Chapter 3: The Past and the Rebirth

Accompanying her parents to attend Xia Hansu’s birthday banquet, the reborn heroine Su Yunmo was also caught in a whirlwind of emotions. Yes, she had been reborn. That morning, when her mother’s sound transmission talisman woke her, she was still dazed and confused. Her mother scolded her for rising too late, almost missing the birthday celebration of Jiang Hansu, the beloved daughter of the master of Lingwu Peak, and questioned whether something had happened during her meditation the previous day, since her complexion was so poor. Su Yunmo stared at her mother’s familiar yet strangely distant chatter, feeling both at home and alienated.

It was not until she stepped into the banquet hall of Lingwu Peak that she realized she had been reborn—back to her thirteenth year!

In that year, she was still the princess of Lingyin Peak, the object of everyone’s flattery. In that year, she had not yet heard of Lu Tanxian and remained forever proud, scorning all others. In that year, she attended Jiang Hansu’s birthday banquet and met, for the first time, Daoist Lord Yuheng, who had just emerged from ten years of secluded cultivation after forming his core. From that moment, her young heart was hopelessly captivated; she abandoned cultivation and spent her days chasing after Daoist Lord Yuheng. Yet, for all her brightness and privilege, she was always ignored.

She tried every way to learn his whereabouts, cultivated before him, played before him, suffered injuries before him, acted bravely before him, displayed pride before him—innocent, charming, dignified, magnanimous, pitiable, free-spirited and alluring—she used every method and made every effort, but none succeeded in drawing his attention. Amidst her tireless pursuit and his eternal avoidance, the sect’s grand competition began.

Lu Tanxian burst onto the scene, dazzling all with her dual spiritual roots and cultivation at the eleventh level of Qi Refining at eighteen. Her endless treasures, pure control of spiritual power, and assistance from various spirit beasts amazed everyone. Eventually, she was accepted as Daoist Lord Yuheng’s only direct disciple, never leaving his side. When Su Yunmo learned of this, jealousy drove her mad. She desperately wished to become Yuheng’s disciple as well, disappointing her parents and all her peers. When her attempt at apprenticeship was blocked, she schemed to destroy Lu Tanxian, but the latter always escaped and publicized Su Yunmo’s failures across the peaks.

The lower-tier disciples all saw Su Yunmo as vicious and abusing her power, former friends could not understand her hysterical rivalry with someone from an entirely different world. Gradually, she lost their hearts. Only some dubious companions helped her sabotage Lu Tanxian in exchange for various resources. But when her parents, searching for materials for her future life-bound treasure, fell victim to a plot and perished, she lost everything. She became a venomous woman with no support, while Lu Tanxian was amiable, generous, and full of promise as the true disciple. Bereft of any advantage, Su Yunmo was finally betrayed by Lu Tanxian in a secret realm trial, reduced to the furnace of an evil cultivator, drained of spiritual energy, and perished—her path ended.

Such was her brief thirty years, concluded before she could even regret. Was this cycle meant to grant her another chance?

Seventeen years later, stepping once more into the banquet hall that had changed her fate, Su Yunmo learned to cautiously control her expression, sharing others’ joys and sorrows. This time, she saw him again. This time, she did not lose composure for his sake. This time, she still looked to him first, but found her heart no longer hurt as before. The years of longing and entanglement seemed, in retrospect, to leave only the initial flutter of affection; all deeper feelings had transformed into hatred for another. Even that first spark of infatuation was dispelled at the moment of her death. Now, he was merely a stranger—or rather, the master of her nemesis.

Su Yunmo felt exhilarated. If her feelings for him were gone, would everything be different from now on? She would devote herself to cultivation, reclaim her old friendships. She would remain the lofty heiress for life, never again lowering herself to compete with Lu Tanxian. Perhaps, without her threats, Lu Tanxian would not repeatedly seize opportunities. In that case, how could Lu Tanxian ever outshine her?

Everything would begin with making new friends.