The training fields of the Azure Sky Sect's Outer Court were many things—dusty, cracked, occasionally bloodstained—but above all, they were public. That made them dangerous. More so for a disciple who wasn't supposed to stand out and right now, Su Chen was walking straight into the center of it, arms behind his back, robes clean, expression unreadable.
Whispers chased him like flies.
"That's the guy who almost blew up the Baptism altar, right?"
"Didn't Elder Shen give him special guidance or something?"
"No, idiot. He's the one who rejected Shen's audience."
"Wait, what? Isn't that a death wish?"
It would've been. In his past life, he'd never have dared it.
But now?
Let them watch.
He needed eyes. Witnesses. People who would see what was about to happen and spread it like wildfire. That was the only way to start building weight in a sect where status was worth more than cultivation.
And today's stage had arrived on schedule.
A sparring challenge. Issued by none other than Bai Hui—Senior Outer Disciple and one of Elder Shen's favorite dogs.
"Su Chen!"
The name rang across the field like a whip crack.
Bai Hui stood in the dueling ring already, shirt half open, sleeves rolled, inner qi pulsing arrogantly through his forearms. He wasn't a pushover. Late-stage Qi Condensation, strong meridian flow, practiced footwork. His talent wasn't heaven-defying, but his backing made up for it.
Su Chen stepped into the ring.
A murmur passed through the crowd.
"You know," Bai Hui said loudly, stretching his neck, "when I heard you survived the Baptism, I was actually impressed. I thought maybe you'd grown some backbone. But now I see it's just boneheadedness."
He smirked.
"I'll help you fix that."
Su Chen didn't reply.
He was counting seconds.
Not until the fight.
Until the first reset opportunity.
[System Alert: Duel Field Confirmed – Anchor Thread Combat Sync Enabled]
[Thread of Return Available – Cooldown: Ready]
[Simulation Path Opening… Error: Opponent Variables Too Unstable]
[Warning: Soul Backlash Risk Remains. Proceed with Caution.]
He stepped forward and bowed lightly. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Bai."
The sarcasm was subtle. Measured. Only those listening closely would catch it.
Bai Hui scowled. "You think this is a game?"
"No," Su Chen said quietly, eyes flicking to the referee elder on the edge of the ring. "But you will."
The duel began with thunder.
Bai Hui moved fast, as expected. Lightning Step Technique. His specialty. A zigzag burst of footwork followed by a condensed palm strike to the ribs.
Su Chen dodged it. Barely.
The crowd gasped.
Then Bai twisted, spun, and came down with an elbow—imbued with Spirit-Breaking Qi.
Su Chen blocked it with his forearm and skidded back.
A bruise bloomed instantly. Bone sang.
He didn't flinch.
[Thread Viability Reached – Last Five Spiritual Exchanges Logged]
[Thread of Return Can Be Activated at Any Time]
But not yet.
Let Bai get cocky first. The next strike was aimed at the jaw. Fast. Sharp. A crescent-fist whip that could dislocate teeth. Su Chen leaned back and stepped aside. Not cleanly—his shoulder still caught part of the blow. Pain bloomed, sharp and metallic.
More gasps. The crowd was eating it up now.
"Come on, genius." Bai sneered. "Weren't you supposed to be special?"
Su Chen smiled slightly. "Not special. Just late to the lesson."
Then Bai's hand ignited with qi.
A technique Su Chen hadn't seen in years.
Falling Serpent Palm. A hidden art from the Shen-aligned branches. Fast, coiling, corrupts internal flow if it connects.
In his past life, this was the strike that shattered his meridian spine.
Bai leapt forward.
Time slowed and Su Chen whispered—"Reset."
[Thread of Return Activated]
[Rewinding Last Five Exchanges… 3… 2… 1…]
The world snapped.
Suddenly, Bai was halfway through the first strike again—the opening lightning step.
But Su Chen wasn't the same.
He already knew the path. The angle. The flow of qi in Bai's elbow. The tell in his left knee before he launched the spin.
This time?
He caught Bai's elbow mid-air.
Twisted.
Shattered it.
Bai screamed and the real duel began.
Su Chen flowed like wind through Bai's flailing stance. Every strike countered. Every pulse predicted. Every feint undone before it even formed.
Three seconds of foreknowledge.
It felt like a lifetime.
He struck Bai's ribs—twice then spun low and swept his feet.
Bai hit the dirt, coughing blood.
The crowd erupted.
The elder referee stood frozen for a moment.
"…Winner: Su Chen."
Later, as the crowd dispersed in stunned silence, Su Chen stood at the edge of the field, arms crossed.
A few bold outer disciples looked at him differently now.
Not like a background extra.
But like something… changing.
[System Notification: Thread of Return Cooldown: 47:59:14]
[Anchor Thread Expanded – Public Duel Recognition Achieved]
[You have gained Factional Visibility: Azure Sky Outer Court - Tier 1]
[Emotional Echo Fragment Collected: Audience Fear > Respect Shift]
Not just power.
Presence.
That was how the Reset System worked now—not by brute force, but by rewriting perception, stacking layers of identity, building him into something greater than remembered.
Su Chen walked calmly toward the exit.
He passed Bai Hui's groaning body. The elder healer was already trying to stop the meridian bleed.
"Next time," Bai wheezed, "Elder Shen will send someone who won't hold back."
Su Chen didn't stop walking.
"Next time," he replied, "tell Elder Shen to bring someone with a soul worth rewinding."
High above, in the Inner Sect pavilions, another set of eyes had been watching.
A girl with silver-threaded hair and frost lotus eyes stared down from the Mistcloud Balcony, lips slightly parted.
"That wasn't normal," she whispered.
Beside her, an elder in grey robes nodded.
"No, Lady Xue. That wasn't normal at all."
Somewhere else—far beyond the Azure Sky peaks—a single bell tolled in the empty ruins of an ancient sect, long buried beneath centuries of ash and far above that, beyond the clouds, something in the celestial archives shifted again.
[Timeline Observer Class 3 Engaged – Observation Priority Updated]
[New Threat Rating Assigned: Variable Tier – RESET POTENTIAL CONFIRMED]
Back in his small courtyard, Su Chen sat beneath the stars again.
Bruised, Alive and dangerous.
For the first time in two lifetimes, people were watching.
Good.
Let them.
Because the next time he reset?
He wouldn't just change a duel.
He'd change the rules.