Chapter 16: I Thought You Were 3 Years Old

Chapter 16: Chapter 16: I Thought You Were 3 Years Old

A short while later, Lu Ming finally relaxed.

"As long as you don’t run into a Noble Ninth Grade, you should be fine," he said.

"Even if I do encounter a Noble Ninth Grade, I’ll still be fine." Lu Yuan shook his head.

Basic Skills were all essentially the same. Even someone with exceptionally strong innate talent like Lin Siheng would merely have greater physical strength. Their speed and agility would still be restricted, putting a hard cap on their overall combat power.

The true gap between ordinary Martial Artists and those from noble families only became apparent at the Seventh Grade...

"You still need to be careful," Lu Ming urged.

"Mhm." Lu Yuan nodded.

He wouldn’t let his guard down. Trump cards only held their maximum value when used at critical moments. It would be a total failure if he was forced to reveal his hand by some random lackey.

The family had their meal.

The next day.

"Lu Yuan, I realized I made a mistake," Lin Siheng said, striding over on his short little legs with a completely serious expression. "I came to you for sparring practice. You’re supposed to help me train, not beat me up or trade blows with me.

"I should be the main focus, and you’re just the support. Do you understand what support means?

"The goal is to help me improve.

"We can spar properly once I break through to the Ninth Grade."

"So you’re saying I don’t need to practice my own skills?" Lu Yuan asked with a smile.

"Oh, come on! As my future brother-in-law, taking out an hour every day to help me train isn’t too much to ask, is it?" Lin Siheng argued, looking incredibly smug and clever. "Is it really that hard to do?

"All you’re investing is time. The cost is super low.

"When I become powerful in the future, I’ll return the favor and train with you. I can even protect you then!

"You definitely aren’t losing out on this deal. In fact, you’re making a massive profit..."

"Hmm, that makes a lot of sense," Lu Yuan nodded.

He wondered who the little guy had learned that from. Could his future mother-in-law have taught him?

"So, you agree?" Lin Siheng asked in pleasant surprise, instantly reverting to the innocent demeanor of a child.

[Your future brother-in-law, Lin Siheng, has spun a childhood tale to kindly ask you to be his sparring partner. It is unknown whether his intentions are genuine or if there is some hidden scheme involved.]

[Task Triggered: Accept Lin Siheng’s sparring request and uncover his true motives. Reward upon completion: 300 Experience Points.]

"Bring it on," Lu Yuan beckoned with his hand.

"Hehe, I knew you’d agree!" Lin Siheng exclaimed in excitement. "I practice the Tyrant Fist. It focuses on wide, sweeping strikes, unparalleled momentum, and peerless ferocity!

"Get ready, Lu Yuan. Don’t let me hit you!"

He was taken aback. "Tyrant Fist!" he thought.

It was the first time he had heard the name of the Fist Technique Lin Siheng practiced. And to think it was named "Tyrant"...

"Don’t hold back," Lu Yuan said.

"Here I come!"

Lin Siheng stomped his foot and charged forward like a battering ram, throwing a heavy punch.

CRACK! BAM!

The bluestone paving bricks on the ground shattered one after another under his steps. The sheer force of the blow seemed to detonate the air itself, sending a blast of sharp wind right at Lu Yuan’s face.

It truly looked as if a little overlord had descended upon the world.

SWISH!

Lu Yuan’s figure flickered as he easily dodged the attack.

"Hah!" Lin Siheng pursued him relentlessly.

BAM! BAM! BAM BAM BAM!

"Stop!" Lu Yuan suddenly held out a hand, his eyes wide.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Siheng blinked, looking completely bewildered.

"You’ve shattered all our bluestone bricks!" Lu Yuan pointed at the ground, thoroughly exasperated.

This little brat was tearing up his courtyard floor without a care in the world. Did he think those bricks were free?

"Huh?" Lin Siheng looked down, suddenly feeling a bit guilty.

Dozens of bluestone bricks had been pulverized, which would probably cost at least an ounce or two of silver to replace.

"Then... then..."

He didn’t have any money on him. His allowance was strictly controlled by his family.

And what about his training? Were they going to stop?

"Go over there." Lu Yuan pointed to a spot near the wall, fighting to suppress the throbbing vein on his forehead.

There was a patch of hard dirt there. He and Old Lu would use that area for training when necessary.

"You don’t even know Releasing Force yet. Your martial arts skills are terrible.

"From now on, until you reach perfection in your Fist Technique, you are forbidden from using it on our bluestone floor."

"I’m only five years old!" Lin Siheng protested.

Releasing Force was an incredibly profound concept, virtually impossible to grasp without achieving perfection in a Fist Technique. And attaining perfection was no easy feat.

"Isn’t it completely normal that I don’t know Releasing Force?"

"You’re already five. I thought you were only three." Lu Yuan scoffed dismissively.

A genius should be held to the standards of a genius.

"You..." Lin Siheng puffed out his cheeks in anger.

He swore to himself that things would be different when he grew up.

The two quickly moved to the dirt patch and resumed their sparring session. The hard earth wasn’t afraid of being trampled. In fact, it only grew harder the more it was stomped on, and any footprints left behind could easily be smoothed over.

THUD THUD THUD!

BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

[Complete Tyrant Fist detected. It has been recorded in the database.]

[With the host’s current innate talent, you can only reach the beginner level and cannot achieve minor success. Therefore, the system does not recommend cultivating this technique.]

"I had no intention of practicing it right now anyway," Lu Yuan thought to himself.

Biting off more than he could chew was never a good idea. At present, his absolute priority was to achieve perfection in the Cyan Gang Fist, cultivate Gang Qi, and then bring his Saber Technique to perfection as well.

Besides, the best technique was the one that suited him most. The Tyrant Fist could wait for later.

"I’m done! I’m tired!" Lin Siheng suddenly stopped. He plopped his butt onto the ground and sprawled out on his back, gasping for air.

Children had small bodies, which meant their energy reserves were naturally limited.

[Congratulations on completing the sparring task and uncovering Lin Siheng’s motives. Your reward of 300 Experience Points has been credited.]

"Three hundred Experience Points..." Lu Yuan thought as he glanced at the notification. He was still short by seven hundred.

He only needed seven hundred more Experience Points to bring his Cyan Gang Fist to perfection. However, squeezing that much out of Lin Siheng today was going to be difficult.

"Are we going again later?"

"No, I’m done for today," Lin Siheng said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Then head back and tell your second sister to come over," Lu Yuan instructed.

"My second sister is reading. Don’t bother her," Lin Siheng retorted, shooting him a glare.

"What is your second sister reading?" Lu Yuan asked, his curiosity piqued.

"The Daoist Canon," Lin Siheng replied.

Lu Yuan’s heart skipped a beat.

The Lin family’s foundation was truly profound. They even possessed the Daoist Canon—could it be the complete volumes?

Speaking of which, his future father-in-law had reached the Second Grade in his sixties and had fathered three children with heaven-defying talent...

What exactly was their background?

Was he a child of destiny? Had he obtained the legacy of some Ancient Sect’s treasure trove in the Southwest before fleeing to the Jade Capital to lie low?

"Impressive," Lu Yuan said.

"Naturally. My second sister will become at least a Third Grade powerhouse in the future!" Lin Siheng boasted proudly as he bounced up from the dirt. "Alright, I’m going home."

He leaped onto the top of the wall and vanished in a flash.

Lu Yuan stared blankly at the empty space, glancing around.

He was still seven hundred Experience Points short. How was he supposed to get them now? At present, the only person he could farm experience from besides Lin Siheng...

Lu Yuan went over to check on his mother.

She didn’t need any help, so no tasks were triggered. There was nothing to do around Yaoyao, either.

Seeing that it was almost noon, Lu Yuan sliced some boiled meat, fried a batch of peanuts, and carried half a catty of wine to the east gate of the Demon Suppression Bureau.

He knocked twice on the door, left the food and drink on the threshold, and departed.

Instead of heading straight home, he took a detour to check on the Zhen District Government Office.

"Oh, if it isn’t Brother Yuan from Chief Lu’s family! Are you here to see Chief Lu?" Old Li, the gatekeeper, paused in surprise when he saw Lu Yuan. He tapped the ash from his pipe and stood up to greet him. "Chief Lu went out on a mission and hasn’t returned yet."

"Ah, I was just dropping by to take a look around," Lu Yuan said. He peeked inside before turning to leave.

"Hey, hold on, Brother Yuan..." Old Li hurried over and grabbed Lu Yuan’s arm. "I heard you had an epiphany at home the other night. Word is you comprehended something major and even helped your family improve their martial arts manual!"