Previous Memories

Zheng Yun sat in silence that night, staring at the dimly lit lantern in his room. The soft flickering of the flame cast shadows on the walls, yet his mind was far away—drifting through the abyss of time, through lives he had already lived and abandoned.

Suddenly, a sharp pain surged through his head. His vision blurred, and an overwhelming force crashed into his mind. Memories—fragments of a past life—rushed back, drowning him in a flood of emotions he had long since discarded.

—A world of steel and glass, of numbers and screens.

—A cramped apartment, suffocating under the weight of unpaid bills.

—A young student, burdened by debt, drowning in misery.

—A life that felt like a cage, an endless struggle to survive.

"How did I come here?" Zheng Yun gritted his teeth as flashes of his old self returned.

He had been nothing but an ordinary student, struggling under the weight of financial ruin. His life had been a slow descent into darkness—a cycle of failure, regret, and despair. And then, just like that, it had ended. How? The memories of his final moments in that world were hazy, but one thing was certain: he had died.

When he awoke, he found himself in this brutal world—the Rana World. A world ruled by power, where the strong thrived and the weak were crushed beneath their feet. His first 300 years in this world had been hell—pain, fear, suffering. He had been weak, just like before. A mere insect in the grand scheme of things.

But that changed.

Over the next 700 years, he shed his weakness, abandoned his emotions, and embraced cruelty. Pain became his teacher. Suffering became his strength. Betrayal taught him to trust no one. The fear he once had was now something others feared from him.

He was no longer that powerless student.

He was Zheng Yun. And he would carve his name into history.

The next morning, the Rana Clan's children gathered outside the grand gates of the Royal Academy. This was the place where talent was nurtured, where prodigies were born, and where the future rulers of the world took their first steps toward power.

Zheng Yun walked past the gates, his cold red eyes scanning the surroundings. It was exactly as he had expected. The School was nothing more than a den of arrogance and privilege.

As soon as he entered, the whispering began.

"Look, it's that C-rank waste."

"I heard his little brother is A-rank. What a joke."

"How embarrassing it must be for his family to have a talentless failure like him."

Zheng Yun ignored them. He had lived through centuries of far worse insults. These children were mere ants in his eyes, their words insignificant.

But among them, one figure caught his attention—Zheng Zhi, his younger brother.

Zheng Zhi stood in the center of a group, surrounded by their aunt and uncle. His expression was bright, excited, unaware of the manipulation surrounding him. His aunt spoke with a kind voice, her face warm, her words gentle.

"Zheng Zhi, you must work hard at the sect. Your talent is special," she said with a smile.

"We believe in you," added his uncle. "Unlike some people, you have the potential to bring glory to our clan."

Zheng Yun watched from the shadows, silent and amused. Their kindness was a lie, a trap carefully laid out.

They didn't love Zheng Zhi. They only cared about his talent.

It was the same with him. When they thought he had potential, they had softened toward him. Now that Zheng Zhi was the one in the spotlight, they had shifted their attention to him instead.

Zheng Yun smirked.

How naive.

His little brother would learn the truth soon enough.