Waterwell City, the Sun family estate.
"Sixteen years!"
Sun Han, a member of the Sun family's branch lineage, walked toward the family's training grounds, his heart heavy with reflection.
It had been sixteen years since he'd arrived in this world. At first, he'd thought pretty highly of himself—figured he'd stand at the top of the world, make this second chance at life worth something.
But slowly, he'd come to realize that even with all his memories from his past life, he was still just... ordinary. Same as before.
He'd started training at fourteen. Nearly two years now, and he'd only managed to reach Skin Refinement—the first of the four foundational martial stages: Skin Refinement, Flesh Refinement, Tendon Refinement, and Bone Refinement.
His talent among the Sun family's martial disciples was average at best.
And with talent like that? The martial path was basically a dead end. Because the warrior's road was a road for geniuses, plain and simple.
Still, he didn't want to give up. Even if there was just a sliver of hope, he wanted to fight for it.
Because in this world, the martial path was the most legitimate way to climb the social ladder.
In his past life, the saying went: "Of all pursuits, only scholarship matters." But in this world? "Of all pursuits, only martial arts matter."
Arriving at the training grounds, Sun Han downed a bowl of Qi and Blood soup prepared by the family's servants, then started his practice.
The grounds were filled with other Sun family disciples like him, each focused on their own training. Most wore tight, concentrated expressions. Hardly anyone talked to each other.
When you got tired, you rested. When you recovered, you kept going. When you got hungry, the servants brought food. The whole day passed like that, quick as anything.
The sunset's last light spilled across the massive training grounds, coating the stone-paved floor in gold.
"Line up!"
At Instructor Sun Zhen's command, Sun Han and several dozen other disciples formed neat rows in the center of the grounds.
"One month from now, you'll face your final assessment," Instructor Sun Zhen announced, his sharp gaze sweeping across the young faces before him.
"You all know the rules. Anyone who hasn't reached Flesh Refinement by age sixteen loses their place in the family's martial hall!"
His words hit like a boulder dropped into still water, sending ripples through the crowd.
The young disciples reacted in different ways.
A few smiled confidently, their auras thick and steady, muscles flowing with smooth lines that suggested explosive power just beneath the surface. They'd clearly already stepped into Flesh Refinement.
Most of the others went pale, their eyes flooding with panic and anxiety.
If they couldn't break through to Flesh Refinement within a month, they'd be kicked out of the martial hall. Their martial path would end before it really began.
"Flesh Refinement..."
Standing among the other disciples, Sun Han unconsciously clenched his fists.
He could feel it—he'd reached the limit of Skin Refinement.
Just one breakthrough, one step forward, and his skin and flesh would merge, his strength would flow through his entire body, and he'd reach Flesh Refinement.
But that one step? Incredibly difficult. Plenty of people his age had been stuck at this exact bottleneck for months.
And he was no exception. Two months of training, and he still hadn't broken through.
The final assessment deadline was getting closer. The pressure crept up from deep inside, spreading through him.
"Dismissed. Make it count!"
Instructor Sun Zhen took in everyone's reactions, said nothing more, and sent them on their way.
For disciples without martial talent, giving up on martial arts might actually be the better choice.
After years of teaching, he understood perfectly well how important talent was for warriors. The gap in talent couldn't be made up with hard work alone.
The crowd dispersed. Some walked lightly. Others trudged, weighed down.
"One month..."
Sun Han kept his head down as he left the training grounds with the flow of people, his shadow stretching long in the sunset.
If he couldn't break through to Flesh Refinement in the next month, his martial path would be over. He couldn't accept that. Not at all.
Leaving the training grounds, Sun Han—as a branch family member—returned to his home in the side courtyard of the Sun manor.
It wasn't a big place, but it was tidy and well-kept. Cooking smoke drifted from the chimney, giving off a warm, everyday kind of feeling.
The moment he pushed open the courtyard gate, a tiny figure in a red jacket with two little pigtails bouncing on her head came stumbling toward him like a happy little bird.
"Big brother! Big brother's home!"
His four-year-old sister, Sun Ying, looked up at him with her chubby-cheeked face, her big grape-like eyes full of pure joy. She stretched out her short little arms, asking for a hug.
Seeing his sister's smile, the dark clouds in Sun Han's heart instantly cleared.
A doting smile spread naturally across his face. He bent down and scooped the soft, sweet little girl into his arms, lifting her high.
"Hey there! Was our little Ying a good girl today?"
"Yes! Little Ying was super good!"
The little girl wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, giggling non-stop. That clear, bright laughter was like the best medicine, smoothing out all the tension in Sun Han's heart.
He held his sister, soaking in that simple warmth. The pressure from the training grounds felt far away for now.
Just then, his parents came out from inside.
His mother, Lin Wan, wore an apron with flour still on her hands. His father, Sun Zheng, carried a ledger—he'd obviously been doing the books.
Seeing the siblings being affectionate, both parents smiled warmly.
"Little Han's home," Lin Wan said, looking at her son with gentle eyes. "Go wash up. Dinner's almost ready."
Sun Zheng's gaze lingered on Sun Han for a long moment. He hesitated, unsure whether to ask. But with only a month left, he finally spoke up.
"Little Han, how's your training going? Have you broken through to Flesh Refinement yet?"
Sun Han's body stiffened, just barely noticeably.
He set down his still-giggling sister. His eyes flickered for a moment before he finally shook his head, his voice subdued.
"Not... not yet."
The courtyard fell quiet for a moment.
"It's okay, no rush. Take your time," Sun Zheng said, stepping forward and patting his son's shoulder with a heavy but gentle hand, his tone still calm.
"That's right, Little Han. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Take your time. Dinner's ready—I made your favorite minced pork with eggplant," Lin Wan added softly.
After dinner, Sun Han returned to his room. Moonlight streamed through the window lattice, pooling on the floor like cold water.
His body was pretty worn out from a full day of training. He lay down, ready to sleep.
Suddenly—
His vision flickered. A semi-transparent projection screen appeared before his eyes.
[Host: Sun Han]
[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 0x (Level 1 amplification requires 10 silvers)]
[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 0x (Level 1 amplification requires 10 silvers)]
[Current Wealth: 0]
"Is this... a system?"
Sun Han shot up in bed, staring in disbelief at the projection screen in his vision.
As someone who'd been reincarnated, he obviously knew what a system was. When he'd first arrived in this world, he'd desperately hoped he'd have one.
But year after year passed with no sign of it, and eventually he'd given up on the idea.
And now, just when he'd completely abandoned that hope, the system appeared.
"This must be some kind of pay-to-win system!"
Sun Han studied the system panel before him.
From the text on it, it wasn't hard to figure out—this was a system that used money to permanently amplify talent.
"It can actually permanently amplify talent?!"
Sun Han's eyes grew fervent.
After nearly two years of martial training, he'd learned firsthand just how important talent was. He knew exactly how crucial it was for anyone walking the martial path.
And this system in front of him could permanently amplify talent? That was insanely overpowered.
With this system, breaking through to Flesh Refinement in the next month and staying in the martial hall wasn't impossible.