The world was silent.
Cherry blossoms drifted across the spring sky as though time itself hesitated to move. Students laughed in the distance, but their voices were faint—like echoes in another dimension.
A single youth stood beneath the blooming trees, unmoving.
Black hair fluttered in the breeze. Golden eyes reflected a depth no human of this era could comprehend—like an ancient abyss staring back at the world.
Fu Lin lowered his gaze to his own hands.
So frail.
So young.
So… mortal.
"…I succeeded."
His voice was calm, light, devoid of emotion. It was the tone of a sovereign who had seen civilizations rise and fall.
He was back—
One thousand years before he became the Emperor of Ten Thousand Tribulations.
Back to the final year of high school.
Back to when he was still ignorant, arrogant, and foolish.
Back… to when his family was still alive.
Fu Lin raised his head, golden eyes narrowing as the familiar school campus came into view.
In his memories, this place had vanished long ago—burned during the Great Awakening Wars. Now it stood peaceful and ordinary.
So this is the past. A world untouched by cultivation… yet.
He took a slow breath.
It felt strange.
Air had never tasted so fresh, so gentle, so weak.
But beneath the calm surface, his emperor soul was burning.
He had returned with all his memories.
And all his regrets.
---
"Fu Lin? Why are you standing there spacing out?"
A classmate passed by, waving casually.
Fu Lin didn't recognize him, nor did he care.
"…Go."
His reply was cold.
Not angry—just empty.
The student flinched and hurried away.
Fu Lin didn't watch him leave. His attention was fixed on the dorm building ahead.
I should restore my strength first. Meeting them like this… unprepared… would be unworthy.
His emperor pride hadn't vanished with time travel. If anything, it was carved even deeper into his bones.
---
Dorm Room
The door creaked open.
Inside was a cramped, messy, typical student dorm. A bunk bed. A wooden desk. A broken lamp. A single fan spinning weakly.
In his past life, he barely stayed here—always running around causing trouble, demanding money from his mother and sisters.
What a foolish creature he had been.
Fu Lin closed the door behind him, walked to the desk, and looked into the cracked mirror.
The youth staring back had soft features, innocent skin, and untamed hair. His eyes, however—
"…Too naïve."
Fu Lin loosened his red tie, took off the school jacket, and sat cross-legged on the floor. His posture was straight, flawless, and filled with the natural dignity of a ruler.
He placed his hand over his heart.
His emperor soul stirred.
Boom.
A silent ripple pulsed through the room. The air trembled, the mirror cracked further, and the spinning fan abruptly stopped.
Fu Lin remained calm.
Time to reclaim what is mine.
In his previous life, he cultivated the Flame Emperor Technique—an apex scripture that allowed him to dominate the world and ascend to the imperial throne.
But long after reaching the peak, after countless battles, he discovered something even greater—
Chaos Cosmic Mantra
A scripture beyond realms, beyond the concept of "cultivation," born from the primordial chaos before the universe existed.
A technique only a being above emperors should be able to cultivate.
He found it…
But he never had the chance to use it.
And now… I shall rebuild my foundation with it.
Fu Lin closed his eyes.
Inside his mind, chaos surged—black, white, gold, lightning, stars, creation, and destruction blended into one swirling ocean.
A scripture that even immortals would kill for began flowing through his consciousness.
"Chaos Cosmic Mantra… First Verse—
Origin Pulse Rebirth."
The world froze.
A vortex of energy exploded silently inside his body.
Invisible shockwaves rippled across the room.
The wooden floor cracked.
The ceiling lamps flickered.
Dust rose from the ground.
Fu Lin's breathing vanished entirely. His heartbeat slowed to a stop—not death, but a complete reset of his mortal foundation.
His meridians expanded.
His bones vibrated.
His blood boiled like molten stars.
If someone else attempted this, their body would explode instantly.
But Fu Lin wasn't someone else.
He was once an emperor who ruled over ten thousand realms.
Golden spiritual light burst from his pores like rays from a newborn sun.
Time seemed to accelerate and reverse simultaneously around him as the Chaos Cosmic Mantra reconstructed his foundation from nothing.
He wasn't cultivating—
He was rewriting the laws inside his mortal shell.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Then silence.
Fu Lin slowly opened his eyes.
Boom—
A pillar of invisible pressure shot upward, shaking the dorm building like a silent earthquake.
It lasted only a split second, vanishing before humans could register it.
But that single heartbeat was enough.
Fu Lin uncrossed his legs and stood.
His aura had completely transformed.
Fu Lin rolled his shoulders.
His bones crackled like thunder.
His skin faintly glowed with golden luster.
"…This should suffice."
He didn't need emperor-level strength right now.
This mortal world was too fragile.
Even a fraction of his true power might shatter it.
He opened his closet and stared at his old high school uniform.
Wrinkled.
Cheap.
Familiar.
He slowly put it on.
The motion was gentle, almost ceremonial.
Fu Lin never cared about clothes before—he was always careless.
But now…
"…I should not appear carelessly in front of them."
Family deserved respect.
He adjusted his tie perfectly, straightened his collar, and brushed off dust.
Though wearing a simple uniform, his bearing was unmistakable—
still an emperor.
As he stepped into the hallway, several students passed by.
One of them frowned.
"Hey, isn't that Fu Lin? Didn't he skip class again?"
"Yeah… but he looks… different?"
"I dunno, he feels scary. Like a mafia boss."
Fu Lin ignored them completely.
Humans at this stage were ants to him—though he no longer held disdain.
They were simply insignificant existences he didn't need to notice.
He descended the stairs quietly and walked toward the school gate.
Every step was steady, silent, and filled with the air of someone who had seen the universe collapse.
His golden eyes were calm, emotionless, ancient.
Yet deep within them…
A faint, flickering warmth struggled to break through.
Mother…
Sisters…
Wait for me.
The wind shifted.
A chill crawled up Fu Lin's spine—an instinct that transcended worlds.
Someone was watching him.
He stopped walking.
A dark van was parked across the street.
Inside, silhouettes moved.
Fu Lin narrowed his eyes.
Debt collectors…
Already?
This early?
In his past life, these were the men who tormented his family, pushed his little sister to despair, and forced her to jump.
He clenched his fingers.
For the first time since returning, his heartbeat quickened slightly.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Determination.
"I see. Fate attempts to replay the same tragedy."
His cold voice drifted across the spring air, unheard by others.
"But this time—
I am here."
Fu Lin turned away from the van.
He would deal with them soon.
But not now.
His priority was his family.
His steps quickened, almost unnoticeably.
To others, he still moved calmly.
But inside—
His emperor soul trembled with anticipation and pain.
The road leading to his home was narrow, old, and filled with small food stalls. The air smelled of fried noodles and car exhaust.
In his past life, he walked this road countless times—
yet never once appreciated it.
He turned the final corner.
A small, aging apartment building came into view.
Clothes hung from balconies.
Children played near the stairs.
Fu Lin's breath hitched.
He didn't realize he had stopped walking.
His fingers trembled.
Not from fear.
Not from weakness.
But from something he hadn't felt in a thousand years.
Emotion.
"…I'm home."
The words escaped him unconsciously.
For the first time since his return, his expression softened—just barely.
He approached the familiar door.
Apartment 302.
Paint peeling.
Door slightly crooked.
A cracked mailbox with "Fu Family" written on it.
Fu Lin lifted his hand.
His knuckles hovered above the door.
Mother… sisters…
I'm back.
He knocked.
Tok. Tok. Tok.
Footsteps approached.
Then—
The door opened.
A woman in her early 40s, hair tied in a messy bun, wearing a cheap apron, eyes tired yet gentle—
"Lin'er? Why are you home so early—"
She froze.
Fu Lin stood calmly.
But his eyes…
Deep gold.
Ancient.
Softened only for her.
"Mom."
It was a single word.
Cold, controlled, yet overflowing with suppressed warmth.
Her eyes widened.
"Y-You… are you sick? You're speaking so politely all of a sudden—"
Fu Lin bowed his head slightly.
A gesture an emperor would never give to anyone.
"…I'm home."
His mother stared at him, stunned.
Then—
Her eyes softened.
A small smile formed.
"…Welcome back."
The door closed behind him.
And the emperor finally stepped into the warmth he lost long ago.