Chapter 10 – Doing One's Utmost
Quan Yue had set a deadline of two months—not on a whim, but after careful calculation.
By his reckoning, while it wasn't completely impossible to meet this deadline, it should be extremely tight.
Back when he was young, Quan Yue himself had taken half a year just to master Hardness and Sharpness. But this time, factoring in Quan Yi's innate full soul power and the rapid recovery that came with it, he thought two months was reasonable.
Yet, to his surprise, Quan Yi mastered it in less than a month.
This wasn't just thanks to Quan Yi's gift for spiritual focus. Even more astonishing was his sheer force of will.
The training was something ordinary people couldn't endure. Though meditation could replace sleep, mental fatigue was far harder to erase.
Yet every time he condensed his soul power, Quan Yi did so with unwavering concentration—never once letting his mind slacken.
Quan Yue felt gratified, but also deeply pressured.
Being the parent of a child prodigy sometimes meant making decisions that flew in the face of common sense.
Like agreeing to Quan Yi's plan to hunt a five-hundred-year soul ring—something most parents would never dare to approve.
Quan Yue had been carrying immense pressure because of this.
Of course, Quan Yi understood that too—which was why he couldn't allow himself to relax, not even a little.
"All right. Since you've passed my test, you can start preparing to hunt your soul ring," Quan Yue finally said.
Now that Quan Yi had completed the challenge, he couldn't stop him any longer.
But Quan Yi, unexpectedly, wasn't in a rush.
"No, Father. There's still an extra month left. I'd like to continue learning the second half of the family's fist technique."
Quan Yi hadn't expected this free time, but now that he had it, he could keep refining his technique—improving his chances of obtaining a higher-year soul ring.
Seeing Quan Yi remain calm and not rush ahead, Quan Yue felt his heart settle completely.
Such caution could only come after careful deliberation. Realizing how rational his son truly was, Quan Yue even felt a faint trace of fear.
"Since you've decided to spend the time this way, I won't object," Quan Yue nodded. "But remember: practicing fist technique will consume a lot of time. Manage it wisely."
"Yes, I plan to train for another month, then depart," Quan Yi replied.
"Do you know," Quan Yue began, "the Quan family fist technique originally evolved from shield and spear techniques. The hand armor martial soul has relatively weak attack and defense, so your grandfather—my father, the previous head of the clan—fought wielding a shield and a spear."
Quan Yi's grandfather, Quan Li, was the founder of the clan. Thanks to his variant martial soul, the Black Iron Hand Armor, he had built the family's current prosperity.
Quan Yi had never met his grandfather, but he knew that the elder now oversaw the clan's most important shop in Heaven Dou City. More importantly, Quan Li was a powerful Spirit Douluo-level soul master(80-90).
Since childhood, Quan Yi had heard many stories about his grandfather—so he felt no sense of distance.
Yet it shocked him to learn that Hardness and Sharpness had been invented by his grandfather. His curiosity and admiration for the man grew even stronger.
Quan Yue continued, "That approach made the hand armor martial soul's dual-wielding potential shine. Choosing and using two weapons was a stroke of genius. But soon, your grandfather discovered a flaw."
"The weapons themselves couldn't keep up with a soul master's growth. Without them, the hand armor lost its advantage."
"After a low point, he realized the true power lay in soul force, which naturally strengthened as a soul master advanced. After more than a decade of refining, he finally created a method to condense soul force directly."
"And Hardness and Sharpness, in essence, are just a shield and spear made of soul power."
"That's how the Quan family fist technique evolved from shield and spear techniques."
Hearing this, Quan Yi was deeply moved by his grandfather's wisdom and persistence. To carve out one's own path took immense courage.
Quan Yue went on, "The true strength of our fist technique lies in its freedom. You can freely switch Hardness and Sharpness between hands—or even double up, using two Sharpness for offense, or two Hardness for defense. Whether to attack or defend, it's all in your control."
"Next, I'll teach you the basic offensive and defensive stances."
"The rest, you'll need to refine and adapt through real combat. Remember: Quan family fist technique is built on freedom."
As he finished explaining the art's origins, Quan Yue moved into position in front of Quan Yi.
Quan Yi focused completely. Yet what Quan Yue taught were the most basic stances and postures. Simple enough that after seeing them once and copying them a few times, he could already mimic them quite well.
One crucial point: both hands had to practice equally. He couldn't only use the left or right.
Quan Yi understood: this was to train both arms evenly.
Hour after hour, Quan Yi followed along, repeating the basic movements until he could perform them on his own.
Then, Quan Yue stopped and began to watch his form closely—his eyes sharp as a hawk's, missing no deviation.
"Raise your right hand a bit more—you're slipping," Quan Yue corrected.
Quan Yi had lost count of how many times he'd heard such corrections. Although Quan Yue often spoke of freedom, he demanded absolute precision in the basics.
This went on through an entire afternoon—but for Quan Yi, it didn't even count as a warm-up.
Though he didn't know much about martial arts, he understood the importance of a solid foundation—and so he practiced earnestly.
Over the following month, Quan Yi drilled these basics every day. At first, he moved very slowly, pursuing perfect form. But gradually, his speed increased.
Quan Yue finally acknowledged that Quan Yi had truly reached the beginner's level. From now on, it would just be steady refinement over time.
By the fiftieth day of the challenge, Quan Yi could complete a flawless routine that had once taken thirty minutes in just ten.
In the basement, shirtless, Quan Yi practiced his fist technique. His movements had grown fluid; each block and strike used his full strength.
Sweat gathered on his skin and dripped to the floor, soaking the ground beneath his feet.
Though the motions were simple, putting his whole body into each move was still exhausting.
This way, he trained both his martial skill and his physique at once—killing two birds with one stone.
After a while, Quan Yi paused. Normally, he would keep training late into the night—but not today.
Tomorrow, they would finally go to hunt his soul ring.
Nearly two months of harsh training had led to this moment.
Quan Yi felt a stir of anticipation.
Stepping out of the basement, the evening breeze brushed over his sweat-drenched body, carrying away the heat and leaving him refreshed.
Looking up, he saw the bright moon high in the sky, and his mood lifted.
Quietly, he savored the calm. His excitement gradually settled.
He had done all he could. Now, all that was left was to leave the rest to fate.
But Quan Yi believed: this was only the first step of his new life.
"My stomach's growling. Time to get some meat."
Patting his belly, Quan Yi turned and walked toward the dining hall.
(End of chapter)