That day, I saw Antonio.
A heavyweight boxer—and worse, he was supposed to be my next opponent in the ring.
With a single, simple punch, Antonio knocked his opponent down.The man's body collapsed like a rag doll.
All of his teeth… gone.His nose bent sideways.His face looked more like a bloody abstract painting than a human face.
I swallowed hard.
"Nah, hell nah. I'm not fighting that thing."
Unfortunately, standing in front of me was Long An—my brother.Or more precisely, my manager.And the main source of all my suffering.
He was the one who arranged this upcoming match.
"Jackie, you have to fight him," he said calmly—way too calmly."We can't just cancel matches whenever we want. We'll lose a lot of money, and the sponsors will be angry."
"I could die!" I shouted.
Long An patted my shoulder with a reassuring smile.A comforting smile—obviously fake.
"Relax. I've already arranged everything. You just need to take a few punches."
"A few?!"
"Yeah. I'll make sure Antonio holds back in the ring. Worst case… your jaw just gets sore."
We stared at each other.
I looked at him in despair.He looked back at me with god-level fake confidence.
And in the end—because of contracts, money, and pressure—I agreed.
The day of the match arrived.
I stood in the ring.
Across from me, Antonio stared at me…like someone looking at pancakes for breakfast.
The bell rang.The match began.
A few seconds later—I took Antonio's punch, and my vision went dark.
…
"Move aside! Emergency patient!"
That voice entered my ears as I slowly opened my eyes.
"What… happened to me?" I asked weakly.
"Don't worry, Jackie," Long An said quickly."The doctor said your jaw is just slightly displaced."
A doctor beside him cleared his throat."Sorry, actually the patient's jaw is completely shattered, all his teeth are gone, and there's brain bleeding."
Long An immediately cut him off with a stiff smile."What he means is—slightly displaced. So don't worry."
I frowned."Then… what about my brain?"
"It's perfectly fine!" Long An answered without hesitation."You'll recover. I promise I'll save your jaw, so… hang in there."
"Hang in there!" he shouted as I was pushed into a very bright room.
My consciousness faded.
Then—
Pain returned.
I gasped and opened my eyes.
A wooden ceiling.The smell of incense.A large bed with thin curtains.
This body… wasn't mine.
I sat up and looked at my hands.Paler skin. Slender fingers.
Long black hair fell over my shoulders.When I looked at my reflection in a bronze mirror—
sharp blue eyes stared back at me.
In an instant, foreign memories flooded my mind.
Chu Yan.The third young master of the Chu Family.Weak, lazy, and the shame of his clan.
Facing this reality, I am happy because I have been reborn and freed from my younger sibling who has caused me suffering all this time.
"Young Master!"
The door shook as a servant shouted from outside.
"Morning training has already started! You're late!"
I let out a sigh.Even in a new world, suffering didn't change.
The training ground was already crowded when I arrived.
The Chu Family disciples were sparring in the arena.The instructor stood on a stone platform, his face cold.
"Chu Yan, you're late," he said sharply.
I hadn't even spoken yet.
"Get up there. Take his place."
I stepped into the arena.
My opponent grinned mockingly.
The fight began.
And I—got beaten senseless.
Punches. Kicks.This body was far too weak.
I left the arena with blood at the corner of my mouth.
Laughter echoed around me.
"This is what you get for skipping training. Hurry up and fight,"the instructor waved dismissively and immediately called another disciple into the arena.
Annoyance, anger, and humiliation mixed together.
And in front of my eyes—a red holographic panel appeared.
"Congratulations, Host, on successfully being reborn into this world.""I am the Heavenly Demon System.""With my help, you will become the strongest demon and look down on all generations."
"…"
Back on Earth, I often read cultivation novels for fun, so of course I knew about systems.
But… didn't this system sound really evil?
[Initial Reward will be granted.]
I took a deep breath.
"Alright," I said quietly."If there really is a system… at least don't disappoint me."
DING!
[Initial Reward Unlocked!]
Notifications appeared one by one.
[1. Heavenly Demon Body (Initial Fragment)]The Host's body will be repaired gradually.Physical strength, endurance, and recovery greatly increased.Note: Full effect locked. Requires large amounts of living blood to unlock.
I frowned reflexively.
"…couldn't the note sound a little friendlier?"
[No.]
[2. Evil Insight]The Host can see others' luck as long as their realm isn't too far above the Host's.
I went silent for a moment.
This… was useful, but extremely cliché.
"Do I need to kill the protagonist or something?"
[No. But the system recommends the Host kill everyone, purify the world, and devour the universe.]
"…"
[3. Basic Technique: Heavenly Demon Breathing Art (Level Unknown)]A forbidden breathing technique.Even its basic version is enough to trample low-level geniuses.
My eyes narrowed.
"A forbidden technique?"
Heat suddenly spread throughout my body.
My bones trembled.My muscles felt crushed, then reforged.
I clenched my teeth, holding back a groan.
The world seemed to shrink.
…
A simple wooden ceiling greeted my vision.Cloud patterns were carved neatly into the beams.The bitter, pungent smell of medicinal herbs filled the air.
"…the treatment room?"
I tried to get up, but my body felt heavy.
"Young Master, don't move!"
A panicked female voice rang out.
A young girl in medical servant robes hurried over.Her face was full of concern, a steaming bowl of medicine in her hands.
"Your body collapsed after training. You suffered internal injuries and severe qi exhaustion," she said quickly."Fortunately, the instructor noticed your condition before it was too late."
I stared at the ceiling and laughed softly.
Fortunately, huh…
"How long was I unconscious?" I asked.
"Not long. About an hour," she replied."Young Master Chu Yan, please don't force yourself anymore. Your body—"
"I know," I interrupted quietly.
She froze, then bowed her head respectfully."In that case… I'll call the physician if you feel any pain."
"No need," I said. "I'm fine."
After making sure my condition was stable, she left quietly.
The room fell silent again.
I took a long breath.
"…System."
The red panel appeared instantly, as if it had been waiting.
[Command received.]
"Show my status."
DING!
A dark-red holographic screen opened, a demonic symbol slowly rotating in the corner.
[HOST STATUS]
Name: Chu YanAge: 12 Years
Cultivation:Qi Gathering Realm — Layer 5
Physique:— Heavenly Demon Body (Initial Fragment) (1/9999)
Active Techniques:— Heavenly Demon Breathing Art (Basic)— Evil Insight
I stared at the numbers for a long time.
"…Qi Gathering Layer 5."
In the cultivation world, being twelve years old with this level…
shouldn't be bad.
But for the Chu Family—a clan full of geniuses—
this was still considered trash.
I let out a faint smirk.
"So all this time… I wasn't actually weak."
[Correct.][The Host's body was suppressed by incorrect training methods, and you indeed lacked talent from the beginning.]