Hun Yu returned to his dwelling. Because he had never cultivated spiritual Qi all these years, the resources and spirit stones distributed by the sect were pitifully few. Even so, he had lived frugally and saved everything, only to hand it all over to Mu Qingwan in the end.
Thus, his place was nothing more than a thatched hut with a small courtyard enclosed by a simple wooden fence.
When he opened the long-familiar broken hut, a rare warmth welled up within him. In his previous life, he had been too stubborn about Mu Qingwan and the others, wasting his life away until he died miserably and alone. But now, reborn, aside from those ugly faces, everything felt unexpectedly beautiful.
A crude, cold, broken bed, torn bedding with holes, and a yellowing pillow—all of this should’ve been pitiful, yet Hun Yu felt no sadness at all.
Lying back under the worn blanket, resting on the hard, bone-aching wooden board, he smiled gently and closed his eyes contentedly, savoring this coldness one last time.
As he recalled his past life, a sneer appeared at the corner of his lips.
He had been so foolish. Reading too many books, he blindly clung to Mu Qingwan’s side every day, to the point that even his mind had rotted beyond saving.
He reached into his robe and took out a round jade pendant.
The jade was dark brown in color, and carved into it was a large character—魂 (soul).
In his past life, he had never activated this pendant until death. He had chosen not to, simply because he didn’t want any ties to what lay behind this jade.
The truth was, this Soul Jade represented his lineage. He had avoided it because he wanted to stay in the Heavenly Profound Sect, to marry Mu Qingwan, to spend a lifetime with her.
Another reason was that he knew—the character “Hun” was not associated with any righteous force on this continent. Instead, it was tied to a notorious villainous faction, reviled by many. And he, in his past life, had desperately wanted to be a proper and upright figure. Even if he couldn’t act chivalrously or uphold justice, at least he didn’t want to be evil.
Looking back now, he couldn’t believe how stupid he had been. No wonder—until his dying breath, not a single soul had come looking for him.
“A villain? Heh~ If being righteous means being trampled and left for dead, then what’s so wrong with being a villain? At least I’ll live freely!”
Reborn in this life, I’ll live for myself!
At that thought, he no longer hesitated. He pricked his fingertip, letting his blood soak into the character “Hun.”
And at that moment, the jade began to change.
In his past life, he had treasured this jade close to his chest. No one had ever known about it, not even Mu Qingwan.
Even when he died, the jade never reacted.
But now, as blood seeped in, the dark brown jade suddenly radiated with dazzling light, then quickly absorbed all of Hun Yu’s blood.
Then, a large character “Hun” appeared in midair.
The character shimmered with an ancient, forceful aura, as if it had emerged from the desolate ages of antiquity.
The light lasted only a few seconds before it withdrew. The “Hun” in the air then flew toward Hun Yu. He didn’t dodge it and allowed it to merge directly into his body.
The moment it entered, he felt a powerful ancestral bloodline awakening inside him. His blood roared like boiling lava. Vaguely, he sensed a distant call—something within his blood was summoning him.
Once his body settled again, everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
But the round jade had changed. Its structure fused and transformed into a ring that emitted a faint, dark glow.
Hun Yu examined it several times but didn’t notice anything particularly special. He casually slipped it onto his finger—perhaps it was a symbol of identity from that place, and not something to be discarded lightly.
He didn’t notice, however, that on the surface of the ring where the dark glow shimmered, the character 「帝」 (Emperor) briefly appeared and then disappeared without a trace, as if it had never existed.
After finishing all this, Hun Yu lay back on the bed, quietly waiting for that person to appear.
Perhaps because he had finally let go of everything, that bone-deep exhaustion, the burden that had chained him for so long, and the ever-present fear that had suffocated him for years—all vanished.
Now, Hun Yu simply felt at peace and light.
In this calm state, he drifted into sleep. It had been many years since he felt so free and relaxed.
This time, he slept deeply. In his dreams, there was no Mu Qingwan, no attachments to the sect, and none of the overwhelming pain or humiliation.
He didn’t know how long he had slept. Drowsily, Hun Yu slowly woke up. In his haze, he sensed a figure standing at the head of his bed.
He jolted awake, sitting upright. Only then did he see—there really was someone standing there.
When he saw the person’s face, he finally relaxed.
Yawning, he said casually, “Next time, can you at least say something when you show up? You scared the hell out of me appearing out of nowhere.”
The visitor had no expression. His gaze was complicated as he said, “Didn’t you say you’d never use the Soul Spirit Jade?”
Hun Yu waved his hand and scoffed, “That was when I was young and stupid. After everything I’ve been through, I finally understand now.”
“Besides, having such a powerful faction at my back—why not use it?”
“Oh right, Elder Qin, when are you taking me back to the Hun Clan?”
Elder Qin shook his head and said, “Even though you’ve used the Soul Spirit Jade and awakened your Hun Clan bloodline, you still can’t return to the clan just yet.”
Hun Yu was stunned. “Why? Don’t tell me you tricked me?”
Elder Qin replied, “Why would I trick you? You are indeed a descendant of the Hun Clan’s upper echelon—that’s not wrong. The jade’s fusion already confirmed it. Only those of direct bloodline can possess a Soul Spirit Jade, and only someone with strong direct-line blood can activate it. This is undeniable.”
“The reason you can’t return now is because your cultivation has been crippled, your meridians destroyed, and you have no talent to speak of. During your talent test back then, you accidentally triggered a bloodline flare. That brief signal was captured by the Hun Clan’s Soul-Seeking Stele, and your name was etched onto the Heaven Soul Stele. That’s why the clan sent me to find you. But the Celestial Continent is vast. Even using spatial wormholes, it took me three full years to get from the Soul Realm to this remote northwest corner. And by the time I arrived, I found out you had taken the blame for your Senior Sisters and had already been crippled.”
“Now, the entire Hun Clan knows of your existence—especially because this relates to the competition for the position of young clan lord. You are now one of the contenders. But with your current state, even if you’re a cripple with no foundation, appearing in the clan would only mean certain death.”
“Unless—…”