Time slipped away, each moment weighted with unspoken urgency. For Andrew Han, every passing day was a reminder that his journey to surpass his master—and to hone his martial strength—could not wait. The world outside Riverford moved on, but Andrew’s thoughts raced ahead, restless and determined.
August 31st. Morning light.
Sunlight—bright and slightly scorching—spilled in through the windows, flooding the living room with a golden glow, as if summer itself was reluctant to let go.
Lucy Han sat on the sofa, her mood heavy and clouded. She hugged a knitted cushion nearly as tall as her little frame, her fair cheeks drawn with rare sorrow—a sight almost never seen on her usually cheerful face.
She watched her brother, Andrew, as he packed his clothes and quietly placed them in his backpack, each movement stirring a deeper unease in her heart.
Every time Andrew tidied something and tucked it away, Lucy’s gaze lingered, her anxiety growing with each item that disappeared into the bag.
Though Lucy was only four, she sensed something was changing. Her lips pouted, and she stared at Andrew with wide, unblinking eyes—so full of innocence and silent worry that even Andrew felt his heart tighten.
"Brother..." Lucy’s voice was soft, trembling with hope and a hint of fear.
"Are you leaving?" she asked, cautious and hesitant, as if dreading the answer. Andrew paused, feeling the weight of her question press against his chest.
Her gaze held a trace of timidity, as if she already knew the answer but wished to deny it. Even her cheeks tensed, tiny muscles straining in silent protest against the coming separation.
"Mm, I'm going to Southland University," Andrew Han said, casually placing his backpack by the door and walking over to his little sister on the sofa. "Didn't I mention this two days ago? What's wrong?"
Sniffle.
Sniffle.
Little Lucy, delicate as carved jade, shrank into the sofa. Her lips trembled as she mumbled a few times, then suddenly burst into loud sobs: "Brother, do you not want me anymore?"
Andrew was startled and quickly hugged his sister. "How could that be? I'll come back."
"I don't believe you."
"I don't believe you," Lucy said, shrinking back, turning her head away, crying sadly, unwilling to talk to the brother she thought was abandoning her.
"Really, I'll be back in two days," Andrew promised.
"Two days? Brother, you'll only be gone for two days?" Lucy's crying stopped. Her face showed confusion and hope as she looked up, clinging tightly to Andrew's arm.
Seeing her sparkling eyes, Andrew was instantly speechless.
However,
Greenfield City isn’t actually that far from Riverford.
If he took the high-speed train, coming home once a weekend wouldn’t waste much time. But when Lucy saw her brother hesitating, her bright little face instantly dimmed.
"Brother."
"Don’t go, don’t leave."
Lucy clung to her brother in heartbreak, refusing to let go no matter what.
Andrew Han didn’t dare move too much. His condensed strength kept increasing, now fused to about thirty percent. Even a little extra force could kill someone without him even noticing.
Even an ordinary Upper Three Ranks martial student,
would never be able to withstand a casual slap from Andrew Han.
Back when his strength surpassed thirty thousand jin, Andrew had already become wary. Now, his fused power was even more terrifying than raw strength alone—he had to be extremely careful.
"Brother will never leave you, Lucy." Andrew gently pinched her soft cheeks and spoke softly.
No matter whether the memories in his mind were truly from a previous life, his blood bond with Lucy was irreplaceable. It was one of the most precious things Andrew cherished.
Thinking this, warmth and peace flickered in Andrew’s eyes.
Because,
When he left home for university in his previous life, Lucy had cried exactly the same way—her bright little face streaming with tears, her delicate nose trembling.
"Why is Lucy crying?" Linda Chen hurried over.
With their mother’s comfort, Lucy gradually stopped crying, but her reddened big eyes still stared at her brother, full of reluctant grievance.
"Once school starts, I’ll try to come home once a week," Andrew said after a moment’s thought.
If Master Miles Ning hadn’t required him to enter the Martial Arts Student Ranking Battle, and if he didn’t need to travel to other cities to seek out Graywhite Aura, he wouldn’t want to leave home either.
But he had to keep getting stronger.
Whenever Andrew Han recalled all the demons and specters from his previous life, he knew his martial strength needed to surpass even his master, Miles Ning.
In other words,
At minimum, he had to reach the Martial General Realm—the third of the Three Martial Realms.
But right now, he was only at First Rank. It would take months to advance to Martial Artist—he couldn’t afford to relax for even a moment.
But as he was thinking this, his father, William Han, frowned and said, "Nonsense! Coming home once a week—is that how you approach your studies at university?"
"Uh..." Andrew Han was left speechless.
It was hard to explain—he couldn’t very well tell his parents that he was going to Southland University not to study, but to practice martial arts.
It was a bit of a headache.
Even now, he didn’t understand the secret his master, Miles Ning, had hinted at—the reason why universal martial training was absolutely impossible, even forbidden by the Martial Arts World’s iron laws.
Not enough martial arts resources? That couldn’t be it.
Sect monopoly? That was already ruled out.
Andrew Han could only vaguely guess—it might have something to do with martial arts itself. This secret had led to the Martial Arts World’s three iron laws: break them and you die, no exceptions.
Sigh.
"Dad, I really love studying. I wish I could learn from dawn till dusk," Andrew Han said earnestly. "Once I get to the Academy, I’ll study day and night to build a solid professional foundation."
"That’s more like it," William Han’s expression softened.
Indeed,
He’d seen his son Andrew’s extraordinary strength, but in an age ruled by firearms, cold weapons were history. No matter how strong you got, you couldn’t stop a bullet.
Compared to martial arts, professional knowledge was what really mattered.
But neither William Han nor Andrew Han knew that martial arts were actually the distilled essence of all knowledge. Advanced techniques imitated nature’s laws and the human body, then summarized and refined them to create new arts.
Every martial art was a concentration of knowledge.
So William Han’s belief that knowledge could change one’s fate was, in fact, correct.
"By the way."
William Han suddenly frowned and looked at his son. "On the first day of the Martial Arts Program, you have to choose a major. Have you decided what you want to study? You should have thought about this already."
Seeing his father's serious face, Andrew Han pressed his lips together.
This matter... He seemed to have considered it, maybe, sort of... But as for which major specifically, he still needed to think carefully. At least it had to meet two criteria.
First, the coursework had to be easy.
Second, the exams had to be simple.
After a quick mental spin, Andrew suddenly blurted out, "Accounting!"
"Hm? That major doesn’t sound so great," William Han raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
"Dad, you just don’t know. Actually... Accounting is a really good major," Andrew said righteously, though he wasn’t sure exactly why.
Anyway, Monica Zhang chose Accounting.
He figured they should trust the academic judgment of a top student and beauty.
"Be specific. What kind of jobs can you get in the future?" William Han sat on the sofa, his expression serious.
Linda Chen soothed Lucy Han and watched from the side.
Andrew Han coughed twice, straightened up, and said seriously, "Monica Zhang applied for this major. According to her, the future prospects are limitless."
"Dad."
"If you don’t trust me, you should at least trust Monica Zhang’s judgment—she ranked seventh in our school on the college entrance exam."
William Han nodded, feeling his son’s analysis made sense.
The next moment,
"Alright, alright." Linda Chen, holding the now-calmed Lucy Han, handed her to Andrew. "You’ll be leaving soon, son. Eat something first before you go."
Then William Han added, "Don’t eat too much, or you’ll get sleepy."
They both knew Andrew Han was leaving with two female classmates. If Monica Zhang weren’t among them, Linda Chen would definitely have insisted on escorting him all the way to Greenfield City.
Andrew sat on the sofa, pinched Lucy’s cheek, and said casually, "Don’t worry."
He’d only had his driver’s license for less than a month and was still in the probation period.
His parents knew he hadn’t gotten his license through the usual driving school process. Only after riding with him a few times did they finally trust his driving skills.
Driving wasn’t hard.
Especially since Andrew Han, as a First Rank martial artist, had precise muscle control—there was no chance of fumbling behind the wheel.
Besides,
If a life-or-death emergency ever came up, he could just leap out of the car, brake with his feet, and stop other vehicles by hand—provided there weren’t too many witnesses.
"Brother." Lucy Han pouted, glaring at Andrew.
Her eyes were still red, and her face was streaked with tears.
Andrew stroked her little head, "Don’t be sad, okay? I promise I’ll come back often."
"Mm-hmm."
Lucy nodded furiously.
Off to the side,
Linda Chen glanced at the now cheerful Lucy and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she asked, "Son, what do you want to eat?"
What to eat?
Andrew simply lifted Lucy up and smiled warmly, "Lucy, what delicious thing do you want to eat?"
At the word "delicious," Lucy’s eyes sparkled, all her sadness forgotten. She swallowed twice and piped up in her childish voice, "Seven-Nest Pork Rib Soup!"
...
Outside Monica Zhang’s apartment complex.
A plainly dressed middle-aged woman stood just inside the gate, gazing from afar at the silver car parked outside, shaking her head with a smile.
"Monica, that girl..."
"Insisted on leaving with her classmates. I knew it—it had to be a boy."
She was Monica Zhang’s mother.
Standing beside her, Roy Zhang let out a deep, aggrieved sigh. "That’s Andrew Han from William Han’s family—a Third Rank martial arts student. His character and morals are both excellent."
"Then why the sigh?" Monica’s mother asked, puzzled.
"I’m just lamenting—a pig probably can’t recognize a fine cabbage. Doomed to be single for life," Roy Zhang said, hands clasped behind his back, sighing leisurely.