Pain lingered in Kael's body long after he opened his eyes.
It was not a sharp, sudden pain, but something far worse—a hollow, constant weakness, as if his bones were made of glass and his blood refused to flow properly.
Kael slowly sat up on the wooden bed. The minor effort brought a wave of intense dizziness that made his vision swim.
"Tch." He gritted his teeth and forced his breathing to steady. "So this is the body of a cripple."
In his previous life, a mortal blade couldn't even scratch his skin. Now, simply sitting up felt like lifting a mountain. Out of habit, Kael closed his eyes and attempted to send his spiritual sense inward to inspect his inner foundation.
Nothing responded. No sea of qi, no flow, no foundation whatsoever. His meridians were thin, twisted, and shattered in places—resembling a broken vessel clumsy glued back together.
"This isn't a natural defect," Kael realized, his eyes turning icy cold. "Someone deliberately destroyed them."
Before he could investigate further, the creaky wooden door opened.
A thin old man walked in, carrying a chipped clay bowl filled with foul-smelling black medicine. His clothes were worn, his back bent with age.
"You're awake?" the old man asked, genuine relief washing over his face. "Good. Drink this while it's warm."
Kael recognized him from his newly acquired memories. Old Chen—the only servant in the entire clan who hadn't abandoned this useless young master.
Kael accepted the bowl and downed it in one gulp. The bitter fluid burned his throat, but did little to ease his internal hollow feeling.
"Does it help?" Old Chen asked anxiously.
Kael shook his head. "Not much."
Old Chen sighed softly, his eyes filled with pity. "Young Master... you shouldn't push yourself. The clan elders have already—"
BANG!
The fragile door was kicked off its hinges, crashing onto the floor.
Three teenagers wearing the pristine silk robes of the Kael Clan's outer disciples strutted inside, their faces twisted in arrogant amusement. At the front stood a tall youth with sharp eyes and a cruel smile.
"Still alive, cripple?" the lead youth sneered. "You're tougher than I thought."
Old Chen panicked, stepping in front of Kael. "Young Master Lin, this is—"
"Get lost, old dog!" Kael Lin snapped, casually kicking Old Chen aside.
The old man fell to the dirty floor with a painful groan.
Kael's eyes darkened instantly.
"Get up," Kael Lin ordered arrogantly, pointing a finger at Kael. "The clan elders want this room back for a new talent. A cripple like you belongs in the stables."
Kael slowly raised his head, his pitch-black eyes locking onto Kael Lin. For a brief, inexplicable second, Kael Lin felt a sharp chill run down his spine, as if he were being stared at by a primeval beast. But he quickly shook it off, feeling embarrassed by his momentary hesitation.
"What are you looking at?" Kael Lin sneered. "You think you're still the young master?"
Kael said nothing. He simply summoned the system interface in his mind.
[Forbidden Cultivation System Activated.]
[Battle opportunity detected.]
Target: Kael Lin (Body Tempering - 3rd Layer)
Threat Level: Moderate
Condition: Host has zero cultivation. Victory requires extreme risk.
Reward Preview:
— Meridian Repair (Minor)
— Body Tempering Progress
Kael's heart began to beat with a steady, rhythmic rhythm. So it begins.
He slowly stood up from the bed. His legs trembled violently under his own weight, pain shooting up his chest, but his posture remained completely straight.
Kael Lin frowned. "Sit down, cripple. You'll only embarrass yourself."
Kael took a step forward. Then another.
"Are you deaf?" Kael Lin barked. "Beat him!"
The two disciples behind him charged forward. Kael dodged clumsily, but his current physical body couldn't keep up with his mind's reaction time. A fist grazed his shoulder, throwing him off balance into the mud wall.
THUD! Blood spilled from Kael's mouth.
Old Chen shouted, "Young Master!"
Kael wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. Then he smiled—a wild, ruthless grin that startled the disciples.
"Good," Kael whispered. "Pain means this body is still alive."
Kael grabbed a broken wooden stool leg from the floor and swung it with all the physical force he could gather.
CRACK! The thick wood shattered against the first disciple's face. The boy screamed and fell backward, clutching his bloody nose.
The second disciple hesitated in shock. That split-second gap was all Kael needed. He lunged forward, ramming his body into the boy's chest. They crashed onto the ground, and Kael bit down hard into the disciple's wrist until the boy shrieked in agony and fainted.
Kael rolled away and staggered to his feet.
Only Kael Lin remained standing. His arrogant expression had completely vanished, replaced by disbelief. "You... you crazy bastard!"
Unleashing his 3rd-Layer Body Tempering qi, Kael Lin's fist glowed faintly as he charged Kael in a rage.
Kael braced himself. Instead of retreating, he stepped right into Kael Lin's attack range!
BOOM! Kael Lin's heavy fist slammed directly into Kael's chest. Pain exploded through his ribs, and he heard bone crack. But at the exact moment of impact—
[Battle condition met: Host engaged a stronger opponent.]
[Activating Reward: Meridian Repair (Minor).]
A warm surge exploded from Kael's core, circulating through his damaged channels. Something inside his chest snapped back into alignment. Feeling his strength return, Kael roared and slammed his forehead directly into Kael Lin's face.
CRUNCH! Kael Lin screamed as his nose flattened.
Kael gave him no time to recover. He grabbed Kael Lin's collar, swept his legs, and slammed him heavily onto the ground, mounting his chest to rain down brutal punches until Kael Lin stopped moving.
Silence filled the ruined room.
[Victory Achieved!]
[Rewards Granted: Meridian Repair (Minor), Body Tempering Progress +1%]
[Status Update: Meridian condition stabilized (partial), Pain resistance increased.]
Kael stood there, breathing heavily, his bony hands dripping with blood. He looked at his trembling palms and whispered, "So this is cultivation through battle."
Old Chen stared in absolute shock. "Y-Young Master... you won?"
Heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the corridor outside, accompanied by raised voices.
"What happened?"
"I heard screaming!"
"Was that Young Master Lin?"
Old Chen panicked. "Young Master, you need to hide—"
Kael shook his head. "No. Running only makes them bolder."
He straightened his back and stood firm in the center of the room. Though his clothes were torn and blood stained his lips, his gaze remained unshakeable.
The ruined door was pushed open. Several clan members rushed in, led by an outer court elder with gray hair and cold, sharp eyes. The moment they saw Kael Lin lying unconscious in a pool of blood, the room fell dead silent.
The elder's gaze snapped toward Kael. "You did this?"
Kael met his eyes without a trace of fear. "Yes."
Murmurs erupted among the onlookers.
"A cripple beat Kael Lin?"
"Impossible! He doesn't have any qi!"
The elder frowned, sweeping his spiritual sense over Kael's body. No cultivation aura. Still crippled. Yet the evidence lay clearly on the floor.
"Explain," the elder demanded coldly.
Kael wiped the blood from his chin. "They came to reclaim my room by force and attacked first. I defended myself."
The elder's eyes narrowed. Clan rules forbade private brawls, but self-defense was treated differently. After a heavy pause, the elder snorted. "Take Kael Lin to the medical hall."
He turned back to Kael, his tone icy. "As for you... this matter is far from over."
Kael inclined his head slightly. Inside, he smiled. Let them come. The more pressure they bring, the faster I will grow.