Chapter 16: Unwanted Lessons
Li Chen woke up with a dull ache running through his entire body.
It wasn't the sharp, screaming pain of injury—more like the lingering reminder of yesterday's humiliation. His ribs still felt tender, his shoulders stiff, and when he stretched, a faint hiss escaped his lips before he could stop it.
Inner sect disciples…
The thought surfaced again, unbidden.
He stared at the ceiling of his crude outer disciple quarters for a few seconds before exhaling slowly and sitting up. Dwelling on it wouldn't help. If anything, yesterday had only confirmed what he already knew.
He was still far too weak.
A pale blue screen shimmered into existence in front of him, familiar and almost comforting by now.
Daily Training Routine Available
– 100 Push-ups
– 100 Sit-ups
– 5 km Run
Reward: 100 EXP
Li Chen rubbed his face and stood up.
"At least you're consistent," he muttered.
The routine was brutal in its own way, but predictable. After everything he'd been through, there was a strange sense of stability in knowing exactly how much suffering was required each morning.
He completed the routine methodically.
Push-ups until his arms trembled.
Sit-ups until his core burned.
Running laps through the outer sect paths while the morning fog still clung to the ground.
By the time he finished, sweat soaked through his robes and his breathing came heavy—but steady.
The screen updated.
EXP +100
Li Chen nodded to himself and reached for a cloth to wipe his face.
Then—
Another screen appeared.
This one… felt wrong.
New Side Mission Generated
Li Chen frowned.
Side missions were rare. Unpleasantly rare.
He focused on the text.
Mission: Opportunistic Acquisition
Objective: Obtain items worth at least 50 copper coins
Time Limit: 24 hours
Penalty: ???
Li Chen froze.
"…What?"
He reread it.
Then read it again.
His expression cracked for the first time that morning.
"Loot items?" he said incredulously. "You want me to steal?"
The screen did not respond.
Li Chen dragged a hand down his face and groaned. "Are push-ups and sit-ups not enough for you anymore? Now you want me robbing people?"
A familiar, snide presence stirred in his mind.
"Robbing is such an ugly word" the voice remarked." Think of it as… redistributing resources"
Li Chen nearly laughed out of disbelief. "So now you're a thief?"
"Correction" the voice replied coolly. "I am grooming you"
"For what?"
"For your destiny"
Li Chen clenched his jaw. "I'm pretty sure 'Evil Monarch' doesn't automatically mean 'petty criminal.'"
The voice scoffed.
"How do you expect to rule through fear if you can't even dirty your hands? Evil isn't learned through lectures. It's practiced".
"So you're using me as the body while you sit there and lecture?"
"You're free to refuse, the voice said lightly. If you're curious about the penalty."
Li Chen's lips twitched.
"…I hate you."
"You'll get used to it".
He stared at the floating text one last time, then dismissed it with a mental shove.
"Fine," he muttered. "Later."
Whatever the penalty was, he didn't want to find out—but he also wasn't about to rush into something stupid without thinking.
For now, he had his own plans.
---
It was a new day.
Which meant outer disciple life continued as usual.
Li Chen joined the flow of disciples heading toward the task hall, blending seamlessly into the crowd. No one paid him much attention—at least, not openly. A few eyes lingered longer than they used to, but no one spoke.
The task hall was already noisy by the time he arrived.
Outer disciples crowded around the boards, scanning assignments and arguing over who arrived first. Li Chen stepped forward, found his name, and paused.
"…Cleaning duty?"
He stared at the slip in his hand.
Scrubbing paths. Clearing refuse. Basic labor.
The reward listed was pitiful—just a handful of copper coins.
Li Chen sighed.
"Of course."
He went through the motions without complaint, working efficiently but without enthusiasm. He cleaned where required, didn't slack enough to draw punishment, but also didn't put in more effort than necessary.
As he worked, the voice in his head commented dryly.
"Interesting. A few weeks ago, you'd have been delighted by the coins attached to these jobs"
Li Chen didn't deny it.
"A few weeks ago," he replied internally, "I was desperate."
And now?
"Now they're not worth the time."
The voice hummed thoughtfully. Progress.
Once his duty was complete, Li Chen made his way toward the training grounds.
As usual, the outer disciples were already gathered there, cultivating, sparring, or simply watching with barely concealed envy. Normally, Li Chen would find a corner and sit down, observing techniques and movements while pretending to rest.
Today, he didn't.
He walked straight past them.
The chatter faltered.
Several disciples turned to watch him go, brows furrowing in confusion.
"Isn't that the guy who always sits there?"
"What's he doing?"
"Skipping training?"
Li Chen ignored them all.
His expression was calm, posture straight, gaze fixed forward.
The pressure chambers loomed ahead.
He needed to temper his body.
Breaking through was only the first step—his physique still needed to catch up to the changes within him. If he didn't stabilize it now, future progress would only become more dangerous.
At the chamber entrance stood the elder in charge—a thin, sharp-eyed man with a perpetually bored expression.
The elder glanced up as Li Chen approached.
Then blinked.
"You?" the elder said flatly.
Li Chen stopped a respectful distance away and bowed. "Requesting access to the pressure chambers."
The elder looked him up and down, lips curling faintly.
"…Outer sect trash like you usually doesn't have the guts."
Li Chen remained silent.
The elder snorted internally as he retrieved a tally. Probably here on a whim. These fools always think they can endure more than they can.
As he handed it over, his gaze paused.
For just a moment.
Something felt… off.
Li Chen's aura wasn't strong—but it felt sharper. More compact. His posture wasn't slouched the way it used to be. There was a quiet steadiness to him that hadn't been there before.
The elder frowned.
Then shook his head.
I'm imagining things.
"Don't embarrass yourself," he said dismissively.
"Yes, Elder," Li Chen replied calmly.
He took the tally, bowed once more, and walked toward the chambers without another word.
Behind him, the elder watched for a second longer than necessary.
Then turned away.
Inside, Li Chen's eyes hardened slightly.
Let them sneer.
He stepped towards the pressure chamber.
And the door closed behind him.
---