My classmates chose martial arts and fantasy, but I chose the prehistoric world.

Upon hearing his daughter speak, Su Zhengyang was first taken aback, then overjoyed.

"Alright! Alright! Since Qingyue is willing, then it's settled!"

He looked at Lin Hanshan, "Brother Hanshan, there's no better time than today. Let's exchange tokens and establish our marriage contract!"

Lin Hanshan looked at Xiao Yan: "Yan'er, are you really unwilling?"

Xiao Yan opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

But Su Zhengyang had already laughed and taken out half of the jade pendant, stuffing it into his hand.

"Nephew, this is Qingyue's personal jade pendant; the other half is with her. The marriage is settled! Six months from now, bring this token to my Iron Sword Sect to marry Qingyue!"

Xiao Yan held the warm, smooth jade pendant, on the verge of tears.

He wanted to explain, to say that he was a time traveler who would disappear in a dozen years.

But can he say that?

If I tell them, who will believe me? And if they do believe me, won't I be burned as a demon?

In the end, he could only shut up and accept his fate.

A marriage contract was signed in a daze.

Xiao Yan comforted himself: "Just marry her then. Su Qingyue is beautiful. It's not a bad deal."

When she returns to Earth in a decade or so, she can simply remarry.

But he didn't expect the change to happen so quickly.

A month after the engagement was made, Su Zhengyang visited again.

This time, his expression was solemn, and Su Qingyue, whose demeanor had become somewhat aloof, followed behind him.

"Brother Hanshan, this marriage... I'm afraid it has to be called off."

Su Zhengyang sighed, "Some time ago, Qingyue was found to possess 'martial bones'."

"Martial Bone?" Lin Hanshan's pupils shrank.

"Yes, a martial bone that appears only once in a thousand years." Su Zhengyang smiled bitterly. "Brother Hanshan should know that those who possess martial bones, if they devote themselves to martial arts, can only reach the innate realm as a starting point, and have the potential to advance to the Grandmaster realm."

Grandmaster!

This legendary realm of martial arts in the low-level martial arts world has not been entered for over a thousand years. It is said that only unparalleled geniuses with martial bones can step into it!

Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Su Qingyue.

The girl stood with her head bowed, her expression complex, a mixture of joy, pride, and a hint of... relief.

She was already reluctant to marry him because he wasn't good-looking.

Now that he possesses martial prowess and a promising future, he has no reason to submit to him.

"I understand what Brother Su means."

Lin Hanshan spoke slowly, his voice gradually turning cold.

"Qingyue possesses martial prowess and a bright future. My Yan'er... is he no longer worthy of her?"

Su Zhengyang looked ashamed, but his tone was firm:

"Brother Hanshan, we have been friends for many years, so I will speak frankly with you. Now that Qingyue possesses martial talent, her marriage is no longer just a matter for her alone; it concerns the future rise and fall of our Iron Sword Sect."

"Nephew Xiao Yan... is a good boy. But... alas, I don't want to ruin Qingyue's life, nor do I want to ruin my nephew's life."

The words were phrased tactfully, but the meaning was clear.

break off an engagement!

Xiao Yan remained silent.

Should he be glad? It's better this marriage, which he never wanted in the first place, was called off.

But the feeling of suffocation in my heart just wouldn't go away.

Even if he didn't care about the marriage at all, the feeling of being rejected in front of others, as if he were discarded like trash...

This is fucking awful!

"Oh……"

Lin Hanshan suddenly laughed, a laugh that was icy and chilling.

He stood up, walked to Xiao Yan's side, and pressed down on his shoulder.

"Su Zhengyang, I don't blame you for breaking off the engagement today! People strive for better things, just as water flows downhill... It's only natural..."

"but--"

He stared at Su Zhengyang, his gaze suddenly sharpening, each word spoken with resounding force:

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young person's potential!"

"Today you despise my adopted son for his mediocre talent, but one day I will ensure he reaches the pinnacle of martial arts, making your Iron Sword Sect... unable to even dream of reaching him!"

After he finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Su Zhengyang's expression changed, but he finally sighed and cupped his hands in greeting.

"In that case, I, Su, will wait and see."

After saying that, he turned and left with Su Qingyue.

Before leaving, Su Qingyue turned back and glanced at Xiao Yan.

That look contained apology, pity, and even more so, a faint hint of...disdain.

It's as if it's saying: Sorry, but we're ultimately from different worlds.

Xiao Yan clenched his fist, his nails digging into his flesh.

……

Lin Hanshan changed after that day.

No, he's completely obsessed!

He poured all his heart and soul into Xiao Yan.

He wanted to cultivate his adopted son into a strongman, a grandmaster, someone who would make the Iron Sword Sect, Su Zhengyang, and everyone who looked down on him regret their actions!

"From today onwards, you will get up at 5 a.m. every day and practice boxing for two hours."

"A medicinal bath at Chenshi (7-9 AM), soaking the feet for one hour."

"Practice swordsmanship at 9:00 AM, saber at 1:00 PM, body techniques at 3:00 PM, and internal energy cultivation at 5:00 PM."

"Before 9 PM, memorize three martial arts insights."

"A moment of laziness, ten lashes. A moment of slackness, an extra hour of practice."

As Xiao Yan listened to the densely packed schedule, his vision blurred.

"Godfather, I...I am of mediocre talent, I'm afraid..."

He wanted to say that he didn't care about being jilted, he really didn't care at all...

Snapped!

The whip lashed at his feet, sending pebbles flying.

"Mediocrity? Then make up for it with blood and sweat!"

Lin Hanshan's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a madman.

"While others practice once, you practice ten times! While others sleep for three hours, you sleep for one hour! While others sweat a drop of sweat, you bleed a bowl of blood!"

"I refuse to believe that I, Lin Hanshan, cannot teach a grandmaster!"

He desperately wanted to escape, but he couldn't...

He tried three times.

The first time, she escaped to a small town at the foot of the mountain, but Lin Hanshan caught her on the street and hung her from a tree for half an hour.

The second time, he fled into the deep mountains and hid for three days. He was almost killed by wild animals, but Lin Hanshan dragged him back.

The third time, he tried to sneak away at night, but in his panic, he fell off a cliff, broke two ribs, and was bedridden for half a month.

The second time he was caught, the punishment was doubled.

The third time, double it again.

The last time, Lin Hanshan threw him into the icy pool, where he soaked for an entire night.

"If you try to escape again, I'll break your legs and make you bedridden for the rest of your life, practicing internal martial arts!"

Xiao Yan was scared.

He was really scared.

This godfather has gone mad.

From then on, he dared not run away again.

He could only grit his teeth and repeat that inhuman training day after day.

Just like now.

boom! boom! boom!

His fist slammed into the bluestone, shattering his joints and drawing blood.

He dared not stop.

Behind him, Lin Hanshan's gaze lingered like a leech.

"Your strength has gone weak! Didn't you eat?!"

The whip flashed through the air and struck his back.

Xiao Yan groaned, his gums bleeding from biting so hard, and he increased the force of his punch by three points.

Cracks spread across the surface of the bluestone.

"stop!"

Lin Hanshan suddenly spoke.

Xiao Yan staggered, pulled back his fist, and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. His clothes were soaked with sweat and blood.

That's all for today.

Lin Hanshan tossed over a bottle of medicine powder.

"Apply the ointment, and continue at dawn tomorrow."

Having said that, he turned and left.

Xiao Yan lay on the cold cliff, staring blankly at the gray sky.

How long will we have to live like this?

ten years?

Eight years?

One year on Earth is at least a decade or more in a low-level martial arts world, and the earliest known time is at least eleven years.

He only endured three years, but it felt like he had lived three lifetimes.

Every day when I open my eyes, it's all about practicing boxing, taking medicinal baths, practicing swordsmanship, practicing saber techniques, practicing body movements, practicing internal energy cultivation...

With my eyes closed, I still feel the pain of the whip lashing my body in my dreams, Lin Hanshan's bloodshot eyes, and Su Qingyue's last disdainful look.

He misses home.

I miss that simple yet warm little house with two bedrooms and a living room.

I miss my mother's home-cooked meals, and I miss my father silently eating his rice.

I miss the classrooms on Earth, and those days when I didn't have to bleed or sweat, and only had to memorize and do exercises.

He even thought about the teleportation ceremony, and the white light that sent him to this godforsaken place.

Would it have been better if we had been randomly assigned to a high-martial arts world?

At least, the world of high-level martial arts has a more complete martial arts system and more opportunities, unlike now, where one is forced to train to death by a mad godfather.

You can randomly be drawn into a high-level martial arts class, but the mortality rate is over 10%.

He may have died long ago.

Xiao Yan forced a smile, but it looked worse than crying.

He thought of Luo Feng.

That guy got his wish and randomly arrived in the world of high martial arts.

Given the other party's martial arts skills and cheerful personality, they must be thriving here. They might have already joined a prestigious sect and learned some formidable skills.

But the world of martial arts is fraught with danger. Is he... still alive?

There's also Chen Beixuan.

If he went to the world of immortals and heroes, with his family's inherited skills and his talent for cultivation, he would probably have already reached the Foundation Establishment stage by now.

The world of immortals and heroes is a place where one can fly through the sky and travel thousands of miles on a sword.

This is much more exciting than this damn low-level martial arts world.

Finally, he remembered Meng Chuan.

"When I left, Meng Chuan hadn't made his choice yet... but he definitely chose a martial arts world, though I don't know if he was randomly assigned to a low-level or high-level martial arts world..."

After muttering to himself, Xiao Yan shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and, despite the excruciating pain in his body, slowly sat up and haphazardly sprinkled the medicine powder on his wounds.

The powder stung him, and he grimaced, but dared not utter a sound.

Fearing that his adoptive father, Lin Hanshan, would hear him, he decided to practice for an extra hour.

He will have to struggle here for another decade or so.

Only then can we return to Earth, to that familiar yet strange world.

"Dad, Mom... I miss you..."

Xiao Yan looked up at the sky, two lines of tears falling down her face.

A man doesn't easily shed tears, unless he's truly heartbroken!