In the days that followed, Chen Yan's life became regular and fulfilling.
Every day, aside from drinking milk and eating, he was held by his mother, Du Qionghua, and made to do ten rounds of the National Health Exercises without fail.
Whenever he was bored, he would focus his mind and clearly call out "Mama" and "Papa" a few times.
Every time, he made Du Qionghua and Chen Kefa, who occasionally visited the hospital, beam with delight. They always praised him for being a genius.
Chen Yan scoffed at that...
A genius?
They were thinking too small.
The days quietly slipped by amid all that discipline. In the blink of an eye, he reached his thirtieth day.
After Chen Yan finished his last nighttime feed in his mother's arms, drowsiness washed over him like a tide. Two crisp, melodious notification chimes rang in his mind one after the other.
[You have maintained your self-discipline and eaten enthusiastically every day. You have earned the achievement "Self-Disciplined Baby Boy (White)"!] [You have practiced the Four National Health Exercises of the East Continent for thirty consecutive days. You have earned the achievement "Vigorous as a Dragon and Tiger (White)"!]
At last!
Chen Yan smacked his lips with satisfaction and drifted into a deep sleep with a smile on his face.
By the time he woke again, the sky was already bright.
He was still lying in the familiar crib, but this time, he felt as if the whole world had changed.
Self-discipline brings happiness!
Chen Yan immediately sank into his consciousness to check what he had gained.
[Self-Disciplined Baby Boy (White Achievement)]: After equipping, qi and blood +2 every day. [Vigorous as a Dragon and Tiger (White Achievement)]: After equipping, qi and blood +1 every day, spirit +1. [Would you like to equip them?]
"Equip! Equip them both!"
Chen Yan shouted in his mind.
At his thought, the two achievement icons, glowing with soft white light, lit up.
Immediately afterward, he felt an almost imperceptible warm current well up from deep within his body, nourishing his limbs and bones. Even his mind felt clearer.
The numbers on the system panel changed as well.
[Host: Chen Yan] [Age: 30 days] [Cultivation: None] [Qi and Blood: 5/100 (A baby at the same stage has a qi and blood value of 1)] [Spirit: 3/100 (A baby at the same stage has a spirit value of 1)] [Charm: 80/100 (Handsome and dignified)] [Fortune: 5 (Water goes down the wrong way)] [Constitution: None] [Skill: Four National Health Exercises of the East Continent (300/1000)] [Achievements: Self-Disciplined Baby Boy (White), Vigorous as a Dragon and Tiger (White)] [Achievement Mission 1]: Eat on schedule every day. After 100 consecutive days, unlock the achievement [Self-Disciplined Baby Boy (Green) 30/100]. Qi and blood +3 every day... [Achievement Mission 2]: Learn and practice the Four National Health Exercises of the East Continent. After seven consecutive days, unlock the achievement [Vigorous as a Dragon and Tiger (Green) 30/100]. Qi and blood +2 every day, spirit +2...
Good, good, there was more to come!
Chen Yan looked at his stats, his tiny mouth spreading into a toothless grin.
Just two of the most basic white achievements could automatically increase his qi and blood by 3 and his spirit by 1 every day.
At this rate, he would gain 21 points of qi and blood and 7 points of spirit in a week.
Who wouldn't call him a demon child descended into the world?
In this high-martial era, the average person's constitution far surpassed that of his previous life, and Du Qionghua had long since recovered.
But following the East Continent's tradition of postpartum confinement, she had still stayed in the hospital for a full month.
On the day they left the hospital, Chen Kefa couldn't make it, so he sent two young men in public security uniforms instead.
When the two saw Du Qionghua, they respectfully greeted her as "Sister-in-law."
Cradled in his mother's arms, Chen Yan left the luxurious VIP ward for the first time.
He got into the car, and the world outside the window swept past at speed.
Skyscrapers rose everywhere, traffic filled the roads, and the city was bustling with prosperity.
The streets, at least, didn't look much different from those in his previous life.
Over the past month, through his parents' and nurses' conversations, as well as the news on the ward's television, Chen Yan had gained a basic understanding of this world.
It was still Blue Star, the East Continent, Hua Nation.
But the course of history had veered off a hundred years ago.
Heaven and earth's spiritual energy had suddenly revived, ushering in a magnificent "high-martial era."
Humanity had built on ancient martial arts to create an entirely new cultivation system.
From the lowest amateur ninth rank, to professional martial artists, then to the rare masters and grandmasters, and even the legendary Martial Saints.
At the same time, countless spatial passages known as "spirit realm Rifts" had appeared across Blue Star, and innumerable ferocious beasts that preyed on humans had poured through them.
Humanity had fought the beasts for a century. One powerful fighter after another had emerged, and they had finally managed to hold their ground, creating the present-day standoff between humans and beasts.
To unite against their common enemy, the East Continent no longer distinguished between countries. Led by Hua Nation, it had formed the East Continent Alliance!
In this era, ordinary public security officers could no longer deal with special incidents like "cultivator crimes" and "beast attacks on civilians."
So every region had established its own Special Investigation Team.
Every team leader was a powerful professional martial artist, responsible for guarding their territory. They were the "guardians of urban safety," with an extraordinary status.
And his father, Chen Kefa, was the captain of Jiang City's Special Investigation Team.
No wonder they'd been given a VIP delivery room, with a dedicated nurse on call around the clock. Even the hospital administrators had acted so stiffly around his dad.
Chen Yan understood. He'd gotten a perfect start.
Just as he was congratulating himself, the young public security officer driving the car suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"Sister-in-law, the captain told us things have been unsettled in the West City District lately. You and the baby should stay away from there, and it'd be best not to go out at night either."
Du Qionghua tightened her hold on Chen Yan without realizing it. A hint of worry crept into her voice. "Kefa mentioned it when he came home last time. Have those strange incidents still not been resolved?"
"Mm..." The officer's expression turned grave. "There've been several more lately. The victims can't explain what happened to them. They just say it felt like they'd run into something evil."
"We checked the surveillance footage, but it didn't capture anything. And at the scene, we couldn't find any signs that a beast or martial artist had attacked them."
Paranormal incidents?
Chen Yan's ears perked up.
Du Qionghua felt a chill as she listened. She looked down at her exquisitely adorable son in her arms and grew even more uneasy.
Sensing his mother's mood, Chen Yan pursed his lips dismissively.
Weren't they just a bunch of things pretending to be ghosts?
He focused his mind and brought up his status panel.
Looking at his qi and blood and spirit, already several times higher than those of babies his age, Chen Yan felt completely safe.
As the days passed, the gap would only grow.
Maybe one day, he'd be able to fight ferocious beasts in a baby's body!
A mere paranormal incident was nothing to worry about.
He lifted his little head and looked at his mother's anxious profile. "It's okay, Mom. I'll handle it!"
Du Qionghua looked at little Chen Yan babbling and smiled.
She suddenly lowered her head and gently rubbed her cheek against his, a smile on her lips. In the soft, soothing voice one used with a little child, she said:
"All right, all right. Our little Yan is the best. Mommy will just wait for you to protect me."
???
You can understand me?!
Chen Yan's eyes went wide, his mind going blank.
He felt a chill shoot from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head. Looking at his mother's gentle, beautiful face, he felt fear for the first time.
Could it be... Mom had a cheat too?
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