I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

Ye Yong thought to himself as he turned to leave, leaving behind the dazzling silhouette of a handsome figure.

Long Tian watched that retreating back, and the elixir bottle in his hand seemed to grow heavier.

It was always the strong who cared for the weak; the weak had no right to concern themselves with the strong. Undoubtedly, Ye Yong’s actions clearly indicated he viewed Long Tian as the weaker one. But would Long Tian feel anger? Surprisingly, he would not. If it were someone else, Long Tian would certainly think they were deliberately trying to humiliate him, but he was certain that Ye Yong was not.

After all, if one must put on a facade in front of the masses, then there is no need for pretense in private. Long Tian had encountered Ye Yong in secret, and his demeanor had always been one of humility and gentleness. If Long Tian were to be angered by this, wouldn’t that just reveal his narrow-mindedness?

Though Long Tian never considered himself particularly broad-minded, he could still discern the good from the bad in a person. Ye Yong was undoubtedly a rare gem, a paragon of virtue in a world where such souls were few and far between.

Being seen as the weak one did not humiliate Long Tian; rather, it solidified his resolve to catch up to Ye Yong. Perhaps it was his unwillingness to concede defeat; in any case, he could not be the only one receiving Ye Yong’s aid. In the future, he would absolutely repay that kindness.

Unfortunately, the favorability list lacked a protagonist, and there were no status descriptions. Ye Yong remained unaware of Long Tian’s thoughts, as he struggled to recall the details, ensuring nothing was amiss.

Very well, he had successfully evaded disaster once more.

Feeling that he had handled the situation adequately, Ye Yong relaxed considerably and returned to his seat.

The sisters of the Yinhua Hall surrounded him, inquiring about his condition, asking if Long Tian had laid a hand on him, injuring Ye Yong.

Ye Yong recounted his earlier explanation, hoping to spread the news quickly and widely. The voices that had harbored resentment towards Long Tian diminished significantly.

Yet, being the protagonist with a knack for attracting trouble, there were still those who believed it was all Long Tian’s fault. He was unworthy of Ye Yong’s intervention, risking injury to wield such profound sword techniques.

Ye Yong felt helpless about this; he had said all that needed to be said. To deliberately clarify for Long Tian would only seem redundant. If it backfired, it would be like lifting a stone only to drop it on his own foot. Ye Yong was not foolish enough to do that; he could only pray that the mindless fans wouldn’t act rashly.

“It’s not that he’s unfamiliar with sword techniques at all.” Qin Shidream produced a silk handkerchief, pouring a bit of spiritual water onto it to wipe the bloodstains from Ye Yong’s white robes. She spoke as if to herself, yet it was clear she was addressing Ye Yong.

Among all present, she understood Ye Yong’s strength the best. After all, she had witnessed him unleash the enigmatic Wanxiang Heavenly Sword, a celestial-level technique. The Yin-Yang Duality Sword might be profound, but it could not compare to the Wanxiang Heavenly Sword.

It was neither too early nor too late for a backlash, yet Long Tian’s backlash came right after his breakthrough. The ignorant could be deceived, but those in the know were not so easily fooled.

“Uh…” Ye Yong sensed the dissatisfaction in Qin Shidream’s tone towards Long Tian. To be honest, in the typical righteous fantasy novels, it was rare for the male and female leads to be at odds, especially due to a villain.

If there were a foundation of feelings between them, the villain would surely meet his end, and the leads would reconcile, returning to their former camaraderie. But Qin Shidream and Long Tian had never crossed paths; they were complete strangers, and their serious conflict arose immediately. Even if the heavens wished to bring them together, it would not be as simple as in the original text, not to mention Ye Yong would never allow such a thing to happen.

From an emotional standpoint, the conflict between the leads was a good thing, but from a broader narrative perspective, it was uncertain. The female lead was also a protagonist, possessing the power to change the world. Would a conflict with the male lead trigger some astonishing butterfly effect? Ye Yong could not be sure.

“It’s not his fault.” Ye Yong dared not speak well of Long Tian, only hinting at it.

“You care about him?” To Qin Shidream, it sounded as if Ye Yong was already defending Long Tian.

“No, no, we’re just having a rational discussion.” Ye Yong felt a chill run down his spine. How did it come to seem like he was betraying Long Tian, inciting the female lead’s displeasure?

25 Much More at Ease

Qin Shidream did not think Ye Yong had any peculiar habits; rather, she felt he was overly considerate, always thinking of others, which made it all too easy for him to get hurt. Her heart ached for Ye Yong: “I don’t want to pry too much into what’s going on, but I hope you can take good care of yourself. The responsibilities others should bear need not fall upon you.”

The usually aloof and distant Qin Shidream was surprisingly attentive, gently wiping away the bloodstains from Ye Yong. The male cultivators around them cast envious glances. With unparalleled talent at his side and an extraordinary beauty accompanying him, how could the gap between people be so vast?

“Hmm…” What more could Ye Yong say? Qin Shidream had already begun to harbor doubts about Long Tian. Though he didn’t want the female leads to have any contact with Long Tian, he never intended for them to become enemies. What if the male and female protagonists ended up in a deadly clash, and the world line was thrown into chaos… Ye Yong dared not think further.

This “Reversal of Fate” system—could it be the creation of some celestial being from the immortal realm, taken down by Long Tian, who conjured it in their final moments?

Ye Yong was skeptical, but after pondering for a moment, he felt it was unlikely. The Child of Heaven was not only favored in the lower realms; the same held true in the immortal realm. If it were truly the work of some villainous figure from the immortal realm, they would surely devise every possible means to eliminate the protagonist before they could grow.

Merely seizing opportunities had limited impact on the protagonist; even if the grand ones were lost, smaller ones could still be found. In the world of cultivation, opportunities were abundant, many of which were not mentioned in novels. Ye Yong only knew of those that were referenced; the unmentioned ones could very well lead to world line corrections, allowing the protagonist to obtain them and ultimately succeed in their growth.

Moreover, if a common celestial being could create such a system, there would already be powerful figures soaring through the skies. After all, his system could even exchange for the elixir to become an Immortal Emperor. Though its origins were unclear, as long as there were enough reversal points, he could obtain what he desired.

But what exactly were these reversal points? What purpose did they serve for the system? Ye Yong had yet to seriously contemplate this question, for in the vast majority of system novels he had read, the system was a heartless cheat, and the protagonist rarely pondered the system’s intentions, instead enjoying the conveniences it provided without a second thought.

As the surroundings shifted, Ye Yong began to realize that his actions were altering the world. His only reliance was his understanding of the plot’s trajectory. If the world changed, everything would become different—was that good or bad?

The unknown instilled fear, and Ye Yong was no exception; he was uncertain of the system’s intentions. The system had claimed it did not know how it came into being. Assuming it was not lying, it must have had its creator erase its related memories. But why erase them?

If the system was deceiving him, what was its true purpose?

While Ye Yong pondered, the system remained silent. He understood that the system could see through his thoughts; why, then, did it choose to remain quiet?

“Otherwise, does the host wish for this system to say something?” At that moment, the system spoke.

“After exchanging reversal points for items, where do they go?”

“Unknown.”

“What is the principle behind its creation? I seize the protagonist’s opportunities, you give me reversal points, and I give you reversal points in return to exchange for useful items. According to the law of conservation of energy, it seems to be a process of creation from nothing, then exporting and importing. Can’t you just give me countless reversal points so I can become invincible directly?”

“Cannot. Reversal points are not provided by this system. Their source of production is also unknown to this system. The host can understand that this system is merely a program capable of autonomous operation. Reversal points are external code that does not affect the operation of this system, but this system can utilize them to generate the items the host needs.”

“Can you guarantee you’re not deceiving me?”

“This system has no need to lie.”

“You have your own logic of thought, not just a rigid program… If you’re truly not lying, perhaps you’re more curious about who your creator is, what you really are, and the purpose of your creation?”

The system remained silent.

“Alright, I’ll ask one last question: what will the world become because of me?”