With the plan in place and the adrenaline of reincarnation still pumping through his veins, Long Chen leaned back in his chair, adopting the posture of a bored student.
His eyes, however, were anything but bored—sharp and curious, absorbing every detail of that classroom that had now become the starting point of his new life. He scanned the faces of the future big shots of Glory City—the friends and foes of Nie Li. Lu Piao, as extroverted as always, was whispering to a classmate. Du Ze sat quietly, focused on his studies, just like Long Chen remembered. The other three hadn't joined them yet.
Then, the door opened.
Confident, arrogant footsteps echoed against the wooden floor. A slim, curvaceous figure entered, dressed in a tight-fitting gown that highlighted every one of her impressive curves. Long, silky red hair and a beautiful face, permanently tainted by an expression of disdain.
It was Shen Xiu.
"Wow," Long Chen thought, his teenage instincts kicking in for a moment.
"The manhua really didn't do her justice. Shame her personality is garbage, though, 'cause her body is a solid ten. Absolute Hotgirl." He quickly suppressed the thought, reminding himself of the woman's cruelty. She was a small-time villain in this world—but for now, she was just a hot teacher to admire from a distance.
His gaze moved instinctively to the row where Nie Li was seated. He glanced at him from time to time. The boy looked groggy and uninterested, head down—much like Long Chen was pretending to be.
But then, something shifted. There was no flash of light. No dramatic sound.
To everyone else, nothing had changed. But Long Chen, who had been waiting for this very moment, noticed it. He saw Nie Li's body tense for just a split second. Then the boy slowly lifted his head—and his eyes, once dull and childish, now gleamed with a depth that hadn't been there before. Wisdom and pain that no thirteen-year-old should have. The change was subtle—but unmistakable.
"He's here!" Long Chen grinned inwardly. The soul from the future had taken over. The show was about to begin.
And so it did.
Shen Xiu began her haughty lecture about the Soul Realms, belittling students with weaker talents and praising the nobility of her Sacred Family. Just as Long Chen remembered from the novel.
Then, Nie Li stood up.
What followed was legendary. Nie Li, calm as a sage, dismantled each of Shen Xiu's arguments, exposing her ignorance and arrogance for the whole class to see.
Long Chen saw his opportunity. He wanted to align himself with Nie Li—but not like some desperate bootlicker. He needed an excuse to get out of that useless class—and more importantly, to have more free time to train and grow stronger, faster.
As Shen Xiu, red-faced and fuming, prepared to punish Nie Li, Long Chen lazily raised his hand.
"Professor Shen Xiu," he said, voice calm with just a hint of sarcasm. "With all due respect, the lecture was getting terribly dull. Nie Li's little debate was the most interesting thing I've heard all day. Shouldn't we encourage critical thinking?"
All eyes turned to him. Shen Xiu's eyes sparkled with fury. "Another insolent brat! Who are you?"
"Long Chen, professor."
"Long Chen," she spat. "Since you're so invested in his nonsense, you can join him! Both of you will stand at the back of the room for the rest of the day! Move!"
The classroom fell into stunned silence. Lu Piao, loyal as ever, was the first to support his friend, followed by Du Ze and the others.
"Perfect," Long Chen thought, hiding a smile as he stood up. He joined a surprised Nie Li and a grinning Lu Piao at the back of the classroom.
"Dude, that was awesome!" said Lu Piao, patting Long Chen's back. "Why'd you do it?"
Long Chen shrugged. "She's hot, but super annoying. And her class is a snoozefest. Plus," he looked at Nie Li, "what he said made sense. If Lord Ye Mo became that powerful despite being a commoner, why can't we?"
Nie Li studied him for a moment, his eyes piercing, as if seeing into Long Chen's very soul. In his past life, Long Chen had lacked talent and given up early, stuck with a red soul realm and a troubled home. This time, he'd help him grow stronger. With his knowledge, it would be easy.
Under that intense gaze, Long Chen kept a neutral expression, though his thoughts raced. "Does Nie Li sense something strange about me?" He shook the thought away. Impossible.
Long Chen didn't mind befriending Nie Li—but his secrets, especially the Spiritual Ancestral World, would remain his alone.
"Thanks," Nie Li finally said, giving a small nod. "I'm Nie Li, and this is Lu Piao..." Nie Li smiled and introduced his friends to Long Chen.
"I'm Long Chen," he replied, shaking Nie Li's offered hand before turning to the others. "Nice to meet you."
The rest of the day flew by. When class ended, they said their goodbyes.
"I've gotta head home. My mom gets worried if I'm late. But I can hang out with you guys some other day—after I let her know," Long Chen said, waving to his new acquaintances before heading off on his own.
He walked through the familiar streets of Glory City, the reality of his new situation settling in with every step. His house was modest—a small two-story home in a regular part of the city, far from the mansions of the great families.
He opened the door and was greeted by the comforting smell of home-cooked food. A kind-looking woman in her early thirties with gentle features smiled at him from the kitchen.
"Welcome back, Chen'er," said his mother, Feng Wu.
"I'm home, Mom," he replied, genuine warmth filling his chest. Having a family again… felt good.
"How was school, son?" she asked, setting a plate of food on the table.
"The usual. Boring teachers, boring classes," he said with a sheepish smile, sitting down to eat. He chatted with her for a few minutes, talking about new friends and the day's events, carefully omitting the storm of emotions and plans swirling inside him.
After dinner, he climbed up to his simple room. A bed, a small desk, and a window overlooking neighboring rooftops. The sun was starting to set, casting the sky in hues of orange and violet. It was time.
Access allowed… at dusk.
He sat on his bed, heart racing. Following the mental instructions of the system, he closed his eyes, focusing on his consciousness—on his Soul Realm. For several minutes, nothing happened. Only the familiar darkness behind his eyelids.
Then, a pulling sensation—like his soul was being gently lifted out of his body. The feeling of the mattress disappeared. The sounds of the city faded.
Birdsong. Leaves rustling in the wind.
Long Chen opened his eyes.
He was no longer in his room. He stood in a vast field of lush, green grass stretching as far as the eye could see. Ahead, a colossal forest rose up, with trees so tall their tops scraped the heavens. The air was thick with an ancient, dense energy unlike anything he'd ever felt. He could smell the damp earth, the fresh leaves. He crouched and touched the grass. It was real. Vibrant and slightly wet under his fingers.
A wild, victorious smile spread across his face.
"Amazing," he whispered to the air. "The Spiritual Ancestral World... Time to begin training."