Stone Village lay within the Vast Mountain Range, surrounded by towering peaks and deep ravines, with majestic mountains stretching endlessly around it.
The morning clouds glowed brilliantly, scattering light across the earth like fragments of gold and bathing everyone in their warmth.
A young man stretched beneath an old Willow Tree charred by lightning, then continued studying its peculiar patterns intently. Before him, dozens of children, ranging from four or five to their teens, were training their bodies.
Their faces were full of concentration. The older children moved with the vigor of tigers, while the younger ones copied the movements convincingly, grunting and shouting as they exercised.
Beside the children stood a middle-aged man in beast hides, his muscles as powerful as a tiger's or leopard's. His keen eyes swept over each child, and he occasionally offered a few pointers before nodding in satisfaction.
"When the sun first rises and all things begin anew, the energy of life is at its strongest! Though this isn't like swallowing the clouds' radiance in the legends, exercising in their light still brings tremendous benefits and fills the body with vitality!
"Uncle Luo put it well: a day's plans begin in the morning, and a year's plans begin in spring. Every morning is the perfect time to train your muscles and bones and strengthen your body!
"Only by forging an exceptional physique and mastering a few skills can you earn the means to survive in this Vast Mountain Range!" the middle-aged man solemnly warned the children.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes!" the children answered loudly, their voices full of strength.
The mountains teemed with savage beasts, and prehistoric creatures blotted out the sun and sky. Their enormous bodies rivaled mountain ranges; they swallowed the heavens and howled at the moon, their immense wings obscuring the