Han Qiu's steps grew increasingly sluggish. His legs trembled, his face was flushed bright red, and his pupils were gradually losing focus. He was clearly showing signs of being on the verge of physical collapse.
He had been running for nearly an hour, and his young body, which had never undergone any specialized training, had long since drawn close to its limit.
Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his skin, soaking his clothes. His short hair was wet, as though he had just washed it. Dizziness swept over him, and Han Qiu felt his consciousness begin to grow hazy.
"I've always treated life and death lightly. My fate is mine to decide, not heaven's! No, I can't stop!"
Han Qiu's consciousness had begun to blur, yet he continued moving mechanically on instinct. He had no idea how long he ran in the end.
Han Qiu thought it had to have been more than two hours. He could clearly feel that he had truly reached his limit.
Ding-dong!
Han Qiu fell straight to the ground, and boundless exhaustion came rushing in from all directions.
He really was exhausted!
At that moment, he felt as though his body was no longer his own.
In this state, pushed to his limit, Han Qiu felt that he was better off dead than alive.
And indeed, that was the case. A child who had never undergone physical training could easily die from respiratory failure or exhaustion after suddenly running strenuously beyond his capacity.
Just as Han Qiu was about to lose consciousness, a gentle stream of energy slowly flowed out of his dantian and traveled throughout his body.
It felt like drinking something cold during the hottest days of summer. It was sheer bliss.
His muscles, torn by the intense exercise, slowly repaired themselves under the soothing energy's influence, at a speed too slow to see with the naked eye.
His aching, stiff limbs gradually recovered, and the current soothed his lungs, which had felt as though they were being scorched by fire. The suffocating agony of being on the brink of death slowly receded like the tide.
Like a phoenix reborn from the flames, every cell seemed to gain new life under the baptism of this energy, brimming with vitality.
"This feels so good." Han Qiu nearly cried out. As terrible as he had felt just now, he felt equally wonderful now.
Han Qiu could clearly feel that not only had his body grown stronger, but the mass of Qi in his dantian had also become considerably more powerful.
More than ten minutes later.
Han Qiu opened his eyes and sprang to his feet with a kip-up.
"My body really did get a lot stronger after surpassing its limit. Qi-State Origin-Flow truly deserves to be called the pinnacle of techniques. Its power knows no bounds."
Han Qiu rubbed his hands together, eager to try it out. He could clearly feel himself growing stronger before his very eyes. "Not bad, not bad." He could clearly feel the mass of Qi inside him circulating continuously.
"I feel like I could knock out four or five of my old self with one punch now, and that's after only two hours of training. Qi-State Origin-Flow is terrifying indeed." Han Qiu clenched his fist. "That mass of Qi in my dantian should be Soul Power."
"Never mind. I'm going to keep training and keep getting stronger!"
Han Qiu's eyes burned, and the blood throughout his body seemed to boil along with the Soul Power circulating through his dantian.
Although the memory of the near-fatal exhaustion was still buried deep in his mind, the feeling of strength filling his body now intoxicated him.
Han Qiu started running again.
Early the next morning.
At the first hint of dawn, Tang San finished washing up and made breakfast for his father, then ran toward the village entrance.
Looking at the small mountain in the distance, which he had already run up who knew how many times, Tang San's lips curved into a faint smile. Then his gaze fell on Han Qiu's rocking chair nearby, and he froze.
"Where's Han Qiu?"
Ever since Tang San had surpassed Han Qiu in every respect a year ago, he had seen Han Qiu lying in the rocking chair at this hour almost every day, waiting to bask in the sun.
Why was he nowhere to be seen today?
Had he seen a ghost in broad daylight?
A thought struck Tang San, and he swept his gaze around. Suddenly, a familiar figure came into view up ahead, where he often trained. The person was lying on a tree trunk with a blade of Blue Silver Grass in his mouth and both hands tucked beneath his head.
"Han Qiu, why did you change spots today? Do you want to train with me again?"
Han Qiu raised his gaze and opened his eyes, looking at Tang San.
With just that one look, Tang San felt that the Han Qiu before him seemed different from before.
As for what was different, he couldn't quite put his finger on it for the moment.
Han Qiu still looked a little simpleminded, but he had gained an air of confidence, just like Tang San's father. His father usually looked lazy, but whenever he started forging iron, he seemed like a different person, his eyes shining with an unprecedented brilliance. The resemblance struck Tang San as incredible.
He even felt considerable pressure from Han Qiu, but how could that be possible?
Tang San himself felt the thought was a little ridiculous.
"Little San, your Brother Qiu has actually worn his heart out worrying about you all these years. To build your confidence, I deliberately lost to you every day. Now your Brother Qiu is done pretending. I'm laying my cards on the table..." Han Qiu said with a perfectly straight face.
After training all day yesterday, Han Qiu had finally surpassed his own limit for the second time at midnight, and Qi-State Origin-Flow had cleansed his body and washed his marrow.
Growing stronger without showing off was like wearing fine robes at night or letting a bright pearl gather dust.
"..." Tang San was amused by Han Qiu's words. "Wait, Han Qiu, are you messing with me?"
"Let's train together today and see who's stronger!" Tang San pointed at the little earthen hill ahead and said teasingly, "But I think you'd better start by jogging to get used to it. Don't go running yourself into a cripple."
Han Qiu raised a hand and patted Tang San gently on the shoulder. "Little San, your Brother Qiu just told you, I was only deliberately going easy on you before."
Hearing that, Tang San seemed to laugh out of sheer exasperation.
Ever since this simpleton had been left far behind by him a year ago, Han Qiu had spent his days lying in a rocking chair, turning into a salted fish.
He had only been simpleminded before, but now he was even bragging.
The mountain before them was about five hundred meters high. It wasn't particularly rugged, but surely a six-year-old who had given up trying couldn't climb it.
Tang San knew full well that he could climb it only because he had cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill, giving him a physique far beyond that of his peers. Apart from him, he had never heard of another child in Holy Soul Village who could climb it without stopping once.
"Han Qiu, it's already daytime."
"..." Han Qiu.
When did Little San learn to make snide remarks? Wasn't he saying I was daydreaming?
Han Qiu's mouth twitched. He jumped down from the tree, brushed his hair into what he thought was a handsome style, and walked toward the place where Tang San often trained.
[Detected that the host wants to show off in front of others. Activating the Choice System.] [Option one: Challenge Tang San to a duel, defeat him, and mock him. Reward: General Principles of Tang Sect Cultivation Methods.] [Option two: Challenge Tang San to a mountain-climbing contest. If you win, the reward is Mount Longhu's basic cultivation method, the Golden Light Mantra.] [Option three: Chicken out and tell Tang San that you lied just now, and that you are not only simpleminded but also trash. Reward: Turtle Breathing Skill, a cultivation method for concealing strength.]