Chapter 22: Elite Warrior

Snowflakes gently drifted down from the sky, covering the world in a white blanket. Wu Yuntian and Su Hao stood side by side beneath the eaves, silently observing the tranquil scene.

At this time, the sight of children playing in the snow was a common one, but today felt different. Even the usually rowdy He Qingqing and her friends didn't come out to play.

Wu Yuntian glanced sideways at Su Hao, sighing inwardly: "This child is is good at everything, except for being far too mature for his age. This should be the time when he's most eager to play, yet he's so quiet and composed. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing."

His wife had died protecting this child. Wu Yuntian knew he should harbor some resentment or frustration towards Su Hao because of it, but somewhere along the way, those feelings had disappeared. The bitterness in his heart had long since faded, replaced by expectations for the boy's future.

Su Hao stood quietly beside Wu Yuntian, appreciating the rare snowfall. He had no idea what his father was thinking or why he was so silent, but he was content to enjoy the peaceful scenery brought of the snowflakes falling to the snow.

After a long while, Wu Yuntian finally broke the silence: "Warrior are people who break the body's natural balance to gain greater strength. The path of a Warrior begins when one learns to harness Blood Qi. From there, it's a gradual process of conversion, accumulation, and pushing past the body's limits, climbing higher and higher. But each step forward for a Warrior is extremely difficult. Xiangwu, you've already encountered your first major challenge, haven't you?"

Su Hao snapped back to the present, thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. It feels like I've reached the limit of how much Blood Qi my body can handle. Even though I can still continue to convert more, doing so doesn't seem to increase my strength. In fact, it feels like it might hurt me. So, my question is—what should I do next?"

Wu Yuntian sighed, something he rarely did. "For most people, there are three major challenges. The first challenge is the accumulation of Blood Qi. Each person's understanding of Blood Qi varies, so the speed at which they accumulate it differs. To reach your current level usually takes the average person five to eight years. For slower individuals, it can take even longer.

"The second challenge is the Blood Qi bottleneck. After accumulating enough Blood Qi, a new balance is formed within the body. At this point, further accumulation isn't possible until this balance is broken.

"The third challenge is the one you're facing now—when Blood Qi reaches the physical limits of the body, you can't increase it any further. There are two ways forward from here: the first is to increase the strength of the body, raising its upper limit. The second is to change the nature of your Blood Qi, allowing it to perform new functions and thus enhance the body's power.

"For example..."

As he spoke, Wu Yuntian bent down, picked up a dried twig from the snow, and gave it a light shake, causing the snowflakes clinging to it to fall to the ground.

"Watch closely!"

He held the twig straight and, to Su Hao's amazement, it stabbed deep into a stone.

Su Hao's eyes widened. A brittle twig had pierced solid stone—this was something his scientifically-minded self found hard to believe.

"Incredible! Is this what it means to be an elite warrior?"

Wu Yuntian nodded with a slight smile. "Yes, this is a hallmark of an elite warrior. Having trouble wrapping your head around it?"

Su Hao nodded, then eagerly asked, "Father, how did you do that?"

Wu Yuntian handed the twig to Su Hao and said, "Here, try it. Do you think this twig can pierce the stone?"

Su Hao tried, and after a moment, admitted honestly, "No, it can't."

"Exactly. No matter how hard you try, a twig can't pierce stone. So, what pierced the stone earlier wasn't the twig—it was Blood Qi."

"Blood Qi? But how can Blood Qi be transferred to the twig? Isn't Blood Qi just an energy within the body?"

Wu Yuntian shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about, but transferring Blood Qi to a twig is indeed difficult. This is the hurdle most warriors face when advancing to the elite level, but it's not impossible."

Su Hao's face lit up with excitement. "How do I do it?"

Without keeping him in suspense, Wu Yuntian answered directly, "You need to make your Blood Qi move."

"Huh?" Su Hao was confused. From his understanding, Blood Qi was akin to an organ in the body. How could an organ 'move'?

But Wu Yuntian wasn't joking. He patiently explained, "You need to get the Blood Qi inside your body to move. Once it starts moving, it will create a new change. At that point, it can easily be transferred outside the body and used to attack. For example, when you saw the twig pierce the stone, it wasn't the twig doing the piercing—it was the Blood Qi I had transferred into the twig."

Su Hao pondered this, thinking it sounded reasonable, though a bit mystical.

Finally, Su Hao asked the key question, "How do I make the Blood Qi move?"

At this, Wu Yuntian crouched down, placing both hands firmly on Su Hao's shoulders. In a very serious tone, he said, "Xiangwu, don't think about breaking through to become an elite warrior just yet. Your body is too fragile right now. If you rush into it, it might not end well. Do you understand?"

Seeing his father's earnest expression, Su Hao nodded solemnly. "I understand."

"I have no doubt that you'll easily break through to the elite level, but I'm worried that your body is too weak to handle even the slightest risk. You've already accumulated enough Blood Qi for now. The next step is to wait patiently for your body to grow stronger. When your body is robust enough, I'll teach you the method to advance to an elite martial artist."

"Okay!" Su Hao agreed, then asked, "When will my body be strong enough?"

Wu Yuntian stared at him for a long moment. He wasn't quite sure what would be considered 'strong enough,' as he had never encountered this situation before. So, he casually gave an estimate. "Three years. In three years, I'll teach you."

"Got it." Su Hao didn't doubt his father's words and nodded in agreement.

At the moment, he was at the High-Level Common Warrior level, more than capable of defending himself. Taking three years to slow down and study Blood Qi thoroughly wouldn't be a bad thing. Moreover, Wu Yuntian was right—Su Hao was only a little over four years old, and his body was indeed fragile. Even the smallest mishap during his martial arts training could spell disaster. If he acted recklessly, it wouldn't be the wild coyotes that ended him—he'd bring about his own downfall.

To Su Hao, managing his life was about managing risks. When the unknown risks outweighed the risks of martial arts training, he'd take the gamble to gain greater power. But when the risks of training became greater than other dangers, he knew it was time to stop.

Wu Yuntian thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "For the next three years, you can focus on learning martial techniques from me. I'll take you out into the wild from time to time as well."

Su Hao's eyes lit up, and he immediately exclaimed, "Thank you, Father!"

"You'll have to endure some hardships, though."

"I'm not afraid of hardship."

Wu Yuntian nodded approvingly, watching the heavy snowfall with a hint of uncertainty in his heart. He wasn't sure if his decision was the right one.