Two Years

Time flew.

In the blink of an eye, two years had passed.

Autumn, Yulan Calendar year 9984.

Haoyue was ten years old.

The old locust tree in courtyard 1688 had sprouted new shoots again, its tender green leaves rustling in the spring breeze.

"Bolei! Get up! We're going to breakfast first!" Kaluo's voice was loud enough to shake a man to death even through the door. "There's a public Earth Element lecture today. Are you going?"

"I'm going. You guys go to breakfast; I'll skip it." Haoyue rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed.

Two years.

The frail child from two years ago had grown into a lean, sturdy youth. He had shot up in height, his shoulders had broadened, and the outlines of muscles were faintly visible on his arms.

Most importantly, his strength was approaching that of a level 3 warrior.

The mountain behind Ernst Institute.

The morning mist had yet to clear, but Haoyue had already run three laps along the mountain path.

Sweat soaked his uniform and streamed down his cheeks. His legs were as heavy as lead, but his strides remained steady and strong.

Two years.

Two full years of arduous training.

Every day, he woke up and ran ten kilometers, then attended theory classes, ate and rested at noon, practiced three elements of magic in the afternoon, and meditated to absorb spiritual energy at night.

The cycle repeated without interruption.

In the first year, Haoyue had run fifteen kilometers every day, on top of all kinds of physical training. Push-ups, squats, sit-ups, planks... he pushed himself to the limit with every exercise.

In the second year, he began adding weights. With sandbags tied to his legs and stone weights in his hands, running was even more exhausting than moving while carrying weights.

But Haoyue endured it all.

He knew there was no way back.

Being a transmigrator was his advantage, but it was also his shackle. He had only one chance to start over, and if he missed it, he would have nothing.

So he had to give it everything he had.

He had to work harder than anyone else.

He had to carve a bloody path through this world where the strong preyed on the weak.

After finishing his final lap, Haoyue stopped on a platform halfway up the mountain.

He looked up at the eastern horizon, where the sky was gradually growing pale, and took a deep breath of the crisp, cool air.

"System, report my physical data."

A screen of light silently appeared before his eyes:

[Host: Haoyue Bolei]

[Age: 10]

[Warrior level: level 2 warrior (peak)]

[Mage level: level 2 mage (peak)]

[Spiritual power: peak level 2 mage]

[Physique: early level 3 warrior]

[Hex level: 2]

After the workout, he washed up briefly.

Once Haoyue had washed up, he went out with his roommates, who had already returned from breakfast.

Kaluo was now a late-stage level 2 mage and spent all day clamoring about breaking through to level 3.

"Once I become a level 3 mage, I'll go back to O'Brien and show those snobs who look down on people!" He waved his fist, his red hair especially bright in the sunlight.

Lei'en was progressing a little more slowly. He had only just reached the middle stage of level 2, though his cultivation speed was decent.

Luo'en was doing the worst, still hovering at the early stage of level 2. But he had an excellent attitude and was cheerful every day. His family was rich anyway, so he didn't have to worry about his future.

"Bolei, you're a freak." Luo'en had a blade of grass between his teeth as he glanced sideways at Haoyue. "A peak level 2 mage at ten, and you practice three elements, too. How do you train?"

"Talent." Haoyue's face was expressionless.

"Tch, stingy bastard."

The four of them chatted and laughed as they headed for the teaching building.

The morning's classes passed without incident.

Haoyue sat in the corner as usual, listening to the teacher explain advanced Earth Element magic theory.

Over the past two years, he had studied everything covered in the institute's public lectures. Basic theory, magic circle construction, techniques for controlling magic power output... he had mastered every one of them.

But that was only the surface.

What had truly allowed him to grow so rapidly was the Tiger Pattern Secret Canon.

Every day, he trained in a clearing on the mountain behind the institute. The Qi Absorption Form, the Body Tempering Form, the Blood Condensation Form... he had practiced the entire cultivation method hundreds of times.

The process of cleansing his body and marrow was excruciating.

As spiritual energy entered his body, it scoured his meridians and expelled impurities. The process was like sanding a wound, and every time, the pain left him trembling all over.

But he gritted his teeth and endured it.

Now, his meridians were thirty percent wider than they had been two years ago, and his dantian had become more stable. The battle-qi vortex in his body had grown ever larger.

In the afternoon, Haoyue went alone to the mountain behind the institute.

He took off his outer clothes, leaving only a pair of shorts, and began to warm up.

Five hundred push-ups. Five hundred sit-ups. Five hundred squats. Fifty laps of frog jumps.

Two years ago, he could only do a hundred; now, he could do five times that.

Haoyue took a deep breath and began practicing the Body Tempering Fist from the Tiger Pattern Secret Canon.

The moves of this fist technique were fierce and powerful. Combined with controlled breathing, they could bring out the body's potential to the fullest.

Once. Twice. Three times...

Sweat fell like rain, soaking the ground.

Haoyue's movements grew faster and faster, his fists whipping up gusts of wind. Every punch came with a whistle as it cut through the air.

On the twentieth repetition, he felt something inside him begin to loosen.

"Again!"

He gritted his teeth and pressed on, relentlessly squeezing out his body's potential.

Twenty-one. Twenty-two. Twenty-three...

Forty. Fifty. Sixty...

His body screamed. His muscles trembled. His bones groaned.

But Haoyue knew he couldn't stop.

He could feel himself pushing past his limits bit by bit.

Until-

Crack!

A sharp sound came from within his body.

Deep in his dantian, the dormant battle-qi seed suddenly split open, and the battle-qi vortex inside him swelled.

A surge of searing energy poured from the crack and erupted along the battle-qi vortex like magma, sweeping through his entire body in an instant.

Haoyue shuddered violently and nearly fell.

He hurriedly steadied himself and guided the energy through every part of his body.

Heat. Pain. Pressure.

The three sensations intertwined, nearly clouding his consciousness.

But he didn't dare lose focus. This was the most critical moment. The battle-qi seed had just sprouted, and he had to guide it carefully, or he would damage his foundation.

The seconds and minutes ticked by.

After an unknown length of time, the energy finally subsided.

Haoyue slowly opened his eyes.

[Congratulations, host, on breaking through to level 3 warrior]

[The Hextech System has detected an energy fluctuation]

[Loading new Hex...]

[Estimated time to completion: 24 hours]

Haoyue looked down at his hands.

His knuckles were well defined, and veins showed faintly beneath his skin. His palms looked ordinary, yet they held explosive power.

He gently clenched his fist.

The air gave a muffled pop as he squeezed it.

This was the power of a level 3 warrior.

It was more than ten times stronger than level 2.

Haoyue silently put his clothes back on, straightened his appearance, then hurried back to the dormitory.

He passed several classmates on the way and politely nodded in greeting.

By the time he returned to courtyard 1688, his roommates were still in class.

After showering, Haoyue sat beneath the old locust tree and looked up at the sky.

He recalled the scene when he had enrolled two years ago. Back then, he had still been a level 1 warrior and hadn't even had a battle-qi seed.

Now, he had finally reached a new starting point.

In one day, the new Hex would finish loading.

He wondered what ability it would be.

Haoyue closed his eyes, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

The day after his breakthrough.

Late at night.

Haoyue sat cross-legged on his dormitory bed, eyes closed as he regulated his breathing.

The changes brought by breaking through to level 3 warrior were enormous. Battle qi flowed slowly through his body, nourishing every inch of his muscles and bones. His body was more than twice as strong and resilient as before, and even his senses had grown sharper.

But his mind wasn't on cultivation.

He was waiting.

Waiting for what was about to arrive.

"System, has the Hex finished loading?"

[Loading progress: 98%...99%...100%]

[Loading complete]

[Host meets the conditions. Granting second Hex...]