Aaron Johnson’s eyes flickered, and in the next moment, sharp clarity returned to his gaze.

“Year 2000 of the Art Sovereign Continent... I’ve been dead for a hundred years, and this body’s name is also Aaron Johnson? I’ve been reborn a century later!”

Aaron Johnson—once the number one Art Sovereign of the continent, known as the Taigu Soul Sovereign. A hundred years ago, through dual cultivation of his true soul and source soul, he shattered the limits of art and gained immortality. But that feat drew the envy of two fellow Art Sovereigns, who joined forces to bring him down.

Now, against all odds, he was reborn in the body of a young man who bore the same name—and inherited all of his memories.

From those memories, he learned that this Aaron had once been a prodigy in the art of cultivation. But to save his fiancée, Emily Thompson, from a strange affliction that prevented her from cultivating, he willingly transferred the illness to himself. His spiritual veins were destroyed, and his cultivation crippled.

The boy never regretted it. He gave everything for love—and in the end, got nothing but betrayal. The Thompsons came knocking, demanding to break the engagement with not even a shred of respect.

Later he learned that Emily’s outstanding talent had caught the eye of Ethan Carter, the young lord of the powerful Carter family in Tianhua City.

“How foolish,” the reborn Aaron sneered inwardly. “He gave up everything for her, and she turned around and treated him like trash—used him up, tossed him aside, and insulted him behind his back. If it had been me, I would’ve made her pay.”

Though it hadn’t been him who lived through it, the memories felt as vivid as a nightmare. If it were him in that situation, Emily and that bastard Ethan wouldn’t have walked away so easy.

The previous Aaron? Too soft. Even after the betrayal, the kid took the marriage contract and went to the Thompsons to break things off himself, trying to make it easy for them.

And what did he get in return? Ethan accused him of pestering Emily and killed him without letting him speak a word. They dumped his body in this wasteland.

That blow was what gave the old Aaron—a fallen but undying soul—the opening to return.

Once he’d sorted through the memories, Aaron was just about to rise when voices came from above.

“Oh no, Ethan, did you really have to kill him?” It was Emily’s voice.

Aaron froze in place, keeping the position of a corpse. He knew—standing up now would get him killed for real.

“What? Feeling guilty now, remembering how he used to be kind to you?” Ethan’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Well, he did transfer the sickness to himself just to heal you. That boy gave up everything, suffered ridicule and shame for three years, all to prop you up.”

Maybe Ethan’s tone carried a hint of jealousy, because Emily quickly explained, “That’s not what I meant. I’m worried about the marriage contract—it’s gone with him.”

“He’s dead. Who cares about a damn piece of paper? Killing him was a clean break. No more pestering. No more delusions about being some kind of art genius.”

“Fine, fine, you’re right. I’ll do whatever you say.” Emily’s voice immediately softened, sweet and submissive, clinging to Ethan’s side like a docile pet.Maybe to please Ethan Carter, she looked down at the “dead” Aaron Johnson and scoffed, “Aaron, I know you hated me. But remember, you were the one who insisted on treating me. I never begged you. You became a cripple by your own doing! Why would I stay with someone useless like you? In your next life, try being smarter!”

Every word drilled into Aaron’s ears as he lay motionless on the ground.

“Hold it in. Just hold it in. I’ve got no strength now... Heavens, not a shred. And I’m hurt bad! Forget Ethan—just his two lapdogs alone could crush me.”

Aaron still carried a fragment of the original soul inside him. Emily’s words agitated that soul, nearly driving it into a reckless surge.

“Aaron,” he muttered inwardly, “I know you died unwilling, filled with anger. But rest easy now! From today on, I am you, and you are me. Your grievance won’t go unanswered—I’ll pay them back a hundredfold!”

The original soul, soothed by the promise, relaxed at last, merging fully with Aaron’s formidable spirit.

“Staring at corpses won’t get us anywhere. Emily, come on. Today’s the martial recruitment. We can’t be late,” Ethan said, clearly disinterested in staying.

He turned to his servants, Jack Carter and Luke Carter. “Jack, Luke, get rid of his body. No traces left. Understood?”

“Yes, young master!” they answered together.

Ethan and Emily walked off, disappearing into the distance.

Once they were gone, Jack turned to Luke. “We split up, grab some deadwood. One torch and he’s gone–not a speck left.”

“Got it, Jack. I’m on it!”

Only after their footsteps faded did Aaron slowly open his eyes. A cold, sharp light flickered in them.

“That woman... truly heartless,” he growled to himself. “She gained her talent thanks to my sacrifice. Not only does she forget, but she betrays me and spits on my grave? If I don’t make her pay, how do I deserve this second life?”

Cross-legged, Aaron slipped into a meditative state, the air around him stirring quietly.

First things first: he had to find out how much soul power he had left.

In his last life, Aaron died in the final battle, his body destroyed and spirit sealed in a Soul Jade. When the jade shattered, fragments scattered across the realm.

What landed in this body was one such fragment, holding only memories from his past life. So naturally, it didn’t carry much power.

“A hundred years of soul strength? That’s it? Pathetic. Not even a ten-thousandth of my true soul. Still... compared to any random person, it’s leagues ahead.”

Disappointed but not hopeless, he knew this was more than enough. With his current soul strength, he could already pull off feats most couldn’t dream of.

He used his soul energy to scan his own body like looking through a mirror. What he found shocked him.

“A spirit seed? Seriously?” he muttered.

It all made sense now. This body and the weird illness Emily had were both caused by latent infection from the spirit seed. Left untreated, it festered, causing internal decay and blocked meridians—no wonder cultivation failed.

Truth was, this body had once opened two of its meridian gates. If he could clear out the diseased tissue, those gates would reopen.

To most, removing the damaged areas was harder than unlocking meridians—but not for Aaron.

“These spirit seeds... wasted on fools, they can’t handle them. Used right, they’re precious beyond measure. Let’s see how far I can take this power…”