"Mother! I'm home!"

Duan Li came in and handed a wrapped paper with some fresh fish inside for their dinner tonight. Meng Yue was surprised to see that it was more than she had expected, so Duan Li explained that Grandma Ying decided to give them some extra.

"I see..." Meng Yue found the situation to be weird. After all, she knew the old woman quite well and the latter would not just give them extra for no reason. Furthermore, noticing the conflicted look on her son's face, as if there was something weighing in his mind, she knew that something had happened.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice concerned.

Knowing that his mother would know about the incident sooner or later, rather than getting scolded or beaten up for hiding it, Duan Li decided to tell the whole story to his mother. He even mentioned the bizarre phenomena of time slowing down when he was attacked.

...

At first, when Meng Yue was listening to his story in the beginning, she couldn't help but to become agitated and infuriated by the action of the impudent young man called Feng Li. To think that Grandma Ying was about to be slapped by the other party!

One has to know that Grandma Ying was already over 70 years old!

A strike from anyone, even from a kid would definitely injure her!

At the thought of this, Meng Yue gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. She was about to leave the house that instant and find the haughty Feng Li to teach that insolent young man some good life lessons that Duan Li had to stop her, before telling the rest of the story.

"What? Time slowing down?"

"You stomped your right foot on his sword, causing his elbow to become crippled?"

Her eyes couldn't be any wider and mouth agape open than now. One could even put an egg and it would fit just about right. Her small face with that shocked expression of hers made Duan Li laughed for a bit. This mother of his was quite interesting.

No wonder the people in the village likes to tease her a lot.

"Duan Li my son, are you feeling okay?"

It was apparent that his mother did not believe in his story. In her mind, the fool in front of her must have fallen asleep along the way again, dreaming that he was ruling the world as an overlord or something like that.

After all, the things he was saying was simply too inconceivable for such things to even happen!

"Should I call the doctor to come check on your head?"

Granted that there were all sorts of miracles, magic, runes and secret techniques in the Tian continent, her son hadn't even practiced any form of martial arts!

How then, would he have the capabilities to slow down time?

Even if such a cheating skill were to conveniently exist, surely it would cost an unimaginable amount of spiritual Qi to use?

Taking note that her son wasn't even a martial artists, it would be simply impossible for normal mortals to be able to do it!

After all, the laws of the world were centered on true balance, and a legendary skill such as slowing down time -- not that she had heard of it; would need something inconceivable to activate as well!

When her son didn't even cultivate a single spiritual Qi in his dantian with the exception of cultivating spiritual ignorance in his lazy mind, how was such a thing even possible?

Knowing that his mother wouldn't believe him no matter how hard he tried to convince her, Duan Li finally decided that he could try to prove it by activating that mysterious ability again.

The question is, how was he supposed to do that?

After contemplating for a while, Duan Li made up his mind.

"Mother, let's spar!"

...

Duan Li and Meng Yue stepped outside their house to the front yard, standing apart about five meters away from each other.

Looking at her son standing still with his hands clasped behind his back, Meng Yue somehow wanted to beat him up as soon as possible.

How dare this foolish son of mine try to act like an expert? Does he think that I'm not going to pummel him for looking down on his mother like this?

He was not even making a proper stance that people usually do before they fight!

"This is why I told you before to practice martial arts! Look at you standing still like a fool waiting to be sent to heaven, do you think your mother here is a pushover?" she lashed out.

Hearing this, Duan Li responded casually as he picked his nose, "Eh? Who even got time for something like that mother. You know this son of yours is a man who likes peace. Such vulgar thing is not my.."

"Enough!" Meng Yue finally got pissed.

Today, I must give him a good beating! Even if I were to create a commotion today in this village, I will have to at least get his butt cheeks red!

Realizing that he f*cked up when he saw that his mother had performed a proper combat stance which he hadn't seen for a very long time since time immemorial, he knew that he had messed up real good this time around.

"C-Calm down mother... this is only a friendly, loving spar between a mother and her handsome son..."

Swoosh!

Before he was able to close his lips on his final sentence, his mother had already stepped forward. Then, she arrived right in front of him!

"What the hell? In an instant?!" Duan Li was thoroughly shocked that he forgot to even react!

Clenching her right fist tight, she lowered her stance and punched a straight jab towards his abdomen!

A gut punch!

Seeing that the punch had some reckoning force behind it, Duan Li knew that his mother was truly serious. If that were to hit him, he would be sent flying while spitting out blood!

Mother! Wake up! This is your son! How can you be so tyrannical?!

In fact, he even saw some trace of steam coming out from his mother's mouth!

He wanted to scream out loud for help, but it was all too late!

"Let's see if you are telling me the truth, if you are lying, then this punch from your mother here would be enough to teach you a lesson!" exclaimed his mother viciously, sounding like a demon unleashed!

Duan Li resigned himself to fate and closed his eyes. He only hoped that the books for real men that he bought in that suspicious alley before and was hidden inside his clothes right now could absorb most of the incoming impact. Otherwise, he will be bedridden for a few days after this.

Ring!

"This sound!" Duan Li opened his eyes upon hearing that familiar sound.

Sure enough, the world has slowed down. The falling leaves on the background were so slow that he could definitely pick them up one by one in the air before they could even touch the ground!

Then, looking at the fist that was inches apart from making contact with his abdomen to break a few of his ribs, Duan Li smiled like a shrewd old man.

"It happened!" he said excitedly to himself as he dodged to the right with a single side step.

After that, time returned to normal again.

...

"What... Supreme Instinct?!" Meng Yue exclaimed in surprise.

But that cannot be! He had not even practiced any form of martial arts! Let alone the 'Supreme Instinct' skill that one could only get after being baptized with near-death situations many times in the battlefield!

Knowing that such a thing should not be possible, she launched another attack.

This time, the gut punch that was dodged by Duan Li had suddenly changed its trajectory and arched upwards halfway. Then, she changed her stance with her left foot stepping outside, changing her movement direction while her left hand threw in a horizontal chop aiming for the neck at the same time!

Ring!

Time slowed has down again.

"A horizontal hand chop? And the trajectory... My neck?!" Duan Li wanted to cry. If that were to hit him, he would be knocked unconscious and lose a few teeth!

He was feeling really scared right now. His mother had become way too absorbed in this spar!

Am I not your son? Why do you use such a tyrannical move on your own son?

Could it be that mother had been possessed by evil?

He then ducked downwards immediately as time returned to normal again.

Woosh!

"He disappeared?!"

Meng Yue refused to believe such a thing was possible!

"No… he ducked down!" her blood was truly riled by now when she realized this!

Fine! Let's see how you handle this then!

A series of kicks, punches, and other sorts of techniques were displayed relentlessly by his mother as she became excited. It seems that she had completely forgotten that their spar was just a mock battle!

...

After a while, Meng Yue finally stopped her flurries of attacks. She closed her combat stance as she exhaled a mouthful of breath, signalling the end of the spar.

Huu!

"You... did you really see time slowing down?" she asked. This time, she seemed to be more convinced of what her son had told her before.

"Yes mother! Every time you attack me, time would slow down into the minute detail! Thus, I was able to dodge all of your attacks! Heh!" Duan Li excitedly replied, feeling proud to himself before he continued, "But mother, your attacks are too vicious..."

"Ahem!" his mother coughed dryly, her face turning red in embarrassment.

"It doesn't matter!" she answered awkwardly while trying her best to stay composed.

Back then, she was just too excited as it had been quite a long time since someone was able to match up to her in a sparring session. Thus, she had forgotten the main objective of the spar and went on displaying her skills on her own son.

However now, she knew for sure that her son was telling the truth! He somehow has the ability of slowing down time to see through incoming attacks!

In contrast, the skill 'Supreme Instinct' where one could move their body in an instant through instinct alone, could only be gained through countless death battles. She knew for sure that her son hadn't even killed a chicken before. Thus, obtaining that skill was extremely unlikely!

"This ability of yours, isn't it kind of cheating?" Meng Yue harrumphed, seeming a little jealous.

It would take decades for one to be able to become an expert that could dodge all of her attacks, but her useless son had just performed something similar despite only knowing how to fool around everyday.

Heavens are truly blind!

"To give such a miracle to my son, I felt like I've done some kind of injustice towards all the experts out there who worked their sweat and blood to become strong! Hais!" she sighed and stared at her son that was picking his nose right now menacingly.

However, deep inside her, she was actually quite happy.

After all, she hadn't heard of any skills that could control time. Therefore, if her son uses it well, then no one could possibly match him!

"This ability should help him in the future from now on..." she thought to herself a smiled for a bit.

"But tell me, how did you gain this ability?" She asked curiously and was becoming interested to know the origin of such an overpowered skill.

Thus, changing his voice to mimic an elderly, Duan Li finally recounted the bizarre experience he had that morning for his mother while chopping down a tree, his encounter with the mysterious pearl with golden glow and shrouding mist inside it.

...

"Hmm.." Meng Yue's brows creased together as she walked around in a circle while cupping her chin, trying to contemplate on what her son had just told her.

If what her son had told her was the truth, then that mysterious pearl should be the cause for her son to have the ability to slow down time! However, she couldn't help but to worry. After all, external ability that was not of one's own potential usually has its own complications as well, especially after using it!

"Do not tell this secret to others, otherwise... I fear that, you will be hunted down!" she warned her son with a strict tone that Duan Li had never heard from her before. Duan Li nodded with a grim face for he could also imagine on what would happen if others were to learn of this ability that he possessed!

Greedy people would covet it!

"Regardless however, if you start to feel weird, tell me immediately without delay and I will look into it!" she said and continued with a stern face, "If somehow, you gained any more new abilities, you also have to tell me, okay?"

"Yes mother, I will!" Duan Li replied seriously as well. Things involving his life should never be taken lightly after all.

Then, seeming as if he had just remembered something important, he quickly said "Mother, I am afraid that the Jixue Knights Academy will take action on behalf of that young man that I crippled..."

Hearing this, Meng Yue also just remembered it as well.

"Ah... Well, don't worry, nothing will happen to you." she replied casually as they went inside. She then poured some tea into a small cup to drink as she felt thirsty from the intense spar.

Duan Li couldn't help but to become confused and asked, "I don't understand... what do you mean by this mother?"

"Oh, don't think too much into it! You will understand by tonight! Think of it as your birthday present!" Meng Yue giggled in a strange way.

I got a bad feeling about this...

...