Chapter 5: Despair and Rebirth

Outskirts of Yaoxing City, Ancient Forest: Starfall Thicket, Outer Perimeter

Gu Yuan and Huang Yunmu had ventured deep into the thicket. Sunlight was blocked by the towering canopy above, leaving the surroundings dim and shadowy. The damp air was thick with the scent of earth, and the eerie silence was broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves as the wind swept through.

Suddenly, a low, guttural growl came from ahead. Both of them tensed immediately, their eyes fixed on the source of the sound. Moments later, a massive canine beast emerged from the shadows.

It was the size of a tiger, its body covered in pitch-black fur that gleamed faintly in the dim light. Its muscles rippled with power, and its glowing green eyes radiated a menacing aura.

Its tail ended in a jagged, serrated spike, every part of it exuding a lethal threat—a Serrated-Tail Hound.

"Gu Yuan, stay sharp. This thing looks far more vicious than an ordinary F-class beast," Huang Yunmu warned in a low voice, his fists clenching as his enhancement-type ability mark faintly glowed.

Gu Yuan swallowed nervously and nodded. Despite his mental preparation, his heart pounded uncontrollably as he faced the ferocious beast.

The beast growled, lowering its body in preparation to pounce. Then, in a flash, it charged at them with lightning speed.

Huang Yunmu stepped forward, intercepting the beast head-on. His gloves, forged from C-class alloy, glinted coldly as they connected with the beast's side. The sheer force of his punch drove the Serrated-Tail Hound back a few steps.

The beast roared in fury, whipping its spiked tail toward Huang Yunmu. He dodged nimbly, but the tail struck the ground with a force that sent dirt and leaves flying in all directions.

"Gu Yuan, now!" Huang Yunmu shouted, lunging at the beast again to divert its attention.

Hearing Huang Yunmu's cue, Gu Yuan took a deep breath and steadied himself. He quickly pulled out spears from his spatial storage, one after another, and hurled them at the beast's back.

Each spear hit its mark, eliciting angry roars from the beast. Though not fatal, the attacks slowed its movements slightly.

Enraged, the beast turned its glowing green eyes toward Gu Yuan, snarling furiously.

"It's pissed! Be careful!" Huang Yunmu warned, leaping back to put some distance between himself and the beast.

The Serrated-Tail Hound growled once more before lunging at Gu Yuan. Its massive jaws were about to clamp down when Gu Yuan instinctively grabbed a fallen branch and thrust it forward, barely stopping the attack.

As they struggled, Huang Yunmu leaped into the air, raising his fists high above his head before bringing them down in a powerful strike.

The blow landed squarely on the beast's head with a resounding thud, the ground trembling beneath the impact.

The Serrated-Tail Hound let out a final, anguished howl before collapsing to the ground. It twitched a few times before falling still.

"That was close," Gu Yuan said, getting to his feet and brushing dirt off his clothes. He panted heavily as he continued, "That's the third one, right? Seven more to go. Let's take a brea—Fatty! What's wrong!?"

Gu Yuan's words trailed off as he noticed Huang Yunmu clutching his chest, his face pale. It was clear the force of his attack had reopened the wounds inflicted by his father, Huang Tiancheng, days before.

"I'm fine," Huang Yunmu replied gruffly, though his furrowed brows betrayed his discomfort.

"Let's rest for a bit," Gu Yuan suggested, his tone firm.

After a brief rest, the two resumed their journey. The forest was far larger and more complex than they had anticipated. They moved cautiously, keeping an eye out for targets, until an unusual energy fluctuation drew their attention.

As they approached the source, they found themselves standing at the edge of a cliff. Below them was a clearing surrounded by vines and thorns.

At the center of the clearing stood a strange, luminous plant.

The plant was about half a person's height, its crystalline body glowing with an icy blue radiance.

Its leaves swayed gently in the breeze, producing a sound like tinkling bells. At its top bloomed a flower resembling a star, with a pearl-like orb at its center, pulsing softly like a heartbeat.

The very air around it felt sacred yet oppressive.

Gu Yuan froze for a moment before a wave of excitement washed over him. "That's the Radiant Blue Core! An S-class natural treasure! How could it be here?"

"Roar—!"

Before Gu Yuan could say more, a thunderous growl echoed from below, causing the ground to tremble. Looking down, he saw a dense pack of beasts surrounding the clearing, their forms shrouded in shadow. Among them were several massive C-class beasts.

"It looks like they've all been drawn here by the Radiant Blue Core..." Gu Yuan muttered, his brows furrowed. "Fatty, we need to figure out a way to distract them."

Radiant Blue Core—a treasure known to enhance one's ability level.

Huang Yunmu's body stiffened slightly. His gaze locked onto the glowing plant at the center of the clearing, and his expression shifted between hesitation and determination.

In his mind, the harsh words and brutal beatings from his father echoed once more.

"D-level ability? How dare you show your face here?"

"A disgrace like you is better off gone!"

"Get out of the Huang family!"

The memories cut deep, each word a searing wound. Huang Yunmu clenched his fists tightly. He knew the Radiant Blue Core was his one chance—his only hope of escaping the shadow of his D-level ability, of silencing his father's scorn and proving his worth.

"I'm sorry, Gu Yuan."

His voice was barely audible, trembling with resolve.

"Huh?" Gu Yuan turned to him, puzzled. Before he could react, a powerful force struck his back.

Gu Yuan stumbled forward, his balance lost. The world spun around him as he fell, the cliff and sky twisting in his vision.

"Fatty—?!"

Gu Yuan's voice was filled with shock and confusion. He couldn't believe it. The companion he had grown up with, the brother who had been by his side through thick and thin, had chosen this moment to betray him.

Memories flashed through his mind—childhood laughter, moments of support during their growth. He desperately tried to understand why Huang Yunmu would push him off the cliff, but no answer came.

"Why?" Gu Yuan murmured, his voice trembling with disbelief and pain. His figure vanished into the darkness below the cliff, accompanied by the roars and snarls of beasts.

Standing at the cliff's edge, Huang Yunmu clenched his fists tightly. His gaze was fixed on the Radiant Blue Core, his expression a complex mix of regret and determination. In a barely audible voice, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Gu Yuan… This is my only chance."

Gu Yuan plummeted, his body losing balance as he fell.

He landed heavily on the ground, his bones feeling as though they had shattered upon impact. Blood gushed from his mouth, and his limbs refused to move. Though his body was on the verge of collapse, his mind remained acutely aware.

He watched as the beasts' claws tore through his skin, their sharp teeth severing his limbs. The excruciating pain pierced through him like countless needles stabbing into his nerves, nearly driving him to madness.

"Ah—!" Gu Yuan let out a voiceless scream as darkness began to consume him. Just as his life was about to slip away completely, a crisp mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

"Ding! Host's life in critical danger… Searching for temporal anchor point… No anchor point found… Initiating temporal regression to the earliest moment…"

A blinding white light enveloped Gu Yuan, and his consciousness was suddenly drawn into a strange space.

He jolted awake, finding himself in a vast, boundless void of pure white.

The expanse stretched endlessly in every direction. Trembling, Gu Yuan reached out to touch his body, confirming that all his limbs were intact. Yet, the searing pain from moments before remained vivid in his memory, leaving him drenched in cold sweat.

"Where… am I?" he muttered, his voice trembling as he scanned his surroundings.

Two glowing orbs of light appeared before him, flickering faintly. As the light intensified, the orbs transformed into miniature humanoid figures.

One was a boy with slightly messy short hair and mischievous eyes, exuding an aura of playful energy. The other was a girl with smooth, flowing hair, a gentle face, and a calm demeanor that radiated reassurance.

The boy circled Gu Yuan, inspecting him with a critical eye. "S-class? Unique? Really? He looks so weak, doesn't feel like much at all," he muttered.

The girl floated closer to Gu Yuan, her tone respectful yet warm. "Honored S-class, welcome to your temporal space."

Gu Yuan froze, his mind a whirlwind of confusion. S-class? Me? Unique? What does that even mean?

The boy, impatient with Gu Yuan's silence, jabbed him in the forehead and grumbled, "Hey, are you stupid? How can someone this clueless be an S-class?"

"A'Kong!" the girl interrupted sharply before turning back to Gu Yuan. Her tone softened as she said, "Honored S-class, I understand you must be confused. Allow me to explain.

A moment ago, you died. This is your temporal space. I am A'Shi, and this is A'Kong. We are initiating a regression to your earliest temporal anchor point."

"Wait!" Gu Yuan furrowed his brows, his questions spilling out in a rush."I died? Why am I here? What is this temporal space? What does S-class mean? And what is uniqueness? What's a temporal anchor point?"

"Ugh, so annoying," A'Kong rolled his eyes. "Idiot, S-class and uniqueness refer to you! This is your inner ability space. Don't you get it yet?"

Gu Yuan froze, stunned, before murmuring, "But I'm just an F-class spatial ability user…"

"Honored S-class," A'Shi explained patiently, "your ability is actually an S-class temporal-spatial ability with uniqueness. This means you are the only one in the world who can possess such a power. Unless you truly perish, no second individual with this ability can exist. The reason it didn't manifest during your awakening is that it requires a trigger—either immense mental strength or a life-threatening situation."

"Exactly! You had a mental breakdown and died. Congratulations!" A'Kong chimed in sarcastically.

"Then… what is a temporal anchor point?" Gu Yuan asked.

A'Shi smiled gently. "Since no other anchor points were available, we will take you back to your earliest anchor point—the day you awakened your ability. You will start your life anew with full control of your ability. Of course, you can also choose to give up and vanish entirely from existence."

"I'll go back! I'll go back!" Gu Yuan shouted without hesitation.

Some time later…

"Alright, we've arrived," A'Shi said, pointing to a door in the distance. "Through this door, you will return to your anchor point. But there might be a little surprise waiting for you."

"What surpr—" Gu Yuan began, but before he could finish, A'Kong shoved him through the door.

"Just a little treat—experiencing 10x the pain of regression! Don't die again, okay?" A'Kong teased.

The next moment, darkness engulfed Gu Yuan. An overwhelming tide of pain surged through him, consuming him entirely.

"Ah—!"

Gu Yuan let out a heart-wrenching scream. He had never felt such indescribable pain before. The agony wasn't just physical—it felt as if his soul was being torn apart, his very essence shredded and crushed.

His nerves were pierced by countless needles, then pulverized under immense pressure. His mind teetered on the brink of collapse, his consciousness nearly unraveling.

Time seemed endless as the torment gradually subsided. Trembling, Gu Yuan opened his eyes. His blurred vision slowly sharpened, and he realized with a jolt that everything around him was eerily familiar.

It was the scene of his awakening.

Bright light illuminated the entire auditorium, and everyone around him was frozen in place, as if time itself had stopped. The air was heavy with silence, broken only by the sound of his racing heartbeat and labored breathing.

Gu Yuan looked down at himself, his clothes soaked in cold sweat. The lingering pain reminded him that everything he had just experienced was real.

Raising his trembling hands, his gaze fell on the glowing mark on his wrist. The faint white light emanating from it was just as vivid as in his vision.

Looking around, the familiar setting left him both disoriented and overwhelmed. A swirl of emotions churned in his chest—disbelief, relief, and an indescribable sense of purpose.

"I… I've been reborn," he whispered, his voice trembling.

This was the day of his awakening. The turning point of his fate.

Everything had begun anew.