RGI CH 3 (Patreon)

Am I… back here again?

Wuji tried to force his eyes open. All he could feel was the familiar sensation of floating in midair.

Even after more than five hundred years, he couldn't forget it — the unsettling limbo between his first and second life. The feeling of possessing no body but still being able to think. It was horrifying and unsettling, yet in the current situation, it was somehow comforting as well

Because this was the proof that he had indeed succeeded.

A feminine-yet-mechanical voice reached his ears.

[You have died.]

[Calculating the amount of Karma collected for rewind.]

Looking at the blue screen floating in front of him, Wuji thought about his past. In his first life, he had been nothing but a normal mortal in a world without cultivation. His memories were incomplete, fragmented recollections — like pieces of a dream. The only things he truly remembered were the years spent studying biology and chemistry as a pharmaceutical student.

His parents in that life had died in an accident when he was only a teenager. As such, the only feelings he had were bitterness and loneliness.

He died. He did not remember how. He did not remember when. He simply died.

But it was not the end. As if the gods had taken pity on his poor soul, he was given a second chance. He was reborn into nobility; though his mother was of low birth, his father was an incomparable powerhouse.

He thought he could rest and enjoy this new life. He thought he could finally find happiness in this new world.

He had been too naive. The world of cultivation was not one that forgave weakness. He was forced to realize this bitter truth on the day of the Bloodline awakening. After that event, things had quickly spiraled out of control and before he could understand what was happening, he had lost everything.

That was a life that was filled with even more sadness and bitterness than his first one. A life that amounted to nothing, ending with a squandered chance.

But he had never given up and after countless losses and disappointments, he had found it. A way to change everything. A way to obtain a new chance.

[Calculation complete.]

He would not squander this chance.

[Rewind…Start.]

Everything seemed to happen in an instant. One moment he was floating in an endless void, able to do nothing but think and the next, a sense of weight and pain filled his mind.

[Full activation of the Dark Heaven system complete.]

[Welcome host! It’s time to reverse Fate.]

His body felt heavy, and a certain dissonance filled his mind. He was closer to the ground than he remembered, and his limbs were shorter as well.

Where am I?

His instincts kicked in and he observed the entire situation. His body was badly wounded, and he already lost a large amount of blood. He was used to this kind of situation. Had he rewound back to one of the wars in which he had fought?

Then his eyes finally focused on the bear that was observing him nearby. The voices of people cheering or screaming reached him, and the situation he was in finally settled in.

“Hah…” He wanted to laugh, while tears gathered at the corner of his eyes. He fought the nearly-uncontrollable urge to explode into tears and laughter all at once.

Though he knew he could succeed, he had been unable to determine just how far he would be able to go back in time. The energy needed was simply too much to calculate. He was ready to accept two hundred years; even one hundred years would have been enough for him.

But this —

I am back to when I was 17.

He remembered this day. He had been tricked by his cousin into fighting a demonic bear. Back then, he’d had no combat experience and his teachers had never taken his education seriously.

He had not been ready for this fight and the results had been painfully obvious. He’d lost miserably, only surviving after being saved by an elder.

Five hundred years. A full five hundred years.

This was beyond his wildest hopes.

[First Pivot: Become the official heir of the Sun Clan.]

Description: Fate can never be changed in one go. To reverse Fate, important steps must be taken. Seize the power of the Sun Clan and open the way to a new history.

[Reward: ???]

[First Step: Beat the Bear.]

Description: Beat the Bear.

[Reward: The satisfaction of beating the bear.]

The demonic bear seemed to have taken his moment of distraction as an insult and immediately started rushing toward him at full speed.

So slow.

Wuji sighed as he stood up. The bear was slow, unbearably so. But his body was in worse condition. Even as he observed the advance of the monster, his own body refused to listen to the commands he was sending. His mind was far too fast..

His eyes flickered. He was tired, he did not have enough energy, and he still lacked control. He needed to end this fast, and yet he did not have the strength to do so.

Let me use you as a sharpening tool.

Adjusting his grip around his staff, he simply sighed and stepped sideways at the very last moment just as the bear was to crush him. One of the greatest weaknesses of such heavy monsters was their poor ability to cope with sudden turns.

Holding the end of his staff, Wuji smashed downward with all his meager strength, accurately striking the bear’s head. More precisely, its ears.

His hands shook, and blood flowed as his palm was wounded by the recoil, and yet he did not let go of his weapon. He couldn't smash the skull of a monster like this. But that had never been his plan in the first place.

The bear roared in anger. The shock he had received from the blow did not wound him greatly and the pain was minimal, but it was more than enough to disorient him.

Wuji did not miss this occasion and proceeded to land a second blow, this time on its neck.

One paw moved to swipe at him, but Wuji simply rolled away. He did not care how unbecoming he looked; the dust and sand in his wounds were more painful than any jeer he might receive.

This is going to be a long fight.

***

For the next few minutes, the members of the Sun Clan witnessed a sight they could hardly understand.

To be honest, it could hardly be called a fight at all. Wuji, the idle young master, now seemed to be a changed man, and the roles between him and the bear were entirely reversed.

Slowly, methodically, like a hunter cornering his prey, Wuji continued to inflict wound after wound on the monster.

By themselves, each hit did negligible damage. But he seemed unhurried. Each strike was to the same places – the ears, the neck, and the joints. Sometimes he would target the eyes and even the groin. But then his attack would always be on point.

Wuji was the one bleeding, yet the bear seemed almost pitiful. No matter how enraged it got, its attack never connected. Wuji would always use the most minimal movement to avoid a strike and then retaliate.

Again, again, and again. Roll, dodge, strike. Slowly chipping at the health and sanity of the monster.

Roars of range changed into screams of helplessness, then finally whimpers. Eventually, the bear crumbled, lowering itself in front of Wuji while letting out pitiful cries. One would never have believed that this was the same proud beast that had fought a few moments ago.

None of the witnesses understood the beast’s language. But one did not need to be an animal tamer to understand what was happening.

The demonic bear was surrendering.

Looking at the bear, Wuji placed his staff on its head, his eyes thoughtful. He could kill it now. The spirit of the beast was broken.

But — Wuji did not land the strike.

He looked up, his eyes gazing at the beautiful blue sky and shining sun. The air was pure; there was no poison surrounding him, no rotten stench from the corpses of thousands of deceased. No one mourning their loved ones, filling the air with their sad cries.

It was peaceful. Calming. Soothing.

He took a deep breath. This was not a dream. He had truly come back. Back to an easier time, when he had been a naive child.

But he knew that things were already in movement. This was nothing but the calm preceding the storm and to change his future, he would have to kill. Kill enough people to cover the earth in blood and make the heavens rage.

This was why –

“I will not kill you.” He muttered softly to the bear.

Today was a beautiful day. Why take a life now? He would take plenty later on.

Smiling, he looked at the stunned referee. “What are you waiting for?”

The elder, hearing him, immediately activated a sealing barrier and covered the bear before announcing the result of the battle.

“The rite of passage is concluded. Victory to young master Wuji!” He announced.

Silence filled the stadium at first, but then cheers erupted.

The Sun Clan was filled with very simple people. No matter who they were, the strong would always be revered, and on this day, Wuji proved that he was not someone who could be underestimated.

But despite winning, Wuji only showed moderate happiness. After all, he knew that trouble would soon follow.

[First step complete.]

[Reward: The feeling of satisfaction filling your heart.]

“Young Master, the elders wish to see you. Please, follow me.”

Wuji smiled as the referee approached him calmly and bowed. He knew what was about to happen. This had nothing to do with knowing the future — it was just a logical deduction.

[2nd Step: Go through the inspection.]

Description: The elders are curious and suspicious about your sudden changes. Be careful; one mistake could mean death.

[Reward: Eye of Truth (Partial).]

“Of course, but give me a healing elixir first and a change of clothes. I am close to fainting.” Wuji laughed as the flustered referee gave him a bottle filled with a green liquid. He drank the full elixir in one go.

“Also…” He stopped, giving one last look at the imprisoned bear, “Bring it to my house. I like it.”

This was going to be fun.

(AN: Hope you liked the chapter. Also what do you guys think about the cover?