Chapter 1: Reborn
On the colossal St. Ancestral Mountain Range sunlight shined through the gap between the mountains into the deep canyons. On the hillside beside the valley, some snow remained.
Even though it was already the early summer, the snow had yet to melt. The cold here was exceptionally long. The roars of beasts could occasionally be heard.
On the surface of the valley stood a magnificent city.
The world outside of the St. Ancestral Mountain Range had been occupied by the beasts. The people living in the mountain range had not contacted the outside world for hundreds of years.
The people who lived in the city were unsure of the situation in the outside world. It had been recorded that during the most glorious period of mankind, with the presence of thousands of Legend rank Fighters and Demon Spiritualists, the humans had established many empires in the vast continent, but those empires had been wiped out.
The city, due to being stealthily located geographically, was well preserved from the Age of Darkness. They would occasionally encounter attacks from powerful Snow Wind Beasts within the St. Ancestral Mountain Range, however, after going through numerous devastating conflicts, the city was rebuilt again and again.
These motley walls were an indomitable monument.
This city was called Glory City and it was a symbol of hope for humanity.
--- Holy Orchid Institute, Fighter Apprentice Class ---
Over thirty students were sitting down and waiting to listen to the female teacher impart her knowledge. The students were a bunch of Fighter Apprentices. They were Glory City's Holy Orchid Institute's students.
A few students were discussing softly among themselves.
"I heard that the new teacher, Shen Xiu, is one of the Sacred Family's 3-star Silver rank Demon Spiritualists!"
The attention of the students was focused on the teacher. She had a tall figure and was wearing a lavender dress that wrapped tightly against her body, giving an emphasis on her perky chest. She had a pair of slender, white legs, and wore exquisite make-up that made her look beautiful and elegant. Her eyes were full of pride and arrogance. The Sacred Family was one of the three Major families of Glory City. Because she was of noble birth, and a 3-star Silver rank Demon Spiritualist, she naturally had the capital to be prideful.
As a 3-star Silver rank Demon Spiritualist, she wouldn't normally come here to teach. She only agreed to do it because her nephew was in this class.
"Demon Spiritualists and Fighters have five different ranks, which are: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Black Gold and Legend ranks. Each rank is the divided into five levels, from 1-star to 5-star."
"A Demon Spiritualist is above a Fighter. We are a truly noble existence. A Demon Spiritualist can form a soul realm within their dantian. They have the ability to integrate a captured Demon Spirit into their soul realm and then merge with the demon in combat. This allows them to process matchless strength, which is far above the strength Fighters could compete with." Shen Xiu raised her chin and spoke arrogantly, " For example me, my Demon Spirit is a Scarlet Flame Fox."
Suddenly, Shen Xiu's face and hands underwent drastic changes. The shape of her face became sharper, her teeth and nails also became sharper. Finally a scarlet tail emerged from her back.
"After merging with a demon, I can control its strength as well as gain fire-type abilities. Among the demon beasts, the Scarlet Flame Fox is a Gold rank beast. This means that the highest level I can reach is Gold rank Demon Spiritualist. Of course, after becoming a Gold rank Demon Spiritualist, I can replace it with a more powerful demon."
When it came to her cultivation, the pride on Shen Xiu's face became thicker.
Shen Xiu's words caused a group of students to be amazed. Gold rank Demon Spiritualists were existences beyond the reach of most of them.
As Shen Xiu continued lecturing on the stage, Nie Li was sitting in the back row. His mind was in a trance as his soul floated around.
After a while, Nie Li slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't help being confused by the scene in front of him.
"Where am I?" Nie Li quietly asked himself.
He was utterly shocked as he realised that his hands had become smaller and his skin had become a lot more tender.
Shen Xiu was on the stage, talking nonstop. Nie Li clearly remembered that this was the year he joined the institute. The teacher was a 3-star Silver rank Demon Spiritualist and was extremely arrogant. Because of her, Nie Li was unwilling to learn for quite sometime.
'I was actually reborn?' Nie Li was deeply shocked. He remembered being surrounded and attacked by the Sage Emperor and six Deity rank beasts and died in the battle. It seems his soul was reborn from the time when he was thirteen years old.
Nie Li looked towards the side and saw familiar faces: Lu Piao and Du Ze. These brothers that had shared life and death with him were alive, except that their appearances were very immature.
And her, Nie Li looked towards the left. A few meters away from him, a beautiful, flawless face came into his field of vision. Her name was Ye Ziyun. Although her appearance was only that of a thirteen-fourteen years old, she already looked slender and elegant with purple coloured hair pouring down to her waist. She had arched eyebrows, and an intelligent radiance could be seen within her eyes. Whenever she smiled, she would have deep dimples.
Although she looked childish, Nie Li knew that when she grew up a bit more, she would be extremely beautiful and enchanting. She wore a silk white dress that gave her a kind of unspeakable elegance. In his previous life, Nie Li had a deep affection for her ever since he was a teen.
'She's not dead!'
Nie Li was extremely excited to the point that he almost choked.
'I actually went back in time, is this real? It's not a dream?' Nie Li asked himself as he severely pinched himself. The clear pain told him that this wasn't a dream. Suddenly he thought of something.
'The Temporal Demon Spirit Book. It must've been the Temporal Demon Spirit Book!'
Nie Li lowered his head and immediately searched for it, but could not find the Temporal Demon Spirit Book.
Nie Li could not believe that his rebirth, this mysterious phenomenon that happened to him, was not related to the mysterious Temporal DemonSpirit Book!
That Temporal Demon Spirit Book's creator was not known. It was a highly mysterious book that Nie Li had always kept with him. He clearly remembered that when he was fighting the Sage Emperor and the six Deity rank beasts, his blood had thoroughly covered the book. It must have been the Temporal Demon Spirit Book that brought him back to when he was only thirteen.
After seeing these familiar faces, Nie Li drifted into his distant memories.
He remembered when Glory City was under the assault of the Snow Wind beasts. Glory City's guardian, Lord Ye Mo, who was a Legend rank Demon Spiritualist, died in the battle against the beasts among hundreds of thousands of people. Only a few thousands survived and fled to the desert, east of the St. Ancestral Mountain Range. During the escape, one survivor after another died in the desert. Later that night, Nie Li and Ye Ziyun sought the comfort of each other's souls.
That night, Nie Li had finally embraced the goddess in his heart with his arms.
Under the night sky, the silver moonlight became a hazy veil. Ye Ziyun's exquisite physique, with her crystal clear skin that looked as though she was moulded from a jade sculpture. They embraced each other with mad passion.
If it wasn't for the destruction of Glory City, and for the dreadful escape, he could never have gotten the favour of Ye Ziyun. He had ridiculously low talent and was from a declining family.
After that night, they encountered another group of beasts and in order to protect him, Ye Ziyun died by the hands of one of the beasts. Nie Li could never forget that moment.
After he experienced the life threatening attacks, Nie Li survived and walked out of the Endless Desert.
Although his talent was low, his survival instincts allowed Nie Li to travel throughout the Divine Continent. He came across many people who were fighting the beasts. He also came across many mysterious things, and of course that Temporal Demon Spirit Book. If it wasn't for that book, Nie Li wouldn't have been able to come back.
That mysterious Temporal Demon Spirit Book actually brought him back through time!
He was brought back to before Glory City's destruction. Before his parents, family and brothers' death in the battle. Before Ye Ziyun's death in the escape.
"Since I'm back, the heavens have given me another chance. I will not let the destruction of Glory City happen again!" Nie Li said under his breath, gritting his teeth. He firmly made his decision.
He vaguely remembered that he should have just enrolled into the institute this year and he should be thirteen years old. Nie Li wanted to laugh happily, 'I'm back, how nice!'
'Sage Emperor, the next time we meet, I'll slaughter you, and avenge my previous life!'
If it wasn't for the destruction of Glory City, him and Ye Ziyun would be from two different worlds. It wouldn't be possible for them to be together. Ye Ziyun was the daughter of Glory City's City Lord, not to mention that her grandfather was the Legend rank Demon Spiritualist Ye Mo. Nie Li was from a family who was powerless and declining. Both of them, in the midst of the escape, built up deep feelings for each other.
When Ye Ziyun entered the school, no one in class knew her identity. Nie Li only found out about her identity later.
Within Glory City, there were three Major families. The Divine Family, the Sacred Family, and the Snow Wind Family. They represented the supreme power of Glory City, the pinnacle of the noble families. The City Lord was usually chosen from one of these families. After the three Major families were the seven Noble families and after them were the twelve Aristocratic families.
Nie Li belonged to the Heavenly Marks Family, which stood at the last place of the Aristocratic families. Although they had a little status, there was an astronomical difference in status when compared to the three Major families and the seven Noble families.
With Nie Li's background, wanting to be with Ye Ziyun was simply impossible.
But, a firmness flashed across Nie Li's eyes. Since he was reborn, was all of this still an issue? Although his foundation was currently poor, with the vast knowledge from his previous life, improving his talent wasn't impossible.
"Nie Li, what are you smiling at?" Lu Piao asked, throwing a puzzled look at Nie Li. He was wondering if he was crazy, since he was giggling to himself for quite sometime and was even staring at Ye Ziyun with a lecherous look.
"Just being happy! I'm happy to see you, good brother!" Nie Li stated as he excitedly hugged Lu Piao. It was a habit from his previous life.
After being ridiculously hugged by Nie Li, Lu Piao muttered angrily, "Oi, Nie Li! Who's your good brother, you gaylord?! Quickly, release me!"
Lu Piao struggled. They had just started school not long ago. They had only been acquainted for a few days. They weren't close enough for this level of intimacy.
Nie Li didn't loosen his hug. He looked at Lu Piao seriously and chuckled, "No matter what you're thinking, in my heart, you're always my good brother!"
Naturally Nie Li couldn't tell Lu Piao about the life and death adventures from his previous life.
Looking at Nie Li's gaze, Lu Piao was stunned and couldn't help saying, "Weirdo!"
However, no matter what, the words Nie Li said previously made his feel moved.
Lu Piao looked at Nie Li and said, "I know you're one of the nobility in Glory City, but let me warn you: Do not have any ideas for that girl. Her identity is extremely mysterious. I heard that when she joined the institute, the principal personally arranger her dorm."
Nie Li slightly grinned. Lu Piao still didn't know Ye Ziyun's identity, which he already knew.
"She's my woman!" Nie Li declared, looking at the beautiful long haired girl not far away. His heart was exceptionally firm as he thought of that night's passion. Nie Li couldn't help feeling hot in his heart.
Nie Li suddenly remembered, he and Ye Ziyun were still only thirteen!
'Ziyun, when will you grow up to become that beautiful enchanting woman? I shall protect you and we will grow up together!'
Not far away, Ye Ziyun felt something. She turned her head and looked towards Nie Li. She gently wrinkled her brows, and thought that Nie Li must have been a playful noble. Since the start of class, he had been unrestrainedly looking at her. If he dared to provoke her, she wouldn't let him off easy.
Ye Ziyun didn't want to make use of her status to make friends, but that didn't mean that she would submit to humiliation when being bullied.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone