Early Brilliance

The next morning, before dawn had even broken, An woke up.

He opened his eyes, and the sky outside the window showed only a hint of pale white along the eastern horizon. Linley was still fast asleep in the bed beside him.

Not wanting to wake his brother, An quietly put on his training clothes, washed up simply, and walked out of the house alone.

Wushan Town was still deep in sleep, the bluestone road entirely empty save for the occasional bark of a dog in the distance. The late autumn morning breeze carried a chill, feeling refreshing against his skin.

An took a deep breath, stretched his limbs, and began to jog.

The Heaven Rewards Diligence System activated the very moment he started exercising:

[Morning exercise mode activated. Jogging: physical fitness experience +2 every ten minutes. Current concentration: good, experience gain speed 110%.]

An jogged along the path on the outskirts of Wushan Town for twenty minutes, stopping only after working up a light sweat. He stood by the roadside to press his legs and stretch, loosening up all his joints.

After finishing his warm-up, An headed toward the training ground on the east side of Wushan Town. By now the sky had brightened somewhat, and children were arriving at the training ground one after another.

"An? Why are you so early?" A familiar voice came from behind.

An turned around; it was Instructor Hillman.

"Good morning, Instructor Hillman." An bowed politely. "I wanted to come early and practice a bit more."

A flash of approval crossed Hillman's eyes. "Good habit. But you're still young, so don't overdo it and hurt your body."

"I'll be careful." An nodded.

Hillman sat down on the edge of the training ground and watched An with a look of keen interest. He wanted to see just how much capability this child who had boldly declared his intention to join the ten-year-old training group yesterday actually possessed.

Without wasting time, An stood firmly in the center of the training ground and assumed the Qi Storing Posture.

[Qi Storing Posture training begins.]

The Heaven Rewards Diligence System provided real-time feedback:

[Posture score: 92 points (excellent). Standard posture grants an additional experience bonus. Current experience gain speed: 150%.]

An maintained his posture, not moving an inch.

Time ticked away second by second. More and more children gathered on the training ground, and the chatter and noise gradually picked up. An turned a deaf ear, focusing all his attention on his body.

He could feel the muscles in his thighs trembling slightly, the soreness and distension in his waist and back growing increasingly intense, and droplets of sweat rolling down his cheeks.

"Huh? Isn't that the six-year-old kid from yesterday?"

"Is he practicing the Qi Storing Posture? How long has he been at it?"

"I don't know, he was already practicing when I got here."

Several children crowded around, discussing in low voices.

Linley had arrived as well. Seeing that An was already on the training ground, he paused for a moment, then hurried over to stand beside An and assumed the Qi Storing Posture too.

Hillman looked at An, then looked at Linley, a smile touching the corner of his mouth.

This kid is no ordinary child, Hillman thought to himself.

After holding out for a full forty minutes, An slowly relaxed his body and ended his training.

System prompt:

[Qi Storing Posture training ended. Duration: 42 minutes. Base experience +42, standard posture bonus +21, concentration bonus +20, cumulative experience +83 points.]

[Warrior level experience bar: 28%.]

A single training session raised his experience bar by 16%? An felt a surge of joy inside. It seemed that maintaining standard posture was much more effective than simply piling on time.

He retreated to the side, drank water and wiped away his sweat, watching the other children on the training ground begin their training one after another.

Before long, Hillman blew the assembly whistle.

"Everyone assemble!"

Over a hundred children quickly divided into three groups by age and stood in formation. Hillman stood at the front of the ranks, his gaze sweeping over every face.

"Today, two six-year-old children have applied to join the ten-year-old group's training." Hillman pointed at An and Linley. "An Baruch, Linley Baruch, step out of the ranks."

An and Linley stepped out of formation and stood at the front of the group.

The children in the ten-year-old group let out murmurs of surprise. A tall, well-built boy frowned and said, "Instructor, they're only six years old. Can they keep up with our training intensity?"

Without answering directly, Hillman looked at An. "An, you answer."

An looked calmly at the boy. "We'll know as soon as we try."

The boy was choked up by the reply, let out a huff, and said no more.

"Good." Hillman nodded. "Starting today, An and Linley are assigned to the ten-year-old group. Everyone, training begins!"

During a training break, An sat on the ground to drink water and rest. The tall boy who had questioned him earlier walked over and looked down at him.

"My name is Hadley," the boy said. "You guys can actually keep up with the training-you've got some real skill."

An glanced up at him.

"An," he replied briefly.

Hadley grinned. "Welcome to the ten-year-old group."

With that, he turned and walked away.

An paid it no mind and continued resting.

When evening training ended, An stayed behind on the training ground for extra practice.

Hillman was just about to leave when he saw An still doing push-ups, and he stopped in his tracks.

"An, aren't you tired?"

"Tired," An said, panting, "but it's not enough."

Hillman was silent for a moment, then walked over and squatted down in front of An. "You're different from the other children. What is your goal?"

An stopped moving, sat up, and looked at Hillman.

His gaze was clear and resolute. "I want to become a powerhouse. Strong enough to protect everyone I care about."

Hillman was taken aback for a moment, then reached out and patted An on the shoulder. "Good. Remember what you said today."

He stood up, drew a thin little booklet from his tunic, and handed it to An. "These are my basic physical training notes from when I was young. They contain some training methods and precautions, much more systematic than what you're practicing now. If you really want to grow stronger, you can use this for reference."

An accepted the booklet, a wave of warmth welling up in his heart. "Thank you, Instructor Hillman."

Hillman waved a hand and strode away from the training ground.

The Heaven Rewards Diligence System popped up a prompt:

[Obtained rare item: Hillman's Physical Training Notes. Read and practice the training methods within the notes to permanently increase physical fitness experience gain speed by an extra 30%.]

An's eyes lit up, and he tucked the notes away like a prized treasure.

As dusk fell, he was the only one left on the training ground.

An stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and walked in the direction of home.

Passing by the ancestral hall, he unconsciously came to a halt.

The door of the ancestral hall was ajar, the dim, yellow glow of candlelight spilling out from within. An pushed the door open and stepped inside to see his father Hogg standing before the ancestral tablets, his back to him, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"Father?" An called out softly.

Hogg quickly wiped the corners of his eyes with his hand and turned around, his expression already having recovered its habitual weekday sternness. "An, why are you back so late?"

"I stayed for some extra practice," An said. "Father, are you... all right?"

"I'm fine," Hogg shook his head. "I was just thinking about some things."

He walked to the very center of the ancestral hall and looked up at the highest tablet-the first-generation patriarch of the Baruch Clan, the Dragonblood Warrior Baruch.

"An, did you know?" Hogg's voice was low and distant. "The Baruch Clan was once one of the most glorious clans on the Yulan Continent."

An didn't speak, listening quietly.

"But that was five thousand years ago." Hogg gave a bitter laugh. "For over a thousand years, the clan hasn't produced a single powerhouse. The glory has faded, the family fortunes have declined, and by my generation, all that's left is this tiny fiefdom of Wushan Town, where even making a basic living is a struggle."

He turned around, squatted down, and met An at eye level. "Do you know why I gave you the name An?"

An thought for a moment. "You said that 'An' means perseverance and unyielding determination."

"More than that," Hogg said. "In the ancient language of the Baruch Clan, 'An' has another meaning-protection. I hope you will protect this clan, protect your older and younger brothers, and protect the glory of the Baruch surname."

An looked into his father's eyes; a fire that people could not quite understand was burning within those deep pupils.

"I will, Father," An said, word by word. "I swear it."

Hogg reached out to touch the top of An's head, then stood up. "Let's go. Back for dinner."