The largest shopping mall in Jiang City was bustling with people.
Du Qionghua and Liu Xin each held the hand of their child, their faces beaming with a rare sense of ease.
"Let's buy Xiao Yan a few new outfits first. He's growing so fast."
Du Qionghua said with a smile.
The group walked into a beautifully decorated children's clothing store.
Chen Yan and his mother went to the boys' section, while Yu Qingmeng and her mother went to the girls' section.
As soon as they stepped inside, two rows of employees bowed in unison. A party popper went off with a bang!
"Congratulations! You're the hundredth lucky customer to visit our store today!"
The store manager came forward with a beaming smile and handed them an exquisite gold card.
"This is our store's premier VIP card. With it, you'll receive a fifty percent discount on all purchases here for life! And everything you buy today is free!"
"!"
Du Qionghua was stunned.
Were they really that lucky?
She accepted the card with delight, feeling as though she were dreaming.
Sitting in his stroller, Chen Yan was experiencing for the first time just how clearly good fortune could pay off.
The corner of his mouth lifted...
Just kidding.
He had a luck stat of 73 now. He was practically luck's darling!
Wherever he went, good fortune followed.
This little scene was nothing more than an appetizer.
"Huh, that's strange. Why are the clothes that fit Xiao Yan last time already too small?"
Du Qionghua held a T-shirt up against Chen Yan, her delicate brows drawing together slightly.
How long had it even been?
Wasn't this child growing a little too fast?
"Come on, little one. Would you let Auntie measure your height?"
A young saleswoman came over with a smile, holding a soft measuring tape.
She crouched down, gently took off Chen Yan's shoes, and helped him stand up straight.
She ran the tape from the top of his head to his heels.
"One hundred and twelve centimeters..."
The saleswoman stood up, her smile growing even warmer. She turned to Du Qionghua and asked,
"Your little boy is so handsome, and so tall! What grade is he in?"
"What grade?" Du Qionghua couldn't help laughing.
"Haha, Xiao Yan's only a little over a year old!"
She patted her son's head, amused and helpless. "Xiao Yan, say thank you to Auntie."
"Thank you!"
Chen Yan tilted his head back and gave her a radiant smile, innocent and pure.
The saleswoman's professional smile froze instantly.
She looked down at the measuring tape in her hand.
112 cm.
Then she looked up at the little boy in front of her, who looked as though he'd been carved from jade.
A... a little over a year old?
How the hell was he a little over a year old?
You call this a little over a year old?!
One of her relatives had a child who was already in first grade this year,
and he was... about this tall, too, wasn't he?
After buying the clothes, Chen Yan and his mother headed over to the girls' section.
"Oh my goodness, Qingmeng is so adorable!"
The moment she reached the entrance, Du Qionghua couldn't help letting out a gasp.
There in the middle of the store, Yu Qingmeng stood on a little platform.
She wore a pink-and-white lace princess dress, its layered skirt sprinkled with tiny sequins.
A delicate little crown headband rested on her head, while Liu Xin had carefully styled her black hair into two tiny buns.
Her skin was so fair it seemed to glow. Her big, dark eyes blinked like grapes as she looked around curiously.
Her little mouth was puckered slightly. She looked just like a tiny elf who had wandered out of a fairy tale.
Liu Xin and several saleswomen gathered around her, unable to hide their affectionate smiles as they praised her again and again.
Chen Yan's gaze happened to fall on her, and his heart skipped a beat for no reason.
Even his cheeks felt faintly warm.
Of course, this wasn't romantic love!
Instead, Chen Yan felt more like a father. A strange urge to cherish and protect her quietly spread through him.
Without realizing it, he stared at her for quite a while.
When he came to his senses, Chen Yan immediately realized something was wrong. He hurriedly forced himself to put on a stern expression and looked away, pretending to be calm.
But Yu Qingmeng spotted him at once.
"Brother Xiao Yan!"
The little girl's eyes lit up. Holding up her skirt, she scampered down from the platform on her short legs.
She ran right over to Chen Yan, nearly pressing her whole body against him.
Yu Qingmeng tilted up her radiant little face. Her bright, sparkling eyes gazed straight at him as she asked expectantly,
"Brother Xiao Yan, do I look pretty?"
Chen Yan: "..."
His first instinct was to turn away and mutter, "So-so."
But as he looked at her clear eyes, which reflected his own face, the words caught in his throat. He couldn't get them out.
In the end, he merely gave a soft snort and awkwardly turned his head to the side.
Yu Qingmeng wouldn't let it go. She poked his arm with a finger, her little mouth puckering as she murmured in a soft voice,
"Brother Xiao Yan, do you not like me?"
"..."
Chen Yan was at a loss. More than that, he was afraid she'd really get upset, so he stammered, "I... I do like you."
But she still looked so wronged, as if someone had bullied her. Anyone would have gone soft at the sight.
Helpless, Chen Yan finally reached out and gently ruffled her hair.
"Hehe... Brother Xiao Yan is the best!"
She immediately burst into a smile, her eyes curving into little crescents.
You little minx! You change expressions fast!
Three entire floors on the west side of the mall belonged to the Du Family Zhenwei Martial Arts Hall.
On the huge electronic screen outside, the words "Zhenwei" flashed in bold, sweeping strokes on repeat, imposing and commanding.
The moment one stepped into the first-floor training hall, young students in matching black training uniforms could be seen everywhere.
At that moment, almost everyone was holding their breath, all eyes fixed on the very center of the hall.
A handsome young man in a dark blue martial arts uniform was carefully demonstrating a set of movements.
He was well-proportioned, with clear-cut features. Though still young, he already had a calm, composed air about him.
It was Wang Jian.
The many students in black gathered around him watched every subtle movement, not daring to blink in case they missed something.
According to Hall Master Du Chun, Wang Jian had developed his own insights into the most basic National Health Exercises, and used them to achieve an acquired awakening. He was a real prodigy!
Most people with special constitutions could be identified by the time they were six.
Those like Wang Jian, who only awakened suddenly at fifteen or sixteen, were called "acquired awakenings." They were extremely rare.
On the training floor, Wang Jian slowly finished the set and steadied his breathing.
A low murmur of discussion immediately rose around him.
"Is that Senior Brother Wang's improved version of the National Health Exercises?"
"So even people with ordinary aptitude like us really do have a way forward..."
"If only I could be a late bloomer like Senior Brother Wang and get taken on as the hall master's disciple..."
"It looks almost the same as what I usually practice, but something feels different. Maybe I'm just too unobservant, because I really can't tell what the difference is..."
Wang Jian merely smiled at their comments, his tone gentle. "It's all right. I'll demonstrate a few more times."
"—Wang Chubby!"
Just then, a bright, cheerful voice came from the entrance to the martial arts hall.
Du Shenyuan, the usually stern senior brother, was coming in from outside.
A remarkably beautiful woman followed behind him. On closer inspection, she looked a lot like him.
She was carrying an exquisitely pretty baby in her arms. The three of them immediately drew everyone's attention as they entered.
"What are you all staring at? Don't you have anything to do?" Du Shenyuan swept his gaze around with a laughing scold, then beckoned toward the center of the hall. "Wang Chubby, come here a moment!"
Nearby, a new student who had just come to sign up for classes at the martial arts hall whispered, "Wang Chubby? Who's Senior Brother Du calling?"
His companion quickly lowered his voice to explain. "Senior Brother Wang Jian! He was a bit chubby when he first joined the hall,"
"He's gotten in shape now, but Senior Brother Du got used to calling him 'Chubby,' so it stuck. But hey, don't call him that to his face!"
"Come on, do I look that stupid?!"
Wang Jian hurried over, his face still flushed from practicing. He bowed respectfully. "Senior Brother."
Du Shenyuan smiled and introduced Du Qionghua to the side of him.
"This is our father's new disciple, Wang Jian."
His voice held a trace of pride. "He may be young, but his talent is remarkable—he has the special constitution known as Mystic Rock Bone, which he acquired through an awakening!"
"Greetings, Senior Brother and Senior Sister." Wang Jian was a little shy. He bowed properly to Du Shenyuan and Du Qionghua.
"I can't get away just yet," Du Shenyuan said, patting his shoulder. "Wang Jian, take Senior Sister upstairs to see the hall master."
"Yes, Senior Brother."
Wang Jian answered briskly, then respectfully led the way a little ahead of them, guiding Du Qionghua and Chen Yan toward the elevators.
All along the way, Chen Yan quietly observed the young man named Wang Jian.
With a slight shift in his thoughts, Wang Jian's appearance in his eyes changed instantly.
A faint, earthen-yellow glow clung to Wang Jian's bones, radiating a sense of weight and solidity.
As Chen Yan focused his spiritual sense, he could clearly see through Wang Jian's constitution.
A trace of pure Mystic Rock energy was contained within his bones.
The energy continuously tempered them, making them far denser and harder than those of an ordinary person.
As a result, his physical strength was also far greater than that of a martial artist at the same level.
Not bad.
At that moment, the system's cold prompt rang in Chen Yan's mind.
[Ding! A special constitution owner has been detected (Wang Jian)!] [Constitution: Mystic Rock Bone (acquired awakening)] [Current Realm: Amateur Rank Four] [System mission issued: Recognizing True Talent]
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