Far from the Eastern Meadows and the Whispering Canyon, in what had once been the grand estate of the Du Clan, a very different scene was playing out.

The morning light filtered through cracked windows and holes in the roof, illuminating a once-magnificent courtyard that had seen much better days.

Weeds pushed through the decorative stone tiles, and the ornate fountain at the center had been dry for months. The buildings that surrounded the courtyard still showed hints of their former glory, carved pillars and painted beams that spoke of wealth and power, but everything was now covered in a layer of dust and neglect.

In the center of this faded grandeur sat a young man who remained utterly oblivious to the decay around him.

Du Yanze lounged in what had once been an exquisite jade throne, though several of the precious stones had fallen out over the years and been replaced with painted rocks that fooled no one. His robes were silk, but the fabric was worn thin and mended in multiple places with threads that didn't quite match. His hair was perfectly styled, but the ornament holding it in place was made of carved wood painted to look like gold.

Despite these obvious signs of decline, Du Yanze's posture radiated absolute confidence. He sat with the bearing of someone who had never doubted his own importance, his eyes focused on the middle distance with the kind of satisfied expression that suggested he was contemplating great and wonderful things.

"Young Master," said a voice from his left, drawing Du Yanze's attention to a middle-aged man in servant's robes that were in slightly better condition than his master's finery. "The morning reports have arrived."

The servant, whose name was Li Qiang, had been with the Du family for over twenty years. He had watched their slow decline from a position of genuine influence to their current state of genteel poverty, but his loyalty had never wavered. More importantly, his faith in Du Yanze's destined greatness had only grown stronger as their circumstances became more challenging.

"Ah, Li Qiang," Du Yanze said with a nod. "Please, share with me the latest news of my inevitable rise to power."

Li Qiang cleared his throat and produced a scroll that was obviously blank, but he read from it with the kind of conviction that made the words feel real.

"The merchants in the Eastern District continue to speak of your legendary wisdom, Young Master. They say that your insights into the nature of commerce have revolutionized their understanding of trade itself. Many have begun meditating on your teachings and report breakthrough insights in their own Xuán Yì cultivation."

Du Yanze's eyes lit up with obvious pleasure. "Excellent! The people recognize quality when they see it. What else?"

"The cultivators of the Flowing River Sect have been debating the philosophical implications of your recent poetry, Young Master. They claim that your verses contain hidden depths of meaning that reveal new truths about the nature of existence itself. Three of their elders have requested formal meetings to discuss your thoughts on the relationship between belief and reality."

"Naturally," Du Yanze said, straightening proudly despite having never uttered a word of poetry in his life. "My artistic genius was always destined to influence the great thinkers of our time. Continue."

Li Qiang nodded seriously. "And most significantly, Young Master, the stars themselves have begun forming new constellations that clearly spell out your name. The court astronomers are said to be in complete chaos, unable to explain how the heavens could be rearranging themselves to honor a mortal, not understanding that your destiny transcends such mundane categories."

Du Yanze rose from his throne, his spiritual pressure flaring with obvious satisfaction.

Around him, the cracked courtyard seemed to shimmer, the broken tiles rearranging themselves into more pleasing patterns and the dead fountain bubbling to life with clear, sweet water.

This was the true power of the Realm of the Chosen.

Belief didn't just influence reality; it actively rewrote it.

Du Yanze's absolute conviction in his own importance was strong enough to temporarily mask the signs of his family's decline, creating a pocket of restored grandeur that would last as long as his confidence remained intact.

"The heavens acknowledge what mortals are too blind to see," Du Yanze declared, his voice carrying the kind of authority that made the air itself seem to listen. "But speaking of mortals who need correction, has there been any word from the Lu Clan?"

Li Qiang's expression grew serious. "I'm afraid not, Young Master. That despicable Lu Wenjun continues to flaunt his stolen fortune and ill-gotten reputation. Worse still, he dares to keep your rightful fiancée as his companion, no doubt poisoning her mind against you with his crude manipulation."

At the mention of Lu Wenjun's name, Du Yanze's face darkened. His spiritual pressure shifted from satisfied pride to cold fury, and the restored courtyard began to reflect this change. The fountain's water turned dark as ink, and the rearranged tiles formed patterns that resembled weapons more than decorative art.

"That thief," Du Yanze whispered. "He stole my cultivation resources, sabotaged my advancement, and turned my own fiancée against me with lies and false promises. The humiliation he inflicted upon me was meant to break my spirit, but instead it has only revealed my true nature!"

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Du Yanze began pacing, his movements sharp and aggressive. With each step, small cracks appeared in the courtyard stones.

"Lu Wenjun believes he has won," Du Yanze continued, his voice rising with passionate conviction. "He thinks that by defeating me in eight trivial confrontations, he has proven his superiority. But what he doesn't understand is that every great hero must face moments of apparent defeat before claiming their ultimate victory!"

Li Qiang nodded eagerly. "Exactly, Young Master! The ancient texts speak of how the greatest cultivators must endure hardship to forge their spirits into unbreakable weapons. Your temporary setback was clearly arranged by the heavens to prepare you for something far greater!"

"Precisely!" Du Yanze slammed his fist into his palm with enough force to send a shockwave through the courtyard. "And today, the time has come for my triumphant return!"

He turned to face Li Qiang with eyes that burned with absolute certainty. "I shall march to the Lu Clan compound and challenge that pretender in front of all his followers. When I defeat him using the true power I have been cultivating in secret, everyone will understand that I am the one chosen by destiny itself!"

Du Yanze's spiritual pressure exploded outward with such force that it shattered every remaining window in the courtyard buildings. But instead of destruction, the broken glass reformed itself into beautiful patterns that caught the light like prisms, creating rainbow effects that danced across the restored architecture.

"I will humiliate Lu Wenjun as thoroughly as he humiliated me," Du Yanze declared. "I will reclaim my rightful fiancée and expose his stolen techniques for the crude imitations they truly are. By sunset, all will know that Du Yanze is the true Chosen One of this realm!"

Li Qiang's face glowed with obvious pride and excitement. "Your plan is flawless, Young Master! Your righteous fury will surely awaken the hidden powers that have been sleeping within your cultivation base. The Lu Clan will tremble before your might!"

Du Yanze nodded with grim satisfaction, then strode toward the courtyard's exit with the kind of purposeful movement that suggested unstoppable momentum. "Come, Li Qiang. It's time to remind the world why the Du Clan was once feared and respected. Today, I reclaim my destiny!"

Li Qiang hurried to follow, his aging legs struggling to keep up with his master's determined pace. Despite the obvious challenges they faced, despite the clear signs of their reduced circumstances, his faith in Du Yanze's ultimate victory remained absolutely unshakeable.

After all, in the Realm of the Chosen, belief was the only currency that truly mattered.

***

The Lu Clan compound occupied a prime location in the heart of the Prosperity District, its high walls and elegant architecture serving as a testament to the family's current status as one of the most influential powers in the region.

Unlike the faded grandeur of the Du estate, everything here radiated active prosperity and carefully maintained power.

The main courtyard was a masterpiece of both beauty and function. Carefully arranged gardens provided natural channels for Xuán Yì to flow throughout the complex, while the positioned buildings created geometric patterns that enhanced the spiritual energy's natural resonance.

It was the kind of place where cultivation breakthroughs happened regularly, where the very environment seemed designed to nurture greatness.

At the center of this impressive display stood a young man who looked like he had been carved from marble by an artist who specialized in depicting divine perfection.

Lu Wenjun was perhaps twenty years old, with the kind of classical features that would have made poets weep and sculptors abandon their tools in despair. His long black hair was bound with a cord of genuine gold, and his torso, currently bare as he practiced his morning exercises, showed the kind of muscle definition that spoke of years of dedicated training.

But it wasn't just his physical appearance that marked him as exceptional. His spiritual pressure was dense and refined, radiating the kind of controlled power that suggested someone who had never known genuine defeat.

Every movement he made carried the fluid grace of a master warrior, while his eyes held the calm confidence of someone who had always been the strongest person in any room.

"Celestial Ascendant Palm!" Lu Wenjun announced, his voice carrying clearly across the courtyard as he executed a technique that seemed to bend reality around his hands.

His palms glowed with silver light that contained traces of gold, and when he struck forward, the air itself seemed to part like water.

The target of his attack, a training dummy made from specially reinforced materials, simply ceased to exist. Not destroyed, not broken, but erased from reality as if it had never been there at all.

"Magnificent!" breathed a voice from the audience that had gathered to watch the morning practice session. "Young Master Lu's comprehension of the Existence Erasure Dao continues to grow deeper!"

The speaker was a beautiful young woman in her early twenties, with the kind of refined features that suggested noble birth and careful cultivation. Her name was Mei Xiaoli, and she had been Du Yanze's fiancée until she witnessed Lu Wenjun's demonstration of superior power and understanding.

Now she served as his primary Witness of Fate, her belief in his destined greatness serving to strengthen his cultivation and amplify his techniques. But she was far from alone in this role.

Around the courtyard stood dozens of other Witnesses, each one radiating absolute faith in Lu Wenjun's cosmic importance. There were merchants who had prospered under his guidance, scholars who had experienced breakthroughs while studying his methods, and cultivators who had advanced their own understanding by observing his techniques.

This was the true measure of power in the Realm of the Chosen. Not just personal strength, but the ability to inspire others to believe in your destiny so completely that their faith became fuel for your continued advancement.

"The Severing of Illusions technique grows more refined with each practice," observed an elderly man whose robes marked him as a formation master. "Young Master Lu's ability to distinguish between true reality and false constructs will soon reach the level of perfection itself."

"Indeed," agreed a middle-aged woman who served as the compound's chief strategist. "With such power, there is no delusion that can stand against him, no false belief that can resist his truth-revealing techniques."

Lu Wenjun accepted their praise with the kind of gracious modesty that somehow made him seem even more impressive. "Your faith honors me," he said, his voice carrying the musical quality that marked truly skilled practitioners of Xuán Yì manipulation. "But remember, true strength comes not from individual achievement, but from the harmony between leader and followers. Your belief makes my power real, just as my success validates your wisdom in choosing to support me."

"Young Master," said Mei Xiaoli, stepping forward with obvious excitement, "perhaps you could demonstrate the newly perfected Thousand Delusions Shatter technique? I believe many of our guests would benefit from witnessing such advanced dao comprehension."

Lu Wenjun nodded and began to gather spiritual energy for what was clearly going to be an impressive display. The air around him began to shimmer with silver light, and his spiritual pressure built toward what felt like a genuinely devastating technique.

That's when the roar interrupted everything.

"LU WENJUN!" The voice carried across the compound with such force that it rattled windows and made the carefully arranged garden stones tremble. "FACE ME, YOU COWARD!"

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