My eyes flickered open as the morning rays glimmered on my face through the gaps in the window blinds.

After ridding myself of my waking drowsiness by letting out a giant yawn, I hopped out of my bed and energetically darted over to the window in my room.

As I made it to the windowsill I hastily tore open the blinds, as if they were wrappers to a gift.

And the picturesque scene that was consequently revealed was akin to a glorious gift!

The simplistic yet refreshing clear blue sky which hung above my head.

The verdant grassy plane far down below me, which contained countless intricate details that truly gave it beauty; such as large patches of vibrant wildflowers that swayed with the morning breeze and packs of animals that grazed through the fields in order to scavenge for their breakfast.

These two parts when combined gave a beautiful contrast that reflected off my eyes and enraptured me.

"No matter how many times I've witnessed it, this scene never gets old!

"Truth be told, although a lot of things in the Chen Clan give me a pain in the ass, being able to see such a picture-perfect view like this every morning really makes me think it's worth it!

"I mean come on!

"When in my previous life could I have ever even imagined living in such conditions?!

"Just remembering that shitty apartment that's best view was the monotone grey concrete wall from the back of some estate building, makes me shed tears of pity for my past self!"

As the memories of that place tried to trickle back in, I shook my head and lightly slapped both sides of my cheeks with my palms to snap myself out of it.

"Stop caring about those things now, Bu Cai!

"Think for the future, damn it!

"I've got a nice two hours or so to get fully ready and make my way to Chen Long's training grounds, otherwise I'll be punished big time!"

Following that thought, I bathed, dressed up, gave my sword a good clean, and then whizzed out of the house on sword-back, shooting through the air at great speeds.

...

...Unbeknownst to me at the time, what awaited me was not something I was to look forward to.

No.

The instant I took a step outside this home of mine, I was destined to be never the same.

...

Landing upon the paved front entrance of the Clan Leader's estate, I withdrew my sword into my spatial ring and then approached the massive wooden calmly.

*Knock* *Knock*

I gently knocked on the door and stood there awaiting one of the servants to open it and let me in.

*Bang!*

Without any warning, the door was suddenly blasted open with a kick from the inside!

I tried to spring away, but sadly, I was far too close to the door and didn't make it in time.

As the door of doom approached me, I made a split-second decision to shut my eyes, clench my teeth and brace for impact!

To be honest, a mere door could never have injured me, this was just out of instinct.

*Thud*

I felt my body fall to the ground, but surprisingly, I didn't feel any wood-to-body action.

"...Hahahaha!"

Instead of hearing the connection from the door hitting me, an annoying laughter resounded instead.

"Pffft, you totally shit yourself off a door!

"To think the 'oh so great' Bu Cai's weakness was doors!"

...This voice.

I opened my eyes and looked up to see a handsome and tall young man with vivid crimson hair and bright green eyes standing at the doorway looking at me with a cheeky grin on his face.

Seeing me look up at him, he says to me in an upbeat tone.

"Sup bitch!

"How have you managed to visit here multiple times, yet not know that the front door is made of Hollow-Phantom wood?

"Are you a dumbass or just a... dumbass?!"

As the last words escaped his mouth, I felt my face burn up and my veins protruded so much they felt like they would burst!

Of course, I would've known if I had checked with the system- But why the fuck would I analyse a damn door if anything?!

"...Chen Fei...you're really asking for it!"

As I got up my face was contorted to the max from anger. Seeing my expression and knowing he was entering dangerous territory, Chen Fei's eyes wavered a bit before shouting,

"Asking for what?

"A new robe that isn't soiled in last night's dinner, you filthy dog?!"

He then ran for his life.

Seeing his back disappear into the house, my fists unconsciously clenched together and without a second thought I sprinted into a chase whilst shouting,

"It seems like I've gotten a bit complacent with the beatings recently!"

...

After a few minutes of running around, both Chen Fei and I were standing outside in the training area waiting for Chen Long to appear.

Covering his head with both his hands whilst cringing in pain, Chen Fei looks at me spitefully and grumbled,

"What kind of petty brother are you?!

"Did you really have to hit my poor little head that hard, just for a small joke?!"

Hearing him complain angrily brought a smile to my face, and instead of remaining on this topic I diverted the conversation by asking,

"So?

"Did you find out anything about the upcoming training after staying over here for the night?

"Surely, he must have slipped something after reading you a bedtime story!"

Hearing my question, Chen Fei clicked his tongue and said with some irritation,

"That damn old man was tight-lipped the entire day!

"No matter how much I tried asking about it, he'd always give an ambiguous smile and stay silent!

"And shut up! I don't get read bedtime stories, you fucker!"

As I was about to pose another question, a tall man with a regal aura suddenly appeared in front of us like a ghost.

Upon seeing us, he gave a smile whilst saying,

"Seems like both of you brats are in high spirits this morning!"

We jumped at his sudden appearance, however, we were used to it somewhat, so we ignored it and quickly gave a bow as well as the customary,

"Greetings, Clan Head!"

Then we looked up at him with eyes filled with anticipation, patiently waiting for his next words.

The reason we were so intently focused on what the training would be, was that we knew it was what we were going to have to live and breathe for the following few months.

By knowing what the training would be, we could try and figure out ways to make it more bearable for ourselves- Such as if there were any rules we could exploit.

You could say it was us trying to be lazy and avoid work.

However, for me at least, I wanted to gain more time.

With this time, I would strive to work on other essential areas such as mulling over what I had to do in the future to help deal with Long Tian or squeeze in some more qi circulation.

Seeing our expressions, Chen Long wasted no more time and whipped out two deathly black braces.

Seeing that thing, the passion drained from our faces.

It was the creation we dreaded the most.

The thing that gave me nightmares more times than I could count.

Qi restriction braclets.

A shiver ran down my spine as daunting memories of the powerlessness I had felt during the first training returned.

The terrible feeling of not being able to control the facility I rely on the most.

Akin to being a dove that had its wings clipped off.

Before Chen Fei could even do any of his usual retorting, Chen Long, who was in front of us, flickered for a moment- as if he were a hologram.

Then without having the time for my brain to even process what had happened, all the qi-controlling facilities that I had honed for many years went awry and the very vulnerability I feared... had returned in full.

After a few moments had passed my senses were regained, and I instantly noticed that, wrapped so tightly on my left wrist that it was a hair's breadth off constricting the blood flow to my hand, was a void black bracelet.

It felt as if it were a cuff used to chain criminals, not a training tool.

Unlike the dazed Chen Fei who had not adapted yet, my gaze quickly shot up towards Chen Long eagerly listening to what he had to say next.

"Although I am aware of your excitement, all shall be revealed within due time."

After saying that with the same old smile that looked rather evil to me now, he paused for a moment seemingly taking into account Chen Fei, before continuing.

"In a moment or so I will be taking you both to the 'special site' for this training, however, as you two probably know... this old man here has a rather nasty knack for keeping things a surprise!"

As soon as he said this, he once again stretched out his hand, this time revealing two black blindfolds to us.

I didn't have much say, and Chen Fei seemed to clock that no rebuttals would be accepted, so we both took one and obediently stuck on the blindfolds which successfully obscured our vision.

Merely moments after, I felt a large, thick palm grasp my shoulder so firmly a slight pain could be felt from it.

However, that pain was only momentary, as in the next instant a sudden bone-chilling coldness assaulted me- As though I had just entered a butcher's chiller room.

The calming sounds of nature and the comfortable morning sunlight that warmed me had disappeared into thin air.

Even the ground I now stood on was no longer the soft yet bristly grass, instead, it felt solid and rigid.

Before I could even mutter a word, Chen Long's voice echoed within my ears in a strangely sombre tone,

"Bu Cai, you'll be able to remove your blindfold in a few seconds, and upon doing so I'd like you to stand still and wait for further instruction.

"This training is one that will be taken separately from Chen Fei, and your task shall be revealed soon via spiritual transmission."

His last words, before I was entrenched in complete silence, were said in a heavy tone,

"Ensure you are steadfast and rational, as without these principles you will inevitably suffer.

"I expect you won't disappoint."

After waiting a bit longer, I promptly took off my blindfold and gave my current surroundings a scan.

Emptiness.

That's all.

There seemed to be nothing of significance within this large isolated chamber.

The floors and walls were tiled with monotone grey bricks.

There was also an obnoxiously bright overhead light source glaring down on everything from above- one which you would only expect to see within an interrogation room.

Worst of all, though not physical, the place had a lifeless and eerie vibe permeating throughout.

Not one thing about this place made me want to stay even a minute longer.

However, I decided to follow Chen Long's instructions and stiffly stand stationary until further instruction.

Through this tense and uncomfortable wait, I couldn't hold back this irritable feeling that coursed through every fibre of my being, warning me that something horrible was going to occur soon.

Something very horrible.

It made my heart pound faster every second that ticked by.

Then it happened.

A voice was transmitted directly to my head as I was told...

...but it wasn't Chen Long's as I thought it would be.

Rather, it was an awfully unemotional, robotic voice.

"Phase one protocol... initiated.

"Optimal opponent selected.

"Candidate's task being issued...

"...Please eliminate your opponent, before they eliminate you."

...

...What?

...

--------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading the chapter, hope you enjoyed it.

Any suggestions, feedback and criticisms would be much appreciated.

I am already aware that my pacing is very bad, therefore, I will try to address this issue by focusing on propelling the plot forward from now on.

That being said though, I also feel like it is fitting for the first world- where our protagonist first begins to interact with the fantasy elements beyond the norm- to be longer than later worlds.

This is because Bu Cai is currently new to this whole 'thing'.

Everything right now should be something that invokes curiosity and adventurousness.

Naturally, things will change down the line as Bu Cai's experiences and mentality change.

Anyhow, once again, I thank you all for reading this chapter, and my novel as a whole.