The sun rose, and Tian Han woke up. As soon as he woke, he did some stretching exercises and then had his breakfast. After eating, Tian Han took out the full version of the Floating Leaf Breathing Technique that Li Shan had gifted him the day before and began reading.
This version of the book included the previously missing second section. Tian Han opened the book with excitement and curiosity and began reading. The second section explained how to direct and store the Arcen energy one had already sensed.
Tian Han continued reading the book carefully for quite a long time. The more he read, the more he understood what he had to do.
The first step was to recall the image of the Arcen energy he had sensed before. Then, he had to imagine that energy twisting and flowing, swimming as if carried by a stream. This stream would take the Arcen energy along with it. But the stream must not flow too fast or too slow— If it flowed too quickly, the Arcen energy would shatter and wear out. If it flowed too slowly, the energy wouldn't be directed properly and would begin to dissipate. This stream symbolized the energy channels within the body.
Arcen energy flowed through these channels and was controlled by them.
Currently, Tian Han didn't know how to use these channels. That's why he couldn't store or properly utilize Arcen energy. To progress to the next step, he first needed to learn how to control these channels—and then control the energy itself.
After finishing the book, Tian Han had a clear understanding of what to do. He sat down in the lotus position and began his training. First, he relaxed his body and cleared his mind.
Then, in his emptied mind, he tried to recall the Arcen energy he had seen before.
It was transparent yet glowing brightly—moving like a vibrating guitar string being plucked and released. Tian Han remembered the image clearly. This was Arcen energy. From that day on, Tian Han would never again forget how Arcen energy looked. How could he? It was beautiful—so mesmerizing that no one could possibly forget something so radiant.
Having recalled the image of the Arcen energy, Tian Han then imagined it swimming, curling, and drifting in a flowing river. But the river he imagined was too forceful—it shattered the energy. Noticing this, Tian Han tried visualizing a gentler stream. But now it was too slow. It lacked the strength to guide the energy, and the Arcen began to scatter again.
Tian Han furrowed his brows.
"How can imagining a river be this difficult? No matter—this is just a river. It can't stop me. I just need to keep trying. I'll get it eventually."
He kept trying—but failed. Tried again—failed. Again—failed. Again, and again... and again. Still nothing.
Despite repeating the process countless times, by the time his energy was fully spent and he had to stop, he had made no progress. Frustrated, Tian Han's eye twitched.
"It's just a damned river! Why can't I imagine it right?! Too fast, too slow—what do you want from me, damn river!? I've tried and tried and tried—weren't any of them good enough!? Damn it!"
Furious, Tian Han couldn't stand the thought of failing at something so simple.
If it had been a technique or some new training, he wouldn't have been this angry—
But the fact that he couldn't even imagine a river properly infuriated him.
Realizing that pushing himself further was pointless, Tian Han decided to end his training for the time being.He lay down on the couch to rest and calm down. Even as he lay there, he continued muttering curses at the river in his head.
After a short rest, he managed to calm himself and gather his strength. He got off the couch, intending to resume his training— But then remembered he hadn't tended to the garden yesterday, so he couldn't afford to skip it today.
Tian Han stepped outside and went to the garden. Upon arriving, he took a quick look around—some seeds were nearly fully grown, others would be ready in a few days. Seeing that brought him some joy.
He quickly went to the storage shed, grabbed a watering can and the tools he needed, and began his daily gardening work.
He loosened the soil, pulled out any weeds, and finally watered the plants.
Once done, Tian Han turned around and looked over his garden. Some fruits were nearly ripe, while others were quickly following behind.
The scene gave the garden a lovely atmosphere—and filled Tian Han with pride. Just two weeks ago, he could barely walk. Now, the garden he had started as part of his recovery was bearing fruit. It was a proud moment.
After enjoying the view a little longer, he returned to the house. There, he resumed his lotus position and continued his energy control training.
Tian Han continued working, trying to picture the river correctly. He sometimes cursed under his breath, frustrated, but never gave up.
After several more hours of practice, Tian Han was lying on the couch, mentally exhausted.
"Ugh… I'm so tired… My head feels like it's about to crack. I never thought imagining a stupid river would be this hard. I'm totally done—I don't want to do anything else."
He didn't look very pleased. Clearly, visualizing the river had taken a heavy toll on him.
As he lay grumbling, his eyes landed on another book sitting on the table.
"Right… I haven't even started the Technique of the Mountain's Might.
I haven't even read it properly—I have no idea what I'm supposed to do.
But I need to work on it. Big Brother Li said it would help me reach the Arcen Awareness stage more easily."
The tired, frustrated look on Tian Han's face suddenly vanished— Replaced by a determined and resolute expression.
He immediately got up, took the book, and began reading.
As he started reading, he realized something— This technique was even better than he had imagined. Back in the library, he had only skimmed a few descriptions and had a rough idea of the technique. But now, reading it in detail, he was genuinely shocked.
The Technique of the Mountain's Might had three stages, each one providing tremendous strength compared to the last. Those who mastered this technique gained extraordinary physical power.
In the first stage, one could bring down a bull with a single hand. In the second, shattering a massive rock with a bare fist wasn't difficult. And by the third stage—your body itself could be considered stronger than a low-grade magical treasure.
After reading all this, Tian Han couldn't help but shout out in surprise.
"So strong! You can pin down a full-grown bull with one hand in the first stage? And in the second, shatter a giant rock with a single punch? That's insane! I'm not quite sure about the third stage's whole 'body stronger than a weak magical treasure' thing, but if it's beyond the first two, it must be something truly terrifying."
Even though Tian Han was amazed by the stages and their promised strength, all that excitement and awe disappeared the moment he turned to the next page and saw the training regimen.
"What the hell is this?! Is this some kind of joke? Please tell me it's a joke. Two hours of weighted horse stance training? Followed by three hours of weighted running?! And the weights are supposed to be… 100 kilos?!And that's not all—I also have to do a hundred squats, pull-ups, and push-ups with those weights on?! This is pure madness!"
Tian Han was in complete shock.
"Who could possibly do this kind of training? This is suicide! This is lunacy! Insanity! I'm only ten years old! How am I supposed to survive even one set of this?! Big Brother Li was right—these body refinement techniques adapted for Arcen cultivation are utterly absurd! Ughhh… I totally wasted my one free technique selection…"
Tian Han wanted to cry. How could he possibly follow such a training program?
Wasn't this just diving straight into death? His scalp tingled—this was easily one of the last situations he ever wanted to be in.
He was just about to give up on the Technique of the Mountain's Might when something struck him.
"Wait… Haven't I already been doing physical training? What if I create a lighter version of this training program that suits my current level? If I start feeling any progress, I can gradually increase the difficulty until I reach the minimum requirements of the real technique. And if I don't improve… well, I'll know I just wasn't lucky. Yeah! That's it. Better than doing nothing and sitting around."
Tian Han had made up his mind. He would design a lighter version of the technique's training for himself and ramp up the difficulty if he saw improvement.
He hadn't even finished reading the entire Technique of the Mountain's Might, but after closing the book and placing it on the table, he looked out the window. There were still a few hours before sunset.
Upon seeing that, he quickly ran out into the yard.
Tian Han headed to the area where he had previously created some homemade weights. He realized he could now handle something more difficult than his last workout. But this wasn't just about strength—so he began adjusting the weights for the training. After calculating what he could realistically lift, Tian Han concluded that 10 kilos was the maximum he could handle.
He immediately picked up the weights and assumed a horse stance. Half an hour passed, and he could no longer feel his legs or arms. He was standing purely through the power of will.
Time continued to crawl by—just half an hour more to go.
"I can't feel my legs anymore… Should I stop? I did pretty well, right? Maybe I can stop now…"
"NO! What do you mean 'maybe I can stop'?! Get it together, Tian Han!"
With an iron will, Tian Han forced himself to stay standing. He was determined to complete the training—no matter what.
At last, the time passed. As the duration ended, he let the weights drop from his shoulders and collapsed to the ground. He couldn't feel his legs at all.
Letting out a deep breath, he spoke with a mix of pain and pride.
"I did it… I really did it. Next is the running part… But I can't feel my legs.
I guess Big Tian Han will just lie here for a while. Hahaha!"
Tian Han remained on the ground for half an hour until the feeling in his legs finally started to return. He stood up slowly—his legs were in intense pain, and even walking was difficult.
It didn't take long for Tian Han to realize that running today was completely out of the question. Forget running—he could barely walk.
Knowing he had reached his limit, Tian Han accepted that he had to end today's training session. So, he began the slow, painful walk back to the house.
When he got home, he didn't bother with food or a shower. He went straight to his room, dropped onto the bed, and lay on his back, staring at the ceiling with a pained expression.
"My whole body hurts…"