Chapter Thirty-Eight: Without the Favor of Fate, Success Remains Beyond Reach

In the internet age, the more miraculous an occurrence, the further it spreads. Many treat such accounts as mere stories—tales of peerless geniuses encountering demonic tribulations, told in countless variations.

The descriptions circulating online mirrored exactly what the onlookers were feeling at this moment. Subconsciously, everyone’s gaze was fixed on the stage, where Li Qi remained motionless, still locked in his striking stance, his expression one of utter disbelief. The shock they felt now was a hundred times more intense than when Li You'an had been sent flying by a single slash.

This was a demonic tribulation—something only a peerless genius would encounter! It could even be said that one only truly becomes a peerless genius after facing such a trial. And now, Li Qi—a peerless genius?

Many stood there, stunned into silence. In the crowd, Li Zheng’s mouth hung wide open, his only thought being: "The old master said he had shallow foundations and poor talent?!" Li Yin, meanwhile, was experiencing a mental storm: "Li Qi? A peerless genius?! Doesn't that mean there’s a twenty percent chance he’ll become a saint? I, Li Yin, the aunt of a future saint?!"

"A peerless genius?! How is that possible?!" On the other side, Xu Wei swayed, feeling as if she were dreaming. "This..." Chen Di was equally dazed. In this modern era, who doesn't go online? Moreover, the surrounding whispers had already spread. If one or two people hallucinated, it might be due to lack of sleep, but when everyone experienced the same symptoms, it was undeniable. "But how can this be?!"

Meanwhile, in Li Qi’s eyes, the world had been turned upside down. In an instant, the world around him seemed to have endured centuries of erosion. Everyone had vanished, and everything had decayed into ruin. The wooden boards beneath his feet were riddled with holes, and the surrounding houses had crumbled into debris. Not far away, the plaque inscribed by the old master himself, *Harmony Brings Prosperity*, looked as if it had been bitten in half by some monster, leaving only a jagged, terrifying remnant. The sun had vanished, and the sky was cloaked in boundless, dark clouds.

The entire world seemed to hold only Li Qi—the last human, the last living soul. Beyond him, the landscape was desolate, devoid even of a single blade of grass. All life had turned to ash. A boundless sense of solitude and terror seeped into Li Qi’s mental world from the outside, threatening to overwhelm his spirit and shatter his will. And within the clouds high above, even greater horrors seemed to be brewing.

"Is this a demonic tribulation? Distorted and illusory, impossible to distinguish truth from falsehood. But I have only just reached this level, and yet the encounter is this terrifying—it seems different from what the internet says."

"Still, the greater the tribulation, the greater the divine ability!"

"Interface, let me see your limits!"

With that thought, Li Qi did not hesitate to open the interface and access the Five Fortunes menu. Having broken through his realm and forcibly seized a portion of destiny, the Five Fortunes had arrived at the correct moment to be unlocked. One could even say that his previous premonition—the urge not to unlock the Five Fortunes earlier—was specifically to secure this share of destiny.

Regarding this, Li Qi could only conclude that the interface’s power was off the charts. It could fabricate facts, reverse cause and effect, and turn falsehood into reality! What was this talk of high-level sniping or a narrow victory? As for who was actually sniping whom, Li You'an, still lying on the ground struggling to recover, would have a lot to say. But undoubtedly, the interface logs held absolute authority. If the interface said it was a sniper attack, it was a sniper attack; if it said it was a narrow victory, it was a narrow victory. At the very least, that sliver of seized destiny was beyond doubt.

This proved one thing: protagonists truly exist in this world. But when one reflects on the lives of many heroic figures, both past and present, one must admit that some people are just like protagonists; to suggest they lack a protagonist's destiny would be the real anomaly.

*Boom!*

As Li Qi opened the interface and the destiny disc, thunder struck in the distant sky of this world, as if conjuring a violent storm. This was yet another proof that this was not reality; in the real world, the interface had never displayed such phenomena. This signified that this world was intrinsically linked to Li Qi’s own mental state.

Then, five icons appeared in the Five Fortunes column of the destiny disc. Unlike the five white and one blue icons on the Six Roots side, these five icons were four blue and one purple! The lone purple icon, in particular, shimmered with a hint of gold, marking its extraordinary nature.

*Log: Five Fortunes! The Five Fortunes are the foundation of fortune! If fortune is blocked, one is rendered powerless; even with earth-shaking talent, one remains trapped within the fields and furrows...*

Clearly, Li Qi’s original Five Fortunes could never have possessed such quality; this was entirely the effect of that sliver of protagonist destiny.

Five Fortunes: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth.
Metal: Slaughter’s Rise (Blue): Spirit sharpness bonus +30%.
Wood: Vitality’s Master (Blue): Spirit recovery effect bonus +30%.
Water: All Things’ Grace (Blue): Mind purity bonus +30%.
Fire: Four Directions’ Burning (Blue): Mind explosive power bonus +30%.
Earth: Heaven and Earth’s Virtue (Purple/Destiny): Mind stability +50%. Destiny Effect: The earth nourishes all things; Heaven and Earth have virtue; you are more likely to enter a state of enlightenment.

Beyond these Five Fortunes, a nine-colored orb appeared at the center of Li Qi’s destiny disc. This orb pierced the core of the disc, visible on both sides. It represented:
*Enlightenment: 121/121*

The enlightenment Li Qi had accumulated over this time had all converged here. This maximum value explained why he hadn't experienced any further enlightenment in the past two days. The effect of this "Enlightenment" was to consume it to enter a state of sudden insight; the more consumed, the higher the quality of the enlightenment and the better the results. This effectively solidified the ephemeral nature of enlightenment! In terms of value, this was in no way inferior to the Six Roots or the Five Fortunes, perhaps even exceeding them.

However, Li Qi had no time to dwell on this. With a glance, he did not hesitate to choose to refine and recast the Five Fortunes.

In that instant, in this strange, illusory world, the earth shook and the mountains swayed. Ghosts wailed and gods shrieked. A massive vortex appeared in the sky, from which endless thunder struck down, bolts of blood-colored lightning possessing the power to destroy the world. Several bolts even struck directly in front of Li Qi, but he felt no fear. At this moment, he had seized his destiny, and his intent was nearing absolute sincerity!

Li Qi did not remain where he stood; he walked forward, step by step. With every step, a new Five Fortunes entry was forged. By the fourth step, four brand-new Five Fortunes traits had appeared on the interface.