Chapter 4: Growth (Part 1)
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The spring breeze turned green the poplar trees around the open space east of Wushan Town. On that open space, a group of youths were training with great enthusiasm. A year and a half had passed since the last test of the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline within them. Now Linley was eight years old. Over this past year and a half, Hillman had clearly noticed that Linley was training even harder!
"Very good, Linley, hold on, hold on!" Hillman said from the side.
At this moment, Linley was only wearing trousers. His bare upper body was covered in sweat. Linley's entire body was like a drawn bowstring as he lay face down on the ground. His hands were planted firmly on the ground like the roots of an ancient tree. His whole body remained motionless, supported only by his hands and the tips of his toes. His entire body was completely taut!
Static tension training!
A very simple yet effective exercise. If one could maintain this state for an hour, their body would no longer fear ordinary blades.
"Drip!"
Sweat dripped from his forehead, sliding past the corner of his eye. Linley couldn't help but feel a sting in his right eye, involuntarily squinting it.
"Linley is really impressive. Only eight years old, and his static tension training is on par with kids thirteen or fourteen." Some of the children who had already given up looked at Linley and chatted among themselves.
"Linley, keep it up! Cheer for us, beat those big kids who are thirteen or fourteen!" The blond-haired Hadley shouted from the side.
"Keep it up, Linley!" The other children also called out.
Linley had a very good relationship with the other youths. Although he was a noble's son, he treated the children of commoners very well and often helped them with their training.
"Hold on, hold on a little longer." Linley kept telling himself inwardly.
In his mind, the words his father had spoken to him a year ago echoed: "Linley, we are a Dragonblood Warrior clan. As a member of the Dragonblood Warrior clan, you have both advantages and disadvantages! The advantage is that even if your Dragonblood Warrior bloodline concentration isn't enough to become a Dragonblood Warrior, your body is still far better than that of ordinary people. Others might find it very difficult to reach the level of a sixth-stage warrior through physical training alone, but for you, it will be somewhat easier."
"However, you also have a disadvantage. The disadvantage is... the children of the Dragonblood Warrior clan are not allowed to practice any secret manuals of battle qi. This is because the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline within you is only compatible with the 'Dragonblood Secret Manual' and rejects all other battle qi manuals. But the 'Dragonblood Secret Manual' can only be cultivated when the Dragonblood bloodline concentration reaches a certain level. Therefore, you cannot cultivate battle qi."
"Furthermore, ordinary people, through pure physical training, can theoretically reach the level of a sixth-stage warrior. But that's just theory. In reality, such people are extremely, extremely rare. However, we are different. Even if the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline within us is relatively thin, it still gives us a higher starting point than others. Through pure physical training, we can reach the level of a sixth-stage warrior. Your great-grandfather once reached the level of a seventh-stage warrior purely through physical training."
Linley remembered his father's words very clearly.
Linley growled in his heart: "I am stronger than others now because of the Dragonblood Warrior bloodline within me. But I can't cultivate battle qi. I have to work hard, work even harder! My great-grandfather could reach the level of a seventh-stage warrior purely through physical training. Then I... might be able to become an eighth-stage warrior, or even a ninth-stage warrior. Nothing is impossible."
Eighth-stage warrior!
A ninth-stage warrior could be considered the number one expert in the Fenlai Kingdom. If he could become an eighth-stage warrior, even if he couldn't restore the clan's glory from five thousand years ago, he could at least greatly improve the clan's living conditions.
"Hold on!" Linley gritted his teeth.
At this moment, his arms were aching as if countless ants were gnawing at them. His entire body was trembling continuously. Every muscle in every part of his body was vibrating. The intensity of each muscle's vibration was so clear at this moment.
After a long while, finally—
"Thump!"
Linley collapsed weakly onto the ground.
"So comfortable." Lying on the ground, his whole body completely relaxed, Linley could clearly feel a numb, tingling sensation all over his body. After the training, the muscles in various places began to grow slowly. This kind of growth wasn't very noticeable after just one or two sessions, but over time, the improvement in his body became very obvious.
Hillman nodded with satisfaction from the side.
Then Hillman looked towards the group of fourteen or fifteen-year-old youths, his face turning cold as he said, "All of you, hold on! Linley is only eight years old, and you're almost adults. Don't let an eight-year-old kid show you up."
******
Morning training ended. After saying goodbye to his group of good friends, Linley returned to the Baruch clan estate as usual. At only eight years old, if someone unfamiliar saw Linley, they would definitely think he was an eleven or twelve-year-old youth, not an eight-year-old child.
The children of the Baruch clan were indeed different from ordinary people.
"Big brother!" The sturdy, naive-looking Wharton saw Linley and immediately rushed over.
"Alright, Wharton, I'm covered in sweat. Let me take a shower first." Linley pinched Wharton's chubby cheek and said with a smile.
Wharton snorted: "I know. After you shower, you're going to Father's place for lessons."
As a noble's son, Linley had to receive a noble's education from a young age. The Baruch clan, an ancient family with over five thousand years of history, was even stricter in this regard than the great nobles of the kingdom.
"Alright, Wharton, I'll play with you at noon." Linley said with a smile.
Wharton was still a child, but Linley was much more mature.
After showering and changing into clean clothes, Linley entered the living room. There, his father, Hogg Baruch, was sitting upright at the dining table by the side of the room. In front of Hogg were three thick books.
"Father!" Linley bowed respectfully.
Hogg nodded coldly. Linley then walked over and stopped a short distance away from Hogg.
"Yesterday, I told you about all the countries on the Yulan continent. Now, repeat it back to me." Hogg said coldly.
This was the real Hogg.
The time he had held Linley in the ancestral hall was a very rare occurrence. Normally, Hogg's demands on Linley could be described as 'strict'. In every aspect, Hogg pursued perfection. He would not allow Linley to make the slightest mistake.
"Yes, Father." Linley said calmly.
"The Yulan continent has three major dangerous areas: the first mountain range, the 'Magical Beast Mountain Range'; the second mountain range, the 'Sunset Mountain Range'; and the first forest, the 'Dark Forest'. These three dangerous areas all cover vast territories. The Magical Beast Mountain Range nearly runs from the north to the south of the continent, stretching over ten thousand miles. It contains countless magical beasts, and even Saint-level magical beasts with the power to 'destroy heaven and earth'. This mountain range also creates a different layout across the entire continent."
"To the west of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, there are 12 kingdoms and 32 duchies. Among the many kingdoms and duchies west of the mountain range, they are mainly divided into two factions. One is the Sacred Alliance, led by the Fenlai Kingdom. The other is the Dark Alliance, led by the Black Lion Kingdom. The Sacred Alliance and the Dark Alliance, because one belongs to the 'Radiant Church' and the other to the 'Dark Church', are constantly at war with each other."
"To the east of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, there are four empires, six kingdoms, and many duchies! These four empires are the most powerful, unaffected by the Radiant Church or the Dark Church. In the four empires, imperial power is supreme. Any one of the four empires can compare to the entire Sacred Alliance."
"The four empires are: the 'Yulan Empire' in the center, the 'Leyin Empire' in the southeast, the 'Luoao Empire' in the east, and the 'O'Brien Empire' in the north." Linley finished speaking in one breath and secretly let out a sigh of relief.
"Is that all?" Hogg's face turned cold.
Linley immediately prepared to continue, but Hogg directly asked, "I ask you, how many kingdoms and how many duchies are there in our Sacred Alliance?"
"Our Sacred Alliance has six kingdoms, ten, ten..." Linley suddenly frowned.
How many duchies were there within the Sacred Alliance? Linley was a bit fuzzy. It seemed like fifteen duchies, or maybe seventeen kingdoms. For a moment, he couldn't be sure.
"Hmph."
Hogg's face turned cold. He took out a birch switch from beside him. Linley obediently extended his right hand.
The muscles around Hogg's eyes twitched. The birch switch in his hand suddenly came down with a "crack", striking solidly on Linley's right hand. A bloody welt immediately appeared on Linley's palm. Linley just gritted his teeth and endured it, not even letting out a groan.
"Linley, you must remember, we now live within the Sacred Alliance. You must have the deepest understanding of the Sacred Alliance's affairs!" Hogg looked coldly at his son. "On the entire Yulan continent, the major powers are roughly six: the four empires and the two alliances!"
Linley nodded.
Although his father's words were simple, they made things very easy to understand.
"The Sacred Alliance borders the 'O'Brien Empire' in the far north. The Dark Alliance borders the 'Yulan Empire' in the south. Our Sacred Alliance, under the leadership of the 'Radiant Church', is no less united than those four empires."
Linley listened to his father and agreed in his heart.
He had also flipped through many books yesterday. It was clear that the Sacred Alliance should be considered the 'art center' of the entire Yulan continent. At the same time, the Sacred Alliance's economy, across the entire Yulan continent, was on par with the economic powerhouse, the 'Yulan Empire'.
With the Radiant Church backing it.
The Sacred Alliance was indeed very powerful.
"Today, we will study art." Hogg said coldly. "As a noble, one must be proficient in art. Art can cultivate a noble's inner temperament!" Then, from the side, he took out a book as thick as a fist and opened it.
"In Yulan year 3578, the great stone carving master 'Prux' was born in..."
Hogg taught strictly from the side, while Linley worked hard to memorize and understand, striving to meet his father's requirements.