The Chosen Ones have arrived—some things have changed, and some things haven’t. Fate works in mysterious, unpredictable ways.
For the Freewind Sect, if Jill Young hadn’t shown up at that snowy mountain rendezvous, Wu Zhengfeng would’ve been a goner, and everyone at Spirit Eagle Palace would’ve been toast. Plus, since Wu Zhengfeng had already blown through most of her family fortune and the Supreme Skill was passed down by word of mouth—no manuals left—Walter Huan and the other rebels couldn’t get their hands on the legendary technique. Walter’s ambitions would’ve vanished like smoke, and the Freewind Sect would’ve disappeared from history.
Wu Zhengfeng’s wild dream of shaking up the world would’ve fizzled out too—snuffed out like a candle flame.
As for Elder Vajra, if that thick-skinned, black-hearted guy hadn’t joined the Vajra Sect and made a mess of things, he wouldn’t have been framed, nor become public enemy number one in the Diamond tradition. Without that pressure, he wouldn’t have gone looking for trouble at White Camel Manor or organized raids on merchants—he’d have just kept geeking out over external martial arts, making his iron head even harder.
With no Imperial Preceptor around, the Mongols would’ve gone back to recruiting oddballs from the countryside. Vajra Sect would’ve slowly climbed the ranks, and years later, this barely-literate sect would churn out disciples with names like “Ah Da” and “Ah Er”—so lame it hurts—to help Prince Ruyang with his plan to “wipe out Shaolin first, then destroy Wudang.” (See: The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber)
For Grace Kwok, if Jill Young hadn’t shown up in that prison cart at Black Dragon Stronghold, everything would’ve turned out totally different.
She’d have blended in with the other captured girls, quietly waiting for her chance. Since the girls in the stronghold were in charge of tea and water, she could’ve slipped something into the drinks and taken down Black Dragon Stronghold. Winning would still be winning—the stronghold wouldn’t have stopped her. But some things would be different. For one, that near-disastrous close call would’ve shaken up this sheltered girl, who’d never really felt the rough side of the martial world thanks to her parents’ protection.
A lot would stay the same, but plenty would be different too.
Grace Kwok would still be wandering the world looking for Yang Guo, just like a high school guy secretly following his crush. But her approach, her outlook—those would be different. Jill Young and Stone Black Dragon taught her a real lesson. If before she saw the martial world as “no big deal,” now she’s slowly learning to see it as “oh, so this is how it really is.”
Change your perspective, and the scenery changes too. The world finally went from being a playground for wannabe heroines to a truly three-dimensional, complicated, and profound universe.