Chapter One: Coercion

The warm morning sun lazily climbed the sky from the.

A fifteen-year-old boy was sweating profusely as he moved swiftly in front of a wooden dummy, delivering punches, jabs, chops, slashes, thrusts, and kicks with incredible speed and fluidity. His movements were smooth and continuous, showing no signs of fatigue.

From his physique and actions, it was clear he had a profound foundation in ancient martial arts.

His name was Zhao Tianyu, the only heir of the Tianqian Sect. He was determined to revive ancient martial arts and restore the sect's glory. Since he was six years old, he had been persistently training every morning, and now, nearly a decade later, he had made significant progress.

If it had been a hundred years ago, with Zhao Tianyu's current abilities, he would have surely been a gifted student celebrated by the prestigious Military Academy. In a combat arena dominated by mech warriors, the full potential of a mech heavily relied on the physical fitness and reflexes of the pilot. A martial artist pilot would have a significant advantage over one who had not trained in ancient martial arts, akin to an adult facing a child. However, that was all history now.

Since the advent of gene activation technology, gene-activated superpowers had completely replaced ancient martial arts, which faded from public view and even became a target of ridicule for those with gene-enhanced powers.

Zhao Tianyu stopped his attacks on the wooden dummy, took a gentle breath, and without wiping away his sweat or taking a break, jumped onto the edge of a bamboo basket and began to move slowly along its rim.

As he walked along the empty basket's edge, it barely trembled and did not tip over or collapse, and his speed gradually increased. This was his final training exercise of the day, "Lightness Skill." He needed to walk on it for half an hour, trying to surpass yesterday's limits to complete his training.

"Clap, clap, clap" — applause broke out.

"This juggling is impressive. If you performed at the academy gate, you'd definitely make a good income. People nowadays love watching these primitive displays," a sarcasm-laden voice sneered.

Zhao Tianyu didn't need to look to know who it was. The boy was Wu Tao, the grandson of Vice Principal Wu Gaoyang, a first-tier gene enhancer and renowned in the mech field.

Due to an old grudge between the two families, and because Zhao Tianyu had not yet activated his gene abilities at the age of fifteen, Wu Tao saw him as a waste and took every chance to belittle him verbally.

Zhao Tianyu ignored Wu Tao and continued earnestly with his training tasks.

Seeing that Zhao Tianyu was disregarding him, a flicker of anger flashed across Wu Tao's face. How dare a waste who hadn't activated his gene ignore him! But he quickly suppressed his anger. He was here to deliver a message that would ensure the Zhao family's demise.

Soon, Zhao Tianyu jumped off the basket and wiped the sweat from his brow, asking mildly, "What are you doing at my house?"

"Ha ha, your house? It soon won't be yours anymore. The academy's committee has issued a notice for you and your grandfather to vacate this place immediately; they plan to build a mech training ground here," Wu Tao mocked while flipping his hair.

"You're lying. The academy has no authority to make such a decision," Zhao Tianyu's expression changed as he took a step forward.

He had reason to say this because the academy was originally the Tianqian Sect. After a mishap, the government took control of the academy, but they promised to preserve the original site for the Zhao family to live. How could that change?

"Here, this is the notice. It bears the government and academy seals," Wu Tao stepped closer, handing him the document.

Zhao Tianyu took the document and confirmed it was indeed a joint notice from the government and the academy, with both seals present, demanding the Zhao family leave immediately or face legal consequences.

This was utterly outrageous. The Tianqian Sect had been here for over a thousand years, and since the government took over, they had already ceded all possible land to the academy. All that remained was the ancestral hall to honor the spirits of the past leaders; if that were to be taken away, the Tianqian Sect would truly be obliterated.

Moreover, neither he nor his grandfather had any savings. His grandfather's teaching salary just barely covered the costs for his annual gene activation. If they were forced to leave, how could they afford a home in Huadu, the city with the highest real estate prices in Asia? They would be homeless; this was a complete attempt to eradicate them!

Zhao Tianyu clenched his right hand tightly, crumpling the notice into a ball. Then he suddenly raised his head and coldly asked, "This is your grandfather's doing, isn't it? My grandfather has already relinquished all rights; why does he still persecute us?"

"Ha ha, my grandfather said that as long as your grandfather doesn't kneel before him, he and your grandfather will never be done," Wu Tao smirked, flicking his hair in satisfaction.

The implication was clear: he was determined to make life difficult for the Zhao family, and there was nothing they could do about it.

Seeing Wu Tao's smug face, Zhao Tianyu's fists tightened, taking a step forward. He wanted to punch Wu Tao in the face, but he understood that would only complicate things further. He forcibly suppressed his anger and coldly stated, "I refuse to believe that the academy only has your grandfather's word."

"Whether it holds any weight, you'll find out soon enough," Wu Tao sneered, turning away with a look of disdain. He inwardly thought, "A waste is a waste; he doesn't even have the spirit to fight back." He secretly hoped Zhao Tianyu would lash out so he could teach him a lesson.

Zhao Tianyu watched Wu Tao's departing figure, his fists clenched tightly, the notice nearly crushed in his hand. The anger within him burned fiercely as he thought, "It seems that being patient only encourages the enemy's arrogance. From now on, I must be bold and stamp out anyone who tries to humiliate the Tianqian Sect."

He had remained low-key and patient, waiting for the moment he could shine once his gene activated, but for reasons unknown, he couldn't activate it. However, now he resolved that even without activated genes, he would no longer be patient; relying solely on ancient martial arts, he could still soar. As long as he could show others his worth, he would have room to survive.

After straightening the crumpled notice, Zhao Tianyu turned to head inside, contemplating how to explain this to his grandfather without upsetting him. But before he took more than a few steps, he suddenly looked up.

"Grandfather..."

He saw Zhao Yanguang standing at the door with a dark expression, having clearly heard all of Wu Tao's words.

Seeing Zhao Tianyu stop in shock, Zhao Yanguang stepped forward, angrily pointing in the direction Wu Tao had left, and shouted, "Wu Gaoyang, that old bastard, wants to dig up the grave of our Tianqian Sect! Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Zhao Yanguang had suffered a mishap in his practice a few years ago, and his health had been poor ever since. He would cough incessantly with the slightest agitation. Otherwise, how could Wu Gaoyang dare to bully them?

Zhao Tianyu quickly rushed to his grandfather's side, helping him to regulate his breath while saying, "Grandfather, please don't be angry. The academy isn't solely under Wu Gaoyang's control. Don't you have friends there? I'm sure we can find a solution."

"Cough! Cough!"

Zhao Yanguang coughed a couple more times, took a deep breath, and urgently said, "Let's go! We need to find Principal Dong. He promised me he would always preserve the Tianqian Sect's ancestral hall."

This was his last glimmer of hope. The Tianqian Sect had fallen to the point where only he and Zhao Tianyu remained. If they allowed the ancestral hall to be dismantled, how could he live with himself? How would he face the ancestors of the Tianqian Sect?

The two hurriedly made their way to the academy's administrative building. Just as they reached the door of the principal's office, they were blocked outside by Wu Tao, who had been waiting.

Wu Tao seemed to know they would come here. Standing in front of the office door with a smile, he said, "Professor Zhao, you can't go in right now." He then pointed at the principal's office and continued, "The deans of several departments are in a meeting, and your rank isn't high enough to enter just yet. You'll have to wait until they finish."

Although his words held some truth, he deliberately elongated the tone of "you," making it sound particularly grating.

Zhao Yanguang's face turned ashen, and his hands trembled slightly. How could he not understand that Wu Tao was deliberately humiliating him?

Zhao Tianyu watched his grandfather's trembling hands, feeling as if thousands of knives were cutting through his heart. His grandfather had once been a heroic figure; now, stripped of power, he couldn't even stand up to a junior like Wu Tao. The anger in Zhao Tianyu ignited fully as he suddenly stepped forward, his right hand shooting out like lightning to grab Wu Tao.

Wu Tao, feeling smug, did not anticipate Zhao Tianyu's sudden attack and instinctively raised his left hand to block.

Zhao Tianyu rotated his right hand, dodging Wu Tao's palm, and directly seized his wrist. With a surge of inner power, Wu Tao felt all strength leave his body. This was an ancient martial art technique known as "Jiemai Shou" (Intercepting Pulse Hand).

"You waste, daring to ambush me," Wu Tao spat, though he had lost his physical strength, he could still speak.

The seemingly simple move of grabbing and seizing had been meticulously calculated by Zhao Tianyu ahead of time. The goal was to catch Wu Tao off guard and win the encounter with one swift move. This was the essence of ancient martial arts: understanding both your own and your enemy's strengths while seizing opportunities to achieve maximum victory with minimal cost. If Wu Tao had activated his gene abilities, the outcome wouldn't be decided so easily.

Zhao Tianyu's expression remained icy as he ignored Wu Tao's words. He then pulled Wu Tao's body toward the principal's office, slamming him against the door. All these movements, while seeming slow in description, were executed fluidly without a moment's pause, as if Zhao Tianyu had planned the results in advance.

Zhao Yanguang watched the entire process with deep satisfaction. Zhao Tianyu's comprehension of ancient martial arts had exceeded his expectations; he also decided it was time to pass the sect's treasured legacy to Zhao Tianyu.

With a loud bang, the door crashed open.

Zhao Tianyu dragged the utterly powerless Wu Tao alongside him and entered the principal's office.

The individuals attending the meeting in the principal's office stared in shock at the unfolding scene.