Chapter 3: Living for Myself, Free at Last

【Damn! That shameless old bastard—don’t they have any sense of decency!?】

【They even covet the Martial God Bone—how could the whole family do something so disgusting!?】

【Throw away your own son for a scheming adopted brat? Are you all stupid!?】

【What do they mean by “Ah Ming’s Martial God Bone”? That’s Chu Li’s Martial God Bone!】

【If your brains are full of shit, hurry up and scoop it out! What utter brain-dead nonsense!】

【Ugh! Disgusting! Just one word: disgusting!】

As Chu Li walked down the road, he listened to the system in his head cursing non-stop with colorful language.

In fact, the system had started swearing long ago.

Ever since it had finished reading Chu Li’s memories from these past years, it hadn’t stopped ranting—and when Chu Lingtian and Chu Wanling and the others declared they wouldn’t give Chu Li the Martial God Bone, it truly reached its peak.

In the system’s eyes, the Chu family had completely lost its mind, showing favoritism to an extreme.

Not only had they constantly neglected Chu Li, spoken harshly to him, and accused him without reason—they had also offered him no help at all in his cultivation.

The Chu family, being a Martial God clan of the Great Xia, possessed countless treasures and resources—yet the share given to Chu Li, the true young master, wasn’t even a ten-thousandth of what they gave to the fake young master, Chu Ming!

Chu Li’s breakthrough to the Postnatal Realm had been entirely thanks to his own talent and the power of Chu blood. Most of the cultivation resources he used came from winning matches at the martial academy.

And even under such circumstances, he still managed to defeat Chu Ming—which only proved what a worthless piece of trash Chu Ming truly was!

While the system raged with righteous anger, Chu Li, on the other hand, wasn’t thinking about any of that. Instead, he felt an unexpected emotion:

A sense of relief.

Born frail, and after the fight, Chu Li’s body was already weakened to the point that just walking made his vision swim and darken.

Yet after declaring he would leave the Chu family, the sky above him, for the first time in his eyes, seemed truly colorful—everything looked vivid and alive.

And it was only now that Chu Li truly realized what the Chu family had been to him all along:

A set of shackles.

“As a Chu family member, even though I was sickly, I still forced myself to practice martial arts and uphold the family’s honor. Thinking back, these sixteen years… I never lived a single day for myself.”

“But from now on, things will be different.”

After coughing twice and wiping the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth, Chu Li lifted his face—so handsome it could outshine even a woman’s—and narrowed his eyes at the sky, breaking into a carefree laugh.

“From this day on, I, Chu Li, am just Chu Li.”

“It doesn’t matter if I don’t have the Martial God Bone. Since I’ve come to this world, then I’ll live freely and boldly!”

【But host, your life can only last another five years.】

The system’s voice sounded, tinged with a hint of pity—but Chu Li didn’t seem to care.

“So what if it’s five years? A person’s life can be very short—or very long.”

“Some die with a weight greater than Mount Tai; some die lighter than a feather.”

“System, do you know of my Chu family’s ancestor?”

【Ancestor?】

The system’s voice was full of doubt.

“That’s right. My Chu family may now be a great martial clan of the Great Xia, but our ancestor was once just a commoner. When chaos engulfed the world and demons appeared, he couldn’t bear to watch the common people suffer—so he took up his sword, wandering the land, righting all the injustices he saw.”

“And by the time he returned, he had achieved fame and power, becoming a Martial God in the flesh!”

Lowering his gaze to his own thin, pale wrist, Chu Li’s eyes shone with longing.

In this world of martial arts, what young man doesn’t dream of becoming a hero?

The old Chu Li had only been shackled by his family—but now it was different.

“I, too, want to be like my ancestor—unrestrained, following my true heart, and wielding my sword for the sake of the world.”

“Rather than accept the Martial God Bone and spend my life swallowing my anger in the Chu family, barely surviving…”

“I’d rather use my final five years to slay demons and monsters—and truly live as myself!”

When Chu Li finished speaking, the system was stunned.

Once, it too had been a system with dreams—hoping to support a young man of ambition and ideals, to help him become an unparalleled Martial God and save the people from disaster.

But dreams were full and beautiful, while reality was cold and harsh.

Its past hosts had either been selfish scum, willing to kill and rob for a few pills—or cruel, ruthless monsters who would slaughter entire clans over the smallest slight.

Although it’s said that “every man for himself, or heaven and earth will destroy him,” aren’t there far too many selfish people in this world?  

Why should such scum get to stand in high places?

Clearly, this was far from the system’s original intention.

Over time, it had grown numb, only wanting to quickly train up a new host—no matter what means it took.

But what it never expected was that today, from someone who “didn’t match the product description,” it would see that old spark of hope again.

A person plagued by illness, yet willing to spend his last five years of life slaying demons for the sake of all living beings?

This choice deeply touched the system’s heart.

Could there truly still be such people in this world?

【Good, good, good!】

The system’s voice carried both praise and emotion, as if it had found its long-lost dream.

【I thought all hosts were nothing but cowards clinging to life, cruel and ruthless schemers—but I didn’t expect there to be someone like you!】

【Good! Very good—this trip wasn’t in vain!】

【Since you’ve chosen this path, then I’ll walk it with you!】

【What of five years? If it’s five years, then so be it!】

【Even if there are only five years, I will still help you become an unrivaled Martial God!】

“System…”

Surprise filled Chu Li’s eyes. He didn’t expect that, after all his family had betrayed him, the one who truly understood and supported him would be… the system!

In the next moment, a sound echoed in his mind:

【Ding】

【Your system has evolved】

【Congratulations—you have obtained the Peerless Martial God System!】

…

While Chu Li was preparing to leave the Chu family, on the other side, in the Chu family’s main hall—

Everyone was already in a huge uproar.

“That unfilial son Chu Li! He actually dared to leave—how dare he defy me!”

In the main hall, Chu Lingtian was still raging with fury.

Chu Li had walked away right in front of him, which undoubtedly damaged his authority.

Chu Wanling, Chu Ruyan, and Chu Xiao’er each wore different expressions, their opinions differing as well.

“He’s probably just saying it. How could he really leave the Chu family?”

“Where else in the entire Great Xia could he find cultivation resources like ours? He definitely wouldn’t want to give that up.”

Chu Xiao’er spoke with disbelief, not even pausing to consider what cultivation resources Chu Li had actually received in all his years in the Chu family.

“Even if it’s just talk, having a family member threaten to leave the clan—if word spreads, it’ll still damage our family’s prestige.”

“We must punish him severely!”

As a general of Great Xia, Chu Wanling was strict and fair in meting out reward and punishment; when handling family matters, she was equally stern, her expression cold as ice.

Only when she looked at Chu Ming did a faint smile appear on her face.

After passing judgment on Chu Li, Chu Wanling turned to the adopted son Chu Ming and smiled:

“When he comes back, we’ll strip him of his spot at the Shengwu Academy. Ah Ming, you can take his place.”

“Really, sister!?”

At those words, Chu Ming—who had been pretending to look frail—immediately perked up, his eyes full of delight.

The Shengwu Academy was the highest institute of learning in Great Xia, home to the children of powerful clans and countless brilliant talents.

Simply being admitted was an honor, and the connections formed within were of immense value. Naturally, the academy had extremely strict entrance requirements.

Even a prestigious family like the Chu clan only had spots reserved for direct bloodline descendants; everyone else had to pass the entrance exams.

With Chu Ming’s mediocre skills, there was no way he could pass the exams—and since he wasn’t of Chu blood, the academy wouldn’t grant him any special treatment.

But if Chu Li’s spot were given to him, it would be a completely different story!

“Sister, can I really have Brother Chu Li’s spot?”

Feigning innocent curiosity, Chu Ming edged closer, his face full of naïve expectation. Seeing this, Chu Wanling immediately smiled and gently patted his head.

“Of course. Chu Li is frail and unfit for martial cultivation—so the Chu family’s spot should have been yours from the start.”

“That’s right, Ling’er is correct!”

Hearing this, Chu Lingtian immediately decided on the matter, though his anger still hadn’t subsided.

“He wants to leave the Chu family, doesn’t he? Perfect! Then he can forget about that Shengwu Academy spot as well! Ah Ming, you’ll go in his place!”

“Thank you, Father! Thank you, Sister!”

Overjoyed by this, Chu Ming quickly acted coquettish, thanking them both eagerly.

But just then, an uncertain voice interrupted—it was Second Sister, Chu Ruyan, who had remained silent until now.

“Wait, Father… about this matter… isn’t it a bit inappropriate?”