Chapter 1– The Day I Woke Before the End
The alarm blared.
But Zen Luo was already awake—had been for hours.
Midnight had come and gone, and in its silence, he had sat cross-legged on the hardwood floor, bathing in faint starlight through the curtains. Cultivating. Steady. Deep. Desperate.
> "This body is weaker than I remember... but I still feel it—residue of the Cosmic Meridian Path. It's still here. I'm not starting from zero."
His hands trembled slightly as he felt the familiar flow of energy—Qi, thin and faint like morning mist. Yet it stirred. It answered.
Then—knock knock.
> "Gege… are you awake?" came a soft voice through the door.
Zen's eyes widened.
That voice.
He stood instantly, heart pounding. As he opened the door, there she was—Zen Ziyan, his little sister.
Alive.
Her hair tied up in a messy bun, still in her house slippers, yawning. So normal. So beautifully mundane.
Tears stung his eyes before he even realized they were falling.
> "Eh? Gege, what's wrong—huh?!"
Before she could speak further, he embraced her tightly. So tight it made her flinch.
> "K-Kaka! What's gotten into you?!"
> She died. I watched her die.
Under rubble. Covered in blood. Smiling as she pushed me away… to live.
I won't let that happen again.
> "Oi! Let me go, you weirdo!" she protested, trying to wiggle free.
He finally released her, wiping his tears discreetly.
> "You're still so small..." he murmured, half-laughing.
> "Excuse me?! Rude!" she puffed her cheeks. "Anyway! Today's the last day of the Minyuan Academy entrance exam! You better not be late again, or I swear—do you want our family debt collectors to come knocking?!"
Zen blinked, then nodded slowly.
> "You're right…"
> "Also—ugh—you reek. Like wet garbage left in summer sun!" she coughed, dramatically waving her hand in front of her nose.
Only then did he notice the lingering scent from last night's cultivation. Sweat. Metal. Smoke.
> "I forgot—this body hasn't reached the purification stage yet…"
> "Shower. Now."
"Yes ma'am…"
The water was cold, but he welcomed it.
It grounded him.
He stared into the mirror. The reflection that stared back felt both familiar and foreign.
> "Seventeen years old again. No scars. No cosmic burns. No blood on these hands... yet."
As he sprinted out the house, backpack slung behind him, the world felt strange—too vibrant, too intact. Cars passed, people scrolled on their phones, laughter echoed from food stalls.
So unaware of what was coming...
He rounded a corner—and stopped.
Three figures stood in his path. Tall. Uniformed. Grinning.
> "Well, well. Look who's trying to take the exam today."
Zen narrowed his eyes.
He recognized them. Henchmen of Guo Long, the arrogant classmate who always mocked his status. The same Guo Long who once tried to frame him for cheating. The same Guo Long who died screaming when the first sky beasts attacked… and no one mourned him.
> "Boss says you don't deserve to attend. Be a good dog and go home."
They stepped forward.
Zen didn't hesitate.
He stepped through them.
Elbows cracked jaws. Knees slammed ribs. A sweep kick dropped the last one.
In under ten seconds, all three were sprawled on the pavement, groaning.
> "W-What the hell—!?"
Zen didn't even turn back. He kept walking.
He made it to the school gates just as they were closing.
The teacher guarding the entrance glanced at him with thinly veiled annoyance.
> "Late again, Luo. That's an automatic deduction of one-eighth of your score."
> "I accept it," Zen said, catching his breath.
The teacher blinked, surprised. Then nodded.
> "Enter."
He walked in—and the classroom fell into silence.
Feng Yun, sitting in the front row, turned and narrowed her eyes.
> "My people failed?" she thought.
Guo Long was smirking, but the twitch in his jaw betrayed him.
Zen walked past them like they didn't exist.
He sat. Pen in hand. The test paper before him.
The exam began.
His hand moved fast. Accurate. Efficient.
Not because he studied harder—but because he remembered every single question.
In his first life, he barely passed.
This time, he finished in half the time and rested his chin on his palm, eyes drifting to the girl across the aisle.
Li Wenyu.
Bright eyes. Hair like soft shadow. She glanced at him—and smiled.
He smiled back.
---
After school, they walked home together. Talking. Laughing. She teased him for answering a math question backwards, and he teased her back about overthinking the essay section.
He had missed this. Her voice. Her presence.
But from across the street… someone watched.
Feng Yun. Guo Long. Ren Jie.
They followed. Silently. Angrily.
Zen noticed—but said nothing.
When they reached a narrow alley shortcut, he slowed.
> "This way," Li Wenyu said.
He nodded.
They entered—and the trap sprung.
Five thugs emerged. Same uniforms. Same mocking grins.
> "How romantic," one sneered. "You two look so cute. Would be a shame if something happened."
Li Wenyu stepped back, startled.
But Zen… smiled.
Not out of arrogance. But out of certainty.
> "You're making the same mistake," he said quietly.
> "What did you say—?"
He pulled the pistol from his coat.
> Bang. Bang. Bang.
One by one, they dropped. Clean. Precise. No hesitation.
> "W-What—W-WHAT?!"
> "You brought this on yourselves."
He turned to Wenyu.
> "Let's go."
She followed. Wordless. Shocked—but not afraid.
Because somewhere deep down, she understood.
They parted at the corner with a nod.
> "I... I won't tell anyone," she whispered.
> "You don't have to," he replied, eyes soft.
Later that evening, Zen stood before an old weapons shack—dusty, abandoned.
But not for long.
He entered.
Within the shadows, an old man sat polishing scraps.
In another timeline, this man would become the chief weaponsmith of Fortress Xuanzong, a legend who forged the Soul-Pulse Cannons that defended humanity's final bastion.
Zen stepped forward and dropped a blueprint onto the table.
> "I want you to build this. You'll understand why soon."
The old man raised a brow—but something in Zen's eyes silenced any doubt.
Outside, the stars began to stir.
And Zen looked up.
He clenched his fists.
> "I remember every death. Every scream. Every failure."
"This time… I'm not playing defense."
"I'm taking the first strike."
And in the heavens, something ancient turned its gaze upon Earth once more…