Reincarnation

'Ah... If only I was stronger, I could've stopped the bandits from raiding the village.'

'If only I was stronger, I could've saved Mom, Dad, and Ha-joon.'

'If only I was stronger, I wouldn't have became the loyal dog of the Jade Sword Sect.'

'If only I was stronger, I could've escaped and regained my freedom.'

After reminiscing about his childhood, there was one thing that Se-hun realised. All of these things happened to him because he wasn't strong enough. In this brutal world of martial arts, those with strength reign supreme, while those without could only depend on their luck to survive. Even then, they could never truly gain freedom; they could never roam the world as they wished; they had to live their lives in fear of the strong. 

'In the end, those who are strong hold power over everything.'

'If... only I could get another shot at life... I would...'

Just as Se-hun was lost deep in his thoughts, the executioner's blade slashed right through his neck. A loud, deafening sound was heard when the blade cut through his vital organs. Se-hun immediately felt his senses dull as he lost control of his body. Blood permeated the air while deathly silence remained. The searing pain lasted for a split second; and in the end, Se-hun's vision went black and he lost consciousness. 

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'Am I dead?' 

'I suppose so.'

Se-hun found himself in pitch darkness. He couldn't see, hear, or touch anything. The only thing that was evident were his own thoughts manifesting one after another. Time seemed to flow endlessly in this mysterious dark plane, yet it also seemed like it wasn't flowing at all. Just as Se-hun was about to lose himself in the feeling of emptiness, he suddenly heard a loud voice out of nowhere. 

"Madam, just a little more! You're almost there!"

"Yes! It's a healthy baby boy! Congratulations!"

Se-hun opened his eyes, and found that he was in an unfamiliar place. There was an extravagant chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the exquisitely designed walls were laced with silk curtains, and the furniture were all decorated and placed elegantly. Moreover, Se-hun was feeling an unexplainable sense of security and warmth that permeated his entire body; it reminded him of the time when he was in his mother's embrace. 

'Where am I?'

Se-hun looked at his surroundings, and saw a young maiden looking at him with bright eyes and a gentle smile. She was wearing a pitch black dress with a white apron and stood by his side in a respectful manner. Se-hun thought that she was likely a servant of this wealthy household.

"Madam, why isn't the baby crying? Is there something wrong? Should I invite a priest over to check his condition?"

Se-hun understood every single word that the young maiden said. To satisfy his curiosity, he looked around the room, just to see a pair of sharp eyes looking directly at him from above. 

"It's no matter. Many children of the Silvermoon household had oddities when they were born. This usually is the result of a strong connection to the dark element. Even if there's a problem, if the boy can't survive this trivial ordeal, he is not worthy of the Silvermoon name."

Contrary to Se-hun's expectations, the person who delivered this imposing statement was an extremely gorgeous and dignified woman. Her lean body was accentuated with beautiful curves; her silky smooth blonde hair exuded a sense of gracefulness; and her glimmering blue eyes bathed in the rays of sunlight. Despite being weak after giving birth, she still exuded an aura of grandiose that demanded absolute respect. 

"I shall bestow on you the name of Sethos Silvermoon. I hope you grow up and become an invaluable asset to the Duchy of Silvermoon."

"Myra, take care of this child for me. Oh, and bring my retainers here; I shall retire to my chambers for the time being."

"Yes, Madam."

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After the retainers brought the exhausted mistress out of the bedroom, only Se-hun and the servant named Myra were left. Se-hun took a while to gather his thoughts as he placed his stubby hands on his chin to imitate a thinking pose. 

'It seems that I have entered the cycle of reincarnation after I died. The only thing that's strange is the fact that I still remember everything from my past life as Se-hun.'

'Was it the mysterious object from the Deep Caverns that caused this phenomenon?'

'Or was it the pills that I stole from the Heavenly Demonic Cult?'

Se-hun thought of this question thousands and thousands of times in his head, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't come up with a definite answer. 

'There's no use pondering about something I don't know about. Perhaps the answer would reveal itself in the future.'

'The most important thing for me right now is to get stronger. I cannot allow myself to repeat the mistakes from my past life.' Se-hun mused.

As the leader of The Shadows, Se-hun had been sent on various missions such as infiltrating bases, acquiring confidential information, stealing other sects' martial arts manuals, etc. To achieve his goal of regaining his freedom, Se-hun used his spare time in learning different breathing techniques and martial arts, both orthodox and unorthodox. He also stole countless numbers of expensive pills during his missions to raise his cultivation level. Despite all that, he still couldn't defeat the leader of the Jade Sword Sect, who had been living with a golden spoon since birth. 

'Who knew the information I acquired would be useful like this.' Se-hun thought.

Leaving no time to spare, Se-hun immediately started to familiarise himself with the new body of his. He practised opening and closing his hands, kicking his legs, and tried his to flip his body over a few times. 

'It seems I still have ways to go till I can properly sit up and start cultivating.'

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One month later...

It was another quiet night. The bustling, cheery atmosphere found during the morning in the Silvermoon Duchy was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was replaced with a calm silence that permeated the entire estate. Few guards wandered the corridors, and many dark areas around the mansion gave a tranquil, yet haunting vibe. However, at the far end of the corridors, isolated from others, there was a room that was emitting a faint light. Inside, there was an infant meditating while basking in the moonlight. That was Sethos Silvermoon. 

'It seems my cultivation has already reached an acceptable stage. The Tri-Element Ki Cultivation Technique definitely lives up to its name.' Sethos thought.

The Tri-Element Ki Cultivation Technique was known worldwide as one of the best in the martial world. It was created by the infamous Azure Mountain Sect, which nurtured thousands upon thousands of brilliant warriors. Back then, Se-hun happened to chance upon a worn down manual in shady underground shop during one of his missions. To his surprise, it was the very cultivation technique that was proclaimed as the best in the martial world. However, at that time, as he was already using the passed down method from the Jade Sword Sect, he couldn't utilise this newfound technique. Regardless, Se-hun still memorised the entire book, including the most intricate details, in case it would come in handy someday. 

'This time, with the knowledge that I painstakingly acquired, I will build a solid foundation so I can achieve what I couldn't in my past life - Become the strongest being in the mortal world and reach heights that no one have ever reached before!'