Chapter 001: Reborn with the Supreme Demon Ring

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In 1991, in Daliushu Village, a rural area on the outskirts of Binhai City, a fierce storm was raging, thunder and lightning splitting the night.

“Ah!” A boy’s anguished scream burst from the house at the village entrance belonging to Yang Bao. The village was small, barely a dozen households, so the entire neighborhood was startled.

“That Yang Tian, every time it storms and thunders he screams and yells, nothing like a real boy. He’ll grow up to be a good-for-nothing, just wait and see!”

“Well, it’s no wonder. The poor child’s had a hard life. His heartless parents abandoned him here in Daliushu Village when he was just a baby. If it weren’t for Yang Bao and his wife’s kindness, that little one would have starved to death at the village gate long ago!”

These were the only two opinions passed around among the neighbors.

“Don’t be afraid, Xiaotian, Mommy’s here!” Yang Bao’s wife, Li Xiuying, lit an oil lamp, not even bothering to put on her long coat, and rushed straight into Yang Tian’s small room. She scooped him up into her arms, her left arm holding him tightly, her right hand gently patting his back, soothing him to sleep.

Yang Tian lay gasping in Li Xiuying’s embrace.

Tonight, his cry was not because of the thunder, but because he had been reborn. After leaping from a building, he was given a second life. Memories of his past and the shock of rebirth tangled in his mind.

Yes, he was certain this was his childhood. Everything here was intimately familiar. His family used to live in the rural outskirts, only moving to the city when his parents got jobs at a textile factory in Binhai.

That was when he was in high school. Judging by things now, he was probably only in preschool, the precursor to kindergarten.

Exactly—preschool. He saw, not far away atop a battered wardrobe, a little yellow jacket. He had worn that in preschool, and a big yellow dog from the neighboring village had bitten a hole in it, a memory still vivid in his mind.

Yang Tian was visibly agitated. He bit his lip hard—painfully so. Clearly, this was no dream. He truly had been reborn.

Heaven has opened its eyes and granted me a new life? No matter the reason, I’ve been given the chance I longed for. I must seize this opportunity and write a new chapter for myself.

Little did Yang Tian know, the reason for his rebirth was the Supreme Magic Ring, now lying quietly under his bed.

“Xiuying, is Xiaotian feeling better?” Yang Bao entered the room, draped in a Zhongshan jacket, bringing Li Xiuying’s coat with him. He put it over her shoulders, then sat beside Yang Tian, extending his warm, broad hand to gently pat his back.

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In Yang Tian’s eyes, his parents were good people—especially after he learned he wasn’t their biological son. Sometimes, their love for him even exceeded that for their own daughter, Yang Xueling.

He looked up at Yang Bao and Li Xiuying. They were still young and healthy, but the thought of how, eighteen years later, they would be thin and haggard, hair streaked with white because of him, filled Yang Tian with a wave of sorrow. He silently vowed never to let that future come to pass.

After he started high school, his introverted nature led him into frequent fights. If he won, it was fine, but being frail and sickly, he usually came home bruised and battered, and Yang Bao and Li Xiuying would have to clean up his messes.

Both of them later worked in the textile factory. Their way of settling things was to pay compensation, offer gifts, and apologize.

He was expelled from Binhai Second High School three times, and each time it was Yang Bao and his wife, swallowing their pride, who begged for his reinstatement. He didn’t even get into university on his own merit—it was Yang Bao who pulled strings and spent money to secure him a spot.

The tuition for four years of college was no small sum, but even then, he didn’t mend his ways. He spent his days in games and fights, neglecting his studies, and infuriated Li Xiuying so much that her stomach ailments worsened and she was hospitalized more than once.

Thinking of this, Yang Tian hugged Li Xiuying tightly. He swore to himself that, in the past, his inability to understand why his parents abandoned him, his frail health, and his introverted nature had driven him to become a wastrel.

But as he looked back, he realized that even as he wasted his life, there were people worrying, struggling, and shedding tears for him. In that moment, he saw just how selfish he had been, and the desire for a second chance was born. He wanted to go back and give an account to those who had always cared for him—and most importantly, to himself.

Who his birth parents were no longer mattered. Frail health was just an excuse. Before his rebirth, he had already realized what he truly lacked all along—responsibility.

He needed to be responsible for his family and friends, but more than that, for himself. Yang Tian clenched his small fists with resolve.

“Dad! Mom!” His younger sister, Yang Xueling, awakened by the commotion, ran in wearing a little jacket and baggy pants, unhesitatingly dove into Yang Tian’s bed, and giggled with him.

Yang Xueling was about seven years old but already in the second grade, while Yang Tian, two years older, was still in preschool.

“Brother, thunder is just the Thunder God sneezing. There’s nothing to be afraid of!” Yang Xueling wrapped her tender arms around him and whispered softly.

It was a saying the village elders used to comfort children.

Looking at Yang Xueling, Yang Tian smiled sweetly inside. So, his sister was truly this adorable. But as they grew older, they became more like strangers. As a child, she always protected him, but after starting middle school, she could no longer shield him. Meanwhile, as her brother, he failed to protect her. She was often bullied, sometimes even right in front of him.

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“Brother isn’t afraid anymore. I won’t let anyone bully you ever again!” Yang Tian reached out to stroke Yang Xueling’s little face, silently making a promise to himself.

“Brother, go to sleep now. I’ve already finished your homework for you in secret. You won’t be scolded by the teacher tomorrow!” Yang Xueling leaned close to his ear and giggled.

Yang Tian was taken aback. Yes, when he was in primary school, he wasn’t just timid, he was lazy too. His homework was always secretly done by his younger sister, Yang Xueling. The thought filled him with shame.

He loosened his arms from Li Xiuying and hugged Yang Xueling tightly. Before his rebirth, he had never given her such an ardent embrace.

The little girl in his arms was startled, but soon fell asleep with a sweet smile.

Seeing that Yang Tian was all right, Yang Bao and Li Xiuying returned to their room to sleep. Yang Tian, though he closed his eyes, could not drift off.

He had been given a new life. He had to rewrite his story and reshape himself. But where should he begin?

After much thought, Yang Tian concluded that there were three main areas: his studies, his health, and his character.

As for his studies, a near-college graduate returning to preschool would have no trouble keeping up. Although he’d been a good-for-nothing before, handling preschool coursework would be a breeze.

But he felt he shouldn’t limit himself to elementary school knowledge. Since he’d been reborn, he should prepare in advance and master all the knowledge he might need in the future.

Then there was his health. Being frail and sickly was nothing to fear; as long as he exercised actively, he believed he could soon build a strong body. He decided to start with running, sprints, high jump, and long jump to lay a solid foundation, then move on to learning some martial arts.

Finally, his character. In the past, he’d been introverted—either timid and cowardly, or sullen and irritable. That was bad for both himself and others. Now, with this new life, he resolved to become someone gentle on the outside, but steadfast and resolute within.