A series of sharp, metallic chimes pierced Jin Yu’s ears, dragging him out of the best sleep he had ever had in both lifetimes. His face twisted in irritation.

  "Who is the bastard hating on me this early in the morning?!

  "Don’t you have a happy life? Why take it out on me?!"

  Jin Yu groaned and turned over, squeezing his pillow tightly.

  "This is the first time in my teenage life that I’ve slept this soundly—no school, no worries about what to eat—and now some fool has to ruin it?! If I find out who’s responsible, hmph! If I don’t squeeze 10,000 influence Points out of them, my surname isn’t Jin!"

  More notifications flooded in.

  Ding!

  Influence +1000 (Immense fury)

  Influence +600 (Anger)

  influence +850 (Rage)

  Jin Yu sat up, rubbing his temples as he groggily processed the absurd influx of points.

  "Why are they so mad at me this early? Did someone have a nightmare about me?"

  Unbeknownst to him, the Kang family was in an uproar.

  At the Kang Manor, situated in the southern part of Louyang City, Kang Li had tearfully recounted Jin Yu’s words from yesterday’s tea pavilion incident.

  “That bastard dared to say you were given to an old man?!”

  Her mother’s hands slammed the table.

  Her father’s face darkened.

  Her older brother cracked his knuckles. “That Jin bastard is getting too full of himself. I’ll teach him a lesson.”

  Back in his room, Jin remained oblivious, still cursing his rude awakening.

  Knock! Knock!

  A soft knock came from his door.

  Jin Yu barely suppressed the urge to lash out—he was already irritated enough.

  "Haozi... It has to be him."

  Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he grudgingly walked to opened the door. "What is it?"

  Haozi stood there, holding a scroll in his slightly trembling hands.

  "Good morning, Young Master. The Old Master wishes to see your progress on the Sanctum Blade Technique."

  Jin Yu blinked. Huh?

  "Progress? What progress?"

  Annoyance flared in him.

  "This old man! He wants me to demonstrate something first thing in the morning? Is he crazy?"

  He waved dismissively. "Tell the old man to wait. When I cultivate it, I’ll show him."

  Before Haozi could respond, a sharp, childish voice cut through the courtyard.

  "How dare you talk about Father like that?!"

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  Jin Yu winced at the shrill voice. Not this brat.

  A small figure stormed out from behind a tree—Jin Ni, his annoying little sister.

  She pointed at him angrily. "I’m telling Father!"

  Jin Yu massaged his forehead.

  "This little vixen… she’s like a wicked stepmother from the movies. Always causing trouble but never giving me any decent influence Points!"

  Seeing her smug face, Jin Yu suddenly had an urge to spank her.

  "You—come here! I’ll deal with you this morning!"

  Jin Ni squealed and ran.

  "Father! Father! Help! Brother has gone crazy!"

  "Just let me catch you, and I’ll show you what crazy really means!"

  Jin Yu chased after her.

  She dashed across the courtyard, her high-pitched cries drawing attention. Just as he was about to grab her, she suddenly ducked behind a tall, muscular figure.

  "Father! Father!... Uncle Lin! Help me!"

  Jin Yu froze.

  The man standing before him was built like a mountain, his muscular frame wrapped in cloth armor. His sharp, hawk-like eyes sized up Jin Yu, his lips twitching into a smirk.

  Jin Yu narrowed his eyes. Uncle?

  The man let out a deep chuckle. "What? Has the Old Master beaten you so stupid that you don’t recognize me anymore?"

  "Huh?"

  Jin Yu turned toward Haozi for clarification.

  Haozi leaned in and whispered, "He’s Old Master’s trusted aide. You can also call him Uncle Lin. He left the manor two months ago on a mission."

  Jin Yu coughed awkwardly. "Oh… Hello, Uncle Lin."

  Uncle Lin raised an eyebrow but shook his head. "Tsk, tsk… I’ll have to tell the Old Master to go easy on you. You’ve really turned useless. Have you at least been practicing the fighting stances I taught you?"

  Jin Yu blinked. "What fighting stances?"

  Silence.

  Uncle Lin’s face twitched.

  Jin Ni giggled. "See? I told you he’s lazy! Father always beats him because he never trains!"

  Jin Yu glared at her. This brat… one day, I’ll collect interest on all the influence points she’s gotten from me!

  Uncle Lin didn't reply but just studied Jin Yu with a calm expression, but something about his gaze made Jin Yu's instincts tingle with warning.

  "Why is this uncle looking at me like I owe him money?"

  Jin Yu subtly took a step back, but Uncle Lin’s smirk only deepened.

  Even worse, Jin Ni suddenly stopped mocking him. Instead, she took a few more steps away, her little face glowing with schadenfreude.

  Even Haozi stepped back.

  Jin Yu’s brows furrowed. "Wait. Why are you both backing away?"

  No response.

  Instead, Uncle Lin’s smile slowly faded. His casual, almost friendly demeanor shifted. His once relaxed stance became eerily still—like a beast waiting to pounce.

  Jin Yu’s heartbeat sped up.

  "Why does this uncle suddenly look so dangerous?"

  He glanced around, looking for an escape route, but his stomach sank. The courtyard was too open—if he ran, he’d be caught in three steps.

  That was when he noticed it—the air around Uncle Lin had changed.

  The faint morning breeze suddenly felt heavier, thicker.

  Gulp!

  Jin Yu swallowed.

  "I don’t like this…"

  Then—

  Whoosh!

  Uncle Lin moved.

  Jin Yu’s eyes widened in horror.

  One moment, Uncle Lin was standing still. The next, he was right in front of him.

  'What the—?! How is he so fast?!'

  A large fist shot toward his face.

  Jin Yu panicked. His body reacted on instinct—he jerked his head to the side, barely avoiding it. He felt the wind from the punch graze his cheek.

  'Dodge—'

  Before he could even process his survival, a second fist buried itself into his stomach.

  BAM!

  Jin Yu’s vision blurred.

  His entire body lifted off the ground.

  The impact sent him flying backward, and before he knew it, he was crashing to the ground.

  Pain.

  It erupted from his core, spreading through his body like fire.

  His back arched, hands clutching his stomach. His mouth opened, but no sound came out—only a strangled wheeze.

  "I—I can’t breathe!"

  He gasped desperately, trying to suck in air. His limbs trembled.

  "Am I dying?!"

  His mind barely had time to process the agony when—

  A shadow loomed over him.

  Jin Yu’s dazed eyes widened in horror.

  Uncle Lin was already on him again.

  And this time—

  His leg was raised.

  A fierce kick was coming straight for his head.

  Jin Yu’s survival instincts screamed.

  With a clumsy, desperate motion, he raised his right arm to block—

  CRACK!

  "ARRRRRHHHGGG!!"

  A wave of unbearable pain shot through his entire arm. His bones felt like they had shattered.

  Tears streamed down his face.

  "IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!"

  Jin Yu lay curled up on the ground, clutching his arm, tears streaming down his face. His body trembled, a mix of pain, exhaustion, and sheer disbelief washing over him.

  'I... I just got here ! Why am I already experiencing life-and-death tribulations?!'

  Above him, Uncle Lin smirked. "Not bad. Your reflexes are slightly better than before."

  'Slightly?! I almost DIED!'

  Jin Yu glared up at him, fury flickering in his watery eyes.

  Is this man even human?!

  He wanted to curse him out, but the moment he shifted slightly, a sharp jolt of pain shot through his body. His stomach ached as if a boulder had been dropped on him, and his right arm felt like it had been hammered into submission.

  Jin Yu gritted his teeth.

  'Damn it! Even my father’s slaps never injured me! But this uncle? He’s straight-up trying to kill me!'

  'and where the hell is my innate Ability?!'

  'is it broken!'

  Just when he thought the worst was over—

  Uncle Lin crossed his arms and casually said, "Alright, enough lying around. You have ten seconds to stand up."

  Jin Yu’s heart dropped.

  "What?"

  Uncle Lin cracked his knuckles. "Your first lesson is endurance. You must be feeling like you're dying right now, but guess what?" He smirked. "You would’ve already been dead if this was a real battle."

  Jin Yu’s eyes twitched and he said in hatred with gritted teeth.

  "NO SHIT! You almost killed me just now!"

  Uncle Lin crouched slightly, his pressure growing heavier. "Since I’m not actually killing you, you’ll have to endure my training instead."

  Jin Yu’s body stiffened.

  "I don’t like where this is going."

  Uncle Lin continued, his voice casual yet terrifying.

  "Every week, we will practice endurance. Once you can endure my beatings without collapsing, we will move on to survival training—where you’ll learn how to protect your weak spots so you don’t die instantly in battle."

  Jin Yu felt his soul leave his body.

  'What kind of psychopath calls this ‘training’?! This is abuse!'

  Uncle Lin’s eyes gleamed with excitement. "After that, we will train your reflexes, footwork, and attack power. But for now..."

  His expression darkened slightly.

  "Since you still haven’t stood up... Lesson one continues."

  Jin Yu’s entire body shivered.

  "FUCK! This devil is serious!"

  But before he could beg for mercy—

  Whoosh!

  Uncle Lin lunged forward.

  Jin Yu, in sheer terror, scrambled to get up, but his legs buckled.

  BAM!

  The next punch sent him rolling across the courtyard.

  And that was just the beginning.

  That day, Jin Yu received the beating of his life.

  A beating he would never forget.

  All in the name of training!