"Hey, why's your name Tang San? Don't tell me you've got two older brothers—Tang Da and Tang Er?"
Suifeng lay on the grass with his arms behind his head, tossing the question out lazily.
Tang San rolled his eyes. "No. I'm an only child."
"If you're an only child, shouldn't you be called Tang Da instead? And how do you know you're an only child, huh?"
Ignoring Suifeng's nonsense, Tang San instead asked seriously, "Just now… why didn't my Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon work on you? You don't have the strength to break free, do you?"
Suifeng gave a crooked smile. "Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon? What's that, some kind of skill of yours?"
Tang San suddenly realized he might've said too much, but after thinking about the years they'd spent together—even since the time they ran around in open-crotch pants—he figured it wasn't a big deal.
He nodded. "Yeah, it's a martial skill. I know a few other things too. But you're clearly not ordinary either."
Of course Suifeng knew all about Tang San's abilities—he'd read the novel. But Tang San didn't know anything about his powers, and Suifeng had no intention of revealing too much.
"That was the power of wind," Suifeng replied vaguely.
"Wind?" Tang San murmured, reflecting. It was true—he had sensed a resistance clashing against his Mysterious Heaven Skill. So it had been the force of wind?
"Haha! Let's go! Time for dinner. We'll fight again tomorrow!"
Suifeng spat out the grass stem he'd been chewing on, turned, and jogged off.
Does a leaf exist only to fall back to its root? he wondered whimsically.
Tang San scoffed. Pfft, 'fight again tomorrow'? All you did was run. You slipped around like a loach!
Lately, Suifeng had learned to use the power of wind in simple ways—he could slightly accelerate himself or even use airflow to disrupt incoming attacks. Just like with Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon—he could repel it using wind resistance.
More importantly, he could use the wind to make his robes flutter dramatically and his hair float like he was some immortal from the heavens.
Did it help in battle?
Not really. But damn, it looked cool!
Coolness was eternal. Power could fade, but looking good? That's for life!
With two days of intense training, Suifeng had finally begun to grasp Misty Steps. Combined with Insight of the Wind, he could now hold his own for a short while—even against someone like Tang San.
Of course, that was only because Tang San had been suffering from internal disruption and hadn't gone all-out. Still, considering Suifeng was just a regular kid a few days ago, it was impressive progress.
One step at a time, he thought. Even when it comes to eating crap—you gotta take small bites. Swallowing too much too fast can get you choked.
With the Invincible Myth System, there was no doubt he would make a name for himself on this continent and carve his legend into history.
That night, after dinner with Grandpa Jack, Suifeng offered to clean up. Under Jack's disapproving glare, he scurried back to his room.
"Hmph, I'm not that old yet," Old Jack muttered. "Still perfectly capable of washing a few dishes."
He grumbled but resumed tidying the house.
Lying in bed, Suifeng felt bored out of his mind.
He missed browsing videos, scrolling social media, playing games… but none of that existed here. Now that he'd lost it all, he truly understood what he'd taken for granted.
He glanced down under the covers with a sigh. Not even the one form of entertainment left to a teenage boy works anymore. This is suffering.
"System, can you at least play anime in my mind?"
[No.]
"Then what's the point of you?"
[To make you stronger.]
"Getting stronger is easy. I'll just shave my head bald tomorrow."
[That 'bald equals strong' trope is scientifically invalid. Please train diligently and believe in science.]
Suifeng: "...…"
Bro, I transmigrated into a novel world and you're still lecturing me about science?!
---
The next morning, early-rising villagers from Holy Spirit Village were already delivering fresh grains and vegetables to Nuoding City. Anyone who wasn't lazy could make a decent living from farming and selling produce.
The village had basically achieved local prosperity, so most kids had plenty of free time.
"Suifeng, where are you off to?" one boy—the ringleader of a group—called out.
"I'm off to train. You guys go play," Suifeng waved as he jogged toward the village entrance.
"Hmph, acting all cool… Look at that delicate skin, doesn't look like a real man at all."
"Yeah, just some orphan picked up by the village chief. Always hanging out with that poor blacksmith's kid."
"But he… he's really good-looking…" a little girl among them said, eyes sparkling.
Silence fell over the group.
Jealous? Of course they were. Who wouldn't be?
But looks and Martial Souls were mostly inherited—you couldn't choose them. And Douluo Continent didn't have Korean-style cosmetic surgery. If you were born ugly… you stayed ugly. Unless your Martial Soul was overpowered like Tang San's and made you shine. Otherwise, no hope.
---
Today's goal: 50 laps!
A beautiful day starts with morning calisthenics!
First-generation student calisthenics: "Young Eagles Take Flight!"
One-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight—again—two-two-three-four…
Warmup done. Time to start the lap circuit around Holy Spirit Village.
Swift Wind, grant me strength!
Dogs have backers. I have the wind. So warm. So reliable.
Suifeng felt like even if he returned to Earth now, he could compete in the Olympics—win gold, retire rich, and live carefree.
Tang San, cultivating Purple Demon Eye in the back hills, caught a glimpse of Suifeng jogging and smiled faintly.
The world is full of geniuses. But if a genius wastes their talent, slacks off, and never works hard, they'll end up just another face in the crowd—and by the time they regret it, it'll be too late.
Tang San considered himself a genius. Even as an outer disciple of Tang Sect, he'd refined hidden weapons to their peak—like the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus. If that didn't count as genius, then the word had no meaning.
And after a few days of observation and sparring, Tang San had come to the conclusion:
Suifeng… was a real genius, too.
He had an extraordinary instinct for danger. Even though Tang San had been holding back the first two days, Suifeng still held his own.
On the third day, Tang San used eighty percent of his strength—and it still took him a full fifteen minutes to subdue Suifeng. That growth speed… was terrifying. Was this kid a monster?
His battle intuition was simply off the charts.
---
These past few days had been incredibly fulfilling for Suifeng.
He spent his days running laps, completing tasks, and training.
By evening, he'd spar with Tang San.
Each day, he felt his body changing. Growing stronger.
Part of it was from the physical training and cultivation, but a major part came from fighting Tang San.
Every time Tang San struck, Suifeng somehow sensed it—dodging at the last possible moment.
If he ever found out Tang San thought of their sparring as evenly matched, Suifeng would probably be mortified.
Evenly matched? Please!
It was more like: attack, attack, attack—defend, dodge, repeat.
No counterattacks. No offense. Just pure survival.
Warning: Mysterious Jade Hands. Warning: Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon.
Suifeng couldn't win. Not even close.
All he could do was rely on Misty Steps to avoid getting flattened.
---
Day Six – Morning
[Ding! Random Mission Complete: Run 100 laps around Holy Spirit Village in 7 days. Reward: Random!]
Suifeng's heart skipped a beat.
It had taken several days, but he'd finally done it.
What would the reward be?! A powerful cultivation technique? A divine weapon? A beast companion? At the very least, give me an attack skill! I need something to deal with Tang San.
He clenched his fists, grinning slyly.
Tang San, just you wait. Once I get my invincible reward, I'll show you what's up. Next time—we switch places. I'll be the one to reign supreme!
He clicked on the prompt mentally.
[Claim reward?]
Suifeng nodded.
[Claim reward?!]
He nodded again.
[Claim reward?! Please mentally confirm with "yes" or "no." Stop nodding.]
Suifeng glared at the damn system.
You know what I mean. Why do I have to say it mentally? You think I'm desperate for your stupid prize?!
"YES, YES, YES! I'm claiming it now!!!"