My Treacherous Disciple Becomes Someone Else's Problem

Aria Hawthorne, the disciple I carefully nurture, ascends to the position of Demon Empress. However, she sets a trap and kills me. After my death, she even has my skin and bones stripped away. She ensures that my name is disgraced throughout the Three Realms for thousands of years. This is all because I executed the person she had wanted to become her mentor. From that moment on, her hatred for me runs deep. When I open my eyes again, I am reborn on the day of the selection ceremony. This time, I give Aria exactly what she wants. I introduce her to my seemingly refined but actually brutal and incompetent junior, Kalix Frostwind. Chapter 1 The world spun around me. Slowly, my vision came back into focus. "Your Grace, please choose the disciple you wish to take on this time." One of my attendants handed me a list of candidates. I was seated on the throne at the great hall with Kalix Frostwind sitting beside me. The disciples waiting below stood perfectly still, holding their breaths with nervous anticipation. The familiar scene stirred strong emotions deep inside my heart that had become still from centuries of cultivation. I had been given a second chance at life. In my previous life, this was the moment my nightmare had begun. My beloved disciple, Aria Hawthorne, had risen to become the Demon Empress with my help. Joining forces with her subjects, she set a trap for me. She had tricked me into drinking a glass of wine that rendered me unconscious. When I woke up, I found myself strapped to a pillory. Heavy iron chains restrained my arms and legs, cutting deep into my flesh until I could no longer feel my limbs. Aria had gouged both my eyes out. The metallic stench of blood filled my nose. When I heard her voice, I spoke with immense difficulty, "Why?" Her voice was filled with madness and hatred. She drove a knife into my chest and snarled, "Why? You ask me why, Caelus Auclair? You executed Kalix! You both trained under the same mentor, and he was your junior! How could you be so heartless? You killed him! You robbed me of the person I loved the most!" Sharp pain tore through my body. I couldn't help groaning in agony. Only then did I realize that Aria had been in love with Kalix all along. Even so, I still felt a trace of kinship toward her. Fighting through the pain, I explained, "Aria, Kalix did something unforgivable. He had to be punished. Don't do something you'll regret." Not heeding my words, Aria grabbed one of my wounds and pressed into it viciously. Blood poured from the reopened wound like a torrent. She screamed, "What could he have done? It was all your fault all along! Even if he was in the wrong, you were his senior! Why didn't you save him? Why did you have to kill him?" Because of my blood loss, I no longer had the strength to answer. Two streams of bloodied tears ran down my cheeks. However, Aria seemed liberated. It was as though she had finally vented the years of resentment she had kept buried inside. She ranted, "You are the source of all of my suffering! I never wanted you as my mentor in the first place! You ruined my chance to be Kalix's disciple! You pushed me relentlessly to train, but you never once cared about what I actually wanted. "Only a gentle, refined immortal like Kalix was worthy of being my mentor. Now, you'll die by my hand and seek him to atone for your sins." There was a twisted satisfaction in her voice. She sounded elated, like she had finally gotten revenge for a lifelong grievance. The pain in my heart, combined with the agony tearing through my body, caused me so much anguish I felt like I'd been thrown into the fiery pits of hell. Suddenly, Aria's voice softened. I heard a hint of bashfulness and regret in it. Aria said, "Do you know what Kalix told me? He said he'd wanted me as his disciple at first, but you destroyed my chance with your own hands. Why did you choose me? What right did you have to choose me?" I had never imagined that the disciple I had devoted myself to teaching and protecting had never truly appreciated or acknowledged me as her mentor. It turned out she had always blamed me for taking Kalix away from her and robbing her of the chance to become his disciple. I let out a bitter laugh inwardly as my soul gradually faded away with my consciousness. Fortunately, because of my years of cultivation, a fragment of my soul remained and wandered between the realms for years. I watched helplessly as Aria nailed my name to the Wall of Shame that was visible to all Three Realms. She spread lies that I had abused my disciples and was a lecherous man. Aria claimed my righteous and dignified appearance had all been an act. She lied that I was cruel and demanding toward those around me and that I had taken advantage of countless disciples who came to train under me. She even went around saying on the day she was supposed to choose her mentor, I had noticed her extraordinary talent and used underhanded means to snatch her away from Kalix. After that, everyone in the Three Realms came to despise me. They were enraged to learn that the Celestial Supreme they revered was nothing but a shameless fraud. So, they tore down every temple and statue dedicated to me. They even built monuments bearing my name so people could gather there to insult and curse me. However, I could do nothing. I couldn't even defend myself. Chapter 2 As I gradually pulled away from my reverie, I raised my gaze and looked at the orderly rows of disciples standing in the great hall. The corners of my lips lifted into a subtle smile. This was great. Right away, I recognized the familiar figure among the disciples. Since fate had given me another chance, I intended to make the most of it. This time, I wanted to see what kind of path Aria would walk after choosing the mentor she had always yearned for. Kalix was seated beside me, watching me make my choice with a smile. From the very beginning, he had always enjoyed competing with me for everything. I had simply never cared enough to reciprocate his provocation. Little did I know that he would go on to commit such a grave wrong. My eyes fell on the scruffy fox who was only mediocre in terms of talent among the disciples. It was Aria, my disciple from my previous life. Back then, I had thought she was a quiet, well-behaved child. Compared with the other disciples, she had seemed timid and somewhat cowardly, which stirred my sympathy and made me want to give her a helping hand. Because of that, I had overlooked the disciple standing beside her, who possessed the greatest natural talent of them all. Later, I discovered that she had the most steadfast heart and was the most devoted to walking the righteous path. So, I gave her a little guidance. When my soul had wandered the realms after my death, I had watched her refuse to believe the lies Aria spread about me. She had traveled from place to place, trying to clear my name and telling everyone that I was the person she respected most. I knew that if I chose her now, Kalix would inevitably compete with me for her again. So, just as I had done in my previous life, I raised my hand and pointed toward Aria, who was just a scruffy little fox at the moment. "You, little fox. Would you like to become my disciple?" The scene from my previous life replayed before my eyes, and I still couldn't suppress the sorrow rising in my heart. I wasn't made of stone, after all. How could I feel nothing? The disciple I had trusted and cherished most had eventually killed me with her own hands. Kalix's eyes shifted. Just as he had in my previous life, he spoke first. "What a coincidence, Caelus. I happened to take a liking to her as well. But since she's the one you favor…" Before he could finish, Aria suddenly dropped to her knees. To my surprise, she said, "Lord Kalix, please take me in. I came here today for the sole purpose of becoming your disciple. I only wish for you to serve as my mentor." A collective gasp swept through the hall. No one had expected Aria to reject me, one of the most powerful immortals in the realm, and choose Kalix instead. I froze for a moment as I looked at her. Then, I understood everything. Her eyes were filled with excitement, and she was desperately trying to seize this opportunity. She was nothing like the timid, submissive girl I had known in my previous life. This could only mean that she had been granted a second shot at life, too. It seemed I didn't even need to deliberately push events in a different direction this time. She would go down that path all on her own. I ran my fingers over the gift I prepared for my new disciple. Before Kalix could say another word, I said casually, "Well, it seems Kalix wants you too. I never force anyone to do something against their wishes. From now on, you'll be his disciple." Then, I stepped down from the platform. I walked over to the disciple standing beside Aria and handed her my gift. I asked, "What is your name? Would you like to become my disciple?" The young lady I spoke to stared at me in shock. In the next moment, her face lit up with joy as she curtsied respectfully. She replied, "My name is Rhea Claude! I'd be honored to become your disciple! Thank you, Lord Caelus!" Her excitement amused me, and my mood improved considerably. Kalix and Aria, however, stared at me with probing expressions. Aria was shocked. She had never expected me to give up on choosing her as my disciple so easily. Even so, that surprise quickly faded from her mind. After all, she had already gotten the mentor she had always wanted. Chapter 3 In contrast to Aria's delight, Kalix was visibly irritated. He hadn't expected he could take something away from me so easily this time. He looked kind of displeased, but he plastered a forced smile on his face. After the selection ceremony ended, only Kalix and I remained in the great hall, along with our respective disciples. Kalix looked at Aria with a slight frown and a hint of disdain. He said in an unimpressed tone, "You only have mediocre talent. Under normal circumstances, you never would have gotten a chance to be my disciple. Consider yourself lucky that Caelus took an interest in you. If you prove yourself useless, I'll send you away." His words were cold and dismissive. The phrases "send you away" and "mediocre talent" dealt a blow to Aria's ego. She looked taken aback, and her expression froze. In her previous life when Kalix had come to her, he had showered her with sweet words and flattery. He had put her on a pedestal, saying how fortunate he would be to have a disciple like her. Watching the scene unfold, I found it deeply amusing. In reality, Aria was indeed not very talented. Everything she had accomplished later in her life had been built up little by little with the blood, sweat, and effort I had poured into her. I watched her clench her fists. After becoming the Demon Empress in her previous life, she had developed a strong sense of confidence. Perhaps she thought that with a little effort, she could reclaim the position she had once held. But this time around, nothing was set in stone. I turned around and left with Rhea. Their retribution would be upon them in due time. For a long time afterward, I didn't see either of them again. I focused on teaching Rhea. I watched her grow bit by bit, making full use of the extraordinary talent she had possessed from the beginning. The next time I saw Aria, she was surrounded by a group of celestial attendants. "Hey, who do you think you are? What makes you think you can cut in line and get special treatment? We got here first." One of the attendants planted her hands on her hips and pointed at Aria unhappily. Aria fired back, her face flushed with anger. "How dare you lowly maids block my path? I'm Lord Kalix's disciple! How bold of you to cross me! Watch yourselves, or you'll pay for it with your pathetic lives!" She had grown accustomed to throwing her weight around during her time as the Demon Empress. There was no way she could tolerate some attendants ordering her around now. The lead attendant couldn't take the insults anymore. She stepped forward, raising her hand to slap Aria. "Disciple? As if! For starters, Lord Kalix has enough disciples to fill this entire mountain several times over. With talent like yours, you couldn't even get past his front door on most days! Don't act all high and mighty. You aren't much better off than us!" Unsurprisingly, her words struck a nerve. Ever since Aria had become Kalix's disciple, she had barely seen him. She had tried several times to visit him at his residence, but he had turned her away every time. Aria spat, "How dare a lowly maid like you mock me? Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson so you'd know your place!" The two were just about to throw hands when one of the attendants spotted me from the corner of her eye. She curtsied respectfully in my direction. "Greetings, Lord Caelus." The two women who were just about to fight stopped what they were doing. The attendant who had been arguing with Aria dropped to her knees. Although Aria was insignificant, she was still Kalix's disciple. The attendant was terrified that I would punish her. Aria, on the other hand, looked unbearably haughty. She even shot the attendant a smug look. In her mind, I was still the mentor who doted on her the most in her previous life. I couldn't stand to see her suffer even the slightest injustice. So, she expected me to stand up for her today, just like I used to. But to her surprise, I didn't even spare her a glance. I just nodded and turned to leave. The attendants scurried away instantly. Unlike Aria, they knew that although I usually appeared approachable, I was extremely strict when it mattered. They hurried away as fast as they could, eager to disappear before I had a reason to reprimand them. Aria, on the other hand, rushed over and spread her arms to block my path. She looked indignant and upset. She asked in a demanding tone, "Lord Caelus, why didn't you help me?" I unleashed a powerful wave of energy. It struck Aria head-on and sent her flying several feet backward. My voice was filled with disgust as I sneered, "Who do you think you are to block my way?" Aria took the full force of the blow. A thin line of blood trickled from one corner of her mouth. Only then did she realize that I was no longer her mentor. She crawled toward me and grabbed the hem of my robe with a calculating glint flashing through her eyes. "Lord Caelus, I need to speak with you. Please, you have to help me!"