Wow, I really want to die

The summer sun blazed, and time flowed like water—in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Thump thump thump.

"Lin Changqiang! Lin Changqiang?"

From outside the door came Lin Dong's voice, rising louder and louder.

"Lin Changqiang, don't hide in there and stay silent—I know you're home! You had the guts to say you'd ascend to the pinnacle of martial arts, look down on the world, and sweep away all injustice, so why don't you have the guts to open the door!?"

"Bastard!" Lin Changqiang was currently lying miserably on his bed, repeatedly smashing his head into his pillow.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it!"

"I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die!"

Yes, ever since a month ago, when Lin Changqiang had suddenly been struck by a fit of chuunibyou and blurted out those words in a surge of hot blood, every time he recalled that day now, he was overwhelmed by a suffocating shame. But Lin Dong had gotten completely fired up, and his affinity with Lin Changqiang had even shot up to sixty-eight. From then on, Lin Changqiang's good days were well and truly over...

Throughout the entire month, aside from having to complete his daily two-hour running task, Lin Changqiang was also dragged off by the fervent Lin Dong to spar together in Through-the-Back Fist and Stone Splitting Leg. Luckily, Lin Dong still didn't know he could recover stamina quickly, or else there was no way he'd limit their practice to "only" three hours total each morning and evening!

That wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was that, thanks to the system's assisted training, Lin Changqiang's Stone Splitting Leg and Through-the-Back Fist had long since reached perfection. Now, when he sparred with Lin Dong, he was basically acting as a free training partner. Even the blessing effect had stopped triggering after his cultivation surpassed Lin Dong's, following another ten percent experience boost.

"Sigh, wouldn't it have been nice to just lie back and earn experience? Why did I have to run my mouth?" Lin Changqiang was thoroughly frustrated. "Now I've gone and turned myself into a punching bag."

Of course, complaints were just complaints. In truth, Lin Changqiang was still grateful to Lin Dong deep down. After all, who else besides Lin Dong would spend nearly the whole day training, letting him leech experience the entire time? And it wasn't like he'd gained nothing—he'd racked up plenty of practical combat experience too.

Thump thump thump!

"Lin Changqiang, if you don't come out now, I'm coming in!"

Lin Changqiang knew this was Lin Dong's final ultimatum. Over the past month, whenever he tried to slack off and sleep in, Lin Dong would shout his name and burst in, dragging a bewildered him out of bed and bellowing at him in a voice brimming with heroic ambition—"Lin Changqiang! Have you forgotten our dream?!"

Then, without another word, he'd haul him off toward the back mountain, making Lin Changqiang secretly wonder if Lin Dong had been possessed by some thick-browed, youthful hero from a neighboring anime.

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

Answering weakly, Lin Changqiang sighed helplessly, crawled out of bed, washed up in a flash, and staggered out of the yard.

Creak— The door opened.

Lin Dong looked up and down at the youth who was slightly taller than himself, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Changqiang, if we hadn't been training together every day for the past month, I wouldn't believe you're the same person as that chubby kid from a month ago."

"Alright, alright, how many times have you said that? Aren't you tired of it? (▽｀)ノ"

Though his words were dismissive, Lin Changqiang actually felt pretty pleased inside. After all, anyone who'd successfully lost weight would feel at least a little satisfaction and pride when someone praised them for being thinner, right?

Of course, he hadn't expected that after slimming down, he'd look pretty much the same as in his past life—still just as dashing and handsome (￣▽￣)

"Let's go. I won't be running from now on; I'll just spend more time each day practicing Through-the-Back Fist and Stone Splitting Leg with you." With that, Lin Changqiang grinned and reached out his right hand, familiarly slinging it over Lin Dong's right shoulder. The two of them walked off together, arms linked, toward the back mountain.

"We don't need to practice Through-the-Back Fist today." Lin Dong had long since gotten used to Lin Changqiang's little quirks and just smiled faintly. "Yesterday, my father taught me a new Second-grade martial art—Eight Desolations Palm. Didn't you say you're a martial arts prodigy, that you could grasp the gist of a low-tier martial art after just a few looks? How about it, want to give it a try today?"

Lin Dong had always been half-skeptical of Lin Changqiang's claims, and he figured this was a good chance to see if Lin Changqiang was really telling the truth or just bluffing.

Lin Changqiang, of course, was overjoyed and quietly pulled up his personal info.

Host: Lin Changqiang Cultivation Level: Body Tempering Stage Five (92%) Martial Arts: Stone Splitting Leg (First-grade), Through-the-Back Fist (First-grade), Eight Desolations Palm (Second-grade, 2%) Cultivation Method: None Spiritual Power Level: None Secret Techniques: None Spiritual Power Method: None Treasures: Double Experience Card ×2, Double Gold Coin Card ×2, Inner Demon Trial Card Lottery Draw Count: None

"Damn, that Lin Dong kid's impressive—he just got that martial art yesterday, and he's already grinded it to almost seven percent in one night!"

"Too bad I went to bed early last night and didn't get to assist-train Eight Desolations Palm. Otherwise, with today's session added in, I could've already grasped the basics." Lin Changqiang smacked his lips, offered a token second of regret, then silently commanded, "System, train Eight Desolations Palm!"

Dong. Congratulations, host. Assisted training complete. Proficiency increased by 20%. Current proficiency: 22%.

"Heh heh heh~~"

Lin Changqiang let out a laugh worthy of a Soul Hall guardian. Lin Dong, meanwhile, just thought the guy was being weird—what was so exciting about a Second-grade martial art?

Soon, the two arrived at their usual training spot in the clearing. Lin Changqiang sat cross-legged on the grass with practiced ease, while Lin Dong walked to the center of the clearing and began explaining and demonstrating Eight Desolations Palm.

"Eight Desolations Palm is known for its ferocity—wide, sweeping movements. It looks simple and unadorned, but the palm wind is filled with a sense of power." Lin Dong paused briefly, then resumed his movements. "But if you make a few subtle adjustments, you can add a hint of softness to that originally fierce technique. At a glance, it seems no different, but when you're fighting someone, it'll catch them off guard and make them suffer."

Hearing this, Lin Changqiang knew that Lin Dong was about to teach him the version of Eight Desolations Palm enhanced by the Ancestral Stone. A warmth surged through his heart. Even if Lin Dong hadn't taught him, he could still learn it on his own, but Lin Dong didn't know that—this was still a gesture of goodwill.

"When Eight Desolations Palm, with its blend of hardness and softness, is cultivated to perfection, its power can even rival the tenth ring of Through-the-Back Fist."

"Got it!" Lin Changqiang nodded seriously. In other words, Through-the-Back Fist's basic attack < Eight Desolations Palm's basic attack < Through-the-Back Fist's ultimate move.

"Speaking of which, even your dad doesn't know you've trained Through-the-Back Fist to the tenth ring, but I do. Guess that means you've always seen me as your..."

Slap.

"Ah!"

Before Lin Changqiang could finish his sentence, Lin Dong pretended to be angry and picked up a small pebble, tossing it onto his thigh. Lin Changqiang, knowing when to quit, cooperated fully by feigning pain and letting out a dramatic cry.

"When will you ever kick that habit? Otherwise, if you run into some real tough guy who goes straight for a fight and you can't beat him, don't expect me to step in."

Lin Dong took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. In his eyes, Lin Changqiang was great in every way—after all, back when he was weak, among all the younger generation of the Lin clan, only he had helped Lin Dong and Qing Tan. The only problem was that he was just too much of a troublemaker. At first, Lin Dong thought Lin Changqiang helped him because he liked Qing Tan, but now it seemed the guy was simply kind-hearted and couldn't stand seeing the strong bully the weak.

"Haha, I'm not stupid," Lin Changqiang said smugly. "If I run into someone I can't afford to mess with, of course I won't go looking for trouble."

"???"

A Lin Dong–exclusive black-face meme materialized.

Of course, Lin Dong had always been the type to repay kindness tenfold, so he didn't really mind Lin Changqiang's occasional jokes. He just shook his head and continued demonstrating the Eight Desolations Palm, while Lin Changqiang bobbed his head and pretended to watch with great interest.

That day, after sparring with Lin Changqiang over the Eight Desolations Palm, Lin Dong began to question his life choices.