Mu Wanqiu
Sunlight flooded the spacious playground of Suzhou-Hangzhou No. 1 High School, casting long golden streaks across the neatly lined student formations. Banners bearing the words "Qiling Awakening Ceremony – Unlock Your Destiny" fluttered gently in the morning breeze, while the air hummed with a mix of excitement and tension. The event, held once a year for third-year students, was the moment when their supernatural talents would be revealed—shaping the course of their entire lives.
Bai Hao leaned lazily against the rough brick wall at the edge of the student rows, one hand tucked casually into his uniform pocket. His dark hair fell slightly over his forehead, and his expression was one of mild boredom. While his peers around him fidgeted with anticipation, their eyes darting between the stage and their own trembling hands, Bai Hao's gaze was fixed steadily on the Awakening Platform a short distance away. It was raised three feet off the ground, made of polished black stone etched with ancient runes that glowed with a faint silver light.
Right then, a scene was playing out there that had already caught the attention of half the crowd.
In her crisp blue-and-white school uniform, the young girl Mu Wanqiu stood tall and graceful like a newly bloomed lotus rising from clear water. Her long black hair was tied back in a neat ponytail, with a few stray strands framing her delicate face. Even in the simple attire, she carried an air of quiet dignity—her youthful innocence barely masking the quiet brilliance that seemed to radiate from within, a promise of the great things she was destined for. Yet just then, her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her clear amber eyes held a look of helpless sympathy as she faced the boy standing before her.
"Mu Wanqiu!"
The shout cut through the low murmur of the crowd, sharp and jarring. Shen Rong stepped forward from the side of the platform, his face flushed with a mix of determination and desperation. Dressed in the same uniform, he stood a head taller than Mu Wanqiu, but his posture was rigid—almost aggressive. His voice carried an absurd recklessness as he spoke, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
"Even though my talent is only Yellow-rank, my father is the director of Dajiang Group—the largest cultivation resource supplier in the entire province! As long as you agree to be my girlfriend, you'll never have to worry about spirit stones, cultivation manuals, or spiritual artifacts again! I'll make sure you have everything you need to reach the highest ranks! Will you grant me this request?"
He'd seized the exact moment Mu Wanqiu had stepped onto the stage to begin her awakening process, moving quickly to block her path. This was no impulsive act—he'd planned it for weeks, knowing that the ceremony was the only time he could catch her in front of the entire school. After all, once graduation arrived in just three months, she'd be recruited by the best spiritual academies in the country, and he'd never get another chance to make his case.
The gap between Saint-rank and Yellow-rank talent was like heaven and earth—everyone knew that. Saint-rank awakeners were destined for greatness, while Yellow-rank were lucky to secure even a minor position in the spiritual community. To most, Shen Rong's proposal seemed not just bold, but foolishly out of reach.
The girl's soft voice cut through the growing tension, carrying a hint of helplessness but no hesitation. "Shen Rong, calm down. We've been classmates for three years, and I've always seen you as just that—a classmate. I've never thought of you in any other way, and I've made that clear more than once. Please step aside… the ceremony is waiting, and there are other students who need their turn."
Stop putting on such a high-and-mighty act!
The thought blazed through Shen Rong's mind, hot and bitter. He'd spent years trying to win her over—leaving gifts on her desk, waiting for her after class, even learning to play the guzheng just because she'd mentioned liking it once. Every time, she'd politely declined, but he'd convinced himself she was just being modest, that she'd eventually see his worth. Now, standing in front of everyone, her rejection felt like a slap to the face.
Shen Rong clenched his fists so tight his knuckles turned white, veins bulging on his neck as he all but roared. "I'm Shen Rong! Heir to the Dajiang Group! Do I need 'just a classmate' like you? What I want is you—I want to be with you, to build a future together! Don't you understand what I'm offering you?"
His chest heaved violently, as if tearing away his last shred of pride. "If only I hadn't had such bad luck, only awakening a pathetic Yellow-rank talent! If I'd gotten Saint-rank—or even higher, like Imperial or Divine—you'd be begging to be with me by now, wouldn't you?! You'd see me as more than just a 'classmate' then!"
"All the gifts I've given you over the years—the rare spirit tea, the hand-carved jade pendant, the limited-edition cultivation guides—were they all for nothing?"
"Enough!"
The shout came from the center of the platform, where Teacher Zhang stood rigid with fury. His face was pale as paper, and his hands trembled slightly as he pointed at Shen Rong. Teacher Zhang had been overseeing the Awakening Ceremony for fifteen years, but he'd never seen anything like this—an interruption so blatant, so disrespectful to both the ceremony and another student.
"Disciple Shen! Get down here at once! You are disrupting the sacred process of awakening, and disrespecting a fellow student in front of the entire school! Don't delay the awakening for the other students another second!"
Even gentle-natured Mu Wanqiu could barely tolerate such blatant slander. She'd never once accepted any of his gifts—every single one had been returned or left untouched in the classroom. To hear him imply she'd taken them, that her rejection was just a ploy to wait for someone more powerful, made her blood boil. She stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the man before her—this angry, shouting stranger was nothing like the polite, humble young master she'd known in class—and felt an indescribable chill run down her spine.
"I never accepted anything you gave me! Not once! Every gift you left was either returned to you or given to the class fund for cultivation resources. As for your advances, I rejected them clearly and firmly from the very start. It was all just your wishful thinking, and you refused to let go—even when I asked you to respect my boundaries."
Mu Wanqiu's chest rose and fell with each breath, her face flushed with a mix of shame, anger, and deep frustration. She'd always tried to handle his attention with kindness, not wanting to hurt him, but now she realized her patience had only made him bolder.
This truthful retort instantly ignited a commotion across the playground. A low murmur rippled through the student formations, quickly growing into loud shouts and jeers.
Everyone knew Mu Wanqiu was the "white moonlight" in the hearts of all male students at Suzhou-Hangzhou No. 1 High School—not just for her beauty, but for her character. She was gentle and composed, always willing to help classmates with their cultivation, and never once hurt anyone's pride when turning down advances. She'd maintained a pure, beautiful image in many people's minds—a symbol of everything good about their generation.
Seeing their goddess being forced and humiliated like this, anger flared through the crowd like dry wood doused in oil. Boys from her class were the first to speak up, their voices loud and fierce.
"Shen Rong! You bastard! Get down here right now!"
"You have no shame! Just because your family has some money doesn't mean you can laze about doing nothing all day while looking down on others! Keep dreaming if you think Wanqiu would ever look at you!"
"You trash who only awakened a low-grade Yellow-rank ability—you think you can drag Wanqiu down with you? Humph! She's destined for greatness, and you'll never be good enough!"
"I feel so bad for Wanqiu! How could she be stuck with a jerk like you in the same class?! Get out! Right now—before we come up there and make you!"
"People like you think you can pursue Mu Wanqiu? Take a good look at yourself in a mirror! There are plenty of male classmates better than you among her suitors—you wouldn't even make it to the end of the line, even if you waited forever!"
…
A barrage of insults poured in from all directions—from students in the front rows to those standing at the back of the playground—drowning Shen Rong in a wave of shame and rage. His face turned bright red, then purple, as he looked around at the sea of angry faces. For a moment, he stood frozen, then he lunged forward as if to attack Mu Wanqiu—only to be stopped by two teachers who'd rushed onto the platform.
They grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away by force, their grips firm enough to keep him from struggling. Like a mad dog being restrained, Shen Rong twisted his head from side to side, his eyes wild with fury as he let out hysterical roars filled with endless hatred. His voice echoed across the entire playground, loud enough for every single person to hear:
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never underestimate a young person's potential! So what if she has Saint-rank talent? Money and power can buy anything—even strength! With my family's power, I, Shen Rong, will spend every resource we have to become stronger! One day, I'll be someone you can't even dream of being worthy of! Just wait and see!"
…
As Shen Rong was pulled away, his shouts fading into the distance, the crowd slowly quieted down. Teachers moved quickly to restore order, urging students to return to their places so the ceremony could continue. Mu Wanqiu took a deep breath, composing herself with visible effort, before stepping forward to the center of the platform to begin her awakening.
At the edge of the crowd, Bai Hao—who looked like an outsider watching a show—smirked faintly. He'd been observing everything with detached amusement, his eyes never leaving the stage. He yawned lazily, stretching his arms above his head as if he'd just watched a poorly written play, and whispered so only he could hear:
"Such a cliché plot! It's not even in the original timeline anymore. I remember this part clearly—Shen Rong was supposed to confess privately after the ceremony, not make a scene like this. 'Don't underestimate a young man' is still following me around? Will it be 'Don't underestimate middle-aged men, old men, or women in their twilight years' next? The writers really need to be more creative."
A glint of cold, clear calm shone in his dark eyes—starkly different from the passionate anger and excitement of the youths around him. While they saw a dramatic scene unfolding before them, he saw something else entirely—a deviation from the world he'd once known, a sign that things were changing in ways he couldn't yet predict.
Who would have guessed?
Bai Hao was, in essence, someone who had "died once already."
A month ago, he'd been a successful businessman in his thirties, attending a conference in Shanghai. After a long day of meetings, he'd taken a nap in his hotel room—and when he'd woken up, everything had changed. The world outside was familiar, yet different. Overnight, he found himself back in his awkward high school days, sitting in his old classroom, surrounded by familiar faces, a familiar school, a familiar city…
Everything seemed to have reset to the start, as if fate had given him the perfect setup for a "rebirth and rise to the top" story. At first, he'd thought heaven had granted him a second chance—one where he could use his past experiences and memories to invest in the right companies, avoid the mistakes he'd made before, achieve incredible success, marry a beautiful, wealthy woman, and reach life's peak. He'd even started making plans, listing out all the things he could do to get ahead.
Ironically, this world seemed no different from what he remembered at first glance: the same city layout, the same school buildings, no major shifts in human relationships, historical paths, or world order. Yet just two days after waking up, he'd discovered the biggest difference of all—this world had introduced the concept of supernatural powers.
It had started with a news report about a "Spirit Master" who'd saved an entire town from a rampaging beast. Then he'd noticed the runes etched into the walls of his school, the way some students moved with impossible speed, the strange aura that surrounded certain teachers. Slowly, he'd realized that in this reality, the world had developed along two parallel paths—technology and spiritual cultivation.
In this world, academic credentials and family background were no longer the only measures of worth. Instead, extraordinary abilities formed a strict system to gauge strength, determining everything from social status to career prospects. After days of secretly gathering information—reading school textbooks, talking to classmates, and observing the spiritual community in the city—he'd gained a general understanding of how it worked.
Men who awakened such powers were called "Spirit Messengers"; they were able to channel spiritual energy to perform extraordinary feats, but their abilities were limited to their own innate talent. Women, however, were the noble "Spirit Masters"—blessed with the ability to integrate Spirit Messengers into themselves through spiritual contracts. They could control and unleash the hidden talents of their contracted partners, creating countless unique combat styles and abilities. Depending on the number and strength of the Spirit Messengers they contracted with, their capabilities were nearly limitless.
The former, no matter how strong, could only rely on their own single talent until death, unable to draw on others' capabilities. The latter could grow stronger with every new contract they formed. In this sense, it was a world where women were inherently stronger than men—a fact that had shaped everything from social norms to marriage customs.
Society's prevailing ethics generally encouraged "one-on-one" contracts between Spirit Masters and Spirit Messengers. Since most people with average talent would never gain strong supernatural abilities and would only do basic work in society—running shops, building infrastructure, or working in technology—allowing relationships like "one woman with multiple men" or "one man with multiple women" would severely harm public morality and social stability. Of course, due to women's relatively high status and the demand for strong Spirit Messengers, there had been many cases of "one woman with multiple men" among the elite spiritual community in the past—but "one man with multiple women" was completely unprecedented, seen as both impossible and morally wrong.
Moreover, once a spiritual covenant was signed between a Spirit Master and a Spirit Messenger, it could not be easily broken. The bond was deeply spiritual, linking their life forces in ways that science still couldn't explain. Abruptly terminating it could lead to a severe decline in one's cultivation, damage to one's reputation, or even ruin one's future entirely. Thus, the first contract choice a person made all but determined the course of their life. Even school education emphasized this heavily, with special classes on relationship ethics and contract responsibility—so most mentally mature people were extremely cautious when choosing their first partner.
That said, the summer vacation after the Awakening Ceremony was undoubtedly the peak season for young people to sign contracts. With their talents now revealed, and the freedom of vacation ahead, many would rush to find partners before better options were taken. These young men and women, who were just beginning to experience romantic feelings and understand their own strength, were likely to make impulsive decisions they would regret for the rest of their lives—swept up by hormones, the excitement of newfound power, and the pressure to secure a good partner before it was too late.
Mu Wanqiu had awakened a Saint-rank Spirit Contract just minutes after Shen Rong was removed from the stage. The runes on the platform had blazed with brilliant white light, and a single lotus flower made of spiritual energy had bloomed above her head—an unmistakable sign of her rare talent. Such a level of ability was so rare that a city the size of Suzhou-Hangzhou might produce only a handful of such individuals each decade, not each year. Even Bai Hao, with his mature mindset and years of life experience, couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy as he watched the crowd erupt in cheers for her.
In this world, Spirit Contract and Spirit Messenger ranks were divided from highest to lowest: Supreme, Divine, Imperial, Saint, Heavenly, Earthly, Profound, and Yellow. According to historical records, Supreme and Divine ranks existed only in ancient mythology—said to have the power to move mountains and control the stars, but they had long vanished from reality, and many now doubted they had ever truly existed. Imperial-rank talent already stood at the very peak of the modern world, with fewer than a hundred such individuals across the entire country. Even the title "Saint" was enough to make Mu Wanqiu a legendary figure across Suzhou-Hangzhou and the surrounding regions—guaranteeing her a place at the top spiritual academies and the attention of powerful families from across the nation.
As the cheers for Mu Wanqiu echoed across the playground, Bai Hao pushed himself off the wall and straightened his uniform. He'd known this moment was coming—even in his original timeline, Mu Wanqiu had gone on to become one of the most powerful Spirit Masters of her generation. But with the changes he'd already seen, he wondered how her story would unfold this time.
Finally, I can describe it… he thought to himself, his eyes glinting with a mix of anticipation and caution. This world isn't quite what I thought it was. There are changes everywhere—small at first, but they'll add up to something big. And if Shen Rong's outburst is any sign, things are going to get interesting much sooner than I expected.
He took a step toward the student formations, ready to join his classmates for the rest of the ceremony. Whatever challenges lay ahead, he was determined to be prepared—after all, he'd been given a second chance at life, and he wasn't going to waste it.