Like that, two hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Lin Chen regained control of his body and blinked. In front of him was a full cloth sack stuffed with Spiritdew grass-so full, it looked like someone had packed a big boar in a bag.
"Hehehe… this much could fetch at least a hundred low-grade spirit stones," Lin Chen grinned, already imagining the snacks—er, cultivation items—he'd buy first.
But just as he was about to head back, a sneering voice interrupted the peaceful moment.
"Well done, trash. Now hand over the bag."
Lin Chen turned around, and sure enough, the source of the voice was none other than Ji Yan. He was standing there with his usual smug face, followed by his two reliable lackeys, who always seemed more muscle than brain.
'Ah, here we go again,' Lin Chen sighed inward.
Ji Yan strolled forward like he owned the forest, arms crossed, his chin slightly raised as if the air itself wasn't worthy of touching his face.
"Tch tch tch… Lin Chen, you really outdid yourself this time," Ji Yan said with a fake smile. "A whole bag of Spiritdew grass? Not bad for someone with trash talent."
Lin Chen's fingers tightened slightly at the sack's strap. He stayed silent, though his face remained calm. Internally, he was already thinking, this guy again? Can't he just trip over a root and fall into a pit or beast cave or something?
He shook his head slightly. Cultivation world logic: peaceful moments are rare, and trouble has a habit of arriving exactly when you least want it.
The two lackeys walked up, cracking their knuckles, acting like they were already halfway through stealing his stuff.
"You know the rules," Ji Yan continued, his voice loud like he was announcing a grand sect order. "Hand over the bag, and maybe I'll let you leave with your robes still intact."
Lin Chen let out a soft, exaggerated sigh, almost theatrical. "Ji Yan… have you ever stopped for a moment and thought about, I don't know… doing something useful with your life?"
Ji Yan blinked, clearly caught off guard. "What did you just say?"
Lin Chen tilted his head slightly, "I mean… you've been running around bullying weak for years now. Don't you think it's about time to, maybe… grow up? Or are you destined to play the 'big boss of the bottom tier' forever?"
Even the lackeys exchanged uncertain glances. They were starting to wonder if Lin Chen was either incredibly brave—or completely insane.
Ji Yan's jaw twitched as he clenched his fists. "So… you've grown a spine, huh?"
"No," Lin Chen replied smoothly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "I've just grown tired of donating my energy and my patience to people who don't work for themselves—even though they were born with all the parts they needed. Seems a shame to waste it on freeloaders, doesn't it?"
When it came to roasting someone with words, he could be sure he had experience—he was an adult trained in the harsh realities of modern society. This guy? He couldn't handle a single one of his sharp remarks.
Although he talked big, Lin Chen knew he couldn't win if a fight actually broke out.
His cultivation was still only at the second stage of Root Vein, while Ji Yan had already reached the third. Not a huge gap on paper, but in real combat, that small difference could be the margin between getting smacked flat or smacking someone else.
And Lin Chen? He wasn't some hot-blooded protagonist from a cliché novel—charging in like an idiot just because someone looked at him wrong. No, he was a modern man. Step one before doing anything: use your brain.
But just because he can't fight didn't mean he'd hand over the goods.
Ji Yan was like one of those street bullies who only picked on weaker people, never anyone stronger. A bottom-feeding hyena in human clothes. The kind of guy you could find in any sect, city, or shady alley.
'Aiva, can you fight?' Lin Chen asked silently.
Because let's be honest—he had zero real combat experience. Aside from watching fights in movies, he'd never actually faced anyone in real life, so physically? He was basically defenseless.
And there were three of them: Ji Yan at the third stage, and his two lackeys at the first. Even if Lin Chen started flailing around like a madman, he'd still get beaten like a rented drum.
[I can fight by replicating the martial arts styles observed in various movie data. Estimated chance of victory: 99%.]
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.
'Wait… movie data?'
[Affirmative. Data sources include: kung fu movies, action films, and recorded sparring matches.]
'…Okay, cool. Then I leave it to you.'
As soon as Lin Chen gave permission Aiva took over.
His hesitant expression changed into something much colder. His posture straightened, feet shifted, hands lowered, and his eyes narrowed with a sharp glint that definitely didn't belong to the usual Lin Chen.
"Oi, what's this?" Ji Yan slowed, frowning, clearly thrown off. "You were running like a scared rabbit a moment ago. Now you're… doing some kind of… fighting stance?"
One of the lackeys tilted his head, scratching the back of his neck. "Bro… is he possessed or something?"
In a way… yes. Possessed by a battle AI who had devoured more martial arts movies than probably anyone else in the history of the sect — and had meticulously stored every stance, every footwork pattern, every cinematic dodge.
Ji Yan scoffed loudly, puffing out of his chest. "What? You wanna look cool before I beat you up?" His arrogance radiated like heat — he truly believed that the weak Lin Chen couldn't possibly pose a threat.
"No," Aiva replied with Lin Chen's voice, calm and robotic. "I'm just calculating how many teeth I'll need to knock out before you stop talking."
Ji Yan blinked. "Huh?"
Before he could even finish blinking — bam!
Lin Chen's body dashed forward. Ji Yan raised his arms instinctively, but it was too late. A spinning side kick—textbook-perfect yet strangely unpredictable—slammed into his stomach with a sharp
The impact launched him backward like a rag doll, skidding across the forest floor before crashing into a tree with a sickening sound.
"WHAT THE—?!" one lackey screamed.
"GET HIM!" the other shouted, lunging forward.
Too slow.
Lin Chen's body sidestepped, his body almost fluid, catching the first attacker's wrist mid-swing.
A sharp twist of his arm sent a loud pop echoing through the trees. Without hesitation, his elbow shot into the man's jaw. The strike didn't just stagger him—it sent him flying sideways, landing in an awkward heap on the ground.
The second lackey barely had time to react. Lin Chen's leg shot out with pinpoint accuracy, striking him squarely in the balls.
A sharp crack echoed, and the man's face contorted in instant agony. He dropped to his knees, hands clutching his injured manhood, eyes wide with shock and pain, before toppling forward onto the ground with a heavy thud.
"Threat level neutralized."
Then, with robotic calmness, Aiva walked over and picked up Ji Yan's fallen pouch.
"Loot acquired."
Then, control returned to Lin Chen.
He blinked.
"...Huh?"
He looked around. Ji Yan was unconscious, drooling against a tree. His two cronies were groaning on the ground like crushed carrots. And he… he was standing there completely fine.
"...Damn," Lin Chen muttered under his breath.
He had to admit—Aiva was scary good. If it had been him in control, he'd probably be lying in the dirt right now, used as a human punching bag. But Aiva? Aiva wasn't just throwing punches randomly.
Aiva had calculated everything: Ji Yan's arrogance, his overconfidence, his lack of guard. Aiva had predicted that Ji Yan wouldn't take him seriously—and used that split second of carelessness to strike first.
And glancing at the second lackey, he saw him clutching his manhood, eyes wide and teeth gritted, clearly in excruciating pain—Lin Chen could almost feel it himself, imagining the throbbing ache.
"Aiva, in the future, avoid hitting there," Lin Chen muttered, shaking his head. "For a man, that's their most important part. "
As a man, he knew it firsthand—no one could truly handle that kind of pain. Even someone with an iron will would crumple; that part was just far too sensitive.
*****
A/N: Enjoying the story? Hit 'Add to Library' to follow Lin Chen's journey — your support means a lot!
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