A Warm Home

That evening, the Gymnasium was brightly lit.

Quite a few students were diligently training.

Some were practicing stances to temper their blood qi; others were practicing Martial Arts Skills, honing their combat techniques.

Qin Yan and Zhou Yuan went their separate ways, each choosing a training area. Qin Yan took his spear from the weapon rack and began practicing.

He started with the basic spear techniques—thrusting, sweeping, lifting, and striking—striving to make every movement perfect.

The spear came alive in his hands, slicing through the air with piercing whistles.

As his practice deepened, he began performing a complete set of Spear Techniques. His body moved with the Spear Momentum, his steps steady, his spear shooting forth like a dragon.

Two hours later, students gradually began leaving.

Zhou Yuan walked over, drenched in sweat, and greeted him. "Yan Ge, I'm heading back first. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Qin Yan nodded, but the spear in his hands did not stop.

"Lin Yang." Qin Yan glanced toward another area some distance away, where another figure was still persistently practicing saber techniques.

Lin Yang was about 1.75 meters tall, slightly shorter than Qin Yan. His looks were ordinary, but the long saber in his hand danced with fierce force.

The flashing saber light carried a sharp, formidable aura. Clearly, his attainments in saber techniques surpassed Qin Yan's spear techniques by quite a bit.

"As expected of the top student in the class. There's still quite a gap between Lin Yang and me."

Qin Yan thought to himself, suppressing his stray thoughts and focusing even more intently on his spear practice.

The sky outside grew darker and darker, while fewer and fewer students remained in the Gymnasium.

"Qin Yan, I'm leaving too."

Lin Yang sheathed his saber and walked over, wiping the sweat pouring down his forehead with a towel.

"Be careful on your way home, Lin Yang."

Qin Yan stopped moving and replied with a smile.

They were classmates, and both were among the few who trained until the latest every night.

They saw each other often, and over time, their relationship had grown quite good.

Lin Yang looked at Qin Yan's arms and legs, trembling slightly from exhaustion, yet still maintaining his stance as he swung his spear. He could not help but feel deeply moved.

He trained for five to six hours every day and already felt utterly exhausted.

Yet Qin Yan often left even later than he did... This kind of perseverance made him feel inferior.

"So hardworking... no wonder he's improving so quickly."

Lin Yang thought to himself as he dragged his weary body away.

At once, the vast Gymnasium was left with only the sound of Qin Yan's spear tearing through the air and his own heavy breathing.

After persevering for another hour, Qin Yan finally ended his training.

Every muscle in his body ached intensely, and every cell seemed to be crying out in exhaustion.

He carefully returned the spear to the weapon rack, then nearly collapsed onto a nearby bench to rest.

Looking at the empty Gymnasium, Qin Yan's body was exhausted to the extreme, yet the corners of his lips still lifted slightly.

Another day of hard work, another bountiful harvest.

While resting, he focused his consciousness again and opened the System Panel deep in his mind, visible only to himself:

[Sky-Supporting Qi Pillar: Level 3 (87%)

Blood Qi: 66 Cal

Spirit: 41

Spear Technique: Level 1 (67%)

Skill Points: 2

[Note: As long as you work hard, there will be rewards]

"Not bad, I've accumulated 2 Skill Points." Qin Yan was delighted. "And after this period of hard training, my Spear Technique proficiency has also increased by 1% on its own. That's an unexpected bonus."

Though his body was utterly exhausted, his heart was filled with the joy of accomplishment.

Qin Yan focused his mind and added the two Skill Points he had just gained to his Spear Technique!

At once, a familiar warm current flowed through his mind. Vast amounts of insight into spear usage and exertion techniques appeared out of nowhere, as profound as if they had been tempered a thousand times.

He immediately checked the panel again.

[Spear Technique: Level 1 (76%)]

"Two Skill Points raised it by 9%. The efficiency has dropped somewhat compared to the beginning."

Qin Yan fell into thought.

He understood that whether it was Martial Arts Skills or Stance Training, the deeper one cultivated, the harder it became to improve. More effort and comprehension were required.

Naturally, this meant that more Skill Points would be consumed as well.

After resting for quite a while and recovering a little strength, Qin Yan finally got up and left the Gymnasium.

It was already ten at night.

The sky was pitch-black, and the city had put on its nighttime attire.

The neon lights on distant skyscrapers flickered endlessly.

Recent headlines scrolled across a giant electronic advertising screen:

"In late February, the president of the Jianghai Province Martial Arts Association broke through to Rank Seven and attained the status of Grandmaster. Congratulations..."

"Capital Martial University challenged Magic Capital Martial University. Magic Capital Martial University suffered a crushing defeat..."

Those messages seemed to remind him of the world's grandeur and his own insignificance at this moment.

Qin Yan pulled his collar tighter and silently walked home.

About twenty minutes later, he arrived at the entrance of an old-looking residential complex—Guanlan Residential Area.

The name of the complex sounded rather grand, but the buildings and facilities inside showed the marks of time and looked somewhat rundown.

"Welcome home, resident."

The electronic access gate issued a mechanical greeting.

Qin Yan passed the facial recognition check and entered the complex.

He passed the large central pool, the children's playground, and several landscaped areas.

Though the complex was old and shabby, its basic facilities were relatively complete.

Soon, Qin Yan stopped in front of a building.

Building Three, Unit Two. This was Qin Yan's home.

Just then, a pair of warm little hands suddenly reached out from behind and covered his eyes.

The skin on those little hands was delicate, clearly belonging to someone young.

"Little friend, guess who I am. Get it right and there's a prize~"

A girl's voice deliberately pretending to be mature came from behind him, though it could not conceal its childishness.

"Hmm... Such rough skin. You must be Granny Wang from next door, right?"

A smile curled across Qin Yan's lips as he deliberately teased her.

"Get lost, Qin Yan! I think you're Old Man Wang from next door!"

The girl behind him immediately released her hands and circled around to stand in front of Qin Yan.

She glared at him angrily, cheeks puffed out. "My hands are so soft! How are they rough?

Is there something wrong with your senses?"

Qin Yan turned with a smile and looked at his mischievous little sister, Qin Xiaoxi.

She had her hands on her hips, her little face full of indignation. Her large, bright eyes glared fiercely at Qin Yan, as though she would pounce on him and bite him the next second.

"Xiao Xi, why did you come downstairs?"

Out of habit, Qin Yan reached out, wanting to rub his sister's head.

"Qin Yan! I've told you a hundred times!

Don't touch my head! It'll stop me from growing taller!"

Qin Xiaoxi nimbly tilted her head aside to evade him, and her high ponytail swayed playfully behind her.

"Who told you to come home so late every time? I was bored at home alone, so I waited for you downstairs."

She pouted.

Hearing this, warmth immediately welled up in Qin Yan's heart.

He stopped teasing her and naturally took his sister's hand. "All right, all right. Let's go home."

This time, Qin Xiaoxi did not dodge and let her brother hold her hand.

She was mischievous, but she was not thoughtless.

Otherwise, she would not have waited downstairs for her brother.

He unlocked the door with his fingerprint. With a click, warm light and the familiar atmosphere of home rushed toward them.

In the living room, only their mother, Chen Juan, was tidying things up. A stained work uniform lay on a nearby chair, clearly having just been changed out of by their father.

"Mom, where did Dad go?" Qin Yan asked.

"Something happened at your father's factory just now. He went back to handle it," Chen Juan said.

Qin Yan nodded.

His father was an ordinary factory worker, but the kind of ordinary worker who did the hardest and most tiring jobs.

His mother was an elementary school teacher. Her work was relatively stable, but her income was not high.

Ever since Qin Yan entered high school and began cultivating martial arts, his father had often worked overtime until late at night before coming home.

Otherwise, the family simply could not afford Qin Yan's expenses.

His father's work was grueling, but he earned quite a bit each month—9,000 Huaxia Coins.

His mother, Chen Juan, earned 3,500 Huaxia Coins a month.

After everyday expenses, the family could save roughly 7,000 Huaxia Coins each month.

But that did not include Qin Yan's food expenses—his meals alone cost 4,500 Huaxia Coins a month.

In other words, the family could only afford for Qin Yan to buy one Blood Qi Potion each month.

Even that was only scraped together through his parents' frugality.

Just then, the sound of a key turning came from the front door.

His father, Qin Shouzheng, pushed the door open and walked in.

Qin Shouzheng's hair was streaked with gray. His fingers were rough, and there was still grease caught beneath his nails.

His face was filled with deep exhaustion, but when he saw his wife and children at home, he still forced a smile.

No matter how hard things were outside, as long as he saw his family safe and happy, it was all worth it.