Max turned around slowly.
A tall young woman approached him with quick, annoyed steps. She looked about sixteen or seventeen — long black hair tied neatly, sharp eyes, and the kind of expression older sisters used when they were one second away from lecturing someone.
She stopped right in front of him, hands on her hips.
"Xiao Tian, what are you doing out here?" she demanded. "You skipped your lessons again, didn't you?"
Max blinked.
Right. Xiao Tian, 12 years old.
Her little brother.
He forced an innocent smile. "Uh… no? I mean— I was training."
She raised an eyebrow. "Training? Out here? Alone?"
Max coughed and looked away. "Yeah. Fresh air helps."
She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "You're going to give Father gray hair."
Max muttered under his breath, "He'll live…"
"What was that?" she asked sharply.
"Nothing!" Max straightened up immediately.
She reached out and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close so their faces were almost level — even though she was clearly much taller. "Listen. If you skip class one more time, I'll make you practice footwork for three hours straight. Understand?"
Max felt a cold shiver. Even with all his real power, he was stuck in a 12-year-old body — and she had no idea who he really was. If he fought back, he'd break the entire clan by accident.
So he sighed. "Fine. I'll go back."
"Good." She released him and patted his head like he was five years old. "Honestly… you're talented, but you act like a stray dog."
Max made a face. "Hey, that's rude."
She flicked his forehead. "It's true."
Then she turned and started walking back toward the clan estate. "Come on. Teacher is already angry."
Max followed behind her, hands in his pockets, grumbling quietly.
"Great… first day in this world and I'm already getting dragged around," he muttered.
The System appeared beside him again, glowing faintly.
[ Suggestion: Host should adapt to this identity until strength returns. Exposure risk is high. ]
Max sighed. "Yeah, yeah… I know."
His sister glanced back. "Who are you talking to?"
"Nobody!"
She narrowed her eyes but kept walking.
Max looked at the sky, annoyed, tired, and slightly embarrassed.
"Perfect," he muttered. "Just perfect. This world better be worth it."
The Xiao Clan compound came into view — wide courtyards, training halls, stone paths, and guards in light armor walking around with bored expressions. It looked peaceful… but also stricter than Max liked.
As Max and his sister approached the entrance, one of the older guards glanced at them, then sighed loudly.
"Oh great. Xiao Tian returns," he muttered. "Escaping again?"
Max frowned. "I wasn't escaping!"
The guard gave him a deadpan look. "You've escaped three times this week."
His sister crossed her arms. "Make that four."
Max groaned. "You two are bullying a child."
"You are a child," she shot back.
Before Max could complain more, she gently pushed him toward a nearby training hall.
"Go," she said. "Your teacher is inside. I'll explain."
Max dragged his feet dramatically, but she just glared until he stepped inside.
—
The hall was spacious, lit by lanterns, and filled with the smell of old wooden floors and incense. In the center stood a middle-aged instructor with a sharp face and a strict posture. Several kids around Max's age were sitting in a circle, practicing breathing exercises.
The moment Max entered, the instructor snapped his eyes open.
"XIAO TIAN."
Max winced. "Teacher… I can explain."
"No need," the man said coldly. "You were outside running around again instead of training your Dou Qi foundation."
He pointed to the empty spot in the circle. "Sit. Now."
Max trudged over and sat down. The other kids snickered quietly.
One boy whispered, "He escaped again?"
Another added, "He'll never become a Dou Qi Practitioner like this."
Max resisted the urge to flick their foreheads across the room.
The instructor clapped his hands. "Enough noise. Begin the basic breathing technique! Dou Qi Refining Method — first cycle!"
Everyone closed their eyes.
Max half-closed his, pretending to follow along.
The instructor walked behind him and suddenly bonked him on the head with a wooden stick.
Tok!
"FOCUS!"
"Ow! I am focusing!" Max protested.
"Then why is your posture crooked?"
Max straightened his back.
Two seconds later—another tok!.
"Now your breathing is wrong!"
Max glared. "How can breathing be wrong?!"
"It is wrong because I said so," the instructor replied, dead serious.
Max wanted to scream.
The System flickered beside him.
[ Warning: Host's patience level dropping. Risk of physical retaliation rising. ]
Max whispered through clenched teeth, "System, shut up."
The instructor spun around. "What did you say?"
"NOTHING!"
The class continued, painfully slow. Max had fought gods, demons, cosmic beings… but nothing tested him like this basic breathing lesson.
After half an hour, the instructor finally said, "Good. Now watch closely."
He walked to the front and demonstrated the Dou Qi circulation technique — swirling faint energy through his meridians. A small glow formed around his palm.
"This," the instructor said, "is the beginning of becoming a Dou Qi Practitioner. Xiao Tian, if you do not learn this properly, you will remain talentless."
Max stared at the display.
He couldn't help but smirk.
Talentless? Me? Yeah, sure.
He cracked his knuckles, closed his eyes, and decided:
Fine. If I'm stuck in this kid body, I might as well show them what proper circulation looks like.
He inhaled.
He exhaled.
And inside him, something stirred — faint but powerful. A small spark of golden energy flickered in his core.
The instructor's eyes widened.
"What… what is that?!"
Max opened one eye with a bored look.
"Oh. That? Just breathing properly, right?"
The entire hall went silent.
And Max grinned.
Next Day
As Max walked through the courtyard, several elders exchanged glances, whispering behind their sleeves.
"That boy… his foundation is terrifying."
"Xiao Zhan must not let him leave. A genius like this appears once in a century!"
"He must be nurtured. Guarded. Pushed. Used."
Max didn't hear any of this — or rather, he pretended not to. The moment he stepped outside, he stretched lazily and muttered:
"Man… I just wanted to enjoy the BTTH world, maybe pick up a beauty or two. Why does it feel like I accidentally signed a contract of lifelong labor?"
His system chimed.
***
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