Wushan Town was an ordinary little town in the Fenlei Kingdom, west of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, the greatest mountain range on the Yulan Continent.
The morning sun was just rising, and a hint of dawn's chill still lingered over Wushan Town, though nearly all its residents were already starting their day's work. Even children of six or seven had risen and begun their traditional morning exercises.
On the eastern edge of Wushan Town, the warm morning sunlight filtered through the large trees lining an open field, casting dappled patterns of light on the ground.
A large group of children could be seen—at a glance, there were perhaps one to two hundred of them. The children were divided into three teams, each standing in neat rows, silent and faces serious. The northernmost group consisted of children roughly six to eight years old. The middle group was composed of those about nine to twelve, and the southernmost group was made up of teenagers from thirteen to sixteen.
Standing before this large assembly of children were three burly, middle-aged men. All three wore simple short vests and coarse trousers.
"To become a great warrior, you must train hard from a young age," declared the man at the front, hands clasped behind his head held high, his voice cold and stern. His sharp gaze swept over the northernmost group. The six- and seven-year-olds pursed their lips, their dark, round eyes fixed on the man, not daring to make a sound.
The man was named Hillman, and he was the captain of the guard for the Baruch Family, the owners of Wushan Town.
"You are all commoners. You cannot expect to have access to powerful Dou Qi Scriptures for cultivation like those great nobles. If you want to stand out and not be looked down upon in the future, you must train using the oldest, simplest, and most fundamental methods: exercise your bodies and hone your strength. Understood?!"
Hillman's gaze swept across the group of children.
"Understood!" the teenagers roared in unison.
"Good." Hillman nodded with cold satisfaction. Most of the six- and seven-year-olds still had somewhat blank looks, but the teenagers' eyes were full of resolve, for they understood what Hillman meant.
Almost every man on the Yulan Continent had to train hard from a young age. If one did not train diligently, they would be looked down upon in the future! A man's status was determined by his strength and his wealth! A man without strength would be scorned by women.
To make one's parents proud, to be admired by girls, to live a glamorous life in the future!
One had to become a great warrior!
They were commoners. They could not cultivate those precious Dou Qi Scriptures. Their only way was to train their bodies and hone their strength from childhood! To be diligent, to work harder than the nobles, to put in more effort and more heart!
"In the morning, when the sun rises, all things flourish. Now is the best time to absorb the essence of heaven and earth and enhance our body's potential. As usual, spread your legs shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly, and bring your hands to your waist, forming the 'Qi Condensing Stance'. While in the stance, remember: 'focus your attention, keep your heart calm, and breathe naturally'," Hillman said coldly.
The Qi Condensing Stance was the simplest yet highly effective way to train the body, the accumulated experience of countless generations.
Immediately, the one to two hundred children assumed the posture of the Qi Condensing Stance.
"Remember: focus your attention, keep your heart calm, and breathe naturally!" Hillman walked among the children, his voice cold.
A glance showed that the teenagers in the southern group were clearly calmer, their breathing natural, each achieving 'deep, steady, and smooth'. They had obviously achieved some proficiency in the Qi Condensing Stance.
But looking at the children in the north, their knees were bent at different angles, their legs wobbly and clearly lacking strength, not stable at all.
Hillman turned to the other two men. "You two take charge of the southern and middle groups respectively. I'll handle the little ones."
"Yes, Captain," the two men responded immediately and then began to carefully observe the middle and southern groups, occasionally kicking a teenager's leg to see if they were standing firmly enough.
Hillman walked towards the group of six- and seven-year-olds in the north, and the children immediately tensed up.
"Oh no, the big bad's coming," a blonde child with large eyes, named Hadley, whispered.
Hillman stepped into the center of the children. Looking at them, his face remained cold, but inwardly he sighed, "These children are really too young, both physically and mentally. My demands on them can't be too high. However, physical training is best cultivated from a young age. If they train earnestly from childhood, they'll have a greater chance of surviving on the battlefield in the future."
As for teaching the little ones... guiding and attracting them was the most effective method! Coercion only produced the opposite effect!
"Stand up straight, each of you," Hillman snorted coldly.
Immediately, the children puffed out their chests, staring straight ahead.
A hint of a smile touched Hillman's lips. Then he walked to the front, removed his vest, and the lines of his muscles made the children's eyes widen. Even the teenagers in the middle and south groups looked at Hillman's physique with envy.
Besides his nearly perfect muscle lines, Hillman's bare upper body bore numerous scars from swords and blades—several dozen in total. All the children stared at those scars with shining eyes.
Scars from blades and swords were a warrior's medals!
In their hearts, they all admired Hillman very much. Hillman, a great sixth-level warrior, a warrior forged in the crucible of life and death! He was a formidable figure even in large cities. In Wushan Town, he was a respected and revered figure.
Seeing the children's fervent gaze, a hint of a smile played on Hillman's lips. He wanted these children to have admiration and yearning in their hearts. That way, they would train even harder and have more motivation!
"Let me stoke the fire a bit more," Hillman thought with a secret smile, then walked over to a massive stone lock that weighed three to four hundred jin.
Hillman grabbed the stone lock with one hand and began swinging it effortlessly, the three- to four-hundred-jin weight moving in his hand as if it were made of wood. The children's eyes widened, and their jaws dropped.
"It's too light. Roy, after training today, go and have a few more stone locks made, bigger ones," Hillman tossed the stone lock aside casually. It flew over ten meters and landed with a heavy "thud!" beside a large tree, shaking the ground slightly. Then Hillman walked over to a pile of scattered rocks.
"Whoosh!"
Hillman took a deep breath, and his entire body's muscles visibly bulged. He threw a punch directly at one of the bluish-green rocks. His fist cut through the air, and the sharp whistling sound made the nearby children's eyes widen. Hillman's large fist slammed squarely onto the huge bluish-green rock.
"Boom!" The heavy, dull impact of fist on rock made every child's heart skip a beat.
That was tough bluish-green rock!
The rock trembled several times, cracks appearing across its surface—seven or eight lines—before finally exploding into pieces with a "bang!" Hillman's fist showed not a scratch.
"Captain is still as mighty as ever," one of the other two men, Roy, said with a smile, walking towards Hillman.
The other man, Roger, also came over. When the children were practicing the Qi Condensing Stance, it was the three instructors' time to chat casually, checking in occasionally to ensure the children weren't slacking.
Hillman shook his head with a smile. "Not like before. Back when I was in the army, I trained desperately every day, fought bloody battles on the battlefield. Now, at most, I just loosen my muscles a bit. It's not as passionate as it used to be."
All the children looked at Hillman with admiration.
That huge bluish-green rock, shattered by a single punch! What kind of power was that? That three- to four-hundred-jin stone lock, swung around so casually—what kind of strength was that?
Hillman turned back, saw the children's expressions, and was very satisfied with their reaction.
"Remember this: even without relying on Dou Qi, pushing your physical training to its absolute limit theoretically makes it possible to become a sixth-level warrior! And a sixth-level warrior joining the army can easily become a mid-level officer and gain access to military Dou Qi cultivation methods! Even if you can't reach the sixth level, becoming just a basic first-level warrior qualifies you to join the army. Remember, a man who cannot even reach the first level... he is no man!" Hillman's expression was severe.
"If you are a man, you must stand tall, face any challenge head-on, and never show fear!"
Hearing this, the six- and seven-year-olds' faces brightened with smiles, which they struggled to suppress. This phrase was Hillman's catchphrase, one he often said when teaching the children.
"Every one of you, stand firm! Look at the older brothers to the south—see how they stand!" Hillman barked.
The six- and seven-year-olds immediately tried their best to stand firm.
After a short while, the little ones began to sway, each feeling their legs ache painfully. They gritted their teeth and persisted, but before long, one after another collapsed to the ground, sitting down.
Hillman's expression remained cold, but inwardly he nodded to himself. The performance of these six- and seven-year-olds was quite satisfactory.
Before long, in the middle group of around ten-year-olds, some also couldn't hold on anymore and sat down on the ground.
"Hold on for as long as you can. I won't demand too much of you, but if you can't keep up in the future, you have only yourselves to blame," Hillman said coldly.
"Hm?" Roy suddenly looked towards the northern group with surprise.
At this moment, many of the ten-year-olds in the middle group had already collapsed and were sitting, yet in the northern group, a single six-year-old was still holding on.
"Is this Lin Lei's first day of training? He's actually this impressive!" Roy exclaimed in surprise. Roger and Hillman also noticed. Hillman looked over. In the northern group, only a brown-haired little boy remained standing. The boy's lips were pressed tightly together, his gaze resolute, staring straight ahead. His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white.
A glint of pleasant surprise appeared in Hillman's eyes.
"Good lad!" Hillman silently praised him. To be only six years old and yet capable of matching the performance of ten-year-olds in the Qi Condensing Stance—his potential was evident.
Lin Lei, full name Lin Lei Baruch, was the eldest son of the Baruch Family, the owners of all of Wushan Town. The Baruch Family was an ancient clan that had once flourished, but after millennia of decline, now only three members remained: the patriarch Hogg Baruch and his two sons. The eldest son, Lin Lei Baruch, was only six years old. The younger son, Wotton Baruch, was merely two. The matriarch of the Baruch Family had died giving birth to the younger son. Lin Lei's grandfather had also lost his life in war serving in the army.
Lin Lei's legs trembled. No matter how strong his willpower was, the muscles screaming in pain were beyond his control, and he finally sat down on the ground.
"Lin Lei, how do you feel?" Hillman walked over with a smile.
Lin Lei grinned, showing his small canines. "I'm fine, Uncle Hillman." Hillman was the captain of the Baruch Family's guard and had watched Lin Lei grow up. Their relationship was naturally very close.
"Good work. A real man," Hillman ruffled Lin Lei's hair, making it stand up messily like straw.
"Hehe." Lin Lei grinned happily, his heart swelling with pride at Hillman's praise.
...
After a short rest, training resumed. The training intensity for the six- and seven-year-olds was much lighter. But for the teenagers, the training was grueling.
The teenagers, including the children, were seen lying on their backs on smooth stones, heads and feet each resting on a separate stone, their entire bodies suspended in the air, supported only by their core strength.
"The waist, the hips—this triangular area," Hillman gestured with his hands towards his abdomen. "This region is the body's center of power. Whether it's speed or strength, the core of it all is this triangular zone. This core triangle is extremely important."
Hillman spoke while walking around, carefully observing each teenager's form.
"Keep it up! Don't let your waist sag!" Hillman barked.
Immediately, many teenagers strained to lift their waists higher. This was Lin Lei's first time doing this. His little head and feet rested on two smooth stones. But already, he could feel his waist growing hot and sore.
"Hold on, hold on. I'm the best," Lin Lei encouraged himself. Lin Lei's physical condition had always been excellent since childhood; he had almost never been sick. Combined with his strong will, his outstanding performance was not surprising.
"Thump!" The first child fell.
However, the smooth stones used to support the head and feet were only about twenty centimeters high, so the little ones who fell wouldn't be injured. (On the Yulan Continent, alchemists had established units of length: 1 meter = 10 decimeters = 100 centimeters = 1000 millimeters.)
"Thump!" "Thump!" ... As time passed, one child after another could hold on no longer and fell.