Chang Heng’s arms were growing red, and hurt in a way that promised bruises upon bruises in the following days.

  See the pattern, he says.

  The taller boy attacked with his fists, which felt impossible to properly defend from, as they rained on the boy’s arms and chest.

  The opening is always the same, he says!

  Even just not getting his face hit was incredibly hard, let alone attacking back. His cousin claimed he’d use the physical abilities of a normal human, and yet he seemed faster than him, stronger than him.

  Hits came from all angles, spreading soreness all over his body. The boy tried and tried, but all he could see were more fists than he could handle, barely reaching them to protect himself, but couldn’t block them all.

  At first, he had to defend from both punches, kicks, and grappling moves, but in the last hour the variety of attacks lowered, until only punches on his upper body were left.

  Every passing minute, both their faces grew more annoyed.

  I’m leaving him more openings, they are always the same, and yet I don’t even see him look at them, let alone attack. And how is he getting worse?! Chang Jian thought.

  “This is not working.”

  Chang Heng couldn’t agree more, but his voice didn’t come out to say it. He felt ashamed and humiliated, his face red from embarrassment at his poor performance.

  “I can’t get any worse than this, and you don’t seem to be getting any better. I already knew how talented I am, but it seems we just live in two different worlds. I will contact some of my old sparring partners, and give some pointers from the side.”

  “No. I can still keep going, let’s at least finish this lesson. I… I can’t give up like this.”

  He wanted to get back and do his own things, spending time researching on his own in the library or with Old Man Ling, but knew he couldn't.

  I knew already I would be untalented… but I can’t give up now. I showed Old Man Ling that I can do great if given enough time, why can’t I with my cousin too? Why?!

  His heart was filled with both anger and the desire to surrender in the same amount, he could barely hold on.

  “We’ve been at this for more than an hour, even my father stopped caring and returned to his duties. Let’s take a break and decide what to do, I’m sure you are quite tired too.”

  “I am not! We will talk later about the future, but now let’s keep going! Please…”

  Chang Jian paused at that and looked at him, no, stared. His whole body, then his chest, his arms, and legs.

  Instinctually, Chang Heng put his hands in front of his crotch and blushed.

  “I’m not a perv. I was just making sure you were telling the truth. And apparently, you are, which is the only good quality you have, apparently.

  You are slow, clumsy, weak, and have the lowest fighting IQ I’ve ever seen, especially for a Cultivator. But your stamina seems quite above average, for someone who just started their journey.”

  I’m not sure if I’m supposed to feel insulted, or proud that mine and Old Man Ling’s Technique is working well already…

  “So, can we-”

  “I’ve approached this the wrong way. I saw you weak, and lowered my level closer to yours, but I won’t make this mistake again. Now, I’ll use the full power of my body. You are allowed to use Qi and Techniques to defend yourself, I recommend you do.”

  Chang Heng saw him step back and rush at him right after, at a speed he never showed in the last hour.

  He barely had time to recognize the straight punch he was throwing before being forced to raise his arms again, hands crossed in front of him with Qi infused in them.

  The strength behind it was greatly reduced from his hasty defence, and yet his hands were pushed into his own face before being thrown on the ground.

  The pains from the hit and fall, and those he always ignored, flared together, making it incredibly hard to focus back on reality as his body felt almost on fire from them, the world spinning.

  A bare foot rested on his crotch.

  “I’m not a perv, but if you don’t get up in three seconds, I’ll start putting my weight here. I hope you are not a perv, too, I don’t want my image to be stained from this.”

  He slowly started to get up, once again pushing the pain in the back of his mind as he always did. Halfway through, the foot moved away as Chang Jian took some steps back.

  In the instant he was back on his feet, the other boy rushed at him, right fist ready for a straight punch.

  Once again, Chang Heng raised both his hands in front of him, this time infusing much more of his Qi in them, to the point he was left with less than a third of it.

  The power in the punch was even greater, but he managed to barely block it, the back of hands touching his nose.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  As his cousin walked to the same starting point, he noticed the blood left on the back of his right hand from that brief contact.

  For a third time, he rushed for a straight punch, yet all Chang Heng could do was defend in the same way, too slow to dodge and incapable of deflecting it.

  All he could do as he infused the remaining Qi in his defence was step back during the impact. The Qi he used was less than he did before, but he held on thanks to that simple change.

  Then, Chang Jian was back at the same distance as before, less than ten feet between them, in the same position, ready to throw the same attack.

  But the student had no Qi left. The hit would smash through his defence, break his nose, and throw him away into unconsciousness.

  There is no point in holding back now!

  …

  About one and a half weeks earlier, Chang Heng was in the clan’s library, sitting on the floor with two powerful men with him, a single mote of Qi slowly hovering around him.

  Pages and pieces of paper were tossed all around the trio, covered in notes and ideas, plans and projects of all kinds, all connected to one single subject: the schematics for the Cultivation Technique waiting in the middle of them.

  His and Chang Ling’s roles in the project had been the most important, developing from scratch all of it.

  Chang Heng was most proud of his small stroke of genius, which turned the useless language of symbols into something actually working, filled with potential for growth as his knowledge and experience improved.

  The patriarch’s role was that of an advisor for practicality: all the other two knew was about this kind of technique, but he had the occasional opportunity for contribution thanks to his capabilities in Fighting, and utility, Techniques, so that the final result would be synergic with the fundamental instruments of a Cultivator.

  When this project was done, Chang Guang understood well the properties that his nephew’s body and Qi would possess in the future. To him, this meant one simple thing:

  “Young Heng, I also want to help you. As the son of Chang Jun and Chang Li, and the one who got Old Relic Jian out of his complete isolation, I believe this is something you deserve.”

  “Thanks, Patriarch. But we’ve already made my own Cultivation Technique, with what else could you help me now?”

  “Bah, you two. There is more to Cultivation than those techniques, you know that? I will make you a Fighting Technique tailored to your talents, one that you’ll use for a long time! I may not look it, but I also am quite the scholar, just on a different topic.” He grinned proudly.

  “This man is lying, Hen-Hen. Maybe he was a scholar fifteen years ago, but he isn’t one now for sure. All he does is care about money and the clan, he only ever gets back to making his techniques when the stock is running low or is asked for a specific one from some rich family or another.”

  The boy felt stuck there. He had no reason to refuse the offer, but the old man’s words carried too much weight for him to dismiss them just like that.

  As he stayed there, thinking, Chang Guang spoke again.

  “I cannot deny that. But my skills are still some of the best in this city. And unlike all others, I can now make one that will perfectly work together with your foundation. And with your peculiar situation, I can express my creativity more than any other time in my life! Do you have an idea how many times I saw someone cultivating three elements?”

  “N- no… how many?”

  “Exactly once. An Elder from the prestigious Roaring Wave Sect, the same one my son will go to. And you, having access to three thanks to our work… I will make you the best Mortal-level technique the whole region has ever seen!”

  Chang Heng swallowed. He just couldn’t say no. Looking at Chang Ling, the old man barely cared. Still, he nodded at him in encouragement.

  “I only disagreed that he was a scholar, not that he didn’t have any level of skill. This is still a work he has refined over many years. Unless you have something better to do, let’s just get to it. I don’t want my magnum opus to be wasted on something that isn’t also the best.”

  The boy excused himself for a quick chat with his parents. He made sure to thank them for bringing him there and relay to his father and mother all the compliments the patriarch made about them. The way they answered and hugged made him feel like a child once again, but at least they seemed happy.

  When he was done, he walked back to the library with a servant, who walked a trail filled with food that could last for days. During their work on his first technique, they never took well to being interrupted.

  Once again in the library, they moved to another part of it, where Chang Guang was piling scrolls and books with Fighting Techniques of his chosen elements.

  “You see,Cultivators of the Acclimation stage, like you, can’t use the Meridians yet, so you’re stuck with Mortal-level ones, which up until now have always been garbage, something to discard. For most, even in big clans and sects, it doesn’t make sense to make them particularly good, but you have a reason to, from what I understood of your work.”

  He took a break and looked at the boy as if waiting for a question. After a couple seconds of staring at each other, he resumed as if nothing had happened.

  “You will have access to far more stamina and excess vitality than anyone I’ve met, the energy sources these techniques use. So, you’ll have an easier time using them, and will be able to fill them with so much energy that they’ll be able to reach the same levels of power of higher-grade ones. Do you have an idea of what you want to improve?”

  “Uhm… Healing and sturdiness. Just like..”

  “Just like what?”

  “Nothing.”

  They will be of inspiration for when I’ll improve my cultivation one. He thought, but didn’t voice out loud. He knew it’d annoy the patriarch if he did.

  “You sure have a preferred topic. Don’t you disapprove, old relic?”

  “I give him the benefit of the doubt for his curiosity. Time will see if I should revoke it.”

  “Alright then. Let’s start with a survivability one. It’s better to avoid the problem than fix it.”

  …

  Chang Jian rushed for the fourth time at the boy.

  Once again, he was too fast to be dodged, too strong to be easily blocked, and too capable to be deflected.

  All Chang Heng could do was raise his hands in front of his face, desperately defending from the hit.

  Yet, this time he wasn’t desperate. This time, only one hand went to block the hit. This time, together with the fear, was the most simple of plans.

  Vital energy flowed from the centre of his body to his left arm, blessing it with capabilities beyond those of any human.

  His skin imitated the bark of an old tree, one that withstood the passing of time and the furious weather, and will withstand much more.

  His flesh became the ground, solid rock that didn’t care for the actions of men, the weight of the whole world resting on it.

  His bones were the metal underneath, no peers in its sturdiness, ready to be forged into the toughest of shields.

  Three Layers Defence!

  The two hands met, and the attacking one was completely stopped in its tracks for the first time.

  In the same instant, Chang Heng’s free hand rushed in to finally hit back.