Set the trend, able to ignore the odds (7)
I believe the answer is:
eternal
'set' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
(Other definitions for eternal that I've seen before include "Forever or unchanging" , "with lasting benefit" , "'Lasting forever, unending (7)'" , "unchanged by time" , "Everlasting, not affected by time" .)