Under the dim light, a tall but somewhat slender young man stood in the doorway.
The boy looked remarkably like him, yet his features carried the delicate grace of his mother.
But now, that once-refined face was marred by bruises, purple and blue. A raw, unhealed gash split the corner of his left eye, and his lips were bruised.
His First High School uniform hung in tatters, the sleeves stained with mud and blood.
Su Wu's hand clenched the sofa armrest, his fingernails digging deep into the fabric, knuckles white with strain.
A long-dormant fury surged in his chest, only to be forcibly suppressed by resignation.
"What happened?" Su Wu's voice was hoarse, barely suppressing a tremor. "Was it... because of that again?"
Su Yu didn't answer immediately.
He limped over to face Su Wu, head bowed like a child who had done wrong.
Yet his eyes burned with an unyielding stubbornness that belied his age.
"Dad, it doesn't hurt," Su Yu said, forcing a strained smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth, drawing a sharp intake of breath from the pain.
"Who did this?" Su Wu asked, taking a deep breath, his voice low and dangerous.
"No one, just sparring," Su Yu said, avoiding his father's gaze, but his trembling fingers betrayed him.
Sparring?
Su Wu knew his son too well. Though Su Yu wasn't among the top second-generation elites at First High School, his combat skills were exceptional. Ordinary students couldn't possibly have injured him like this. Only the privileged scions of powerful families could have beaten him so badly that he didn't even dare retaliate.
"Is this about the Martial Arts College Entrance Examination registration fee?" Su Wu asked suddenly, his voice tinged with heartache.
Su Yu jerked his head up, a flicker of panic in his eyes. He gritted his teeth, as if steeling himself for a difficult decision.
"Dad, I'm not taking the Martial Arts Exam anymore."
The boy lowered his head, his voice barely a whisper, yet the words exploded like thunder in the cramped living room.
"What did you say?!" Su Wu shot to his feet so abruptly that his vision momentarily blacked out.
"I said, I'm not taking it!" Su Yu raised his head, his eyes rimmed with red, his voice cracking with emotion. "That spot was originally mine! It was Wang Tai! His family has money. They gave the Dean of Discipline a hundred thousand yuan to steal my guaranteed admission spot! He even brought his gang to corner me, threatening to... to break my legs if I dared to register. He also said they'd get me fired from my job!"
The young man finally couldn't hold back his tears. He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails pierced his palms.
"Dad, I've found out everything. Wang Tai's uncle is the deputy commander of the City Defense Army. We can't afford to provoke them... we really can't..."
"Besides, the registration fee is 50,000 yuan... I know we're broke. I won't go. I'll start working at the construction site tomorrow, carrying bricks. I've reached the peak of the Flesh Refinement Realm, so I'm strong. I can earn a decent amount each month..."
Slap!
A sharp slap echoed through the room.
Su Yu froze, clutching his cheek, staring at his father in disbelief.
Su Wu's hand hung trembling in the air. This was the first time in eighteen years he had ever struck his son.
The slap landed on his son's face, but the pain tore through Su Wu's heart, as if someone were carving away at his own flesh.
"Nonsense!" Su Wu roared, veins bulging on his neck, his eyes bloodshot. "I've been making you study and train in martial arts, not to carry bricks! Don't worry about the money! I'll sell my blood, my kidneys—I'll provide for you, even if it kills me!"
"As for Wang Tai..."
Su Wu's voice suddenly dropped, carrying a chilling undercurrent that made one's heart tremble. But as he gazed at his son's bruised face, that coldness melted into boundless sorrow.
"I'll figure something out. You just focus on your martial training. Even if the sky falls, your father will hold it up."
With those words, Su Wu seemed to age ten years in an instant.
Without another glance at his son, he turned and walked into the cramped bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
Leaning against the door, Su Wu slowly slid to the floor, his hands clenching his hair in a death grip.
A profound sense of helplessness washed over him like a tidal wave.
Figure something out?
What could he possibly do?
Charge at the deputy commander in a suicidal rage? In his current state, a mere Flesh Refinement Realm cripple, he'd likely be gunned down before he even got close.
Beg the Dean of Discipline for help? Without money or influence, who would care about his worthless life?
"Aaaah!!!"
Su Wu let out a silent roar from deep within his throat, tears streaming down his weathered face.
Grandmaster?
Fuck the Grandmaster title!
Right now, he didn't even have the right to demand justice for his son!
"Wan'er... I've failed you. And I've failed Xiao Yu too..."
The night was deep.
Su Wu lay on his bed, his body utterly exhausted, but his mind tormented by anguish. He tossed and turned for what felt like an eternity before finally drifting into a fitful sleep.
In his dreams, he was transported back to that night twenty years ago, a night of utter despair.
Starships blotted out the sky, and the man stood in the void, gazing down at him like a god looking upon ants.
A colossal palm of light descended from the heavens, crushing his bones, his dignity, and his entire life.
The suffocating dread, the overwhelming despair—even in his dream, they left him gasping for air.
"No... don't..."
Su Wu thrashed in his nightmare, cold sweat soaking his pillow.
Yet deep within this nightmarish realm, within his long-shattered and withered dantian, a faint, almost imperceptible light began to flicker in sync with the resentful breaths of the youth in the next room...
Ding! Detecting intense emotional fluctuations in host's descendant, Su Yu...
Activating Father-Son Glory System...
"Huh?"
Su Wu jolted awake from the nightmare, his heart still pounding wildly in his chest, his undershirt drenched in cold sweat.
He gasped for breath, his eyes unfocused. It was that dream again—the one where his dignity was shattered by a single palm strike.
"Huff... another hallucination?"
Su Wu rubbed his throbbing temples, about to bitterly laugh at himself for obsessing over becoming stronger. But then, a cold, mechanical voice boomed in the depths of his mind, as clear as a resounding bell!
System activation successful!
Bound descendant: Su Yu
Current descendant realm: Perfected Flesh Refinement Realm
According to the "Father-Son Glory" rule, the host's realm will always be four major realms above the descendant's!
Synchronizing host realm... Host realm upgraded to: Perfected Grandmaster!
Simultaneously, a torrent of notifications cascaded across his vision like a waterfall:
Descendant is practicing the Wild Bull Fist, achieving minor progress... Host's Wild Bull Fist automatically perfected, comprehending the fist intent!
Descendant is circulating the basic Qi Breaking Art, barely grasping the fundamentals... Host's Qi Breaking Art automatically perfected, evolving into the Primordial Chaos One Qi Art!
"This is..."
Su Wu's pupils constricted sharply, his entire body freezing on the bed.