Chen Yan was satisfied. He slipped quietly back to his room.
Now...
It was time for [Painting].
Chen Yan took out baby-safe crayons and drew a Spirit Race creature on a plain sheet of white paper.
As his proficiency increased, Chen Yan's drawing no longer looked like a baby's random scribble.
It looked just like a work by some great master!
[You are painting. "Painting" skill proficiency +1. Current progress: 1000/1000!]
[Congratulations! "Painting" has successfully advanced to "Image Projection Scroll (Beginner)"! Current progress: 0/10000]
[Image Projection Scroll]: Paint the unreal into the real, animate painted spirits, and trap enemies within a drawn space.
Chen Yan's thoughts stirred as he activated [Image Projection Scroll].
He casually drew a tiny flame on the paper.
The instant his crayon touched down, a wisp of mental power flowed into the drawing.
The next moment, the orange-red flame on the paper actually gave off the faintest trace of warmth!
Right after that, the flame suddenly swelled, consuming the entire sheet of white paper!
It didn't leave behind even a speck of dust.
Chen Yan thought, Isn't this just a martial arts version of the magical brush from Ma Liang?
It was weak, but this was a qualitative leap from the unreal to the real!
"Paint the unreal into the real?... Interesting."
Last, and most crucial of all—[Dual-Mindedness]!
Chen Yan activated the Meditation Method while simultaneously practicing the Qi Nurturing Foundation Art.
[You are practicing Dual-Mindedness. "Dual-Mindedness" skill proficiency +1. Current progress: 1000/1000!]
[Congratulations! "Dual-Mindedness" has successfully advanced to "Divine Sense Differentiation (Beginner)"! Current progress: 0/10000]
[Divine Sense Differentiation]: You can actively split your mental power into multiple strands and operate them independently.
A strange transformation seemed to take place in the sea of Chen Yan's consciousness.
His mental power was no longer a single thread. It had become flowing water he could shape at will.
At a thought, one strand split into two, then two became four!
Four distinct streams of thought operated in his mind at the same time, fluid and smooth, without interfering with one another!
One strand practiced [Qi Nurturing Foundation Art], circulating his blood and tempering his body.
Another practiced the [Meditation Method], contemplating heaven and earth to strengthen his mind.
A third activated [Godly Movement], familiarizing itself with the new strength in his legs and practicing within a small space.
The final strand focused entirely on [Shadow Concealment], erasing every trace of his presence.
Everything proceeded in perfect order!
"It worked!"
Chen Yan was overjoyed.
Four times the training efficiency!
And he could do it while remaining completely undetected!
Before, Chen Yan could raise each skill's progress by at most 100 points a day.
Now, with his efficiency greatly increased, he could push each skill by 400 points if he worked hard!
That would be a piece of cake!
Chen Yan was beaming with satisfaction.
As expected... self-discipline made life fulfilling!
Time flew by, and winter gave way to spring.
Chen Yan celebrated his first birthday.
That day, the system panel sent him a birthday greeting.
[Ding! The host has reached one year of age. Achievements "Self-Disciplined Baby Boy (Green)" and "Vigorous as a Dragon and Tiger (Green)" have met the requirements to advance!]
[Congratulations! Achievements advanced to "Self-Disciplined Baby Boy (Blue)" and "Vigorous as a Dragon and Tiger (Blue)"!]
[Self-Disciplined Baby Boy (Blue)]: Your self-discipline is astounding! Qi and blood +50 daily.
[Vigorous as a Dragon and Tiger (Blue)]: Your vitality is as boundless as the sea! Qi and blood +20 daily, mental power +20 daily.
Woohoo!
His future was looking bright!
Chen Yan immediately opened the panel.
[Host: Chen Yan] [Age: 1 year old] [Cultivation: Amateur Fifth Dan] [Qi and Blood: 1655/2000 (An infant of the same stage has a qi and blood value of 4)] [Mental Power: 643/2000 (An infant of the same stage has a mental power value of 4)] [Charm: 93/100 (Gifted and outstanding)] [Fortune: 20 (Good luck is always with you)] [Constitution: Innate Dao Body (Born close to the Dao, capable of mastering all methods)] [Skills:] [Qi Nurturing Foundation Art (Proficient)(1000/10000)] [Meditation Method (Proficient)(500/10000)] [Efficient Absorption (Proficient)(500/10000)] [Deep Sleep (Proficient)(500/10000)] [Godly Movement (Proficient)(500/10000)] [Image Projection Scroll (Proficient)(0/10000)] [Shadow Concealment (Proficient)(0/10000)] [Divine Sense Differentiation (Proficient)(0/10000)] [Achievements: Self-Disciplined Baby Boy (Blue), Vigorous as a Dragon and Tiger (Blue)]
Ever since he had successfully raised "Divine Sense Differentiation" to a whole new level, Chen Yan hadn't rushed to make further progress.
Instead, he had settled down and spent some time steadily consolidating his gains.
Now, he had finally raised the proficiency of every skill to the "Proficient" level!
However, as the skills' levels rose across the board, the rate at which he gained proficiency in each one had visibly slowed.
It was like using a larger bottle to hold water: filling it inevitably took longer.
Fortunately, his newly advanced "Divine Sense Differentiation" gave him a tremendous boost in efficiency.
With one factor reducing his pace and the other increasing it, his daily proficiency gains eventually stabilized at around 100 points.
So far, the skill progression path he had discovered was: [Beginner]—[Minor Mastery]—[Proficient]!
His cultivation also seemed to advance as his proficiency in the Qi Nurturing Foundation Art increased.
Chen Yan had a vague realization.
He suspected there had to be even higher realms beyond [Proficient]...
The house was unusually lively on his birthday.
His maternal grandfather Du Chun, maternal grandmother Wang Jun, and uncle Du Shenyuan had all come.
As for Chen Kefa's family, they had been wiped out years ago in the war against the ferocious beasts. They were a family of heroes who had all made the ultimate sacrifice.
"Dad, you're here." Du Qionghua hurried to usher her family inside.
"Mm," Du Chun replied. "Is Xiao Yan awake?"
His maternal grandfather, Du Chun, was the owner of the famous Du Family Zhenwei Martial Arts Hall in Jiang City.
He was tall and imposing, with temples that bulged high and an aura as steady as a mountain.
He wore a martial arts uniform, and his broad hands were covered in calluses.
It was said that at the peak of his martial arts prowess in his youth, he had been even stronger than Chen Kefa was now.
His gift for Chen Yan was a pair of small boxing gloves specially made from the hide of an unknown ferocious beast. They were incredibly durable.
Hearing that his nephew liked to doodle, Du Shenyuan had specially brought him a set of top-quality paints and art supplies.
Chen Yan played to his strengths. The moment his maternal grandfather picked him up, he immediately cried in a babyish voice, "Grandpa!"
Then, when his uncle teased him, he chirped, "Uncle!"
Each sweet call brought delight to the two older men, who beamed from ear to ear.
[Fortune +2]
[Fortune +1]
Holding his adorable, chubby-cheeked grandson, Du Chun liked him more and more the longer he looked.
He rested a hand on Chen Yan's wrist. At first, it was only a casual bit of play, but the smile on his face froze the next second!
These bones, this aptitude...
Du Chun abruptly raised his head. His eyes blazed with an unprecedented light as he stared at Chen Yan, as if he were looking at a peerless uncut jade!
Neither his son nor his daughter had any talent for martial arts. Although the martial arts hall took on disciples, Du Chun had never found one who satisfied him.
He had thought the Du family's martial arts tradition would end with him. It was the regret of a lifetime.
But now!
A perfect successor had appeared!
Du Chun trembled all over with excitement.
Meanwhile, Chen Yan seemed oblivious to everything.
He was clutching the tiny boxing gloves, utterly fascinated by them.
He put them on and copied the martial artists he had seen on TV, flailing at the air.
A punch to the left, a punch to the right.
There was no technique or power to it. He looked like a little kid just playing around.
Yet, the moment he threw a punch—
[Ding! The host has been detected engaging in an offensive action...]
[Congratulations: You have comprehended boxing and unlocked a new skill—Turtle Fist!]
[Train hard to increase your boxing progress. Once it reaches the maximum, you can advance to the next sequence.]
[Advancement sequence: Turtle Fist → Arrow Barrage → No Moves → Selflessness]
[Current Turtle Fist progress: 1/1000]
[Arrow Barrage]: Strike endlessly, channeling force through a spiral.
[No Moves]: No moves prevail over moves. You can also break moves, neutralize moves, and put the spirit before all else.
[Selflessness]: I am the fist, and the fist is the Dao!
Chen Yan's face lit up.
Grandpa, you've helped me out!
At last, he had an offensive technique!
While Chen Yan rejoiced inwardly, everyone in the living room was drawn to his sudden movements.
Seeing his little grandson's clumsy but earnest attempt, Du Chun first looked stunned. Then his eyes filled with undisguised admiration and affection.
He couldn't help clapping his hands and laughing. "Haha! Good! Good!"
"He's so little, yet he already knows to imitate boxing. My grandson really is a natural martial arts prodigy!"
Du Shenyuan watched from the side with a gentle smile, though a trace of barely noticeable envy flickered deep in his eyes.
Like his sister, he hadn't inherited his father's talent for martial arts.
Seeing his little nephew so lively made him happy for the boy, though he couldn't help feeling a faint twinge of regret.
His mother, Du Qionghua, was even more excited. She couldn't help putting an arm around Liu Xin, her voice full of pride and envy. "Xin, look! Xiao Yan... he seems to really like those boxing gloves!"
His father, Chen Kefa, still sat ramrod straight, his handsome face calm as always,
but the slight upward curl of his lips and the pride shining in his eyes gave him away.
Even while playing without thinking, his son showed signs of greatness!
Thinking that one day he might become the father of a grandmaster, Chen Kefa couldn't help humming smugly.
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