The Rising Cloud Sect was a place of mist and jade, far removed from the dusty streets of Panyan City. Inside a bedroom draped in fine silks and scented with calming incense, a youth sat before a polished bronze mirror.
The reflection showed a delicate, unfamiliar face.
Li Ye.
That was his name in this life. He was sixteen years old, yet his memories had only fully awakened at this very moment. He clenched his fist, feeling the surging spiritual power coursing through his meridians like a restless river.
Seventh Level of the Foundation Breath.
In his previous life, he had been nearly thirty by the time he reached this stage. Now, he had achieved it before his adulthood. The Reincarnation points he had poured into his Aptitude were showing their remarkable worth.
"A pity," he whispered to himself, his voice sounding strange to his own ears.
If he had awakened just a few years earlier, he could have sought entry into the top tier sects of the empire instead of remaining here in this relatively small Rising Cloud Sect. However, his background in this life was an unexpected boon.
His father was Li Canglan, the Sect Master of the Rising Cloud Sect and a powerhouse of the Spirit Tempering Realm.
Han Feng had fully expected that by dumping his points into talent, he would be born into a family of beggars or laborers. He had been mentally prepared to rise from the mud and climb the mountain step by step. He did not anticipate that the Family Background column would provide such a significant surprise.
It had only been seventeen years since his death on the floor of the Mu Estate.
"Azure Creek City. The Mu Family. The Zhao Family." "Mu Yan. Zhao Yan." "And the jackals from Panyan City who caused the death of my Ling'er."
Li Ye's eyes narrowed, a chilling and fierce light bursting from them. Having lived through two lives of tragedy, his state of mind was no longer that of a hot blooded youth. He was a predator waiting for the right moment.
"It is good that you are all still alive. Just you wait."
Two years passed in the blink of an eye. Under the weight of the massive resources provided by the Rising Cloud Sect, a muffled sound echoed from Li Ye's private chambers one evening. His spiritual power condensed into a singular, glowing seed within his dantian.
The Spirit Origin Realm had been achieved.
An eighteen year old reaching the Spirit Origin Realm was a rarity even within the entire Grand Azure Empire. Relying on the connections of the Rising Cloud Sect, he secured a position as a transfer student at the prestigious Rising Cloud Academy for a two year term.
With a heart of ice and talent that terrified his peers, he quickly established himself. Everything was moving in a positive direction until one afternoon on the martial arts field.
A figure flashed through the corner of Li Ye's eye. He stopped dead in his tracks.
It was a youth whose features were a haunting blend of his past. He looked seventy percent like Mu Yan and thirty percent like Zhao Yan. Monstrous hatred almost erupted from Li Ye's chest, threatening to shatter his calm facade.
He left the field without a word and immediately began an investigation.
The news arrived shortly after. The youth was named Zhao Chen, a scion of the Zhao family from Azure Creek City. He was two years older than Li Ye, with a cultivation at the ninth level of the Foundation Breath.
Li Ye also discovered that the current Zhao Yan was already a powerhouse of the Spirit Tempering Realm, famous throughout the region. Mu Yan, with the help of her husband's resources, had reached the seventh level of the Spirit Origin Realm.
Spirit Tempering Realm.
Li Ye took a deep breath. No wonder Mu Yan had betrayed him so resolutely back then. Zhao Yan's talent was even higher than he had imagined. His current self was still far from being their match in a direct confrontation.
But for revenge, he could first collect some interest from their bloodline.
A month passed as Li Ye meticulously tracked Zhao Chen's habits. He discovered something that disgusted him further. The boy was a seasoned brothel goer and an absolute lecher. His favorite haunt was a place near the academy called the Fragrant Pavilion.
On a dark and windy night, Zhao Chen was stumbling home, his arms around two glamorous women.
"Little beauties, in a moment I will show you some new tricks I have learned," he slurred with a lewd grin.
Li Ye watched from the shadows, a sneer curling his lip. He did not even know how his own son, Han Bao, had fared after his death, yet the descendant of his enemy was living a life of debauchery.
In a dark alleyway, a shadow appeared like a ghost. There were no unnecessary words. A flash of sword light cut through the gloom.
A thin red line appeared on Zhao Chen's throat. He did not even have time to make a sound before his eyes widened and he collapsed into the filth. The two women began to draw breath for a scream, but the sword light flashed twice more.
The world became quiet. Li Ye disappeared into the night as if he had never been there at all.
A few days later, the bodies were discovered. Zhao Chen was merely an ordinary student with mediocre talent. As for the two women, they were just prostitutes from the pavilion. In a world where the strong were respected and the weak were prey, no one sought justice for them. The academy conducted a cursory investigation before dropping the matter entirely.
Far away in Azure Creek City, Zhao Yan smashed his study in a fit of rage upon hearing of his son's death. He traveled to the academy in person but could find no clues. Only on the boy's body did he sense a trace of something familiar. It was a sword intent very similar to the Han Family's old techniques. But he dismissed the thought immediately. The Han Family had been wiped out years ago; he had seen the bodies himself.
Li Ye considered this only the beginning.
A year later, his father summoned him back to the Rising Cloud Sect. Li Canglan gave his son a task to inspect the sect's properties in the mountains outside the city. Li Ye accepted the order and set out alone.
While traveling through the dense forest, he heard the sounds of a desperate struggle. A Gale Wolf, a beast comparable to the second level of the Spirit Origin Realm, was slaughtering a group of guards. Only a young lady in fine clothes remained, cornered and pale with terror.
Li Ye stepped forward.
Though he was only at the first level of the Spirit Origin Realm, his rich combat experience from a previous life allowed him to remain unnaturally calm. He dodged a lethal swipe and caught a flaw in the beast's movements, sealing its throat with a single, precise strike.
Blood splashed across his face, making his cold features look even more stern.
The young lady looked at the man who had descended like a god to save her. She composed herself and bowed gracefully.
"Thank you, Young Master, for saving my life. I am Su Qingxue. May I know the name of my savior?"
"Li Ye," he replied indifferently, sheathing his blade without looking back.
That night, a heavy rain fell. They took shelter in an abandoned temple, the campfire crackling between them.
"Li Ye, thank you. If it were not for you, I would have met a terrible end," Su Qingxue said, her voice carrying a hint of lingering fear.
"It was nothing," he replied.
The young girl's feelings were plain to see in the warm firelight. They looked at one another as the storm raged outside. Inside the temple, the fire burned with an intense heat.
Between the two of them, the doors to their hearts opened quietly. No words were spoken throughout the night. It was only after the dawn broke and the rain ceased that the lotus buds outside the temple finally opened to the morning sun.