Chapter Five: Dawn

My name is Wang Sheng. My parents were both teachers at a magic academy, so I grew up in a wealthy family, never wanting for food or clothing. However, my talent for magic was mediocre, and my parents always forced a smile whenever they looked at me. Since childhood, I have admired the great heroes of the human race. Throughout history, human heroes have emerged one after another, turning powerful orcs into slaves and forcing the arrogant elves to bow their heads. I deeply admired these great humans. Although my aptitude was average, I worked hard and diligently, rarely finding an equal among my peers. I have always hated evil, and I would intervene in matters others dared not touch, often leaving my parents to clean up my messes.

Once, I provoked someone I shouldn't have. To protect me, my parents tricked me into enrolling at a magic academy in a neighboring country, spending half their life savings to purchase vast amounts of training resources for me. Naive as I was, I believed they loved me deeply and swore to honor them in the future.

One day, while I was studying at the academy, the devastating news arrived that my parents had been assassinated by mysterious figures. Filled with rage, I wanted to rush back to avenge them. However, a teacher from the Holy Heart Magic Academy stopped me and handed me a letter my father had entrusted to someone.

I opened the letter: "My son, your father knows you have a kind and righteous heart, and that you wish to become a great hero to protect all living beings. I am very proud of you. But remember, your impulsiveness and lack of foresight are your weaknesses. Keep this in mind. This is all your parents can do for you. In the days to come, we only hope you live your life in peace. You must learn to protect yourself. Mother and Father love you."

On that bright, rare, and warm spring day, a young man stood by a tree, clutching a letter and sobbing his heart out.

Years later, the boy became a powerful figure. The murderers of his parents were dead, though not by his own hand—they had been hunted down and killed by other enemies. Wang Sheng, once that young boy, had relied on superhuman perseverance to gain the strength he desired and became the Vice Dean of the Holy Heart Academy. He did not want the tragedy that befell him to happen to others; he wanted to change the way people harmed their own kind. Standing at the top, one can see scenery others cannot, and so he understood that the current situation of humanity was not as good as imagined; every race was eyeing humanity like a piece of fat meat.

Therefore, he had to become stronger. Only the strong can change everything.

But not everyone can become a supreme powerhouse through effort alone. Opportunities, destiny, fortune, and enlightenment are all things that cannot be sought by will alone. I had been stuck at the peak of the fourth level, unable to cross that threshold. As days and years passed, I went from being full of ambition to becoming resigned to my fate.

Thus, I came to a small village in the boundless forest, far from the city-states, intending to spend my twilight years in peace. Yet, as the saying goes, "The Way of Heaven is ninety-nine, but it always leaves a glimmer of life." My destiny had finally arrived.

Shen Yi, who had traveled through time, did not know he was the destiny of this Wang Sheng in a different world.

"These are my soldiers. I am sorry for deceiving you, great mage," Long Yi said.

There was no need for Shen Yi to hide it anymore. I am a human commander; I have revealed my hand.

The old man was not angry. He looked at the marines with eyes shining with excitement; had his eyes not been prone to dryness, he wouldn't have blinked at all.

Puppetry is a niche branch of alchemy that has long since declined; no one researches it anymore. Finding a puppet is extremely difficult, and to see so many standing here was unimaginable. If I could witness the rise of puppeteers in my lifetime, I would have no regrets. Because human survival on this continent is so difficult, the rise of any profession helps carve out a bit of living space for humanity.

The old man suppressed his excitement. He had already seen the wreckage of the fallen marines, and the uniforms of the artificial soldiers inside were identical to Long Yi’s.

"Young man, could you take me to see your commander?" the old man asked. He did not believe that Long Yi was their master!

"I apologize, but the commander does not wish to see you. However, he asked me to leave you with these words: 'With great power comes great responsibility. Those of us with ability should strive to help the weak and support the oppressed, regardless of the cost.'"

Upon hearing this, the old man felt a rush of heat surge into his eyes, tears welling up. Once upon a time, hadn't he held the same beliefs? But he had seen too many ugly human faces, and his heart had grown cold. If he hadn't forced himself to hold back, the tears would have fallen. Eventually, he regained his composure.

The old man, seemingly aware that Long Yi could communicate with his commander, continued, "I am old and nearing the end of my days. My ambition is gone. I only wish to pass the rest of my life here."

Long Yi paused for a moment. The old man knew he was communicating with the commander and did not disturb him.

After a while, Long Yi said, "The commander wants me to tell you: 'I hope that after you have weathered all the storms of life, you return still a youth, never forgetting your original intention so that you may reach the end.'"

This sentence felt like a bolt of lightning striking the old man's heart. His soul, which had felt withered, seemed to grow young again, beating rapidly as long-forgotten passion surged through his limbs. This was no longer just a sentence; it was a divine guide. Overwhelmed with emotion, his blood boiled, and he gasped for breath, his face flushing red. As the words echoed in his heart, he thought, *Yes, "Return still a youth, original intention unchanged, a life not lived in vain."*

Shen Yi, watching the old man through Long Yi’s perspective, thought, *I just quoted a famous saying from my previous life—is the reaction really that big? He isn't going to have a heart attack and die on me, is he? This is so frustrating. We have no grudges; what kind of situation is this?*

The old man's face turned beet red, and he felt the barriers that had restrained him for so long beginning to shatter. His cultivation had been stuck at the fourth level for a long time, and he had thought he would never have the chance to reach the fifth level. Yet, in the accumulation of effort, the force that tips the scale is often a power so small you cannot even perceive it.

The old man's clothes fluttered without wind, and the surrounding magical elements gathered toward him joyfully. When they reached a peak, the old man let out a roar, his aura climbing continuously until it finally settled at the early stage of the fifth level.

The old man felt his own power. This is the fifth level—the backbone of humanity. It is indeed extraordinary. His aged face seemed to have grown much younger.

Although he had not met the commander, the old man bowed deeply to Long Yi and said, "Many thanks to the senior for guiding me through my confusion." In the old man’s heart, the commander had become a profound and unfathomable figure.

Before Shen Yi could say a few words of modesty, a bird flew from the distance and landed on the old man's shoulder. The old man took the note from the bird's leg and read: "Orcs are laying siege. Please return immediately, Vice Dean Wang, to assist in defense. — Ping'an City Lord: Liu Cuilü."

Vice Dean Wang, the old man, thought after reading the note, "It is time for these old bones to get moving. If I don't make these orc whelps suffer, they won't remember who used to be their master."

Because orcs were once slaves to humans, they had always tried to take advantage of humanity's decline to enslave them in return, hoping the cunning human city-states would never rise again. The orcs were the most aggressive when it came to attacking human cities!

Other races were happy to watch humans and orcs fight. If humans won, the other races could seize territory; if they lost, it would wear down humanity's strength. Why not let them fight?

The old man said to Long Yi, "Ping'an City is in danger. I must go. I hope you can protect this small village."

Shen Yi was a bit confused—how did he become a "senior"? Well, I have lived two lives—before and after the transition, heh.

Long Yi said, "Go ahead with your business, old sir. Leave the village to me. As long as I am here, the village will stand."

Upon hearing this, the old man bowed deeply to Long Yi once more and said, "I leave it to you." He then turned and flew away.

The villagers and Long Yi were left standing there, staring at each other.

Just then, a little boy ran up to Long Yi and said, "Brother Long Yi, Brother Long Yi, I want to control magic puppets too. Can you teach me? That way, the village will have meat to eat every day."

Shen Yi, through Long Yi, looked at the boy strangely, then at the villagers who wanted to pull the boy back but dared not approach. After a long while, he squeezed out a single word: "Good."