The night sky hung dark over the Lin Clan's residence. Beneath the tranquility that lulled servants and elders into dreams, one small figure sat upright in silence. Lin Tian—his body still tiny, yet his eyes held a wisdom and hatred that no one in this world could possibly comprehend.
Before him lay scattered pages filled with rough handwriting, scrawled by his infant hands. Notes on medicinal formulas, secret locations of demonic sects, even names of future warriors he had once heard from the general's information network.
"I cannot let history repeat itself. I will not allow my family to be destroyed."
"This time… I will burn everything before they can touch me."
**
The days passed quickly.
Though barely over a year old, Lin Tian had already mastered the fundamentals of the Lin Clan's internal energy. He mimicked the breathing techniques he had learned from a thunder general—one of his strongest adversaries in his past life—and merged them with the energy circulation pathways of the Lin Clan's martial arts that he had studied from library books.
By day, he laughed as his mother carried him in her arms. By afternoon, he played with toy swords alongside his sister. But each night, he sat cross-legged, drawing deep breaths, channeling power through his still-small body.
Occasionally, faint sparks of lightning flickered at the tip of his fingers.
"Lightning energy… this technique… will be a curse upon all my enemies."
**
One afternoon, as he slowly strolled through the back garden with his mother, an unexpected guest arrived at the main residence.
A servant rushed into the central hall.
"Patriarch! People from the Northern Ice Sect have arrived… carrying a young girl."
His father, Lin Yuan, rose from his seat.
"A young girl?"
"Yes, they call her the Princess of the Ice Sect… her name is Bing Yue. They bring a betrothal letter from her grandfather, the grand elder of the Northern Ice Sect."
Lin Yuan exchanged glances with his wife. Lin Qingyu, sitting nearby, immediately stood. "They want Tian'er to be betrothed to that girl?"
"It seems so…" the servant answered.
Lin Tian, overhearing the conversation from behind the door, paused. His eyes narrowed.
"Bing Yue?"
"I never knew… that I was once engaged."
"In my past life… I never learned that this had happened."
**
Moments later, a carriage halted in the main courtyard. From within stepped an elderly man with a long white beard, clad in robes as pale as winter snow. Beside him stood a small girl—about four years old—with silver hair flowing behind her and eyes of frozen blue.
"Greetings, Patriarch Lin. I come on behalf of the Northern Ice Sect… to discuss the engagement promised by the previous generation," the old man said respectfully.
Lin Yuan responded kindly, "Your arrival is an honor to our family."
The young girl stepped forward, gazing curiously at Lin Tian, who was cradled in his mother's arms.
"So this is… my fiancé?" she murmured, her voice innocent yet chilling.
Lin Tian met her stare. The girl's face was delicate and sharp, like a living ice sculpture. Yet in her eyes, he saw loneliness… an emotion he knew all too well.
"These eyes… do not belong to an ordinary child. She, too… has suffered."
"In my past life, I only heard rumors that the Ice Princess was the coldest warrior in the world… but now…"
"She is just a lonely child."
**
After a lengthy discussion among the elders, they agreed to proceed with the engagement. But before leaving, the grandfather quietly pulled Lin Yuan aside and spoke in a hushed voice.
"Your son… his body… is extremely unusual."
Lin Yuan furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"
"Only a year old, yet his body has already formed the foundation of internal energy pathways. I even noticed… faint traces of lightning pulsing through his veins."
"Lightning?" Lin Yuan's eyes widened.
"This is no ordinary power. If your son truly possesses the ability to wield lightning energy, then… he may become the first thunder warrior in the last three hundred years. Even within the Northern Ice Sect, we have never witnessed such a natural phenomenon."
**
That night, Lin Tian gazed at the sky from his chamber. He held a map—one he had drawn himself—of the Murim world. Small red marks dotted several locations, each pinpointing the early movements of the Demonic Sect that he had memorized.
"The Demonic Sect… will soon begin their plans. Each region will prepare a candidate for the generals."
"I must act first."
Outside his room, the small girl Bing Yue sat silently on the side terrace, staring at the moon.
Lin Tian took small steps forward, walking toward her.
Bing Yue turned. "Do you really not speak?"
Lin Tian smiled and spoke softly, "I can speak. But people just don't know yet."
Bing Yue's expression flickered with surprise. "You… talk?"
"I speak to you because I believe… you are lonely too."
Bing Yue hesitated. "You're strange…"
"I know," Lin Tian replied. "But I will never leave you behind."
**
A few days later, Bing Yue returned to the Northern Ice Sect with her grandfather. But before she departed, she turned back and said:
"Someday… when I am older… I will come looking for you."
Lin Tian nodded. "I will be waiting. But by then… the world will have changed."
**
Days passed.
Lin Tian continued his training. By the age of two, he had already mastered internal energy circulation throughout his body. His mother had fully recovered and now smiled often.
His sister, Lin Qingyu, took a more active role in the clan, learning leadership and combat skills from their father. Lin Tian watched her with pride.
"This family… I will protect."
"Until the last drop of my blood."
And that night, for the first time since his rebirth…
lightning roared through the skies above the Lin Clan's residence.
Inside his chamber, Lin Tian's body glowed with a deep blue-violet aura.
Lightning energy surged, weaving intricate patterns across his skin.
"The Thunder Warrior… will be reborn."
"And this time… not as a tool of the Demonic Sect… but as their destroyer."