8. Test

"500 years?!" Su Ling'er exclaimed in shock. "Do you even understand what you're saying? Some Soul Masters don't even have a 500-year-old second Spirit Ring!"

Despite his mother's concern, Quan Yi remained calm. His voice was steady as he replied, "Mother, I understand perfectly. With my physical strength, 500 years isn't even my true limit."

Unlike Su Ling'er, Quan Yue was not surprised. Instead, he pondered the idea for a moment, considering Quan Yi's reasoning. After a while, he nodded in agreement.

"Indeed. Your physical strength is comparable to that of an auxiliary-type Soul Master at the twentieth rank."

Su Ling'er, however, still looked worried. "This isn't the same as your previous training. Absorbing a Spirit Ring is dangerous. If anything goes wrong, you could lose your Martial Soul, or in the worst case—die. And once the process begins, even the heavens cannot interfere. Xiao Yi, there's no need for you to take such a huge risk."

Quan Yi didn't respond. Instead, he simply held Su Ling'er's gaze, his expression firm and unwavering.

For a long moment, mother and son stared at each other, neither willing to back down.

Just as the tension was about to reach its peak, Quan Yue suddenly spoke.

"I agree with your decision."

Quan Yi's eyes widened in surprise. Just as he was about to thank his father, Quan Yue continued,

"But—I have conditions."

Confused, Quan Yi asked, "Father, please tell me your conditions."

"I have two," Quan Yue said firmly. "First, within two months, you must fully master the two sets of boxing techniques I've taught you. Second, you must obtain your Spirit Ring on your own. Your mother and I will only observe from the sidelines."

"If we intervene, it means you've failed. If that happens, I expect you to accept a 400-year-old Spirit Ring without any further argument."

Quan Yi did not answer immediately. Instead, he carefully considered whether he could meet these two conditions.

He understood that this was a test—one that would determine whether he could convince his family through action rather than words.

After a moment of thought, he nodded. "I accept."

A satisfied smile appeared on Quan Yue's face. "Good. That's enough for today. Get some rest. Starting tomorrow, I will formally train you in the basement."

After saying goodbye to his parents, Quan Yi turned and walked towards the exit.

Upon reaching the iron door, he reached out, pulled back the latch, and pushed it open effortlessly.

The two guards stationed outside were stunned.

That iron door required two fully grown men to open—yet a six-year-old child had just done it with ease.

Only then did they fully comprehend the overwhelming physical strength of a Soul Master.

What they didn't realize, however, was that Quan Yi had opened the door purely through his physical strength—without using a trace of Soul Power.

His body had already reached an astonishing level.

As Quan Yi stepped out of the basement, he exhaled deeply. Though only half a day had passed, it felt like a lifetime.

—

Meanwhile, back underground, Su Ling'er turned to Quan Yue, her voice filled with frustration.

"How could you agree to this?!"

Quan Yue sighed. "Didn't you see the look in Xiao Yi's eyes?"

"That's the look of someone who has already made up his mind." He shook his head. "Even if we forbade him, he would find a way to do it himself. And that would truly be beyond our control."

"Besides, Xiao Yi is different from other children. Even if you stop him once, you won't be able to stop him forever. He is destined to walk his own path. All we can do is guide him with our knowledge and experience."

There was a trace of reluctance in Quan Yue's eyes.

Due to family responsibilities, he had never been able to spend as much time with Quan Yi as he wished. And now, he might have even less time with him in the future.

But a young eagle must learn to fly, and a parent cannot hold them back forever.

Still, he wouldn't simply stand by and do nothing.

Though the conditions he had set were harsh, they were not impossible.

This was both a test and a lesson.

Through this, he would pass down his martial knowledge to Quan Yi.

If he couldn't stop his son from taking risks, then he would train him to survive them.

At this moment, Quan Yi had already returned to his room. He took out his carefully recorded Soul Beast notes and began meticulously filtering through the ones that matched his criteria.

The harsh conditions set by his father didn't faze him in the slightest. After four years of relentless training, his heart had become incredibly resilient. This level of difficulty was nowhere near enough to deter him.

One by one, he listed down Soul Beasts that fit his requirements. Thanks to his prior research and organization, Quan Yi quickly completed the screening process.

After finishing, he carefully put away his records and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper.

Right now, he was thinking about his future training plan.

Now that he was officially on the path of a Soul Master, he needed to train in multiple areas to maximize his growth.

Meditation – Soul Power was the foundation of all Soul Masters, making meditation the most critical part of his future cultivation.

Physical Training – As an Power Attack-type Soul Master, physical training was even more essential. It directly affected his ability to withstand and absorb higher-level Spirit Rings, making it an integral part of his strategy.

Skill Training – This included Quan Family's boxing techniques, Soul Power circulation, and combat application. The more he thought about it, the more he realized—his time was barely enough.

Thankfully, meditation in this world could replace sleep, allowing the body to recover. However, the mind would still experience fatigue, leaving a short period of sluggishness. Even so, this meant he had an entire day for training.

Quan Yi wrote everything down, structuring his plan. This wasn't a final schedule—he knew he would need to adjust it based on actual results in the coming weeks.

Looking at the preliminary framework in front of him, Quan Yi smiled with satisfaction. With this plan, he now had a clear direction for the future.

After completing his notes, he made his way to the swimming pool for his midday exercise.

Yesterday, due to the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony and the family banquet, he had missed his noon and evening swimming sessions. Today, he needed to make up for it.

Additionally, starting tomorrow, he would be fully focused on boxing training and likely wouldn't have time for swimming for a while. With that thought, Quan Yi sped up his strokes, pushing his body to the limit.

The Next Morning

At dawn, Quan Yi arrived at the basement, where he saw Quan Yue sitting cross-legged, cultivating his Soul Power.

Sensing movement, Quan Yue slowly opened his eyes.

Quan Yi wore a white short-sleeved shirt and black shorts, clearly choosing lightweight clothing to allow maximum mobility.

Seeing this, Quan Yue nodded in approval.

"It seems you're ready," he said. "Today, I will first teach you the method of meditation, followed by our Quan Family's boxing techniques."

He gestured to the futon opposite him.

"Come, sit here."

Quan Yi hadn't noticed the futon yesterday, meaning it had likely been specially prepared for him.

Once Quan Yi sat down, Quan Yue began explaining the key principles of meditation.

Meditation itself wasn't complicated, but there were a few key points to master:

Calm your mind and focus inward. Sense your Soul Power circulating within your body. Guide the Soul Power through your meridians in a continuous cycle. With each complete circulation, your Soul Power will increase.

Quan Yi closed his eyes and focused.

Slowly, he felt the flow of Soul Power within him, and—almost instinctively—an image of his meridians surfaced in his mind.

Inner vision?

His heart stirred in shock.

Wasn't this the legendary ability often described in martial arts novels?

He had heard of meditation, but wasn't this exactly like the internal energy cultivation methods from those stories?

And yet, despite this seemingly profound system, why did this world lack proper cultivation techniques?

Why did everyone rely on such crude, simplistic methods?

Countless questions surfaced in Quan Yi's mind.