Two years had passed since the failed assassination in the alley. The hidden power struggles of the capital never stopped. It was eventually whispered that one of the two Spirit Lords from that night was an old ancestor of the Han family. The Emperor was furious but did not move against them openly. Instead, not long after, that ancestor died from a sudden "accident" while practicing in private. Everyone knew this was a silent warning from the throne.
Li Tianhan was now fifteen and had quietly reached the fourth level of the Spirit Tempering Realm. The Emperor even allowed him to study under a legendary Spirit Lord from the royal bloodline, making him the old master's only student.
One afternoon, Li Tianhan stood by the window of his study, thinking.
"Brother Han!"
A cheerful voice rang out as the door swung open. A girl about thirteen years old skipped inside. She wore a soft yellow dress and was already incredibly beautiful. She was Princess Ling, the daughter of a powerful general who guarded the southern borders. She was also Li Tianhan's fiancée, a match made by the Emperor a year ago.
"The big entrance exam for the academy is tomorrow," she said, sounding worried. "How can you go without any protection?"
Princess Ling started pulling treasures out of her storage ring like she was showing off toys. She offered a jade charm that could block a heavy attack, a pill that restored energy instantly, and a rare teleportation scroll.
Li Tianhan looked at her and smiled. He didn't take the items. Instead, he reached out and gently patted her head.
"I appreciate the thought, Ling. But it is just a school exam. I really won't need those."
His voice was quiet but full of confidence.
On the day of the exam at Azure Mountain Academy, the arena was packed. Li Tianhan's opponent was a genius from a top noble family who was at the fourth level of the Spirit Origin Realm. To the crowd, the opponent looked strong as he unleashed a flashy move that lit up the stage.
Li Tianhan simply held out one finger.
A tiny wisp of frost gathered at his fingertip. When the opponent's massive wave of energy hit him, it didn't explode. It just melted away silently, like snow touching a hot stove. The room went silent. While everyone else his age was still struggling with basic energy, Li Tianhan was in a completely different world.
He won the match easily and entered the academy. This was the same place where Lin Xue had studied in his past life. The headmaster, a respected Spirit Lord, announced he would teach Li Tianhan personally.
Three more years went by. At eighteen, Li Tianhan graduated with a staggering cultivation level: the ninth level of the Spirit Tempering Realm. On his graduation day, he did not go home. He went to visit the Lin family.
"Prince Han is here!" the servants whispered in surprise.
Li Tianhan was led to a quiet courtyard to meet a sickly woman who looked just like Lin Xue. She was her mother, Lady Lin. She had raised her daughter alone after her husband died in battle, and the news of Lin Xue's death years ago had broken her health.
"Your Highness, please sit," she said, struggling to stand.
"There is no need for such manners," Li Tianhan said softly. He sat with her and sent a bit of warm energy into her body to help her breathe easier.
After a while, she asked why a prince had come to see her.
"I heard of the great Lin Xue while I was at the academy," Li Tianhan replied. "I wanted to pay my respects."
The woman's eyes turned red and she began to cry. Li Tianhan sent the servants away so they could talk privately. She spoke about how Lin Xue had been a lonely girl who never cared for young men-except for one.
"She always had someone in her heart," the mother whispered. "It was my fault. I told her a rumor I heard about a trap at Sunset Slope. If I hadn't told her, she never would have gone there."
Li Tianhan's hand froze as he held his tea. His heart skipped a beat.
"Who was that person?" he asked, his voice shaking.
"A man named Li Yun," she muttered. "The man everyone called a traitor."
Li Yun.
That name hit Li Tianhan like an explosion. In his past life, his name was Li Yun.
Images of his past life rushed back. He remembered being trapped at Sunset Slope while his brothers died one by one. He always thought Lin Xue showing up there was a coincidence. He thought she was just on a mission.
He was wrong. She went there for him. She died for him.
A wave of pure, cold hatred rose from deep inside him. He wasn't just angry about his own death anymore; he was furious for the girl who had loved him so much that she threw her life away. His eyes turned blood red as he thought of the man responsible for the trap.
"Wei Yan!"
Li Tianhan made a silent vow. He would not stop until he had wiped out every single member of that man's family.
Li Tianhan's anger was so intense the air in the room turned ice-cold. Frost began to crawl up his teacup.
Behind him, Lady Lin started to sway. She was so weak she almost fell over. Seeing her like that snapped Li Tianhan back to reality. He took a deep breath, forcing his rage down until his eyes looked normal again. He couldn't scare her; she was his only link to the truth.
He sent a gentle wave of energy into her body to calm her down. Her breathing slowed, and she looked at him, feeling a strange sense of peace.
"Lady Lin," he said softly. "Try to remember. Where did you hear that conversation? Any detail helps."
With his help, the fog in her mind cleared. "It was at a royal party," she whispered. "I went for a walk to clear my head and got lost in a forbidden part of the gardens. I heard voices. One was Marshal Wei Yan. The other was a young man. His voice was cold and mean."
Li Tianhan kept his face still. "Did you see him?"
"No, it was too dark," she said, shaking her head. Then, she grabbed his sleeve. "But I remember his hand. He wore a black jade ring with a dragon on it. And every time he finished a sentence, he would tap the table with his pinky finger."
Li Tianhan felt a chill. He knew that habit. It was the First Prince, Li Ao.
He finally understood. In his past life, he wasn't just betrayed by a jealous general. He was a pawn in a game for the throne. Wei Yan and the First Prince had used him to gain glory, then threw him away like trash when they were done.
Back at his own home, Li Tianhan sat alone, thinking. The Empress, the First Prince, and Wei Yan were a wall of power. Charging at them now would be suicide. For a Spirit Lord like Wei Yan, Li Tianhan was just an ant.
Revenge would have to be slow. He would take them apart piece by piece until they had nothing left.
A knock at the door broke his thoughts. Princess Ling walked in with a bowl of soup.
"Why are you still up, Han?" she asked.
Seeing her kind face made the ice in his heart melt just a little. "Just thinking, Ling. I'll rest soon."
She set the soup down. "By the way, Wei Yan's son, Wei Tian, is having a huge eighteenth birthday party in two days. He's inviting all the young elites. He didn't invite you, of course."
She sat down across from him. "He's just like his father, but even more arrogant. He's desperate to prove he's a hero. I heard there's a lot of trouble starting up again at the northern border with the Langxu Kingdom."
Li Tianhan stopped stirring his soup.
After Ling left, he pulled out a piece of paper and a red brush. He wrote one name: Wei Tian.
Then, he drew a thick, blood-red circle around it.
Wei Yan loved his son more than anything in the world. If he wanted to break the father, he had to start with the son.
A dark smile touched his lips.