10. Do your best

Quan Yue's two-month training period was not set arbitrarily—it was the result of careful calculation.

Based on his estimates, two months would be just enough time, though still extremely tight.

It had taken Quan Yue himself half a year to master the hard and sharp techniques. Factoring in Quan Yi's innate soul power recovery speed, he set a two-month deadline.

However, he never expected that Quan Yi would master it in less than a month.

Much of this could be attributed to Quan Yi's extraordinary spiritual talent, but what was even more astonishing was his sheer willpower.

The intensity of the training was beyond what an ordinary person could endure. While meditation could replace sleep, mental fatigue was much harder to dispel.

Yet, every time Quan Yi gathered his soul power, he remained completely focused, never allowing himself to slack off.

Quan Yue was deeply gratified, but he also felt an immense pressure weighing on him.

As the parent of a prodigy, sometimes he had to make decisions that defied common sense.

Take Quan Yi's decision to pursue a 500-year-old soul ring, for example. To agree to such a bold choice was not something most parents would do.

Quan Yue had to bear enormous pressure.

Of course, Quan Yi was aware of this as well—so he couldn't afford to relax either.

"Alright, now that you've passed my assessment, you can prepare to hunt for your first spirit ring," Quan Yue said.

Now that Quan Yi had met his expectations, there was nothing stopping him.

But to his surprise, Quan Yi showed no sense of urgency.

"No, Father, I still have a month left. I want to continue learning the second half of the boxing technique," he said.

Quan Yue hadn't anticipated this, but with the extra month available, continuing training would improve Quan Yi's chances of acquiring a high-quality spirit ring.

Seeing his son's calm and composed attitude, Quan Yue felt completely reassured.

A child as cautious as this wouldn't make a decision lightly. His level-headedness was almost frightening, and for the first time, Quan Yue felt a trace of fear toward his own son.

"Since you've made your decision, I won't object," Quan Yue said. "However, boxing training requires a great deal of time and effort, so make sure you manage your schedule wisely."

"Understood. I plan to train for another month before setting off," Quan Yi responded.

"The Quan family's boxing technique originally evolved from the shield and spear methods," Quan Yue explained. "The attack and defense capabilities of a hand armor Martial Soul are inherently weak, so early practitioners compensated by using shields for defense and spears for offense."

Quan Yi's grandfather, Quan Li, was the founder of the Quan family's martial lineage. Relying on his mutated Black Iron Gauntlet Martial Soul, he had built the family's legacy from the ground up.

Although Quan Yi had never met him, he had heard that his grandfather oversaw the family's most important store in Heaven Dou City. More importantly, his grandfather was a powerful Spirit Douluo.

Since childhood, Quan Yi had grown up listening to stories about his grandfather.

He never imagined that the concepts of "Gang" and "Jian" had originated from him.

Now, his curiosity about the grandfather he had never met only deepened.

Quan Yue continued, "The two-handed weapon system your grandfather developed was ingenious, as it compensated for the shortcomings of the hand armor Martial Soul. However, he soon discovered a major flaw."

"The quality of weapons couldn't keep pace with the growth of soul masters. Without weapons, the hand armor Martial Soul lost its advantage in battle."

"During this period of stagnation, he turned his focus to soul power. Unlike weapons, soul power naturally strengthens as a soul master grows. After more than a decade of refinement, he created a technique to condense soul power into a tangible force."

"In essence, Gang and Jian are simply refined forms of the shield and spear."

"The Quan family's boxing technique was born from these principles."

Quan Yi was stunned.

He was deeply moved by his grandfather's wisdom and perseverance.

Forging one's own path required immense courage.

Quan Yue continued, "The greatest advantage of the Quan family's boxing technique is freedom. Hardness and sharpness can be switched at will, even between hands. You can use sharpness in both hands for pure offense or hardness in both hands for solid defense. Attack and defense are entirely up to your intent."

"Now, I'll teach you the most fundamental attacking and defensive stances."

"Everything else, you must refine and perfect in real combat. Remember, our Quan family's boxing style is all about freedom."

After explaining the origins of the technique, Quan Yue positioned himself in front of Quan Yi, demonstrating the stances.

Quan Yi focused intently.

However, the movements Quan Yue demonstrated were incredibly basic—so simple that after just one observation, Quan Yi was able to imitate them with a striking resemblance.

The only requirement was that both hands had to take turns executing the techniques. He couldn't rely solely on his dominant hand.

Quan Yi immediately understood—this was a method to train both hands evenly.

He followed Quan Yue, practicing the basic movements repeatedly. Hours passed, and before long, he could execute them on his own.

At that point, Quan Yue stopped demonstrating and switched to observing, his sharp eyes scanning every detail like a hawk, catching even the smallest deviations.

"Raise your right hand a little higher. Your stance is slightly off."

Quan Yi had lost count of how many times he had received corrections.

Despite emphasizing that the core of the Quan family's boxing was freedom, Quan Yue was incredibly strict when it came to foundational movements.

The process continued all afternoon, but for Quan Yi, this wasn't even considered a warm-up.

He didn't have deep knowledge of martial arts, but he understood one thing—mastering the basics was crucial.

Thus, he practiced diligently.

For the next month, Quan Yi repeated the basic movements daily. At first, he moved slowly, prioritizing accuracy over speed. But as time went on, his execution became faster and smoother.

Eventually, even Quan Yue acknowledged that Quan Yi had officially reached the beginner stage. From this point forward, true progress would come from continuous refinement and effort.

On the day of the final test, Quan Yi performed a flawless set of movements.

What had initially taken over thirty minutes to complete was now condensed into just ten minutes.

Inside the dimly lit basement, Quan Yi practiced shirtless, his muscles tensing with every strike. His movements were fluid, his strikes crisp and forceful. Every time he blocked or attacked, he exerted his full strength.

Beads of sweat formed on his skin, rolling down his body before falling onto the ground. The floor beneath him was already soaked.

Even though these were just the most basic movements, executing each one with his entire body's strength was exhausting.

But Quan Yi was killing two birds with one stone—training his boxing technique and conditioning his body at the same time.

After another intense round, he finally stopped.

Normally, he would have continued training late into the night.

But not today.

Because tomorrow, he would go spirit beast hunting.

The past two months of relentless training had all been for this moment.

Quan Yi was looking forward to it.

As he stepped out of the basement, a cool evening breeze brushed against his damp skin, carrying away the lingering heat and sweat. The sensation was refreshing.

Lifting his head, he gazed at the bright moon hanging in the sky. His mood was serene.

Standing there, he quietly enjoyed the tranquility of the moment. The excitement in his heart gradually settled.

He had completed his preparations. From here on, fate would decide the rest.

But deep down, Quan Yi was certain—this was only the first step in his new life.

"I'm hungry. Time for some meat."

Rubbing his stomach, Quan Yi turned and walked toward the kitchen.