn't just a calculation, but a certainty."
Wei Yan simply closed his eyes, savoring the lingering tension in the classroom. To him, this was just a small interaction on the sidelines of his grand game. But to Lin Zixuan, this moment was the beginning of a wave of doubt that would lead him deeper into the web of destiny the Maestro was weaving.