Origin beyond heaven

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Lin Yuan's bitter smile gradually faded as the room grew into heavy silence.

His dark eyes swept across every familiar corner the worn wooden bed, the simple bookshelf standing against the wall, the bronze mirror resting atop an old table, and the faint scent of sandalwood drifting in from the incense burner near the window. Everything was exactly as he remembered it being in his past life.

He slowly lowered his gaze to his hands. They were young, strong, yet lacking the calluses earned from thousands of years of wielding the sword. He flexed his fingers. "So... it wasn't an illusion."

Almost instinctively, his hand moved to his chest, his fingertips pressing against the spot where the Soul-Sealing Dagger had pierced through his heart. There was no wound, yet he could still remember the unbearable pain as vividly as if it had happened only moments ago.

Mu Xue's gentle smile. The warmth of her embrace. Then the cold blade sinking into his heart.

His breathing grew uneven. For a brief moment, he felt as though he could still hear her voice.

"Thank you... for perfecting the Origin Scripture for us."

Boom. An invisible killing intent burst from his body, and the wooden table beside him trembled violently before cracking down the middle.

Lin Yuan slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Calm down." His voice was hoarse. "You're no longer the Heavenly Emperor."

He extended his spiritual sense out of habit, but nothing happened. His once limitless sea of spiritual energy had vanished without a trace.

Frowning, he hurriedly sat cross-legged on the bed and circulated his cultivation method. Silence. Not a single strand of spiritual qi answered his call, and his dantian was totally empty, his meridians as fragile as those of an ordinary youth.

A bitter smile appeared on his face. "So... I'm sixteen again."

Thousands of years of cultivation, gone. Reduced to nothing overnight. He should have despaired. Instead, a low chuckle escaped his lips, slowly growing into quiet laughter.

"Hahaha..."

It echoed through the room, lonely and restrained. He wasn't laughing because he had lost everything — he was laughing because Heaven, or whatever existed beyond it, had given him another chance. A chance to correct every regret. A chance to save those who had died because of him. A chance to uncover the truth hidden behind the Origin Scripture. And most importantly, a chance to make those three people repay every drop of blood they owed.

The laughter gradually faded. Lin Yuan rose to his feet and walked toward the window, and as he pushed it open, a cool morning breeze brushed against his face.

The familiar sights beyond the window caused his heart to tremble. The courtyards of the Lin Clan stretched into the distance. Young disciples walked along stone pathways, laughing and chatting among themselves. Servants swept the fallen leaves from the walkways. The clang of swords echoed from the training grounds where eager youths practiced before sunrise.

Everything was alive. Lin Yuan stared quietly at the bustling clan. In his previous life, this peaceful scene had disappeared forever. The Lin Clan had fallen, and all the disciples were slaughtered.

As he stood lost in thought, hurried footsteps approached from outside his room, and a gentle knock sounded on the wooden door.

"Young Master?"

The familiar elderly voice caused Lin Yuan's body to stiffen, his eyes widening ever so slightly. "That voice... it couldn't be."

For a long moment, Lin Yuan simply stood there, unable to move. Another knock came from the door.

"Young Master? Are you awake? Today is your Awakening Ceremony. Madam asked this old servant to make sure you don't oversleep."

Lin Yuan's throat tightened. He slowly walked to the door and pulled it open. Standing outside was an elderly man dressed in plain gray robes, his back slightly bent with age, wrinkles lining his weathered face.

It was Old Chen, the servant who had looked after him since he was a child. In his previous life, Old Chen had died protecting the Lin Clan when enemy cultivators invaded. Even after losing an arm, the old man had stood before the clan's younger generation until his final breath.

Seeing him alive again, Lin Yuan's eyes trembled.

"Young Master?" Old Chen blinked in confusion. "Is something wrong?"

Lin Yuan remained silent for several breaths before shaking his head. "...Nothing."

A warm smile spread across Old Chen's face. "I was worried you were too nervous to sleep. Come, Madam has prepared breakfast herself. She said no matter what cultivation technique you awaken today, you'll always be her precious son."

Those simple words struck Lin Yuan's heart harder. Without another word, he followed Old Chen through the familiar stone corridors. Every step awakened another forgotten memory — the lotus pond where he used to play as a kid, the old willow tree his father had planted, the stone path worn smooth by countless years of footsteps. Everything was exactly as he remembered.

They arrived at a quiet courtyard. The aroma of freshly prepared food drifted through the atmosphere, and a graceful woman in elegant blue robes was arranging dishes on a wooden table. The moment she heard the footsteps, she turned around, her gentle smile as warm as spring sunlight.

"Yuan'er, you're finally awake."

Lin Yuan froze. His mother. Lin Qingxue.

In his previous life, she had died while shielding him from a sneak attack during the destruction of the Lin Clan. Even after death, she smiled, telling him not to cry. That memory had haunted him for thousands of years.

Now she stood before him once more. Without realizing it, Lin Yuan's eyes became moist.

His mother frowned slightly. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Before he could answer her, she stepped forward and gently placed her hand against his forehead. "No fever..." She sighed in relief before lightly pinching his cheek. "You've been cultivating too hard lately. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. Whether your talent is high or low doesn't matter to your father and me."

Lin Yuan looked into her caring eyes. For just a brief moment, the feared Heavenly Emperor disappeared. He was no longer the ruler of the Nine Heavens — he was simply a son who had been given the impossible gift of seeing his mother again. He slowly lowered his head, afraid she would see the tears gathering in his eyes.

"...Mother."

It was only a single word.

Lin Qingxue's gentle smile widened. She reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair from Lin Yuan's forehead. "There now. That's the son I know."

She guided him to the table, where a middle-aged man with a large bearing was already seated. Though his face was stern, the concern in his eyes softened his imposing appearance. It was Lin Zhentian, the head of the Lin Clan's main branch and Lin Yuan's father. Without looking up, he picked up his teacup. "Sit."

Lin Yuan obeyed quietly, and for a while, only the clinking of chopsticks disturbed the silence.

Finally, Lin Zhentian spoke. "Today's Awakening Ceremony will determine your future." He paused and continued. "The clan has high expectations of you. But remember this." He looked directly into his son's eyes. "A cultivation technique does not decide the kind of man you become."

Lin Yuan felt his chest tighten. In his previous life, he had been so eager to prove himself that he barely remembered this conversation. Now, all the words carried a different weight.

His mother nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Whether you awaken a Heaven Grade technique or a Mortal Grade one, you'll always be our son."

After breakfast, he excused himself and returned to his room. Closing the door behind him, the warmth in his expression gradually disappeared, his eyes becoming gentle and rational.

"The past cannot be changed..." He slowly clenched his fist. "...but the future can."

He walked to the window and looked toward the distant mountains beyond the Lin Clan. One memory after another surfaced.

Beneath Spirit Mountain, an ancient inheritance would appear in three months. The Azure Mist Secret Realm would open in six months. The boy called Gu Feng had yet to awaken — in twenty years, he would become one of the greatest sword cultivators of this era. And beneath Black Lake...

His eyes narrowed. The Starfall Sword still slept.

Each opportunity had once belonged to someone else. This time, he would claim them first.

Just as he was organizing his plans, a sharp pain exploded inside his head.

"Ugh..."

Lin Yuan staggered backward, grabbing his temples. Countless memories flashed before his eyes. The Heavenly Gate. The Origin Scripture. A shadow standing beyond Heaven.

He reached for the memory. It vanished.

His breathing became ragged. "No..." He forced himself to remember. "There was someone... someone behind Tianxu..."

A face almost appeared. Then it dissolved into darkness. The pain intensified until it felt as though his soul were being torn apart.

Suddenly, a voice echoed within the depths of his consciousness.

"Not yet."

The pain disappeared instantly. Lin Yuan stood frozen. "That voice..."

It was the same voice he had heard before his reincarnation. His missing memories hadn't been forgotten — they had been sealed. Someone, or something, had deliberately hidden them.

Before he could think further, hurried footsteps approached from outside. A respectful voice called through the door. "Young Master Lin Yuan, the Awakening Ceremony is about to begin. The Clan Elder requests your presence."

Lin Yuan slowly opened his eyes. The confusion and pain were gone. Only determination remained.

In his previous life, today had marked the beginning of his legend. This life, it would become the day the fate of the entire cultivation world changed.

He pushed open the door and walked toward the clan square. Young disciples filled the stone paths, their faces brimming with excitement and anticipation, everyone talking about the techniques they hoped to awaken. No one noticed Lin Yuan's calm expression.

As he rounded a corner, his footsteps suddenly came to a halt.

Beneath a willow tree sat a young girl dressed in plain white robes. She held an old book in her hands, quietly reading while the bustling crowd flowed around her.

Lin Yuan's pupils contracted. "...Impossible."

His heart skipped a beat. He recognized her. In his previous life, she had died three days before the Awakening Ceremony.

So why was she alive?