I was spacing out in front of the bathroom mirror, the aftereffects of the Body-Tempering Pill finally settling down. The man staring back at me still had faint dark circles under his eyes, but those eight barely-visible abs on my lower abdomen made me want to strike a bodybuilder pose. I wondered if I'd ever get the chance to rip my shirt off and show off in front of a crowd of pretty girls...

"Lu! River's Ultraman backpack strap snapped again! Get out here and fix it!" Jade Lin's holler came from the living room.

I tugged at my old T-shirt, trying to hide the muscle definition that had seemingly appeared overnight, and had just reached the doorway when I heard a sharp crack — I'd yanked the cotton collar into an off-shoulder look. This post-tempering strength really was a nightmare to control. I hadn't even tried.

River was crouching in front of the sofa, clutching his backpack with a pouty face like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Dad, Galaxy Superman's strap broke. How am I supposed to show off to my deskmate tomorrow?"

I took the backpack from him. The moment I touched the broken nylon strap, the power in my tempered body surged out without warning.

"Watch this!" I pinched the broken strap and twisted hard, intending to do some kind of hands-on repair. Instead, the nylon strap snapped into four pieces with a resounding twang.

River stared, jaw hanging open. "Dad, you twisted Galaxy Superman's belt into a pretzel!"

Jade Lin walked over with her hands on her hips, eyes sweeping back and forth between my off-shoulder T-shirt and the smoking remnants of the strap. "Ethan Lu, real impressive. Can't even fix a backpack. What are you gonna do next, bench-press an elephant?"

I was about to argue when the system chime exploded in my head:

"Ding! Domestic trust crisis detected. Emergency task issued: use sword aura to repair the backpack strap and demonstrate 'high-tech repair techniques' to your family. Task reward: Beginner's Compendium of Sword-Riding Arts."

Oh, now we're talking. Sword-riding arts. The broken system finally decided to act human for once.

"Honey, keep your eyes on me!" I pulled out the meteoric iron cutting board and pretended to study the dark-gold runes etched across its surface. "This is the 'Nano Repair Technique' Old Man Wang taught me when I bought the board. Cutting-edge stuff!"

I took a deep breath and tried to channel my spiritual energy to activate the sword-aura technique. But after tempering, my spiritual energy was charging through my meridians like a bull in a china shop. Just as I managed to condense a sliver of sword aura, there came a soft pfft.

Jade Lin frowned and stepped back half a pace. "Ethan Lu, is your stomach still not right?"

River jabbed a finger at the cutting board and cried out, "Dad! The board is glowing!"

I looked down. Sure enough, the meteoric iron cutting board was pulsing with a dark-gold radiance, fine sword-lines writhing across its surface like living things. I seized the moment, channeling spiritual energy into the broken strap. The sword aura wound itself into a thread and wove around the nylon fibres — and the torn ends actually fused back together, shimmering with a metallic sheen.

"Wow! Dad's a superhero!" River snatched the backpack and jumped up and down. He yanked on the nylon strap hard enough to make it creak, but it held.

Jade Lin reached out and touched the repaired seam. The suspicion in her eyes gave way to surprise. "This… Old Man Wang really taught you this?"

I was about to nod when the system elder's voice cut in, dripping with undisguised contempt: "You fool! Who told you to use sword aura to stick a backpack strap? The task was to demonstrate your cultivation abilities — not to play street cobbler!"

I cursed silently. Broken system, issuing tasks and playing word games with me. Clearly can't handle losing.

Out loud, I kept a perfectly straight face. "That's right. Old Man Wang calls it the ancestral 'Golden Thread Wrist-Wrap' repair technique. Not something I'd tell just anyone."

At that moment, the doorbell went berserk — frantic rings accompanied by heavy fists pounding against the door. "Open up! Open up now!"

I peered through the peephole. Three men in black suits stood in the hallway. The one in front was the purchasing manager from Baizhen Pavilion — the one with the gold-rimmed glasses.

What the hell. How did he track down my home?

"Mr. Lu, we meet again." His lips curved into a cold smile as he drummed his fingers lightly against the door. "I'd advise you to cooperate with Baizhen Pavilion like a good boy. At the very least, we can guarantee you a comfortable life from here on out."

Jade Lin's expression darkened. She stepped in front of River, shielding him. "We're not cooperating. Get out!"

The purchasing manager's eyes went sharp. He suddenly raised his hand and slammed it against the door. A wave of foul black energy hit me like a wall — the door panel split with a crack, splinters flying everywhere.

"Dad!" River scrambled behind me in fright.

Rage ignited in my chest. My tempered body flooded me with confidence. I'd been itching to put all this new strength to use. I snatched up the meteoric iron cutting board and held it in front of the door, deliberately putting on a panicked expression. "Oh no! How did this door just crack on its own? Don't tell me they used foam padding in the construction?"

The purchasing manager laughed despite his fury. "Ethan Lu, drop the act. Hand over the meteoric iron cutting board and the grilled fish recipe, or don't blame us for what happens next!"

The men behind him produced telescopic batons. The metallic ring as they snapped open echoed sharply through the corridor.

End of Chapter 11: The Cutting Board Saves the Day