2: Chapter 2 The System of Father's Nobility Through Son

Under the dim light, a youth with a tall but somewhat thin build stood at the doorway.

The youth looked very much like him, but there was a delicate grace in his brows that came from his mother.

But at this moment, that originally handsome face was covered in black and blue bruises; there was even an unhealed gash at the corner of his left eye, and his lip was bruised.

The No. 1 High School uniform he wore was also torn to shreds, with mud and bloodstains on the cuffs.

"..."

Su Wu's hand suddenly gripped the sofa's armrest, his nails sinking deep into the fabric, his knuckles turning white from the force.

A long-lost hostility surged in his chest, but it was instantly suppressed by a sense of helplessness.

"What happened?" Su Wu's voice was somewhat hoarse, as he tried his best to control his trembling. "Was it... because of that matter again?"

Su Yu did not answer immediately.

He limped over to stand across from Su Wu, his head lowered like a child who had done something wrong.

But his eyes were exceptionally bright, carrying a stubbornness that did not match his age.

"Dad, it doesn't hurt." Su Yu looked up and forced a strained smile, which pulled at the wound on his lip, making him hiss in pain.

"Who did this?" Su Wu took a deep breath and asked in a low voice.

"No one, just a spar." Su Yu avoided his father's gaze, but his trembling fingers betrayed him.

How could it be a spar?

Su Wu knew his son all too well. Although Su Yu wasn't considered a top-tier "second generation" at the No. 1 High School, his combat ability was extremely strong; ordinary students couldn't possibly hurt him. The only ones who could beat him like this—and make him afraid to fight back—were the children of the powerful and wealthy.

"Is it because of the registration fee for the Martial Arts Department Entrance Exam?" Su Wu suddenly asked, a hint of heartache in his voice.

Su Yu looked up sharply, a flash of panic in his eyes. Then he gritted his teeth, as if he had made a certain decision.

"Dad, I'm not taking the Martial Arts exam anymore."

The youth kept his head down, his voice very soft, yet it exploded like a thunderclap in the small living room.

"What did you say?!" Su Wu stood up abruptly. Because he rose too quickly, his vision even went dark for a moment.

"I said, I'm not taking it!" Su Yu looked up, his eyes red and his voice thick with tears. "That spot was supposed to be mine! It's that Wang Tai! His family is rich, and they gave the Dean 100,000 yuan to take my recommended admission spot! He even brought people to corner me, saying if I dared to register, he would... break my legs and find someone to make you lose your job!"

The youth's tears finally began to fall uncontrollably. He clenched his fists so hard his nails pierced his palms.

"Dad, I've looked into it. That Wang Tai's uncle is a Deputy Commander of the City Defense Force. We can't afford to offend them... we really can't..."

"And the registration fee is 50,000 yuan... I know we don't have the money. I'm not going. Tomorrow I'll go to a construction site to move bricks. I'm at the Body Refinement Realm Perfection; I have a lot of strength and can earn quite a bit in a month..."

*Slap!*

The crisp sound of a slap rang out.

Su Yu was stunned. He clutched his face, looking at his father in disbelief.

Su Wu's hand stopped in mid-air, trembling slightly. This was the first time in eighteen years he had hit his son.

That slap landed on his son's face, but the pain was in his own heart, as if someone were carving out his very soul with a knife.

"Nonsense!"

Su Wu roared, veins bulging on his neck and eyes as red as blood. "I had you study and practice martial arts so you could do something more than move bricks! You don't need to worry about the money! Even if I have to sell my blood or my kidneys, I will support you!"

"As for Wang Tai..."

Su Wu's voice suddenly dropped, carrying a heart-chilling coldness. But looking at his son's injured face, that coldness ultimately turned into endless sorrow.

"I'll find a way. You just focus on your martial arts. Even if the sky falls, your father will hold it up for you."

After saying this, Su Wu seemed to age ten years in an instant.

He didn't look at his son again, turning to walk into the narrow bedroom and slamming the door shut.

Leaning against the door, Su Wu slowly slid down to sit on the floor, his hands clutching his hair tightly.

A deep sense of powerlessness submerged him like a tide.

Find a way?

What way could he possibly have?

Go and risk his life against that Deputy Commander? With his current crippled body at the Body Refinement Realm, he would probably be shot dead before he even got close.

Go and beg that Dean? Without money or power, who would care about a worthless life like his?

"Ah!!!"

Su Wu let out a silent roar from his throat, tears streaming down his weathered face.

Grandmaster?

To hell with being a Grandmaster!

Right now, he didn't even have the right to seek justice for his son!

"Wan'er... I've failed you, and I've failed Little Yu..."

It was late at night.

Su Wu lay in bed, his body exhausted, but his spirit was suffering in agony. He didn't know how long it took before he finally drifted into a heavy sleep.

In his dream, he returned to that night of despair eighteen years ago.

Starships blotted out the sun, and that man stood in the Void Realm, like a deity looking down upon ants.

A giant palm of light descended from the sky, crushing his bones, his dignity, and his entire life.

That sense of suffocation and despair made him feel like he couldn't breathe, even in the dream.

"No... don't..."

Su Wu struggled within the nightmare, cold sweat soaking his pillow.

Deep within this desperate dream, inside his long-shattered and withered Dantian, a faint, almost imperceptible light began to flicker, synchronized with the sound of the youth's indignant breathing in the next room...

[Ding! Intense emotional fluctuations detected from the host's offspring, Su Yu...]

[fathers glory system activating...]

"Ah?"

Su Wu jolted awake from the nightmare, his heart still pounding in his chest, cold sweat soaking his undershirt.

He gasped for air, his eyes somewhat unfocused. It was that dream again, the dream where his dignity was crushed by a single palm.

"Whew... is it another hallucination?"

Su Wu rubbed his throbbing temples. Just as he was about to laugh bitterly at whether he had gone mad from wanting to become stronger, that cold, mechanical voice exploded in the depths of his mind again, as clear as a grand bell!

[System activation successful!]

[Bound Offspring: Su Yu]

[Current Offspring Realm: Body Refinement Realm Great Perfection]

[According to the "Fathers Glory" rule, the host's Realm will always be four major Realms higher than the offspring's!]

[Host Realm synchronizing... Host Realm increased to: Great Grandmaster Great Perfection!]

Simultaneously, a series of information streams scrolled past like a waterfall:

[Offspring is practicing "Wild Bull Fist", Minor Achievement... Host's "Wild Bull Fist" automatically reaches Perfection, and Fist Intent has been comprehended!]

[Offspring is circulating the basic "Qi-Breaking Formula", just starting out... Host's "Qi-Breaking Formula" automatically reaches Perfection and evolves into "Primal Chaos One Qi Technique"!]

"This is..."

Su Wu's pupils shrank violently, and his whole body froze on the bed.