Traveling Back Twenty Thousand Years (Please Bookmark)

Heaven Dou Empire, northern frontier, Heavenwater City.

On the square before the shrine, Heavenwater City's martial soul awakening ceremony was being held today.

In the shrine's waiting hall, over twenty six-year-old children stood in two lines. Still so young, most of them were reserved and uneasy.

Yet among the children, one boy stood out in particular.

He stood near the back of the line, his posture straight and his hands hanging naturally at his sides. He neither looked around nor showed the slightest hint of fear.

The boy wore a simple white outfit and looked about six years old. His features had yet to fully mature, but it was already clear that he would grow into someone exceptionally handsome.

"That boy is so handsome."

"Yeah, his parents must be very good-looking too."

"Those brows, those eyes, that bearing... he really doesn't look like a child from an ordinary family."

Several parents turned to look at the boy in white, and most of them nodded in agreement.

Yet the boy being discussed seemed not to have heard a thing, his expression utterly unchanged.

There was something strange about his presence. Though he was only six years old, people did not dare approach him casually.

At that moment, Su Yuntao coughed twice, interrupting the parents still swooning over the boy. He called out, "Everyone, please keep quiet."

"The awakening ceremony is about to begin. Children, enter the formation one by one in order."

He lowered his head to glance at the register in his hands. "Zhou Ping."

Xu Feng

Su Yuntao went through the routine of guiding the children into the awakening formation and activating his soul power.

The children stepped forward one after another. Most of the martial souls they awakened were nothing remarkable. Tool martial souls such as sickles, hoes, and kitchen knives made up the majority... Their innate soul power was generally only one or two ranks, and the atmosphere in the waiting hall gradually became stifling.

"Next, Wu Changkong."

Wu Changkong walked to the center of the awakening formation, turned around, and faced Su Yuntao.

"Don't be nervous. Relax, close your eyes, and feel it."

Wu Changkong gave a soft "Mm" and closed his eyes as instructed.

He remembered the final battle of his previous life with perfect clarity.

As one of the elders of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion, he had faced the Abyssal Plane's Huadi.

He could have retreated, but he had not.

He had burned all his soul power, using his body as the catalyst and the Skyfrost Sword as the core, perishing together with Huadi.

The moment he thrust out that sword, he had known he would not be coming back.

Perhaps that was for the best. Long Bing was already gone, and there was nothing left in this world worth his attachment.

He just had not expected that after his consciousness dissipated, he had not truly died. Instead, he had traveled back to Douluo Continent twenty thousand years in the past.

In this era, Spirit Hall was at the height of its power, evil soul masters were still insignificant ants, and Shrek Academy had yet to become renowned.

In other words, it was a relatively peaceful era, one with order and stability.

Everything from his previous life felt like a dream.

It had taken him a long time to come to terms with it all, but then he had suddenly understood something.

The Wu Changkong of his previous life had carried far too much.

Long Bing's death, his responsibility to Shrek, his hatred for evil soul masters, his vigilance toward the Abyssal Plane—he had turned himself into a sword, a sword that only knew how to move forward and never retreat.

But in this life, he wanted to live differently.

He wanted to let go of his obsession with Long Bing, stop being bound by hatred and responsibility, and simply live—for himself, for one lifetime.

Of course, in this world where soul masters reigned supreme, if he wanted to live freely, he first needed strength.

The formation activated.

The temperature throughout the shrine plummeted in an instant.

Su Yuntao instinctively stepped back half a pace. He felt a sharp aura rushing toward him.

At the center of the formation, Wu Changkong still had his eyes closed. Silver-white light gathered before him... Its outline gradually became clear. It was a sword.

The blade was roughly three feet and three inches long, pure white throughout, as though it had been carved from ancient ice.

Wu Changkong opened his eyes. Looking at the sword before him, so familiar it could not have been more so, his gaze remained calm.

That sword had accompanied him throughout his previous life, from obscurity to shaking the continent with its might. He had never expected it to return with him in this life.

"Fine." He reached out and gripped the hilt.

Su Yuntao said excitedly, "A tool martial soul, an ice sword, with innate soul power at rank nine!"

The waiting hall instantly erupted.

"Rank nine? Did I hear that right?"

"My heavens, how many years has it been since Heavenwater City produced someone with innate rank-nine soul power?"

Su Yuntao crouched down and said gently, "Changkong, your talent is outstanding. Innate rank-nine soul power makes you a top-tier genius even across the entire Heaven Dou Empire."

"Would you be willing to join Spirit Hall? We can provide you with the finest cultivation resources, as well as professional mentors to guide you throughout your cultivation journey. Becoming a Titled Douluo would be no problem at all."

His words were tremendously tempting, and the eyes of many nearby parents turned red with envy.

Their children had not even received an invitation from Spirit Hall, while this child had a deacon personally making him such generous offers.

Wu Changkong listened without revealing anything on his face.

Truthfully, he bore no ill will toward Spirit Hall.

The Spirit Hall of this era was indeed diligently fulfilling its duties: awakening martial souls for commoners, nurturing soul masters, and maintaining order across the continent.

Joining Spirit Hall would indeed save him a great deal of trouble. Cultivation resources would be readily available, and his early development would go much more smoothly.

But he did not answer at once.

In this life, he wanted to live more freely. He did not want to be bound by any organization again.

Just as he was considering how to respond, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from outside the doors.

Wu Changkong's gaze drifted over inadvertently. A carriage had stopped there, and when its door opened, a middle-aged man who looked like a steward stepped down first.

Then he turned around and carefully helped the person inside the carriage down.

First came a pair of feet in little white leather boots, then a light-blue skirt, and then Wu Changkong saw that face.

She was a six-year-old girl in a blue dress, with a pale-blue little cape draped over it. Her long blue hair fell over her shoulders.

Her small hand tightly held the hand of another girl behind her.

In an instant, Wu Changkong's entire body trembled.

That appearance, that bearing—she was exactly like Long Bing.

Two lifetimes had passed. He had thought he had already let go, but at that moment, when that nearly identical face appeared before him, every pretense crumbled in an instant.

Suddenly, his vision blurred, and tears surged uncontrollably from his eyes.

Su Yuntao's attention was entirely drawn to the pair of sisters at the door, and he did not notice anything unusual about Wu Changkong.

"Sorry, Awakening Master, we're late."

The middle-aged man who looked like a steward bowed to Su Yuntao, his face full of apology. "There was a small problem on the road, which delayed us for some time."

"It's fine. You're not too late. Are you from the Shui Family?"

"Yes. Today is our eldest young lady's martial soul awakening."

Su Yuntao lowered his head, glanced over the register, found the corresponding entry, and nodded.

The Shui Family was a prominent family in Heavenwater City, so naturally he had to show them some courtesy.

"What is your name?"

"My name is Shui Bing'er."