The Crippled Son-in-law? Try Immortal Emperor

003

The air rippled violently as the dark mist condensed into a towering, majestic projection of an ancient emperor. The figure wore tattered but glorious imperial robes, his gaze carrying the ancient weight of a man who knew ultimate betrayal.

"Stand up, young man," the projection commanded, his deep voice instantly pushing back the roaring sulfur winds around them. "I am Master Jiu, the former Ashen Emperor, and the first soul bound to your system's training roster."

"Where am I? My daughter is still up there with those monsters!" Lin Feng choked out, desperately trying to push himself up. "I don't care about a system, I have to go back!"

"Calm your heart, boy," Master Jiu replied, his expression shifting into a solemn, understanding look. "This system is a heavenly gift born from your absolute sorrow, granting you direct training access to the dead highest talents of history."

"I reached my legendary height only after one hundred elder cultivators transferred their entire lifework into my soul," the emperor explained. "I was betrayed by my own bloodline, just as you were. But look at you now, your meridians are complete trash."

"If I stay here to train, my daughter will die!" Lin Feng screamed, coughing up a splatter of dark blood against the stone. "The Lin clan will destroy her!"

"Then you are fortunate that this space is governed by ancient time-compressing magic," Master Jiu answered, gesturing toward the floating runes. "A single day in the mortal world equates to a full year of hellish torment down here."

"You will learn in five compressed days what ordinary cultivators spend one hundred thousand years trying to master," Jiu added. "But the system demands real stakes. It will not hand you free power without absolute struggle."

[Ding! Master Jiu has issued a Mandatory Survival Task: Execute the Ashen Lung-Purging Technique within sixty seconds.]

[Failure Penalty: Immediate destruction of the host's soul. The countdown begins now.]

"Stop complaining and focus!" Master Jiu barked, his voice carrying an intense authority. "Draw the toxic air into your lower dantian, let the sulfur spark the core, and ignore the burning. Do it now, or you will never see your child again!"

Lin Feng bit his lips until they bled, the vivid image of Nina’s bruised face fueling his absolute refusal to die. He drew the scalding, toxic fumes deep into his chest, screaming out in raw agony as the smoke tore through his lungs.

The pain felt like molten iron flooding his veins, but he forced the energy downward, following Master Jiu's strict verbal guidance. He manipulated the heat, compressing the volatile gas until it formed a tiny, burning dark spark at his center.

[Ding! Life-or-Death Task completed. Reward: Initial stabilization of the host's spiritual pool. Training Domain unlocked.]

Lin Feng fell forward, panting heavily as black smoke escaped his lips, his body trembling from the sudden shift. Master Jiu nodded slowly, his cold demeanor softening with a slight hint of respect. "Good. You have the willpower of a survivor."

Suddenly, dozens of red-eyed silhouettes began to materialize from the thick gray fog, their smoky, jagged bodies growling aggressively. "These are Sulfur Phantoms," Master Jiu explained, drawing a glowing spiritual blade from the mists.

"They are the aggressive remnants of failed experts who died in this canyon," Jiu said, tossing a phantom training blade to Lin Feng. "Your real crucible begins now. Slay them, and the system will fuse my Ashen Nether Qi into your spine."

[Ding! Training Task initialized: Slay thirty Sulfur Phantoms using bare hands and basic forms. Reward: Ashen Nether Qi infusion.]

Three phantoms immediately lunged forward, their sharp smoky claws slicing through the air toward Lin Feng's throat. Lin Feng ducked beneath the first strike, the weight of his frost-iron chains rattling loudly against the jagged floor.

He drove his fist directly into the chest of the nearest creature, channeling his raw anger into the punch. The phantom shrieked as its smoky form fractured, but the impact sent a sickening wave of pain through Lin Feng's unhealed shoulders.

"Don't hesitate!" Master Jiu shouted from the shadows, his eyes tracking every movement. "Use their momentum against them! A true sovereign does not rely on perfect meridians, he relies on an unbreakable spirit!"

For the first compressed year, Lin Feng lived in a state of constant, uninterrupted warfare against the endless waves of monsters. He didn't wake up as a cheat-code hero; he had to fight, bleed, and crawl through the dirt for every scrap of progress.

By the second year, the system's relentless tasks had forced massive amounts of Ashen Nether Qi into his broken veins. The dark energy violently burned away the lingering traces of the poison, replacing his shattered human paths with raw, unyielding power.

By the start of the third year, Lin Feng stood in the middle of a massive pile of dissolving phantom remnants, his breathing perfectly steady. Master Jiu materialized before him, his piercing gaze sweeping over Lin Feng's hardened, muscular posture.

"You have mastered the basic forms," Jiu remarked coldly. "But to inherit my ultimate mantle, your foundation must transcend mortality. I order you to deliberately shatter your remaining human bones against the heaviest iron storms."

Lin Feng didn't hesitate for a single second; his love for his daughter had completely burned away his self-preservation instincts. He walked directly into the center of a raging, metallic cyclone, letting the sharp iron shards smash his limbs into splinters.

[Ding! Ultimate Reconstruction Task completed. Bestowing the highest reward: Ashen Sovereign Skeleton reconstruction.]

The system's dark energy swarmed his broken frame, weaving the ancient, indestructible structure of the Ashen Sovereign directly into his flesh. The physical and psychological friction between the strict mentor and the desperate father had transformed him into a weapon.

By the fifth compressed year, Lin Feng stood at the absolute bottom of the abyss, the surrounding sulfur storms completely unable to scratch his skin. He stood perfectly still as the system delivered its final, legendary notification.

[Ding! Five-year crucible concluded. Bestowing the final reward: The Primordial Dragon Sovereign Core.]

A terrifying, golden-dark orb materialized inside his chest, spinning rapidly as it completely rebuilt his cultivation base to a supreme level. Lin Feng's aura flared, causing the entire execution canyon to shake violently as he prepared to leap out.

"Stop, you fool!" Master Jiu roared, his phantom form blocking the exit of the chasm. "You rush back there with your power fully unleashed, and Patriarch Lin will panic. He will use your daughter as a human shield before fleeing!"

The words struck Lin Feng like cold water, forcing his boiling mind back into a state of calculating, logical reasoning. "If you want total vengeance, you must play the ghost," Master Jiu instructed, his voice low and tactical.

"Suppress your terrifying aura entirely," Jiu added, handing him a simple staff. "Force your complexion to look sickly, and wear those tattered, blood-soaked rags. Let them believe they succeeded in destroying you until the trap is sprung."

Lin Feng understood the strategy perfectly, realizing that a hidden snake was far more dangerous than a roaring beast. He summoned a weathered wooden staff under his arm, allowing his newly forged Ashen Sovereign structure to relax into the awkward posture of a limping invalid. The Primordial Core inside his chest spun in reverse, instantly sucking away his god-like presence and leaving his skin looking sickly pale.

"Remember, boy," Master Jiu’s voice echoed one last time within his consciousness, sharp and warning. "The Lin clan thinks you are liquid sludge. If you unleash your aura too early, Patriarch Lin will use your daughter as a human shield before you can even cross the courtyard."

"I know how to play the ghost, Master," Lin Feng whispered into the dark mist as he stepped out of the time-compressed domain. "But if any of those dogs step across my path tonight, I will collect the interest for my daughter's tears."