Lin Feng awoke to the stench of rotting fish and human waste. His eyes opened to a leaking ceiling, water dripping onto his forehead with irritating regularity.
Pain radiated through his body, a constant reminder of his shattered meridians and broken cultivation path.
Three days had passed since Kai had destroyed his future. Three days of fever dreams and delirium as his body struggled to cope with catastrophic spiritual damage. He'd somehow crawled from Corpse Alley to this abandoned shack in the outer slums.
Lin Feng lifted his hand, studying it in the dim light filtering through cracks in the walls. Something had changed. Where before he'd felt utterly empty, now a tiny spark flickered within.
"System," he whispered, voice cracking from disuse.
A crimson screen materialized:
[Cursed Failure System Initialized]
[Host: Lin Feng]
[Current Qi: 10 Units]
[Meridians: 1/108 Functional (Severely Damaged)]
[Elemental Affinity: 0.1%]
[Rewards Available: 0]
[Instruction: Fail to succeed]
Ten units of Qi. A pathetic amount that even a child would scoff at. Most beginners started with hundreds. Lin Feng laughed bitterly, the sound evolving into a painful cough.
He struggled to a sitting position, ribs protesting with each movement. His tattered tournament robes hung from his frame like rags on a scarecrow. The single functioning meridian felt like a frayed thread ready to snap, barely conducting the minuscule Qi through his body.
A crash outside interrupted his thoughts. Lin Feng tensed as the door to his shelter burst open, revealing three men silhouetted against the morning light.
"Look what we found," the tallest one said, stepping into the shack. "Thought I smelled something interesting."
The three spread out, blocking any path to escape. They wore mismatched clothing cobbled together from stolen garments. All carried weapons, the leader a rusted sword, the second a wooden club studded with nails, the third a simple kitchen knife.
"Clan robes," the one with the club observed, pointing at the tattered remains of Lin Feng's clothing. "Damaged goods, but still clan."
Lin Feng assessed his situation with cold calculation. Three opponents. Armed. He had ten units of Qi and barely functioning muscles after days of immobility. Fighting would be suicide.
The system's instruction echoed in his mind: Fail to succeed.
"I have nothing worth taking," Lin Feng said, keeping his voice even.
"That's where you're wrong, clan boy." The leader grinned, revealing missing teeth. "Those fancy eyes of yours fetch a good price in certain markets. The rest of you will feed the river pigs."
Lin Feng recognized the threat. Organ harvesters. The lowest scavengers in the slums, preying on the weak. A normal response would be to fight for survival, but a plan formed in his mind.
Fail to succeed.
"Please," Lin Feng said, allowing fear to enter his voice. "I'm already broken."
The beggars exchanged glances and laughed.
"Then this won't matter much," the leader said before delivering a savage kick to Lin Feng's stomach.
Pain exploded through his abdomen. He curled instinctively, protecting vital organs while leaving other areas exposed. The second man stepped forward, bringing his club down on Lin Feng's shoulder with a sickening crack.
Lin Feng screamed. Not entirely performance, the pain was genuine, white-hot and consuming. But beneath the agony, his mind remained calculating, clinical.
The third beggar joined, knife slashing across Lin Feng's forearm as he raised it defensively. Blood spattered the dirt floor.
Each blow landed with brutal precision. A boot to the ribs. The club against his back. A fist across his jaw. Lin Feng tasted blood and broken teeth. His vision swam with black spots as consciousness threatened to flee.
He focused on failing perfectly, losing the fight completely while preventing fatal damage. When a kick aimed for his temple, he shifted slightly to take it on his cheekbone instead. When the knife stabbed toward his heart, he twisted to receive it in the shoulder meat.
"Not even fighting back," the leader spat. "Pathetic clan trash."
Lin Feng's right eye had swollen shut. Blood filled his mouth, metallic and warm. Each breath sent daggers of pain through what felt like multiple broken ribs. The beggars continued their assault, growing increasingly frustrated by his refusal to properly fight or die.
After what seemed like hours but was likely only minutes, the leader stepped back, breathing heavily.
"Check his pockets," he ordered.
Rough hands searched Lin Feng's clothing, finding nothing of value.
"Waste of time," the knife-wielder complained. "Not even a copper coin."
"Let's dump him in the river," the leader decided. "Someone else can deal with the body."
"Too much trouble," argued the man with the club. "He'll die anyway. Let's check the west side. Heard a merchant caravan arrived yesterday."
The leader spat on Lin Feng's prone form. "Lucky day, clan boy. Not worth the effort to kill you proper."
The beggars retreated, leaving the door open behind them. Lin Feng remained motionless, listening to their footsteps fade into the slum's ambient noise. Only then did he allow himself to groan aloud, the full extent of his injuries making themselves known.
Blood pooled beneath him. His left arm hung at an unnatural angle. Breathing sent shards of agony through his chest.
But even through the haze of pain, Lin Feng felt triumphant. He had failed. Deliberately, completely. And if his theory was correct...
A crimson notification appeared:
[Failure Detected: Combat Loss]
[Analyzing Defeat Parameters...]
[Reward Generated: Iron Skin (Basic) + Meridian Repair (Minor)]
[Activating Rewards...]
Warmth spread through Lin Feng's battered body. The sensation intensified until it burned like fire beneath his skin. He bit down on his sleeve to stifle a scream as his broken bones knitted together and torn flesh mended.
The process lasted less than a minute. When it finished, Lin Feng sat up, touching his face in wonder. The swelling had vanished. His split lip had sealed without a scar. Even his broken teeth had regrown.
He flexed his previously broken arm. Not only had it healed, it felt stronger. His skin had taken on a subtle metallic sheen visible only when light struck it at certain angles.
[Iron Skin (Basic) Activated: Physical Resistance +20%]
[Meridian Repair Complete: 3/108 Meridians Functional]
[Current Qi: 25 Units]
Lin Feng stood, testing his weight on legs that moments ago had been bruised to the bone. The pain had vanished completely.
He walked to the wall of the shack and examined it. Solid stone foundation beneath wooden planks. Lin Feng clenched his fist and drove it into the stone with all his strength.
The stone cracked. Pain flared in his knuckles, but no blood appeared. His skin had indeed hardened.
Lin Feng stepped back, looking at the spiderweb fractures spreading from the impact point. Blood from earlier still coated his teeth as he smiled, a predator's expression devoid of mirth.
"Time to fail upward," he whispered to the empty shack.