Ch.11: Lu Sheng's Hell
Lu Sheng returned to his room in the City Lord's mansion.
The weight of the day settling over him.
Dreams of his parents, playful banter with Li Yao.
And the thrill of skipping class were all well and good.
But one truth stood above the rest: strength was paramount.
To keep those he cared about safe, he needed power—undeniable, unshakable power.
After all, his parents—both a Spirit Ancestor and a Spirit Elder—had still died during what should've been a routine hunt.
It wasn't weakness that killed them, but something stranger, something stronger.
The circumstances of their deaths gnawed at him.
Something about their fate felt… off.
Too abrupt for soul masters of their caliber.
Even so, the fact remained: they died.
If he didn't want that "family tradition" to continue, he needed strength. Real, undeniable strength.
And with two divine-ranked martial spirits and a system bound to him.
He was confident he could get there.
He looked toward the glowing blue panel hovering above his palm.
{Genius-Level Innate Talent (Host's Choice) — Yet to Open}
"Alright," he said. "Open it."
A cascade of options unfolded before him, glowing text scrolling across the screen in neat rows:
-Sword Saint
-Cultivation Genius
-All Elemental Affinity
-Innovation
-Research
-Comprehension
-...
And so on, a list of hundreds of talents stretching far beyond his immediate view.
Lu Sheng's eyes widened.
"So, I can choose any of these, but only one?"
The sheer variety was overwhelming.
He grabbed a notebook from his desk and began scribbling the options in his messy, barely legible handwriting.
Comparing each talent methodically.
Well writing English just from the memories was hard for him
Still choosing one was no small task, each promised a different path to greatness, but only one could shape his future.
Sword Saint?
Becoming a master of the sword sounded tempting.
Someone like Yoriichi Tsugikuni flashed in his mind, a man who created something from nothing, who gave humanity a path to match monsters.
But Lu Sheng already had his hands full with twin martial spirits.
Another discipline would only scatter his focus.
Skip.
All Elemental Affinity?
Control over every fiber of the universe, akin to an enhanced Silver Dragon King, but without the dragon bloodline.
The potential was staggering.
But mastering even one element to the ultimate would take years, let alone all of them.
Reaching the peak in even two seemed improbable.
Next.
Cultivation Genius?
Now this one was practical.
The description promised a cultivation speed several times faster than normal.
If an innate full-power genius needed fifty years to reach Title Douluo.
But with this talent, Lu Sheng could achieve it in under ten.
The thought was intoxicating—standing at the world's apex while others were just beginning their journeys.
But then he paused. Was raw speed enough?
Ten years to the apex of the world while everyone else was still climbing?
It sounded glorious.
But… was it really the smartest route?
Speed meant nothing if the foundation was shallow.
He'd rather be a mountain that took years to rise than a tower built on sand.
If one talent could multiply his cultivation speed, another might amplify his strength at the same level.
Better look for that thing.
Skip.
He continued, round after round, narrowing the list with ruthless precision.
The first round eliminated talents irrelevant to his long-term goals.
Remove those too narrow or impractical.
The second round shortlisted the best among similar options, weighing their potential impact.
By the third, only a handful remained.
After a meticulous fourth round, his eyes locked onto one talent that stood out above the rest.
{Hard Working Genius}
[Description:
There is a gap between talent and the talentless, but hard work can bridge it. What geniuses have innately, you can acquire through effort.If the first try fails, the tenth will not.
Hard work will rival and surpass genius.
With each step, your progress compounds, turning dedication into a force that defies natural limits. Your efforts carve a path to mastery, exploiting the smallest opportunities into monumental gains.]
[Effect:
1. Each day of consecutive practice brings measurable improvement.
2. The highest improvement achieved during practice becomes the new minimum for every future day of training.
3. Temporary exhaustion no longer limits learning efficiency; the body adapts to sustain growth.
4. Mastery accumulation compounds over time, longer the streaks bring greater gains, and fastens comprehension acceleration.]
Lu Sheng grinned. "Now that's what I'm talking about."
As for why he choose it?
Because he wasn't foolish enough to overlook the system's own words:
{Difficulty Setting: Easy Mode.}
{Many system limitations have been removed. Some functions will operate automatically.}
{Even smallest of rewards and descriptions provided by the system will have multiple implications and vastly superior effects than normal.}
At six years old, Lu Sheng carried the wisdom of his past life.
Though he hadn't lived those moments himself, the memories of "Ethan", reading system genre novels, navigating apps, working on tech and skimming terms and conditions, taught him one crucial lesson: every systems had loopholes
Lu Sheng wasn't stupid enough to miss the obvious once shown to him directly over.
The system itself was saying it, its wording mattered.
Every "simple" description was a possible loophole.
Every "minor" reward could hide an infinite potential.
He just needed the patience to uncover them.
And patience… was something he had in abundance.
Why choose a talent that limits you to being a genius, when you could have one that lets you surpass them all?
Because unlike talent, hard work stacked forever.
He smirked, leaning back on his bed.
"Hard Working Genius, huh? Then let's see how far hard work can really go."
As the glowing panel confirmed his choice, faint ripples of golden light danced around his body, gentle, warm, and full of quiet power.
...
The courtyard of the Qinglong Mansion was quiet, washed in the faint blue of early dawn.
The wind was cool and smelled faintly of wet earth and pine.
Lu Sheng stood in the middle of the open courtyard, arms drooping, fighting the weight in his eyelids.
He yawned hard.
"...Why is it always me?" he muttered, stretching until his back cracked.
The sun hadn't even peeked over the horizon, yet here he was—awake, armed with nothing but half a soul of sleep and the promise of "hell starting today."
His so-called "hell" had a name: Zhou Yueling.
His supposed master.
At 4:30 sharp, she had personally appeared in his room, yanked him from his bed like a sack of rice, and ordered,
"Get ready. Hell starts in thirty minutes."
By the time his half-asleep mind processed those words, she was already gone.
Now, standing there barefoot on the cool stone, he watched the clock on the courtyard wall tick its way toward 5:00.
"Five more seconds…" he murmured, rubbing his arms.
He didn't know what she meant by hell, but his gut told him he wasn't going to like it.
But what can it be other than running along for a few miles and then physical exercise?
He can handle it.
But his gut feeling was still telling it was not going be pleasant.
Oh, come on.
How unpleasant could the first day of training get?
Maybe it was him slacking of everyday which was making even his guts lazy enough to feel like dying from a bit of exercise.
And right as the minute hand clicked into place-
A killing intent brushed his neck.
He didn't think. His body moved on its own.
He twisted sideways, barely avoiding a sharp strike aimed straight for his heart.
The air where he'd stood shimmered with the residue of spirit energy, slicing through a loose strand of his hair.
His sleep vanished instantly.
Three meters away, he turned, eyes wide.
Standing there, framed by the faint glow of the rising sun, was Zhou Yueling.
Her long black hair flowed like liquid obsidian, catching the faint pre-dawn light with a silvery sheen.
Her tight, dark bodysuit hugged her tall, graceful frame, accentuating her elegant curves and slender legs. Her sharp, refined features were softened by the morning's gentle glow, her black eyes gleaming with a mix of curiosity and approval.
She stood like a blade given human form, her beauty both striking and intimidating, a peerless flower sharpened to cut.
"That was unexpected," she said, her voice smooth and laced with approval.
"Faced with danger, you didn't fumble or look back, you just dodged. That's a good instinct."
Lu Sheng's heart raced.
He hadn't expected her to test him with a near-lethal strike.
Zhou Yueling's surprise was evident; she hadn't anticipated her timid-looking disciple, who seemed like he'd collapse under pressure, to react so swiftly to her killing intent.
Just a glace at the ground and she saw a distinct outline of his footprints appearing on the hard dry soil.
She noted his speed and physical strength, likely boosted by his divine-grade martial spirits, but dismissed them as expected.
It was his raw instinct and decisiveness that impressed her.
"Alright, now I know you're an instinctive type," she said, stepping forward with a glint of interest in her eyes. "Let's see your limits."
Her intense gaze, coupled with a predatory smile, sent a shiver down Lu Sheng's spine.
Most would be flattered by such focus from a beauty like her, but to him, that smile was terrifying.
Lu Sheng's face drained of color.
Every part of him screamed danger.
"Uh—Master," he said quickly, raising both hands.
"How about starting with some light training? Running? Push-ups? Meditation? Fighting my master doesn't sound very filial to me!"
Yueling paused.
For a moment, her expression softened, and he almost believed he'd gotten through to her.
"Aww," she said softly. "Such a caring disciple I have."
Then, her eyes narrowed and her smile returned—sweet, deadly, and amused.
"Don't worry. I'll be the only one attacking. You couldn't hit me if you tried."
Before he could protest, her figure blurred.
She vanished.
A heartbeat later, she was in front of him.
His eyes barely registered the motion before her palm was already halfway to his chest.
'She's faster!'
He leapt sideways, rolling across the ground as a shockwave cracked the stone where he'd been standing.
Her speed was overwhelming, far beyond what he'd sensed moments ago. His enhanced senses, courtesy of his spirits, strained to keep up.
He barely had time to stand when she appeared again—this time behind him.
He spun, ducked, blocked with both arms, only to be sent skidding backward as the impact rattled his bones.
"Too slow," Yueling said lightly, her tone that of a teacher correcting a child's pen stroke.
"I would have bored to sleep if this were real." She said, her words laced with boredom.
Before continuing again, she suddenly paused for a second.
A reddish-yellow light surrounded her, flattening the ground itself even more, a circle around her 1 meter radius was pressed up to 5 inches deep.
The within the next split second, the radius narrowed at a fast pace.
With just a reddish-yellow glow closing clinging to her skin remaining.
With only indication of something happened being the marks on the ground.
"Much better." She said.
But Lu Sheng did not understood what she meant by that, he had just managed to stop himself from further skidding backwards.
Only to see her dashing toward him again.
Another attack came, a sweeping kick that he managed to barely catch on his forearm, though the force lifted him off the ground.
He hit the courtyard floor hard, the impact sending a dull ache through his ribs.
He groaned. "You said I couldn't hit you, not that you'd try to kill me!"
"Details," she said with a shrug, already closing the distance again.
The next few minutes blurred into motion.
Every attack came faster, sharper.
Palms, elbows, feints.
Each strike perfectly measured, lethal enough to teach, but never enough to kill.
Lu Sheng dodged, blocked, rolled, jumped, sometimes succeeding, mostly failing.
His instincts saved him from the worst of it, but each time he adapted, she changed rhythm, testing him again.
His breath came ragged, sweat running down his face as his limbs screamed for rest.
A particularly sharp blow caught him mid-step, launching him across the courtyard.
He tumbled, hit the ground, and groaned, staring at the faint purple of dawn overhead.
He hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop near the courtyard's edge.
Pain throbbed through his body, but he pushed himself up, his talent's recovery effect already easing the strain.
Zhou Yueling paused, her arms crossed, her smile both approving and challenging.
"You're still standing. Good. Most would've given up by now."
She vanished again, reappearing mid-air with a spinning kick aimed at his chest.
Lu Sheng dove to the side, the kick grazing his sleeve and tearing the fabric. He countered instinctively, trying to summon Deoxys for a burst of speed, but hesitated, revealing his spirits fully might escalate this beyond a test.
Instead, he relied on his raw agility, weaving through her relentless assault. He dodged a palm strike, blocked a knee aimed at his stomach, and ducked under a sweeping arm.
Yueling walked toward him, her boots clicking against the cracked tiles.
"Better," she said simply. "Your reaction time improved. Your balance, though—still weak. And your defense leaks like a sieve."
She stopped beside him, looking down with her arms crossed.
Her eyes were calm, analytical, almost gentle in their harshness.
"Get up."
He groaned. "Can't we—just for today—start at sunrise?"
She tilted her head, smirking faintly. "This is sunrise."
He looked up.
The first ray of sunlight peeked over the walls, brushing her silhouette with gold.
She looked almost unreal like that, like a goddess of dawn who'd descended to bully mortals for fun.
He sighed, dragging himself up, one knee at a time.
"I swear you enjoy this."
"I do," she said without hesitation. "Now again."
Before he could complain, she moved.
The next strike came faster.
This time, he didn't dodge out of panic, he read her motion, tilting his body just enough to slip past the blow.
Her eyes flickered in approval.
"That's more like it."
And so it continued—strike, dodge, fall, rise, again and again.
The sun climbed higher, and the courtyard echoed with the sound of impacts, heavy breathing, and Yueling's calm, unrelenting voice.
By the time she finally stopped, Lu Sheng was sprawled on the ground, soaked in sweat, chest heaving.
Yueling crouched beside him, her tone almost kind.
"You've got good instincts. Better than most. If you live through my training, you might even be worth calling a disciple."
Lu Sheng groaned. "You're supposed to motivate me, not threaten me…"
She smiled, standing up. "Oh, I'm motivating you. Survival is the best motivation."
He muttered something under his breath, but despite the exhaustion, a grin tugged at his lips.
Because somewhere between the dodging and the falling, he'd realized something...
He could see her attacks a little more clearly each time.
His body was already learning.
Pain faded faster than it should have.
Every bruise turned to memory, every strike became data.
His new talent, Hard Working Genius, was quietly activating.
'So this was Hard Working Genius, huh?' He though, mentally smirking.
But his face outward still laced with exhaustion.
He had to do that than to be beaten down again.
Still his talent was great.
'It didn't make work easier — it made effort addictive.'
Each exchange wasn't just pain.
It was progress.