Yu Fei listened to everyone’s discussion in silence.

’No wonder Yan Sea had such a strange look on his face earlier. I already have a serving of Bone Tempering Liquid!’

Yan Sea had said the stuff was extremely rare. It seemed the manufacturing process must have had a breakthrough.

’But since I already have Bone Tempering Liquid, is there any reason to compete?’

Yu Fei pondered this. On second thought, he decided he still had to go. What if he ran into some high-quality talent at the competition? For one, he could expand his talent library. If he found a Martial Artist with an orange-grade talent, it would mean he’d found a prime source to farm, securing his supply of stardust for the next year.

When Yu Fei got home that evening, he was about to tell his dad the news, but surprisingly, his mom was home early too. She worked at a clothing store and usually didn’t get off until after 10 p.m.

Before he could even speak, his mom led him to the door of his sister Yu Miao’s bedroom.

Yu Fei was bewildered.

"What’s up? Is my sister home?"

Mrs. Yu gave him a gentle push forward and said with a smile,

"No, open the door and see for yourself."

"What’s going on? Why so mysterious?"

With that, he pushed open the bedroom door.

"This is..."

Mr. Yu’s voice sounded from beside him.

"Your mom and I talked it over with Miaomiao. Since your sister is away at school and only comes back for holidays—and even then, she can just share with Weiwei for a bit—we had someone convert her bedroom into a meditation room for you.

"We heard from your teacher, Mr. Yan, that the Contemplation Skill you’re practicing requires an environment free from distractions. Otherwise, it can be dangerous and things can go wrong. You know our family’s situation; we can’t provide you with much help."

"So we figured we’d make you a meditation room. You won’t have to sneak downstairs to practice anymore. You can do it right here at home, where it’s safe!"

Mrs. Yu added,

"That’s right, safety first. I’ve already patched up the torn quilt on your bed, and I got you a new set of sheets and a duvet cover, so don’t worry. The scratches on the bed frame don’t affect its use.

"But you have to be extremely careful when you practice. That sword is so sharp!"

A lump formed in Yu Fei’s throat.

"Thanks, Mom, Dad. But if you do this, my sister won’t have a place to stay when she comes back. It’s not fair to her. I don’t want this meditation room. This is her room."

Mr. Yu patted Yu Fei’s shoulder. Since his son started training, his body had really filled out. He was even taller than his father now.

"Feifei, your mother and I felt bad about changing your sister’s room too. So, I’m giving you a mission.

"I heard from your homeroom teacher, Mr. Kun, that based on your current results, if you keep this up, you’re a shoo-in for one of the Seven Greats. Is that right?"

"Yes! I’m planning to get into Shenhan University!"

"That’s good. In the last three generations of the Yu Family, you’re probably the most promising one. In the future, you have to help your sister. If you’re capable, you’ll buy her an apartment to pay her back. If you’re even more capable, buy her a villa. If you’re even stronger than that, well, you can figure it out. A villa is pretty much the limit of your old man’s imagination.

"For now, just don’t let your sister’s kindness go to waste."

Yu Fei was silent for a moment before nodding solemnly.

"Okay!"

Yu Fei fought back the tears in his reddened eyes. The love of family was truly the most selfless thing in the world.

"Bro, if you make it big, don’t forget about me after you buy Sis a villa! After all, I made a sacrifice too!"

"Haha..."

The three of them burst out laughing, and the sentimental atmosphere vanished completely.

"Don’t worry, I’ll get a huge manor in the future, and our whole family will live there!"

"Alright, I’m recording this, Mr. Future Martial Saint."

Yu Wei pulled out her phone and waved it around.

Yu Zhiguo and his wife didn’t think that far ahead. In their minds, if a successful Yu Fei could help his sisters with their housing problems in the future, that would be more than enough. The prerequisite was that Yu Fei had to have the ability. They were only saying all this now to avoid putting too much psychological pressure on him.

But Yu Fei was confident he could do it. ’With the Fate-Reversing Bead in my possession, as long as I don’t die prematurely, I’m certain I will become a Martial Saint. If not, I might as well find a block of tofu and smash my head against it.’

’He wouldn’t even need to be a Martial Saint; a Grandmaster could take care of all that in a matter of minutes.’

"By the way, there’s a competition at the stadium this Saturday..."

Yu Fei told them about his upcoming competition.

"No problem. Weiwei and I can definitely go. As for your mom..."

"I’m free too! I’ll ask my manager for the day off tomorrow. I have to be there for something this important, to cheer on our Feifei!"

Yu Fei sat on the rush cushion, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

He had never expected his parents to convert his sister’s room into a meditation room for his martial arts and Contemplation practice.

The original flooring and wardrobe were kept, but the bed and desk had been removed.

In their place, a 2x3 meter solid wood platform, a full 8 centimeters thick, had been installed on the floor. A beige rush cushion was placed on the platform against the wall.

To the right of the cushion was a simple wooden tea table, upon which sat a white porcelain incense burner.

Three pots of green dill were placed on the windowsill.

The meditation room was simple and unadorned, but it had been put together with great care.

Yu Fei took out his phone and sent a message to Yu Miao.

"Sis, thank you!"

He then set his phone aside, took a deep breath to suppress the swirling emotions inside him, and formed a sword seal with a series of finger movements. He began a new round of nurturing his sword.

"By my command!"

Inside his spiritual space, a pure, sharp Sword Intent rose from the murky darkness, transforming into a streak of snow-white sword light that shot toward him.

Yu Fei controlled his Imagined Cyan Lotus Sword to intercept it. After a period of cultivation, his Imagined Sword was no longer just for show; a cold glint now flickered along its edge as it moved.

The two illusory swords clashed in his spiritual space for a single breath before Yu Fei’s Imagined Sword shattered.

His face suddenly paled. Yu Fei opened his eyes, a pained look flashing within them.

In terms of pure Spiritual Power, his Imagined Cyan Lotus Sword was actually stronger than the Sword Intent from the physical sword.

However, it was too diffuse, not focused or pure enough.

In contrast, while the Sword Intent from the physical sword carried extremely little power, it was exceptionally pure and its conception was profound. It could condense that minuscule amount of power into an incredibly resilient core.

It was like striking a one-inch divine weapon with a ten-meter sword of rotten wood; the rotten wood would inevitably splinter into pieces.

Yu Fei’s Imagined Sword was like that rotten wood.

And this was the result after practicing many times. In comparison, the first Imagined Sword he had ever condensed was like a trick of light—pretty to look at, but completely powerless.

Later, he changed his approach and used the Cyan Lotus Sword as a model. At that point, his Imagined Sword gained substance, but it was like a sand sculpture that crumbled at the slightest touch.

To have progressed to the current "rotten wood" sword was actually a huge improvement.

Now, when the two swords clashed, even though it was still no match, it could at least withstand the impact for an instant. The damage to Yu Fei was much less severe, allowing him to nurture his sword multiple times in one session. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

And as he grew stronger, that number was steadily increasing.

"DING-DONG..."

Yu Fei picked up his phone. A message had arrived from his big sister.

"What’s there to be formal about? Just remember to support me when you become a Martial Saint!"

「In a university dormitory building.」

Yu Miao looked at the message from her little brother, an unconscious smile spreading across her face.

She was very close to her brother. Although she was three years older than Yu Fei, he had often acted more like an older brother than a younger one as they grew up.

At some point, Yu Fei had suddenly matured, acting like a little adult.

She herself had no talent for martial arts and ended up at a regular university, so she never imagined Yu Fei would turn out to be so exceptional.

Thinking about the news her dad had told her—that her own little brother was a candidate for one of the Seven Greats—she could hardly believe it.

’The Seven Greats!’

Roommate A: "Miaomiao, chatting with your boyfriend?"

Yu Miao: "No! What are you talking about?"

Roommate A: "Look how happy you are, you can’t stop smiling. Come on, who is he? Spill the beans!"

Roommate B: "Miaomiao’s in a relationship?"

Roommate C: "Really? Really? I want to see a picture!"

The quiet dorm room instantly erupted into chaos.

Yu Miao: "It’s nothing like that! Ah... let me go, stop tickling me! Ah... I’ll talk! It’s my little brother, he had a breakthrough in his martial arts."

Roommate A: "A martial arts breakthrough? Is he a junior or a senior? What’s his level?"

Yu Miao: "A junior, and he’s reached Bone Tempering."

Roommate B: "Hiss... that’s amazing!"

Roommate C: "Miaomiao, you should introduce us."

Yu Miao: "Get lost, you old hags!"

Roommate A: "Oho, she’s rebelling! Tickle her!"

Yu Miao: "Ahhh~..."