Thud.

My head knocked against the coffin in front of the altar, making a sharp sound.

I held my head as I got up, my whole body aching as if it had been reforged. My blurry vision gradually cleared, revealing a coffin in front of me. I held a memorial tablet in my hand.

The tablet read: [Memorial Tablet of Adriel, 18th Master of the Cole Sect.]

I had carved this tablet with my own hands, and I had bought this coffin myself.

My grief over my master's death etched every detail into my mind.

Now, I had somehow been reborn on this very day.

"Master."

I carefully placed the tablet on the altar, knelt down, and solemnly bowed three times.

I remembered my master's last words. She warned me never to leave the mountain after her death. But in my previous life, I had found the solitude unbearable and chose to leave the mountain today.

My plan was to travel for just a year before returning to the sect. During that journey, I encountered Austin, Jason, and Vincent. From that moment, I never made it back to the mountain.

"Master, I'm leaving."

I stood up.

"I'm going to kill those three heartless men.

"Once they're dead, I'll come back."

I bought two jars of wine in a small town at the foot of the mountain.

Two jars of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Then, I carried the two jars of Cabernet Sauvignon into the blacksmith's shop.

The old man with graying whiskers swung his hammer, striking the red-hot iron sword.

Sparks flew everywhere.

I paid double the price and gave him one jar of Cabernet Sauvignon for a sword from his shop.

"This sword, it sharpens when it meets blood," the old man said.

He said the same thing in my past life.

In my past life, I baptized this sword with Kingston's blood. I will consecrate it in this life with Vincent's blood.

Spring rain was as precious as oil.

I carried my sword and a bottle of wine, heading to the bridge to shelter from the rain, only to find someone fishing there.

The man sat there calmly, draped in a snow-white cloak. His loose hair flowed over his shoulders, and the wide-brimmed hat he wore cast a shadow over half his face, leaving only his sharply chiseled jaw exposed.

"No hook, no bait. How do you expect to catch any fish?" I asked.

The man remained silent.

Sensing the conversation was going nowhere, I stopped talking.

The rain poured down steadily. I glanced at the man, calculated the time, and pulled out a broken jade pendant from my pocket, tossing it to him.

Without looking up, he caught it effortlessly.

"Here, half a jade pendant for one of your hats."

I casually picked up one of the hats lying at his feet, put it on, and walked away with ease.

I didn't look back, but I could feel his intense gaze on my back.

Ripples spread across the river, but they weren't from the rain hitting the water.

They were from a fish taking the bait.