Three full days had passed since Qin Su's "Elongation and Prolongation Period."
Besides eating and sleeping, he had done absolutely nothing.
Who could have guessed that such a sacred process would come with such horrific side effects?
A few hours after returning home, poor Qin Su had been struck by wave after wave of diarrhea and gut-wrenching stomach pain. For a man who had faced beasts and flames, this was true suffering.
"I'd rather fight ten spirit beasts than feel that again…" he groaned at one point, curled around a bucket.
Thankfully, his mother had brewed her own special herbal remedy, and by the third day, the hero of the Lovebird Inheritance was once again fit for battle.
Unfortunately, his grand plan to lose his virginity had to be put on hold yet again.
The Junior Competition Trials
Today marked the Junior Competition Trials — the pride of the Qin Clan.
Any youth between fourteen and eighteen could participate, and the first-place prize was something every cultivator dreamed of: an Infusion Shard.
Infusion Shards were rare treasures containing elemental essences — fire, water, earth, metal, and beyond. They were the key to advancing from Core Development to the Infusion Core Realm. One shard could turn a promising youth into a clan legend.
Naturally, Qin Su's father had forced him to participate.
In his Qin family, not a single member had yet reached the Infusion Realm. His father, Qin Bo, lingered at Half-Core Development, already past his prime. His older brother, Qin Hai, was twenty-nine — still strong and ambitious — and perhaps had a shot if he could get the shard. Even little Mei, at on
ly six, was already showing terrifying potential.
As for Qin Su?
His cultivation had "stopped" years ago, but his father still believed he could rank in the top three.
After all, even when he was slacking, Qin Su was third among the clan's youth under eighteen — right behind the clan leader's son and the grand elder's.
So, participation was not optional.
Qin Su could have simply sent a clone, but he decided against it.
Why?
Because the sect leader's wife would be there in person.
That alone was reason enough.
Grabbing his bronze sword and tying his hair into a neat ponytail, Qin Su set off toward the clan's arena — humming as he walked.
Unfortunately, halfway there he spotted something impossible to ignore: a roadside stand advertising Special Mushrooms.
"Oh-ho-ho," he muttered, eyes sparkling. "Perfect. If I've got to fight today, might as well do it under the influence of enlightenment."
Half an hour and one questionable snack later, Qin Su finally reached the arena.
At the Arene
"Qin Su!"
"Qin Su!"
"Going once! Qin Su!"
In the stands, a family of three sat anxiously — Qin Su's mother, father, and little sister.
"Where is that brat!?" thundered Qin Bo, veins bulging. "I told him to be here on time!"
"Calm down, dear," his wife said gently. "You know how he is. He's probably… delayed."
"Qin Su, going twice!"
"I'm here, I'm here! Don't sell me off yet!" Qin Su called, waving frantically as he jogged onto the platform before the judge.
The crowd murmured and chuckled.
He wasn't wrong — he had, in fact, been delayed.
The Golden Rival
"You're finally here," the judge sighed. "Stage Three, against Qin Qi. Hurry — the match has already started!"
"Hold your horses, old man," Qin Su said, stretching lazily. His eyes drifted toward the high platform where clan leaders and elders sat. There — next to the clan leader — was her.
The Sect Leader's wife. The goddess of Qin Su's dreams.
Her elegant posture, those soft eyes… he was ready to risk his life just to have her glance his way.
Unfortunately, someone else noticed his arrival first.
"Well, well, if it isn't the former genius," sneered a youth with fiery golden hair. "Or should I say… the clan's biggest disappointment?"
Qin Su turned to face him — Qin Wei, son of the clan leader and the new "number one genius" of the Qin Clan.
"Oh, Qin Wei," Qin Su said with an easy grin. "You've grown taller. And more annoying."
Qin Wei scoffed. "Pathetic. Let's go — I can't waste time with trash." He turned to leave, his robe fluttering dramatically.
Qin Su just shook his head. He wasn't angry; he was far too lazy for that.
He understood the boy's resentment.
Years ago, Qin Su had been the clan's shining prodigy — the top genius of the entire Lute Hemisphere, engaged to the Princess of Lute herself. Then came his "fall."
Now Qin Wei stood in his place, basking in the light that once belonged to him.
But Qin Su didn't care. He had no interest in titles, power… or the princess.
All he cared about was His Goddess
He smiled slyly to himself.
"Ah, fate, you really do have a sense of humor."
Yuan Ai — that was the name whispered throughout the Qin Clan like a legend.
The Sect Leader's wife stood at roughly five-foot-seven, her golden-blonde hair cascading to her waist like sunlight woven into silk. Her figure was graceful yet commanding, the kind that could draw the gaze of any man in a crowded hall without a single word.
To Qin Su, she was perfection sculpted by the heavens. There was a strength in her poise, a gentleness in her smile, and a warmth in her eyes that disarmed even the proudest warriors. But beyond her beauty, what truly captured him was her heart — how she treated the weak, the fallen, the ones others forgot. She was kind where power often bred cruelty.
"Ooh, isn't that young Qin Su?" murmured one of the elders as soon as he spotted him stepping into the arena.
"Indeed," another replied, "it's been years since he's participated in anything."
Their words carried toward the high pavilion, where the Sect Leader and Yuan Ai sat in solemn grace.
"Who cares?" grumbled Sect Leader Qin Mu, folding his arms. "He's fallen from his peak. My son is the true heir to our legacy."
"Dear," Yuan Ai said softly, placing a calming hand on his arm. "Fate is not so cruel without reason. Perhaps there is still more to the boy than what we see."
Her voice soothed the tension in the air. Yet as she turned back toward the arena, her eyes met Qin Su's — and in that instant, the world seemed to still.
A faint ripple of energy flowed from Qin Su, almost imperceptible, but laced with a mysterious charm — the inheritance of his bloodline awakening. The connection was brief, but powerful.
Yuan Ai's breath caught. A subtle warmth coiled deep within her chest, as if some long-buried ember had been stirred awake. She blinked rapidly, lowering her gaze, but it did nothing to calm the sudden rush in her pulse.
Qin Su smirked inwardly. Success. The resonance had taken hold. A single glance had been enough to plant the seed — a thread of attraction, subtle yet potent.
Up in the stands, Yuan Ai shifted uneasily. "What… what was that feeling?" she thought, touching her neck as a faint heat spread through her skin. "It's absurd. Why would I feel this way toward him?"
Her husband's voice broke through her thoughts. "Ai, are you well?" Qin Mu asked, noticing her distraction.
"Yes," she replied quickly, steadying her tone. "I was only thinking about the Imperial Forest matter."
The mention drew murmurs from the gathered elders. The Imperial Forest — a forbidden realm of beasts and treasures — was a name that could silence any hall.
Qin Mu straightened proudly. "The forest is dangerous, yes, but I have made preparations. Even if those old monsters strike, the Qin Clan will not falter."
His booming confidence filled the arena, but Yuan Ai's gaze had already drifted back to Qin Su. He stood calm and unbothered amid the commotion, as if the world's chaos meant nothing to him. There was something about that quiet defiance that pulled at her again — an echo of the youth who once outshone them all.
Moments later, the announcement came.
"Winner — Qin Su!"
A wave of surprise swept through the spectators. Even Qin Mu's frown eased slightly.
"Hmph. The useless brat still has some spark left in him."
"Even without progress, his strength at sixteen remains remarkable," Yuan Ai said softly, though her tone carried a warmth that only she understood.
The competition soon narrowed to three undefeated fighters — Qin Su, Qin Wei, and Qin Leng, the Grand Elder's son.
As the judge called for a thirty-minute break, Qin Su stretched lazily and waved dismissively.
"I'm done. Third place is fine by me. A man needs his rest."
The crowd erupted in confusion. His father nearly fell out of his seat, while his mother sighed in resignation.
But Yuan Ai only smiled faintly, her gaze lingering on the boy as he left.
"Still the same reckless spirit," she thought. "And yet… somehow, different."
And as Qin Su disappeared from view, the faintest trace of that strange warmth returned — a whisper of danger, desire, and something far more complicated than either of them could name.