Volume One: The Wild Child Chapter Three: A Thousand Unchanging Things, All Altered in an Instant

The clamor continued, but as the incidents involving the awakened faded into silence, the fervor for cultivation gradually cooled as well. Where once the very mention of cultivation seemed to set one apart from the world, now bringing it up only made one appear out of place. Life returned to its usual rhythm, and everywhere, young people nursed their disappointments.

The only thing unchanged was the endless repetition of days.

When the campus night resumed its familiar appearance, Lin Changtian once again began his wandering. The lamplight flickered dimly, passersby hurried along, and the shadows of couples stood out sharply in the glow.

Lin Changtian studied these girls—youthful, yet already showing hints of allure—with the utmost seriousness, as if he were an ant gazing up at divine statues. His gaze was so unabashedly direct that few friends accompanied him at night. Yet as he always insisted, he was merely appreciating the beauty of the world. The desolation of autumn leaves, the splendor of summer blossoms—compared to the prime of youth, even the most radiant jade maidens fell short. Yet many corrupted this admiration, turning it into a pretext for predation.

He had earnestly explained as much to the boyfriend of a pretty girl, though the other’s face had darkened, clearly tempted to rid himself of this troublemaker under the cover of night.

Seeing the boy’s brows twist in frustration, Lin Changtian was about to launch into some chatter to ease the tension, but just then, dark clouds gathered without warning and rain poured down fiercely. The boy gave Lin Changtian a look, muttered something indistinctly threatening, and hurried his girlfriend back to the dormitory.

Lin Changtian’s expression soured. The rain was heavy, washing every corner of the campus as if the gods above had spat upon the filthy earth, impossible to avoid.

More troubling still, this rain often appeared in his dreams.

Once there were rivers and lakes, three thousand sects, but when rain fell from beyond the heavens, the martial world was nowhere to be found.

Lin Changtian saw countless rays of light scatter, the night rain wild yet bright as day. Each starlike beam darted across the earth like a headless fly, yet seemed to purposefully avoid Lin Changtian.

Tonight, this was heaven’s blessing, so the heavens declared to the world below.

...

The next day, the once-muted uproar burst forth in full force. Those awakened to their powers flaunted their strength in public—one, gifted with immense might, carried a car through the campus without breaking a sweat. Others manipulated the elements, their abilities varied and unpredictable. Yet all shared the same expressions: the awakened wore pride and joy, while the ordinary struggled to mask envy and regret.

Today’s class was destined to be anything but ordinary.

At first, the empowered students tried to maintain the pretense of learning, but soon their inner wildness could not be contained. In the end, the “car-lifting brother” shattered the fragile order—he strode straight to the lectern, glared at the teacher who had once tormented him, and charged like an enraged bull.

But human “justice” would not let him have his way.

From beyond, a figure in white appeared, effortlessly halting the rampage and carrying the car-lifter out as if taking out the trash. More figures in white surged in, quickly surrounding the campus, their dazzling presence instantly quelling the unruly ambitions of the awakened.

The white-clad man returned gracefully to the lectern. Only now did the students notice the embroidered clouds and cranes on his robe—simple elegance, yet unmistakably marking his status. He swept his gaze across the room, as if to memorize every face.

Once he had looked at everyone, he began adjusting his robe—from the collar to the sleeves, then to the trouser legs. He seemed both the refined scholar and the seasoned general casting off his armor.

He repeated this a few times before finally speaking, his tone calm and even: “Yu Baili is mine. For today, everyone may leave. If there’s business, it’ll be discussed tomorrow.”

Throughout, his manner was serene, as if his words were decrees from on high.

There could be no doubt.

The visitors came with the wind and left as swiftly.

...

Fate is capricious: the talented and urbane scholar failed to awaken, while this seemingly mediocre “nobody” was favored by the heavens.

Lin Changtian hopped around the chubby Kuisheng like a monkey, unable to hide his envy. “Kuisheng, what’s your power? Can you breathe fire or lift cars?” Since the car-lifting brother’s rise to fame, all those with physical enhancements were dubbed the “car-lifting clan.”

Kuisheng hesitated for a long while before replying, “Mine’s a bit special.”

Lin Changtian was puzzled. This fellow always wore shamelessness as a badge of honor—what ability could make him so tongue-tied?

Before Lin Changtian could figure it out, Kuisheng blurted, “I... I can silence people.” “That’s it?” “That’s it.” Lin Changtian was stunned. He recalled a dream of a distant continent, where a warrior named Bladesoul seemed to have a “grandma buff” particularly vulnerable to this very ability...

Seeing Lin Changtian fall silent, Kuisheng edged closer, voice timid. “Changtian, is my power useless, like a chicken rib?”

Lin Changtian regarded him thoughtfully and answered calmly, “No. Since you awakened apart from the mundane world, fate may play tricks, but it is never so absurd. Let’s see what those in white say tomorrow.”

Kuisheng gazed at Lin Changtian for a long moment, swallowing back the questions on his mind.

As if knowing Kuisheng’s thoughts, Lin Changtian shook his head and spoke slowly, “I didn’t awaken to anything—just bad luck, I suppose.” Kuisheng looked crestfallen, truly sorry for his friend, but soon shrugged it off. Since they were as close as brothers, in the end, wasn’t one’s gain the other’s as well?

Lin Changtian patted Kuisheng’s shoulder and turned to walk toward the back mountain. Kuisheng watched him for a while, then turned to join the others. He was not one for solitude.

The back mountain was always quiet. The patch of starlit mist where Lin Changtian wandered was never frequented by others. But today, as the mist cleared, the shadows in the woods were more numerous.

There was someone else.

Lin Changtian recognized Yu Baili, and Yu Baili remembered Lin Changtian. Yet in this secluded world, the two merely gazed at each other in silence, the chill of twilight all around.