Chapter Three: Worse Off Than Xiao Yan

“Although I’m now a good-for-nothing young master with all my meridians severed, thanks to my father being the head of the family, these servants still show me a measure of respect—at least, on the surface,” Chen Bo commented as he opened the door.

Outside stood a servant dressed in coarse grey cloth. The moment Chen Bo emerged, the servant seized his wrist and pulled him along, grumbling as they walked, “Young master, hurry up! You’re not a child anymore, yet you’re still so sluggish.”

Chen Bo’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was clear that the original Chen Bo’s status in the Chen family was far from enviable. Though the servants dared not openly defy him, neither did they afford him much respect—addressing him as ‘young master’ was the most they’d concede.

“Let go! I can walk on my own!” Chen Bo shook off the servant’s grip and strode forward with his head held high.

The servant hesitated for a moment, a sneer flickering at the corner of his lips as he muttered under his breath, “Hmph! Even though he’s turned into a useless wretch who couldn’t even beat me, he’s still so arrogant. Pathetic!”

Little did he know, an invisible camera was aimed right at his face, capturing every nuance of his expression for Chen Bo to see.

“Looks like things really are going badly for me now. But that’s alright—I’m a vengeful host, and I’ll remember you,” Chen Bo narrated to his unseen audience.

“Holy crap! Did the host really transmigrate? Unbelievable!”

“Peaceful Tips just donated 2 gold coins—Host, hurry up and beat that guy!”

“I’ve already called the police, you’re welcome.”

“Bookworm Moe donated 5 gold coins—The host has transmigrated into a useless young master! This is going to be epic! Will he get slapped soon?”

“It’s just a stunt. How could something as unscientific as transmigration exist?”

“Shut up, you blockhead.”

In a flash, the barrage of comments flooded the live stream, covering the entire screen. Chen Bo glanced at the viewer count—it had already climbed to over a hundred thousand! But with so many comments, his view was completely blocked, so he had no choice but to mute everyone.

“As you can see, there are so many comments that you can’t see anything else, so I’ve muted everyone. From now on, whenever something exciting happens, I’ll turn off the comments. If you want to discuss things, head over to the forum! And to those who are upset about being muted—if you think you’ve got the guts, come here and do something about it!” Chen Bo laughed to himself.

The Chen family’s estate wasn’t particularly large. Though they were one of the three great families in Flame Town, being from a small town meant their grounds were limited.

After a few minutes’ walk, Chen Bo arrived at the Chen family’s martial arena—a space about the size of a soccer field, taking up nearly half the estate.

At the center of the arena stood a massive stone slab glowing faintly with an eerie light. This was the “Testing Stele,” used exclusively for measuring one’s strength.

A group of boys and girls, all in their early teens, clustered around the stele. Chen Bo craned his neck curiously and saw a young man standing before it. Dressed in white, with cloud-patterned boots, he exuded an extraordinary aura.

The youth clenched his fists, a savage energy radiating from his body. With a sudden roar—like thunder exploding in broad daylight—he struck. Chen Bo couldn’t even register the punch; by the time he looked, the young man’s fist had already landed on the Testing Stele.

“Chen Long—twelve hundred pounds of force! Mid-stage Body Tempering!” an elder shouted.

The white-robed youth, Chen Long, allowed a faint smile to play on his lips. “Only two hundred pounds more than ten days ago. That’s slow,” he said coolly.

“Come on! He’s gained two hundred pounds of strength in ten days and he still thinks it’s slow? Who does this guy think he is?”

“Hush! He’s the son of the Grand Elder.”

“Wow, Brother Chen Long is so handsome! He’s only sixteen and already at mid-stage Body Tempering. When he turns eighteen, won’t he have reached the Organ Cleansing stage?”

“No wonder he’s the family’s second prodigy. His strength is unmatched among us. But he’s still a bit behind our top genius, Chen Jingjing—she’s only fifteen and already at the late Marrow Bone stage, almost at Organ Cleansing. She’s a monster!”

Chen Long’s expression darkened at the mention of Chen Jingjing. He sneered, “Hmph! One day, I’ll trample her beneath my feet, just like I did to Chen Bo!”

He swept his gaze around, searching for whoever dared call him the ‘second prodigy,’ his eyes growing cold. Suddenly, he spotted a frail figure at the back of the crowd, looking around curiously.

He sneered inwardly. So, he’d shown up at just the right time. With his mood already sour, this was the perfect opportunity to humiliate him. With his sister not here and having become a useless nobody, how could he possibly compete with Chen Long?

With his plan settled, Chen Long deliberately called out in a loud voice, “Hey! That fellow looks familiar! Oh, isn’t that our family’s former top genius, Chen Bo? Are you here to test your strength today? Do you need me to find you a cushion for the testing stele, so it won’t hurt as much?”

At the back, Chen Bo paused, frowning at Chen Long, only to realize that all eyes had already turned toward him.

“What’s wrong, Brother Chen Bo? Afraid to come up? Don’t be shy! Come on, everyone, make way for our former prodigy!” Chen Long called mockingly.

“Dear viewers, your host is angry now! What should I do? This kid keeps calling me a ‘former genius’—it’s insufferable! If I let some brat walk all over me, what’s the point of streaming at all?” Chen Bo declared to the camera, his expression one of outrage.

Of course, he was laying it on a bit thick.

“So that’s Chen Bo! I heard that just a year ago, at thirteen, he’d already reached the Marrow Bone stage. Even some elders are only two major realms ahead of him!”

“So what? That’s all ancient history. Now, even a chicken could probably defeat him!”

“Hmph! The family head still wastes so many resources on him, hoping his meridians will recover. What a joke!”

“Well, what can you do? He’s got a good father. Compared to Brother Chen Long, he’s way out of his league.”

Listening to these comments, Chen Bo felt a surge of aggression rising within him. Even a saint would be hard-pressed not to lash out at such a moment.

But for now, he was just a cripple. Anyone here could beat him ten times over.

“Now I understand just how suffocating it is to be the so-called ‘useless protagonist.’ You want to fight back, but you’re simply outmatched. Good thing I’ve got a positive attitude. Everyone, do me a favor—take screenshots of all the people mocking me. That way, when it’s time for payback, I’ll have a list ready.” Chen Bo put on a righteous face.

He walked to the Testing Stele, glanced at the smug Chen Long, and threw a punch at the stone. Damn, it was hard.

“Chen Bo—fifty… uh, fifty-eight pounds! No cultivation stage!” the elder shouted, his eyelid twitching.

Chen Bo nearly tripped over his own feet. Fifty-eight pounds? No cultivation stage? Damn, that’s even worse than Xiao Yan!

Inevitable, really, that this story would collide with others. I’m Ugly to My Soul brings you “Live from the Fantasy World: A Grand Adventure.”

Truly terrifying—no one could be unluckier than this.