The End and the Beginning

The cold stone walls of the Tower of London felt like a tomb. Lady Jane Grey, once the Nine-Day Queen of England, now faced her final moments in a place that had witnessed centuries of blood and betrayal. Dressed in a simple white gown, she walked with a calm dignity that belied the storm of emotions within her heart. Each step echoed the finality of her fate.

As she ascended the scaffold, the crowd murmured, their faces a mix of pity, curiosity, and indifference. Jane's thoughts were not on the gathered spectators, nor on the executioner who awaited her with a heavy axe. Instead, she thought of her brief reign, the manipulation of those around her, and the unjust end she was about to meet.

"I pray you all, good Christian people, to bear me witness that I die a true Christian woman," she declared, her voice steady. "And that I look to be saved by no other means, but only by the mercy of God, in the merits of the blood of his only Son Jesus Christ."

The executioner stepped forward, offering a blindfold, but Jane shook her head. "No," she said softly. "I will face my end with open eyes."

Kneeling down, she laid her head upon the cold wooden block. The world seemed to slow, the noise of the crowd fading into a distant hum. Jane closed her eyes, a single tear escaping down her cheek. "Lord, into your hands I commend my spirit," she whispered.

The sound of the axe swishing through the air was the last thing she heard.

Jane's consciousness drifted in an endless void, the pain of her final moments a fading memory. Then, with a sudden jolt, she was engulfed in a brilliant light. Her eyes fluttered open, expecting the afterlife, but instead, she found herself in a lush, verdant forest, the air filled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers.

Disoriented, she sat up, her hands touching the soft grass beneath her. She was no longer in her execution gown but in luxurious silken robes. Her hands were not those of a queen condemned to die but of a young, healthy woman.

"Where... am I?" she whispered, her voice trembling with confusion.

A soft, melodious chime echoed in her mind, startling her. Words appeared before her eyes, glowing with a mystical light:

Welcome, Lady Jane Grey, to the world of Tianxia. You have been granted a second chance. Activate the Royal Ascension System to reclaim your destiny and rise to greatness once more.

Jane blinked, trying to comprehend the surreal message. "Royal Ascension System? What is this place?"

A sudden rush of memories flooded her mind—flashes of a noble family, a fallen clan, and a new identity. She was no longer Lady Jane Grey of England. She was Jian Yu, the last surviving member of the Jian Clan, a family of fallen nobility in a world of cultivation and mystical powers.

"Reborn?" she murmured, standing up slowly. "A second chance..."

With a deep breath, she focused her thoughts. "Activate the Royal Ascension System."

A golden interface appeared before her eyes, filled with strange symbols and icons. As she studied it, a sense of purpose began to fill her heart. In this new world, she would no longer be a pawn or a victim. She would rise, reclaim her family's honor, and carve out her own destiny.

Lady Jane Grey, now Jian Yu, clenched her fists, determination blazing in her eyes. Her journey of cultivation, power, and redemption had just begun.