Ha Yu Han paced back and forth in his chamber, his brows furrowed in frustration.
"That jerk YuXiang Jun! For nearly a month now, I've been asking him to teach me martial arts, and all he does is brush me off like it's nothing!"
His thoughts churned as his frustration mounted. Ever since his mastery over soul refinement had stagnated, Yu Han had relentlessly sought Jun's guidance. But no matter how much he pleaded, the answer was always the same: a flat refusal.
As Yu Han muttered under his breath, lost in his growing irritation, a timid yet familiar voice called out to him from the slightly ajar doorway:
"Brother Yu Han? Are you there?"
Yu Han glanced toward the door. Poking her head just slightly into view was a young girl he recognized immediately.
"Tien Mei? What is it?"
The shy girl stepped hesitantly into the room, her gaze firmly fixed on the ground. She fidgeted with her sleeves, clearly nervous.
"Come on, tell me," Yu Han urged gently, trying to coax her into speaking.
But Mei remained silent, her eyes darting anxiously from side to side as if searching for the courage to speak. Finally, she extended a small piece of paper toward him with trembling hands.
"Well… I wanted to give you this," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Yu Han accepted the paper and unfolded it carefully.
On the page was a simple but heartwarming drawing of himself and Tien Mei standing side by side, holding hands.
"Wow," Yu Han said, his irritation from moments ago melting into a warm smile. "Thank you, Tien Mei. I'll treasure this forever."
He patted her head affectionately, and the little girl beamed with happiness before skipping out of the room, leaving Yu Han alone once more.
After a moment, Yu Han placed Mei's drawing on his cluttered desk, where dozens of scrolls lay strewn about. These scrolls were the product of Zhou Chen's endless research, hunting for answers about his mysterious reincarnation into Ha Yu Han's body. Yet after months of searching, the pile of scrolls had yielded no definitive answers.
Sighing, Yu Han sank into a wooden chair and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling, his expression clouded with exhaustion.
*"Four months… It's been four months since I was reincarnated into this body, and I still don't know why."*
His thoughts wandered back to the shadowy figures from his first encounter in this world.
*"Those two shadows… They mentioned a '45th attempt.' Could that be the number of times I've fought those Apostles?"*
A heavy silence filled the room as the weight of realization pressed down on him. Slowly, Yu Han leaned forward, his hands covering his mouth in disbelief as a chilling thought took shape in his mind.
'Wait… Does that mean I've been reincarnated multiple times before this?'
Turning his head toward the mirror on his desk, Yu Han stared at his reflection, his thoughts spiraling.
"Then… who am I, really?"
Without warning, a sharp, searing pain erupted in his head, forcing him to his knees. He clutched his temples, his face contorted in agony.
"Damn it! I'm so sick of this! I just want to be an alchemist and live my life in peace!"
---
Meanwhile, in the training hall of the Ha family estate, YuXiang Jun stood before a group of students, demonstrating advanced techniques with a calm precision that left his peers in awe.
Despite being the same age as the students in attendance, Jun's extraordinary talent had earned him the role of instructor.
In the back of the crowd, however, a few murmurs broke the reverent silence.
"Look at that arrogant jerk. Just because he's teaching us doesn't change the fact he got demoted to serving the weakest child of Ha Feng," one voice whispered bitterly.
"For real? I thought he was super strong, but if he got demoted to that extent, he must be trash," another chimed in.
The whispers spread like wildfire through the crowd, creating a low hum of gossip.
"These bastards…" Jun thought, his sharp ears catching every word despite the students efforts to stay quiet. "Do they really think I can't hear them? Of course, I'm ashamed of being demoted. It's humiliating to be assigned to the worst child of Ha Feng, but it's not like I had a choice."*
His grip tightened around the wooden sword in his hand as his anger simmered beneath his stoic exterior.
"Ha Yu Han, you bastard. Don't think mastering alchemy will earn my respect or convince me to teach you martial arts."
Suddenly, the door to the training hall swung open with a loud bang, drawing everyone's attention—except for Jun's.
"Well, if it isn't YuXiang Jun!" a booming voice called out.
The speaker was a towering, muscular figure with a grotesque face that looked like a blend between an owl and a pig. But beneath his unsightly appearance was an undeniable aura of strength.
"I…it's Ga Boh Tag!" someone whispered in alarm.
"They say he's one of the most promising young warriors in the Ha family, second only to Fang Min and YuXiang Jun!"
Ignoring the hushed voices, Jun remained focused on the training dummy before him.
"What do you want, Ga Boh Tag? Speak quickly—I don't have time for you," Jun said coldly, not even sparing him a glance.
"The arrogance…" everyone thought, their eyes widening at Jun's blatant disrespect.
Ga Boh Tag laughed, a loud, boisterous sound that echoed through the hall. He wiped away tears of amusement before drawing his sword and pointing it directly at Jun.
"Don't act so high and mighty, Jun. You're nothing more than a demoted servant now. I could kill you anytime I wanted."
Jun sighed, finally turning to face his challenger.
"Being demoted doesn't mean I've grown weaker."
"I know that," Ga Boh Tag sneered. "But I'm still stronger than you, even when you served under Ha Tie Xong."
"Then prove it," Jun replied, his voice as sharp as the edge of a blade.
As the two prepared to clash, their auras flaring with power, another voice cut through the tension like a knife.
"Hey, fatso, could you move aside?"
Ga Boh Tag turned, his face twisting in confusion and irritation at the interruption.
"Who—"
"Down here," the voice replied nonchalantly.
Lowering his gaze, Ga Boh Tag found himself staring at Ha Yu Han, who stood with an unimpressed expression.
"Well, if it isn't YuXiang Jun's little protégé!" Ga Boh Tag bellowed with laughter.
*'Damn it, Ha Yu Han. Is he here to beg me for martial arts lessons again?'* Jun thought, his irritation bubbling to the surface.
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. Could you stop talking now?" Yu Han said, his tone dripping with boredom.
The room fell silent, everyone stunned by his audacity.
"What did you just say?" Ga Boh Tag growled, his expression darkening into one of pure rage.
"Relax," Yu Han replied, waving him off. "I don't really care about you. I'm here to talk to Jun."
Fury ignited in Ga Boh Tag's eyes. "You little brat… You dare—"
Without hesitation, he raised his sword, the blade glowing with soul energy as he swung it down toward Yu Han.
For a moment, dust filled the air as the strike landed.
But when it cleared, every jaw in the room dropped.
Standing between Ga Boh Tag's blade and Yu Han's face was YooXiang Jun, his wooden practice sword holding the attack at bay.
"You bastard…" Ga Boh Tag snarled.
"Hey, Jun?" Yu Han said, his voice calm despite the chaos.
"What?" Jun replied, irritation clear in his tone.
"If I beat this guy, will you teach me martial arts?"