Back to the Past

The sounds of heavy footsteps echoed in a silent, dark forest as a small figure ran and hid behind dense foliage. His eyes were tightly shut.

"Mother," His childish, cracked voice drifted out.

The crackling of flames drifted far, creating sounds of chaos and roar.

Though yearning to return to his mother's embrace, he obeyed her last order and hid in the mountains.

As a tear stain trickled down his plump cheeks, the ground trembled, signifying that something big was coming.

A second later, his vision blurred.

Hu~

'Another nightmare.' 

A dirt-covered arm acted as a shield, defending a boy's eyes from the bright rays of the sun. The 14-year-old malnourished boy regulated his breathing in order to calm himself.

Hu~ Hu~ 

Intermittently, hot air left his lips.

Some strands of jet black hair covered his right eye. At that moment, strange memories flooded his mind.

His expression kept changing until his eyes shot wide open. Touching his skinny body, Xu Kai revealed a shocked and excited expression.

He remembered this day vividly. It was the day his life changed. This day marked the end of his beggar's life.

'I regressed three years back. Such heavenly luck!' 

Xu Kai could never forget today. This was the day he met the man who, for no good reason, took him to the talent awakening ceremony and he, a forsaken beggar, awakened a fire type Mortal Grade Talent.

It was the lowest, but it got him out of the slums. There was hope of leaving this island for the mainland!

The mainland was simply a paradise, far away from this location. A guest would arrive to select young practitioners and transport them to the mainland, yet Xu Kai never received more than a single glance.

After he had spent months swallowing the mockery of his privileged peers, determined to prove them wrong, one word destroyed everything.

No…

The esteemed guest only spared him a glance before uttering the word that sealed his fate on this island.

That was his first regret.

The second? After he joined the hunting team, a sea monster devoured him!

"That old man will soon appear. "I accidentally bumped into him in the past, so I'll have to act very well to gain his attention."

He clenched his fists. As he began to think about the future, his eyes were burning brightly. With his knowledge of the future, nothing was stopping him from taking advantage of the treasures those arrogant, spoiled young masters and misses had found!

This time around, he would worm his way onto the mainland!

Fired up with great ambitions, Xu Kai forgot that he was currently sitting among beggars, busy highlighting their situation to gain sympathy.

Rumble—!

A stomach growl drifted out, catching people's attention. The men wore short tunics and trousers, while the women wore long tunics.

Some of the women, mostly those in late adulthood, tied their hair into a fluffy bun. 

Unlike them, Xu Kai's attire couldn't win against the rags in their homes! He had worn the same clothes for as long as he could remember.

He patted his stomach, grabbed a wooden bowl, shot to his feet, and ran away. The torn parts of his tunic danced in the air, displaying his wretchedness for all to see.

He deftly maneuvered through the crowd, arriving at his destination after a short while.

Without an inkling of shame, Xu Kai licked his lips, his eyes staring fixedly at the open-air rice noodle shop.

The enticing aroma made him salivate. It transported his mind into a trance-like state, where he slurped the colorful meal.

A few individuals sat on benches, slurping their delicious meals. The sight alone made Xu Kai's stomach growl louder.

Tian Feng's noodle shop was famous among the island's low-class individuals. Since his name 'Tian' coincided with the name of their world, which was also Tian, many began to call him Fatty Tian.

For some reason, the fat man liked the name.

The closer Xu Kai got, the more restless his stomach became. Gulping repeatedly, he stretched his bow toward the fat man dishing a meal for a customer.

"Fatty—"

"Scram!" 

Fatty Tian wasn't cordial. His fat bulged, and his beady eyes glared at Xu Kai. The customer, who had previously bought in bulk, causing him immense joy, had not yet arrived.

This was a time deviation that was outside of Xu Kai's knowledge.

Xu Kai's lips parted. This wasn't in line with what happened before. Last time, Fatty Tian saw him walking by, called him, and filled his bowl.

At worst, he was just a few minutes late. Courtesy of taking notes of the treasure spots on the island before his memories grew foggy.

However, had he not put on his most miserable look?

When he remembered how Fatty Tian respected him when he began practicing martial arts, his nose flared.

"You…! You fat man, do you know what I will become in the future? I will become one of the strongest martial arts practitioners on the entire island. Give me food, or I won't be courteous!"

Everyone froze.

'That…!' Xu Kai also froze. Indeed, he sounded like a fool, but at this point, his stomach held the reins.

Though this might worsen Fatty Tian's mood instead of helping him get fed.

Upon examining the scrawny brat, who possessed every credential identifying him as a complete beggar, some began to suspect that Xu Kai had lost his mind.

Practice martial arts. A beggar?

"Scram!!" Fatty Tian bellowed.

Xu Kai gritted his teeth. Was he going to return to his begging spot, hoping someone would pity him today and drop at least a bronze coin? 

"I'll —!" His ears perked up as he recognized a familiar sound among the crowd.

Bam—!

He dropped to his knees, kowtowing toward Fatty Tian, in addition to hitting his forehead against the ground. Some stones from the yellow sand stuck to his forehead.

"I'm dying of hunger!" His cry pierced through the air, drawing attention to him and Fatty Tian's shop.

However, Xu Kai was aiming to capture the sound of a specific figure among the crowd. The sound of a wooden staff's bottom hitting the ground was there.

Though this wasn't how he met the old man before, this method looked more pitiful. This approach would compel the old man to investigate the source of the disturbance.

Right…?

"I'm dying of hunger!" 

People began to whisper.

Before Fatty Tian could say anything, a tall figure wearing a ground-level gray garment appeared a few meters behind Xu Kai.

"Child, stand up." 

"I won't until Fatty Tian feeds me!" Xu Kai continued his act. If he stood up so fast, the old man would surely be suspicious.

"Elder Feng, don't bother about this matter. I'll give him a bowl," said Fatty Tian in a trembling state.

'Elder!' Blood drained from Xu Kai's face. In the past, after the old man took him to the ceremony, they never met again.

After all those years, he couldn't put things together and figure out why the other two Elders agreed. 

Elders were the most powerful beings on the island so how could they obey an ordinary old man?