The crimson dawn broke over the desolate battlefield where Spirit Hall's greatest ambitions had crumbled to ash. I, Hu Liena, stood among the remnants of what was once the most powerful organization on the Douluo Continent, watching helplessly as Tang San and his companions celebrated their victory. The bitter taste of defeat lingered in my mouth like poison, but it was nothing compared to the rage that burned in my chest when I saw that detestable rabbit spirit master, Xiao Wu, clinging to Tang San's arm with that sickeningly sweet smile.
If only that bitch hadn't existed, I thought venomously, clenching my fists until my nails drew blood. I could have won Tang San's heart. I could have stood beside him as his equal, not watched from the shadows as some hundred-thousand-year soul beast took everything that should have been mine.
The memory of my teacher's—no, former teacher's—final moments flashed before my eyes. Bibi Dong's face, twisted with pain and regret, haunted me even now. The woman who had been like a mother to me, who had given me power and purpose, had fallen to Tang San's relentless pursuit of justice. And for what? For the sake of a man that would never truly appreciate her and even supported her in time of grief.
But then, something impossible happened.
The world around me began to blur and fade, like watercolors running in the rain. The sounds of battle died away, replaced by an eerie silence that seemed to press against my eardrums. When my vision cleared, I found myself standing in a familiar room—my childhood bedroom in Spirit Hall, decorated with the same purple curtains and golden ornaments I remembered from years past.
My hands... they were smaller. My body felt different, lighter somehow. Rushing to the mirror, I gasped at my reflection. The face staring back at me was my own, but younger—much younger. I was ten years old again, my features still soft with childhood innocence, my hair shorter and tied in simple braids rather than the elaborate styles I'd favored in my later years.
Impossible, I breathed, touching my reflection as if it might shatter like glass. I've... I've traveled back in time?
The implications hit me like a thunderbolt. If I was truly ten years old again, then Tang San hadn't even awakened his martial soul yet. This was before everything—before he entered Nuoding Academy, before he met Xiao Wu, before he began his meteoric rise to godhood. This was my chance to rewrite history, to claim the destiny that had been stolen from me.
A slow, calculating smile spread across my young face. In this life, I wouldn't make the same mistakes. I wouldn't allow myself to be overshadowed by a soul beast masquerading as a human girl. I would be the one to capture Tang San's heart, to stand beside him as he ascended to the divine realm.
"Xie Yue!" I called out, my voice carrying the authority that seemed strange coming from such a young body. My brother appeared in the doorway moments later, his silver hair catching the morning light. Even as a child, he possessed that ethereal beauty that made people stop and stare.
"Sister? You seem... different today," he observed, his golden eyes studying me with the intuition that had always made him such a perfect partner in battle.
"Pack your things," I commanded, already formulating my plan. "We're leaving Spirit Hall."
His eyes widened in shock. "Leaving? But sister, this is our home. Spirit Hall took u—"
"Is not our home anymore," I interrupted sharply. The words tasted bitter, but they were necessary. In my previous life, I had learned too late that blind loyalty could be a weakness. "We're going to Nuoding City. There's someone there I need to meet."
Yu Xiaogang—the so-called Grandmaster whose theories about martial souls had shaped Tang San's early development. In my original timeline, I had dismissed him as a failure, a man whose own weak abilities had made him a laughingstock among soul masters. But I understood now that his connection to Bibi Dong, had been instrumental in Tang San's growth. If I could position myself as his disciple before Tang San arrived, I could gain a significant advantage.
Xie Yue looked confused but nodded reluctantly. "If that's what you want, sister. But what about Yan? He's been asking about you again."
I suppressed a grimace. Yan—that persistent fool who had followed me around like a lovesick puppy in my previous life. His obsession with me had been both flattering and irritating, but now I saw potential in his devotion. He could be useful, a tool to create the competition and jealousy that would make Tang San fight harder to win my affections.
"Let him do what ever he want," I decided with a dismissive wave. He might prove useful as a chess piece.
The journey to Nuoding City took several days, and with each mile we traveled away from Spirit Hall, I felt both liberated and terrified. I was abandoning everything I had known, betting everything on a gamble that I could change the course of fate itself. But what choice did I have? In my original timeline, I had ended up with nothing—no love, no power, no purpose beyond serving a cause that had ultimately failed.
When we finally arrived at Nuoding Primary Spirit Master Academy, I was struck by how small and unremarkable it seemed. This humble institution would be where Tang San first learned to harness his abilities, where he would meet the friends who would accompany him to godhood. And now, it would be where I planted the seeds of my own ascension.
Yu Xiaogang was exactly as I remembered him from the few times I had encountered him in my previous life—a thin, unremarkable man with graying hair and thick glasses that magnified his intelligent eyes. He carried himself with the dignity of someone who had been repeatedly knocked down by life but refused to stay fallen. But deep down I know, he is just a coward who rely on other prestige to show off.
"Master Yu," I said, bowing deeply as I approached him in his modest office. "I am Hu Liena, and I seek your guidance."
He looked up from the stack of papers he was grading, surprise flickering across his features. "A child? What brings you to such a humble place? I am just a freeloader in this academy?"
I had prepared for this question, crafting a story that would appeal to his ego while serving my purposes. "I've read your theories on martial soul evolution and spirit ring absorption. Your work is... revolutionary." The flattery came easily, even though part of me cringed at praising someone I had once considered beneath my notice.
His eyes lit up with the desperate hunger for recognition of a man who had spent years being dismissed by his peers. "You... you've read my research?"
"Every word," I lied smoothly. "I believe your methods could help me reach my full potential. My innate spirit power is level nine, and I'm currently at level seventeen despite being only ten years old." I released just enough of my aura to demonstrate my claim, watching as his eyes widened with genuine amazement.
The negotiation was almost too easy. Yu Xiaogang was so starved for recognition and validation that he practically begged me to become his disciple. Within hours, I had secured the position I needed, along with a dormitory room at the academy.
As I settled into my new life, I couldn't help but think about what I had lost in coming here. In my previous timeline, Bibi Dong had gifted me with an external soul bone—a treasure that had significantly enhanced my abilities. That power was gone now, sacrificed for the chance to change my fate. I wondered if I would ever see my former teacher again, anyway next time I see her I will her enemy.
Even I couldn't save you from your death, its a predetermined fact that Tang San will be top of the Douluo Continent. What did you see in Yu Xiaogang that made you love him so desperately? At least Tang San is a legendary genius with twin martial souls. But you... you threw away everything for a man who could never match your greatness.
The days passed slowly as I waited for Tang San's arrival. I threw myself into training, pushing my ten-year-old body to its limits while carefully maintaining the facade of being an ordinary, if talented, student. Yu Xiaogang proved to be a surprisingly effective teacher when he wasn't drowning in self-pity. His theoretical knowledge was impressive, even if his practical abilities were lacking. But I can see that he said nothing new than Bibi Dong, that same 10 great theory. Atleast Bibi Dong explained it properly, And this Master, he didn't understand what he is saying.
But then, something happened that shattered my carefully laid plans.
It was a year after my arrival at the academy when I noticed her—a girl with black hair and intelligent eyes that seemed oddly familiar. There was something about her face, those eyes, that reminded me of Yu Xiaogang himself. Like she is daughter of Yu Xiaogang. But that wasn't what made my blood run cold.
It was what she said to the gatekeeper.
"Could you tell me if students named Tang San or Xiao Wu have registered yet?"
My heart stopped. Those names—spoken together, with such casual familiarity—could only mean one thing. This girl knew about the future. She knew about Tang San and Xiao Wu's relationship, about their significance to the events that were to come.
Another person with knowledge of the future? The thought terrified me. I had assumed I was unique, that whatever force had sent me back in time had chosen me alone. But if there were others, if there were people who might interfere with my plans...
I began following her immediately, using every stealth technique I had learned in my previous life to track her movements without being detected. What I discovered only deepened my concerns. She was staying at a modest inn in the city, and next morning she created hidden weapons—the same type of mechanical marvels that Tang San was famous for crafting.
Her technique was impressive, though not quite at the level Tang San would eventually achieve. Still, if she possessed even a fraction of his knowledge, she could prove to be a significant obstacle to my plans.
I considered my options carefully. I could confront her directly, but that would reveal my own knowledge of future events. I could try to eliminate her, with her hidden weapon, and her unknown martial spirit, it may be little problematic. But the question would I lose? NAH, I'D WIN.
With taking Yan together with me, we have advantage of number, as a control spirit, I don't have advantage of attack power but Yan will be a great help as being a distraction for her.
But when I arrived at her inn the next morning, ready to implement my plan, I found that she had vanished. Her room was empty, her belongings gone, as if she had never existed at all.
Why did she run away? I wondered frantically. Shouldn't she be trying to get close to Tang San, to gain influence over him like I am?
For weeks, I searched for any trace of her, but it was as if she had simply disappeared from the world. It wasn't until Tang San finally arrived at the academy that I began to understand what had happened.
He was exactly as I remembered from my earliest encounters with him—a boy with dark hair and surprisingly mature eyes, carrying himself with a quiet confidence that belied his humble origins. But there was something missing, something that made my heart race with a mixture of hope and terror.
Xiao Wu was nowhere to be found.
Days passed, then weeks, and still no sign of the rabbit spirit master who had been Tang San's constant companion in my original timeline. I began to piece together what must have happened. The mysterious girl hadn't been targeting Tang San at all—she had been after Xiao Wu. And somehow, she had succeeded in eliminating my greatest rival before the soul beast could even meet her destined partner.
At least she did something useful, I thought with grim satisfaction. One less competitor for Tang San's affections.
But my relief was short-lived. In Xiao Wu's place, another girl had appeared at Tang San's side. Her name was Chen Kexin, and she possessed a Datura Snake martial soul that immediately put me on edge. There was something about her that felt familiar, dangerous in a way that reminded me of...
A soul beast, I realized with growing alarm. Just like Xiao Wu, she's not human.
The realization hit me like a physical blow. The past hadn't just changed—it had been actively altered by someone with their own agenda. The mysterious girl who had asked about Tang San and Xiao Wu hadn't just eliminated my rival; But someone replaced her with something potentially even more dangerous.
Chen Kexin was cautious around me in a way that suggested she knew exactly who I was and what I represented. When I attempted to test her limits by having Yan corner her in an empty hallway, a massive spirit pressure descended on Yan from nowhere. A cloaked figure appeared, radiating power that made my soul tremble, and I understood immediately that this girl was under the protection of someone far more powerful than I could currently handle.
Tang Hao, I thought with certainty. Tang San's father is protecting her, just as he would have protected Xiao Wu. So, instead of Xiao Wu, now she will replace as soul ring for Tang San. But how can a random soul beast can come out of nowhere as I have never encounter her in the future.
As I retreated with Yan, my mind raced with the implications. I hadn't just traveled back in time—I had entered a world where others like me existed, where the future I remembered was just one of many possible timelines. The game I thought I was playing had become infinitely more complex, with players I couldn't see and rules I didn't understand.
But I wouldn't give up. I couldn't. Tang San represented my only chance at true happiness, at the kind of power and recognition I had always craved. Even if the world itself had changed, even if there were other soul beasts and mysterious forces working against me, I would find a way to claim what should have been mine.
After all, I was Hu Liena, former heir to Spirit Hall and master of charm. And this time, I would not lose.