Wang Yanfei scrolled through messages, eventually opening the "Warm Family Chat" group, where the conversation was already lively.
Mom (Mother): "Ah, who knows when school will resume after this incident. If you have time, come visit us in District 1. Mom has been missing you!"
Cozy Home (Father): "Yes, come to District 1. Your mother has been talking about you every day."
A warm feeling spread through Wang Yanfei's chest. His parents worked in District 1, and he only saw them during summer and winter vacations. He was just about to reply when his sister's message popped up.
Brat (Younger Sister): "Bro, with school canceled due to the meteor, log in already! Let's team up for a game!"
For a brief second, the chat went silent—then, like a nuclear explosion, Mom's reply arrived in full force.
Mom (Mother): "Did you study? Did you review? Just because school is canceled doesn't mean it's a holiday! What are you going to do if you fail your exams?!"
Cozy Home (Father): "Exactly. Look at how hardworking your brother is, and then look at yourself. No wonder your grades are always so bad—you're always playing games."
Brat (Younger Sister): "??? What did I do?! I was just trying to ease the tension with a game, and now I'm getting scolded?!"
Mom (Mother): "No excuses! Go grab your textbooks right now, or I swear, when I quiz you later, you won't be able to answer a thing!"
Brat (Younger Sister): "Bro! Help me out here!"
Wang Yanfei chuckled as he typed out his response.
Swallow Soaring (Wang Yanfei): "You got yourself into this mess, deal with it. I'm off to check the news. Don't worry too much, everything's fine on my end."
Brat (Younger Sister): "Bro, you're so heartless!!"
Before she could recover, Mom struck again.
Mom (Mother): "Your brother plays games with self-discipline and still gets good grades. Why can't you learn from him?"
Wang Yanfei shook his head, amused. Then, just as a little revenge, he added one last message.
Swallow Soaring: "Sis, listen to Mom and Dad. Don't spend all your time thinking about games. Last time, you even spent your entire month's allowance on in-game purchases and then asked me for money."
Brat (Younger Sister): "…Bro, can you NOT expose me like this?!"
Mom (Mother): "WHAT?! A whole month's allowance on games?! That's unacceptable!"
Cozy Home (Father): "No wonder you said you ran out of money last time. From now on, your allowance is cut in half!"
Mom (Mother): "Half? That's too generous! Effective immediately, NO MORE ALLOWANCE until your grades improve!"
Brat (Younger Sister): "Nooo! Mom, Dad, I was wrong! Bro, you ruined me! I swear I won't do it again!"
Wang Yanfei laughed out loud, almost picturing his sister's devastated expression on the other side of the screen. He replied with a simple:
Swallow Soaring: "You reap what you sow."
Brat (Younger Sister): "…I hate you!"
The chat continued to explode as his parents launched into a full-scale "Improve Your Grades" lecture for his sister. Meanwhile, Wang Yanfei casually closed his wristband screen, stretched his shoulders, and smirked.
After closing the chat, Wang Yanfei returned to his desk, flipping open a book. With the world buzzing about the mysterious meteor, he forced himself to focus, reviewing materials for his career preparation course.
Thirty minutes in, his brain felt overloaded. He stretched, yawned, and glanced at the time—7:00 PM.
Pulling up his wristband's messaging app, he sent a quick message to Lin Yi and his sister.
Swallow Soaring: "Wanna game?"
The replies came almost instantly.
Brat (Younger Sister): "Finally! You should've said so earlier! I'm already online. Bro, I swear I'll crush you today!"
Lin Yi: "Oh? The mighty future Guardian Corps officer actually has time for games? Don't cry when you lose."
Chuckling, Wang Yanfei powered up his gaming device and joined their team. Within minutes, the match began—and from the very first second, they got completely wrecked.
0-17-29. Total defeat.
Brat (Younger Sister): "Bro, and you were making fun of me? What kind of performance was that?!"
Swallow Soaring: "Off-day. We'll get 'em next time."
Lin Yi: "Yeah right, I bet you're just nervous about your Guardian Corps physical test. Your hands were shaking the whole game, huh?"
Ignoring their playful jabs, Wang Yanfei logged out of the game. Checking the time—10:30 PM—he got up, tossed his laundry into the washing machine, and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. After that, he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
The Dream
In his dreams, Wang Yanfei found himself in a vast, silent space.
Nothing surrounded him except for a single jade statue standing in the center, shrouded in mist. It was about half his height, its surface smooth and luminous, its carving impossibly intricate.
The statue depicted a warrior, his muscular torso bare, exuding an aura of immense power. A coiled dragon wrapped around his left arm, its scales carved with astonishing detail, its fangs bared in a silent roar. His right hand pinned down a tiger, its body tensed, tail wrapped around the base of the statue, eyes wide with defiance.
At the statue's base, ancient characters were engraved into the jade.
Copper skin, iron bones—unyielding as steel.
Immune to poisons, untouched by corruption.
Endless breath, flowing blood like a spring.
Subduing dragons, crushing tigers—strength beyond compare.
A soul like fire, illuminating heaven and earth.
Unshaken by thunder, unbroken by blades.
As firm as stone, as steadfast as the mountains.
Unbent by fate, walking forward eternal.
As the words etched themselves into his mind, searing heat flooded his body.
His skin burned.
Sweat poured from his forehead, soaking into the fabric of his sheets. His muscles tensed, his body curling in on itself as if trying to contain an unstoppable force.
Yet, he did not wake.
He remained trapped in a vortex between dream and reality, his consciousness swirling amidst the power surging through his veins.
The Awakening
Morning sunlight streamed through his window.
Wang Yanfei's eyes snapped open.
His entire body was drenched in sweat, his sheets soaked through. The details of the dream felt distant, but the lingering exhaustion and something else clung to his mind.
As he sat up, stretching his arms, his breath hitched.
His body felt… different.
Like a surge of energy was bubbling just beneath his skin, coursing through his muscles like a river of molten steel. He clenched his fists, feeling an unfamiliar sense of power ripple through him. Even his breathing felt lighter, as if something inside him had… changed.
"Has my training been this effective?" he wondered aloud.
Standing up, he walked toward the bathroom, stripping off his damp clothes and stepping into the shower.
As the water splashed against his skin, he noticed something strange.
His senses were… heightened.
He could see each droplet as it slid off his arm. He could feel the impact of every splash, every ripple against his skin.
More bizarrely, when water struck certain areas of his body, a faint green glow pulsed beneath his skin—brief, fleeting, but unmistakable.
He froze.
His heart pounded.
"What… the hell?"
As quickly as it appeared, the glow faded. His skin looked normal.
But something had definitely changed.