Ling Chen spent the entire night contemplating "Slip Away." Finally, he began to grasp the fundamentals. It had to be said that celestial arts were truly profound and mysterious; even with his SR-grade talent, it took a long time to peek into their secrets.
Suddenly, the sound of a lock being picked echoed from the door! Ling Chen’s heart tightened, and he immediately scrambled out through the window.
"Slip Away!"
In the blink of an eye, he was hundreds of meters away. This speed was so fast that even a master of the Boulder-Breaking Realm would only be left eating his dust.
"Chen'er, what are you running for!"
Just as he was about to catch his breath, a figure suddenly appeared behind him.
"A ghost!" Ling Chen shrieked in terror.
As he prepared to "Slip Away" again, a hand suddenly grabbed his arm.
"You brat, it’s Mom!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Ling Chen turned his head in surprise. A woman in her thirties was looking at him with a beaming smile. She possessed an elegant air, with exquisite features, fair skin, and only the faintest traces of time at the corners of her eyes. However, her clothing was simple—far too plain for her refined appearance. She wore a straw hat that held back her black hair, and she was dressed in a worn, faded shirt and overalls—the kind of cheap, roadside items that even farmers would only wear out in the fields.
"Mom? Why are you here?" Ling Chen asked, pleasantly surprised. Zhuang Yining hadn't visited him in three years.
"I heard you caused quite a ruckus in the capital?" Zhuang Yining said, displeased.
"Hehe, that’s not true. I’ve been a good boy," Ling Chen said, scratching his head awkwardly.
"You brat, why are you always so hot-headed? If they tell you to apologize, just apologize properly! Why do you always have to make such a mess of things?" Zhuang Yining flicked his forehead, making Ling Chen yelp in pain.
"It’s not a big deal. Can’t you just smooth things over for me?" Ling Chen asked with an innocent look.
"I can’t smooth this over. You’ll have to deal with the consequences yourself. Who told you to be so restless all the time!" Zhuang Yining scolded.
Ling Chen smiled and walked over to link his arm with hers. "Mom, don’t play dumb. I know you have immense powers; you can definitely handle this for me."
Zhuang Yining glared at him fiercely. "Bullshit! You little brat, your mother is just an ordinary farmer. What ability would I have to smooth things over for you?"
Ling Chen’s lips curled into a playful, strange smile. Ever since he was born, he had constantly been causing trouble and offending countless people, yet he had never suffered any real consequences. If his parents were truly just ordinary farmers, he would have been torn limb from limb years ago! He wasn't stupid... Furthermore, although they lived in a remote village when he was young, their family only tended a tiny vegetable patch, unlike the other farmers who were busy from dawn till dusk planting rice or soybeans. And there was something else truly bizarre: strangers would always show up at their house for no reason, and they would all be incredibly respectful toward his parents.
"Love you, Mom. Please help me smooth it over!" Ling Chen said coaxingly.
"Don't call me Mom. Take this agreement, take care of yourself, and we’ll meet again in the world." Zhuang Yining handed him a sheet of A4 paper; it was clearly prepared in advance.
Ling Chen picked it up and read it. The most prominent heading read: 【Parental Relationship Termination Agreement】.
What the hell? Is this really my own mother?
He looked up, ready to demand an explanation, but the person before him had already vanished.
"Where’s my mom?"
"Running that fast? And she says she isn't a master?"
Ling Chen laughed. He finally understood why he had this kind of personality. It was hereditary, absolutely hereditary! Wasn't this clearly a genetic issue? In his previous life, he had been a kind-hearted person-pleaser, but after being reborn into this body, he had turned into this.
"Sigh... A dad who runs away, a heartless mom, a deranged system, and a broken home!" Ling Chen sighed toward the heavens, his eyes filled with the world-weary bitterness of someone who had seen it all.
【I am a deranged, bratty child.】
The system, unconvinced, sent a retort.
"Xiaodian, can you get me a mom?"
System: ...
...
By noon, when Ling Chen returned to his rented apartment, he was stunned by the sight. The doorway was covered in animal feces, and the interior was a disaster zone; all the furniture and appliances had been smashed. Judging by the footprints on the floor, at least a hundred people had visited.
"And the principal said no one would ever find this place. I really believed his nonsense. That old geezer is too wicked!"
Just as Ling Chen was lamenting, a voice came from behind him.
"Run, why aren't you running anymore?"
Ling Chen turned his head to see a dwarf less than 1.3 meters tall, with a hooked nose and sparse, withered yellow hair. He held a scimitar in his hand that shimmered with a silver light, clearly razor-sharp.
"Damn, you’ve got a real random character design, don't you? Are you alone? Where are the other six dwarves?" Ling Chen asked in surprise.
【Anger +5】
These words clearly provoked the opponent. His aura surged instantly, climbing to the Peak of the Boulder-Breaking Realm!
"You little beast! I’m going to cut your mouth off!"
As he finished speaking, the cold light of his scimitar flashed, sweeping across Ling Chen’s throat with incredible speed.
"What’s going on?"
A flash of surprise crossed the dwarf’s eyes. He couldn't understand it. This was his sharpest weapon, capable of cutting through diamond, yet it couldn't even break the skin of this brat?
"You aren't one of those netizens, are you? Who exactly sent you?" Ling Chen frowned, eyeing the dwarf sharply. He had seen the "Wanted" notices posted by netizens. While they were cruel, they explicitly stated that no one was to commit murder; they just wanted to vent their frustration. But the person in front of him was clearly intent on killing him. The feces at the door and the footprints inside were truly left by the netizens. If they had really been waiting for him, they wouldn't have left just one dwarf behind.
"Heh heh, you’ve got a sharp little brain. Too bad you’re destined to die under my blade today. I’ll just frame the netizens you mentioned. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
As he spoke, the dwarf's aura surged again, becoming dozens of times stronger than before. This time, Ling Chen couldn't see through him. He estimated that the opponent had reached at least the Wind-Riding Realm.
"To send a master like you to kill a rookie in the Awakening Realm like me, the organization behind you must be quite something, right?" Ling Chen asked.
"Stop trying to pry information out of me. Die!"
The dwarf struck out with a palm, shattering the walls on both sides.
"Slip Away! If you’ve got the guts, come and catch me!"
By the time the sound reached his ears, Ling Chen was already far away.
"What speed is this? This kid has quite a few secrets!"
The dwarf was horrified once again and quickly gave chase. His speed was equally fast. The so-called Wind-Riding Realm allowed one to ride the wind; it not only saved stamina but allowed one to move as swiftly as the breeze. While he couldn't fly across the void, he could leap dozens of meters with a single kick off the ground.