ABRIWMTHM Chapter 2

In a daze, drifting in the air, the surrounding scene rapidly retreated from the place where he had fallen.

Drawing back to the Imperial Capital, back to Central Park, Shi Xing saw the man who had been seated there after he left cough a few times. Unlike Shi Xing, who coughed incessantly, the man simply let his hand fall, revealing a spot of deep red on his palm. The man appeared calm, but those around him suddenly dropped to their knees en masse, pleading for him to return to the flying vehicle.

Was the other party’s health not good either?

This thought had just surfaced when the tide of time surged back. Shi Xing saw earlier, a group of black war machines majestic and proud, lined up escorting the luxurious flying vehicle emblazoned with royal insignia, parked in Central Park.

The cabin door opened, and attendants pushed the man in the hovering chair down. At the moment Shi Xing faced him, the man seemed to check something ahead, their gazes met—gray eyes locking onto Shi Xing’s, and in that moment, Shi Xing felt as if the man truly saw him.

In the next instant, the man walked straight through him.

Deprived of his abilities, Shi Xing once again felt the overwhelming and chaotic flow of mental power as a therapist.

He had never seen such powerful mental power.

At the same time, he had never encountered such a damaged mental sea, so riddled with holes, it was truly horrendous.

For an ordinary person, such severe turmoil would have long since resulted in their disappearance.

He…

Before he could think deeper, the snowflakes swirled around Shi Xing, continuing the reverse journey.

He had just exited the Prince’s residence when a servant found Lu Lu and returned the box to him.

The look of astonishment on Lu Lu’s face made Shi Xing turn his head away.

Further ahead, he saw Lu Lu and Bi Shu engaged in a close conversation.

Continuing on, the caregiver looking after Shi Xing, feeling sorry for him, informed him of the news two days before the wedding. Upon learning the surprising information, Shi Xing was left in a daze for quite a while, unable to process it.

Further on, onward…

Time flowed backward, pushing Shi Xing inexorably along the reversed path.

He went from being weak and lying in bed to gradually feeling his spirit improve, eventually being able to get up and walk again.

The frequency of Lu Lu’s contacts increased during this regression.

Back to the battle three years ago, he felt the power he had lost flooding back into his body…

He struggled to follow Lu Lu to military school, and due to the peculiarities of his race, he endured many hardships in physical training…

As he moved through the years, time sped by, and before he knew it, he was witnessing himself signing the matching form in the Nest, the staff member expressing worry while he looked full of anticipation and yearning.

Seeing this scene, Shi Xing felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

Onward again, as a Blue Star human, his unique maturity period was approaching. The starry night before matching was particularly brilliant in Ancheng, and suddenly, Shi Xing didn’t want to go back any further.

The moment this thought took hold, the swirling snowflakes around him froze, and he harmonized with his past self, appreciating the starry sky within the gentle embrace of the Mother Tree’s mental power before returning to his birthing room in the Nest.

That was enough; Shi Xing didn’t want to relive his brief life any longer.

It was enough.

At that point, he felt satisfied.

As the starlight streamed in through the window, Shi Xing drifted off to sleep alongside his past self.

Sunlight spilled onto his eyelids, causing Shi Xing to furrow his brows. His first reaction was to wonder which hospital was so bright.

Opening his eyes, he saw that the imagined emergency room scene did not exist; instead, Shi Xing found himself in his room in the Nest.

Hadn’t he awakened yet?

He…

Knock knock knock—the door was pounded on vigorously.

“Shi Xing, are you there? The staff member sent me to ask why you haven’t checked in. Is it because you’re unwell before entering your maturity period?”

The familiar voice startled Shi Xing.

In the next moment, he could not care less about tidying himself and hurriedly opened the door.

Shi Ran, his only friend in the Nest, who had perished many years ago in a beast tide, stood before him with a lively expression. Shi Xing’s pupils trembled; his throat tightened.

Just as he feared that if he spoke, this dream would awaken him, Shi Ran placed a hand on his forehead, puzzled. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

The hand against his face was warm.

And Shi Xing stared in disbelief at the other’s knuckles—he could once again feel the subtle flow of mental power.

This was not a dream.

Shi Xing spent an entire morning processing the fact that he had returned to before his maturity period.

His emotions fluctuated greatly, and by the time he headed to the staff member’s office, he had finally calmed down completely.

The staff member was the head of the Star Tree Nest, overseeing all Blue Star humans within it.

As expected, the staff member was specifically inquiring about his physical condition.

The price of having unique abilities was that Blue Star humans naturally had weak bodies, making them hard to sustain. This batch, waiting for matching, could enter their maturity period at any time, necessitating extra caution.

Shi Xing casually made up an excuse, but the staff member asked in detail about many things. Looking at the familiar scene in front of him, Shi Xing felt he might have forgotten something, but it was too distant, and he couldn’t recall it at the moment.

“By the way, the Prince’s residence formally submitted the matching application for young Master Lu today.”

After asking about Shi Xing’s condition, the staff member suddenly mentioned this.

“You know, the young son of the Prince’s residence, Lu Lu, suffered an injury to his mental sea as a child. At least once a month, the Prince’s residence sends him here to the Nest to stay for a week, receiving the Mother Tree’s mental power to prevent the condition from worsening.”

Shi Xing certainly knew this because Lu Lu’s time at the Nest was spent attending classes alongside Blue Star humans, receiving an Imperial education.

Strictly speaking, in a certain sense, Shi Xing had grown up alongside Lu Lu.

However, Bi Shu had as well; the difference was that Shi Xing was Lu Lu’s classmate at the Nest, while Bi Shu was Lu Lu’s classmate in the Imperial Capital.

“The matching must ensure that Lu Lu thoroughly recovers his mental sea before the mental power ranking. He still needs a therapist, and the council has granted special approval for his matching qualification.”

“It’s said that you have a good relationship.”

Shi Xing could roughly guess what the staff member was about to say.

“The matching is a mutual choice; once confirmed, the other party must not only serve as the primary guarantor for you during your maturity period but also provide all the crystals, beast cores, and high-level beast cores that your body will require in large amounts until your abilities are fully stable.”

The staff member looked at Shi Xing, finally getting to the main point, “You have always been outstanding. If you can pass the maturity period, you will become a powerful therapist.”

“If you choose Lu Lu, I have no doubt that the Prince’s residence can provide for you, but the stronger the Blue Star human, the more fragile they are during the maturity period, and the number of emergencies will increase. Based on experience, you need a stable and mature partner, not someone your own age.”

Yes, the other party matched with the Blue Star humans would also be their future partner.

—“Lu Lu’s future mental power level won’t be low.”

Suddenly, a decisive reply sprang forth in Shi Xing’s mind.

It was something he had said to the staff member back then.

Shi Xing lowered his eyelashes slightly, “Are you ordering me not to choose Lu Lu?”

The staff member responded, “You have the final choice. The Empire will fight to the death to protect the rights of Blue Star humans.”

“This is merely a suggestion. You are all raised under my watchful eye, and both the Nest and I sincerely hope that all Blue Star humans can safely navigate their maturity period.”

Earlier, he had heard the life teacher mention that Shi Xing and Lu Lu had a good relationship.

And now, Shi Xing was reacting this way…

Feeling it was tricky, the staff member was contemplating whether to say more when Shi Xing abruptly said, “You’re right.”

“I will consider this carefully.”

With the staff member’s surprised gaze following him, Shi Xing left.

At the same time, he finally remembered what he had forgotten.

Opening the neglected communicator, sure enough, Shi Xing saw the chat interface with Lu Lu, already discussing the submission of the application from the Prince’s residence, and Lu Lu had clearly expressed his desire to be matched with him.

It was quite amusing, as it had been just last night. He had been so focused on stargazing, not expecting to return to such a pivotal moment.

Due to his return, the conversation had been interrupted, and he had not yet agreed to Lu Lu.

He had been slow to respond, and Lu Lu had ultimately only said to wait for his reply.

He hadn’t agreed yet…and that was fine.

Turning things around from the beginning and not repeating the old path was good for both of them.

【Sorry, I was so mesmerized by the stars yesterday that I forgot to reply.】

【Let’s meet up and discuss in person.】

Lu Lu replied almost instantly, agreeing.

He was still in the Nest, and Shi Xing decided on the venue in the tree garden, a place they frequently met.

Shi Xing spent some time in his room, and with Shi Ran’s help, clarified the current time and situation he was in.

There were a dozen or so Blue Star humans in this batch, currently waiting for matching.

Some with stronger abilities had already entered their maturity period ahead of time, while most others were anticipated to enter it post-matching.

The matching would take place at a specially arranged banquet, and before that, the Nest would conduct an assessment test of their talent abilities. The main system would recommend the best matching partners for them based on the test results.

The assessment test was in two days.

When Shi Xing entered the tree garden, his mind was still processing this information. As soon as he noticed the unnatural dimming of the light in front of him, he looked up, only to find someone blocking his path.

“You didn’t check in today; did you already enter your maturity period?” Yu Man’s face suddenly appeared in front of him, still making Shi Xing uncomfortable. “But aren’t you close with young Master Lu…”

Yu Man stepped closer, lowering his voice so only they could hear, “Did you deliberately starve yourself to postpone your maturity period in order to enter the Prince’s residence? You won’t suddenly change your mind, right?”

“…”

Great, yet another thing he had forgotten.

Feeling it, Shi Xing confirmed he was indeed hungering for energy.

Because the body he had after rebirth was far stronger than before, he hadn’t noticed immediately.

And what Yu Man said was right—Shi Xing had always excelled, and the candidates for matching were mostly prominent figures in the Empire. Afraid of drawing attention, to better align with Lu Lu for the assessment data, he had deliberately weakened himself.

Before Lu Lu spoke up, he had long ago decided on the other party.

However, this was his own affair and had nothing to do with Yu Man.

Thinking this way, Shi Xing said the same, attempting to bypass Yu Man and leave.

In the moment they passed each other, Shi Xing’s wrist was suddenly caught.

“Why are you leaving? Feeling guilty?”

Yu Man’s voice held a hint of mockery, and Shi Xing suddenly felt a pull of mental power drain away. He glanced at Yu Man, seeing the mockery in his eyes.

Yu Man was doing this on purpose.

He had already entered the maturity period, and Blue Star humans entering their maturity period would initially have extremely unstable mental power. This instability manifested as an unconscious absorption of all the energy they touched, including mental power.

It was common knowledge; Yu Man couldn’t possibly be unaware. He was intentionally trying to drain Shi Xing’s mental power.

“Let go.”

Feeling his mental power weaken again, Shi Xing narrowed his eyes.

Yu Man exaggeratedly glanced behind Shi Xing, then smiled radiantly, “Aren’t you trying to weaken yourself? I’m helping you~”

Shi Xing understood the implication of Yu Man’s glance. He had someone behind him—presumably someone he cared about.

Yu Man, taking advantage of this, was utterly unrestrained.

If he were truly like his former self, considering Lu Lu’s pride, he would indeed let Yu Man take advantage.

Unfortunately, he was not.

His mindset was different, and even his abilities…

Shi Xing smiled faintly, “You said it yourself.”

The smile made Yu Man’s heart skip. Shi Xing’s voice turned cold: “Don’t go back on your word.”

In the next moment, rather than struggle, Shi Xing unexpectedly turned his hand to grip Yu Man’s wrist.

Yu Man was confused by Shi Xing’s actions. This kind of mutual ‘psychic power clash’ behavior should allow the stronger one to gain the advantage, even if both had entered their maturity period. They were usually evenly matched, and given how long Shi Xing had starved himself, he couldn’t possibly think he could recover lost mental power by taking it back from him, could he?

Just as Yu Man was about to mock Shi Xing for overestimating himself, he saw Shi Xing’s eyes slightly narrow, and the overwhelming mental power was uncontrollably drawn from his body…

In that moment, Yu Man opened his mouth, but no sound came out. It felt as if his soul was being pulled out along with his mental power…

Bang—

By the time Yu Man regained consciousness, he found himself kneeling in front of Shi Xing, utterly exhausted.

At some point, Shi Xing had already released him.

His face flushed with the influx of mental power, Shi Xing’s gaze swept over Lu Lu, who was in shock witnessing the scene from the side, before slowly returning to Yu Man, whose fingers were still resting on Shi Xing’s wrist.

Shi Xing smiled again, a grin that made Yu Man’s heart race, “Aren’t you going to let go?”