Chapter 5 — The First Step Forward
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One week later
The dawn air hung cool and faintly misted over the Li estate. In the courtyard, Li Feng stood barefoot on the cool stone. His breathing was slow, controlled — each inhale steady, each exhale smooth.
His movements were precise, deliberate. Arms rising and lowering in rhythm with his breath, muscles tensing and relaxing like the pull of silk threads.
Yi Jin Jing — the Muscle-Tendon Transformation Classic.
He had read about it during his late-night research sessions — an ancient Qigong set known for tempering the body through controlled tension and breath.
Every motion trained both flexibility and strength, cultivating endurance through structure and intention.
His body wasn't yet conditioned enough to fully manifest the technique's potential, but that was fine. For now, he was laying the foundation.
At the end of each set, he shifted into stillness — feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms curved in front of his chest as if embracing an invisible sphere.
Zhan Zhuang — Standing like a tree.
From the outside, it looked like he was simply frozen in place.
But inside, it was a battle of stillness — every muscle awake, every breath controlled, every micro-adjustment deliberate. His senses sharpened; he could feel the faint twitch of tension behind his knees, the subtle shift of weight in his feet, the beat of his pulse in his fingertips.
It was meditative, yes, but also grueling.
'Yi Jin Jing builds strength,' he thought. 'Zhan Zhuang refines control. Together, they're the perfect balance.'
These were no mere exercises. They were systems of discipline — frameworks for understanding the body's logic.
And if Qigong masters of old could temper themselves to such extremes without a system, what would happen when one did with a system?
He had chosen to begin Qigong the night he first saw the system's potential.
If his mind could evolve through skills, then so could his body.
He wasn't expecting to become some mythical master overnight, but he knew how the system worked: foundation first, refinement next.
Each morning since then had begun the same way — silent, precise, patient.
Now, one week later, he could already feel the difference.
His breathing was deeper. His focus sharper. The aches that once lingered from the beating had faded completely.
He straightened slowly, exhaling through his nose, feeling warmth spread through his limbs — not mystical energy, but raw vitality.
> [Skill Progress Summary]
• Cyber Security — Lv. 1 (56%)
• Programming — Lv. 1 (52%)
• Software Engineering & Design — Lv. 1 (43%)
• Yi Jin Jing — Lv. 0 (18%)
• Zhan Zhuang — Lv. 0 (10%)
• Meditation — Lv. 0 (28%)
[Passive: Accelerated Comprehension]
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
'One week in, and both body and mind are improving. Good.'
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He returned inside, washed, and sat at his desk while his laptop booted.
The blue glow of the screen cast soft shadows across his face as he checked his encrypted accounts.
Three completed contracts — clean and efficient.
Two had been vulnerability assessments for overseas corporations, one a complex network penetration test.
Total earnings: $18,400 USD — discreetly funneled through layered offshore crypto exchanges, converted to stable currency, and redistributed into smaller accounts.
Not much compared to what he once made, but more than enough to start building autonomy.
A seed fund for what would come next.
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At breakfast, Li Xue sat by the table, her uniform crisp, hair tied with a pale ribbon.
"Morning, Gege," she said, looking up from her phone. "You're really keeping that routine, huh?"
Li Feng poured himself tea. "It helps me think."
She studied him for a moment. "You look… calmer than before."
He looked back at her and smiled faintly. "Guess I finally learned how to breathe."
She laughed softly. "You make it sound like a secret technique."
"Maybe it is."
The sound of her laughter filled the quiet dining room.
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By the time they stepped outside, the mist had thinned into a silver haze. Their driver held the car door open, and soon they were gliding through the gates toward the city.
Longhai No. 1 High School came into view — modern, imposing, its gates flanked by manicured hedges and a stone plaque carved with calligraphy.
Students clustered in groups, laughing and whispering.
And when the siblings walked through the gates, attention turned almost instantly.
"Isn't that Li Feng from the second branch?"
"Heard his uncles' men beat him half-dead."
"Still looks fine to me."
"And his sister… that's the Zhou family's fiancée, right?"
Li Xue's hand tightened around her bag strap.
Li Feng reached over, gently patting her head. "Ignore them," he said softly.
Her eyes flicked toward him — and at that small, calm gesture, she exhaled and nodded. "Okay, Gege."
He smiled faintly and stepped ahead, his expression unreadable.
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Their classrooms were on different floors. Before they split, she hesitated. "You'll be okay?"
He adjusted his bag. "I've dealt with worse mornings."
She gave him a look somewhere between worry and amusement before heading upstairs.
Li Feng walked into his own class, the door sliding open with a soft click. Conversations paused for half a heartbeat, then resumed, quieter this time.
He took his seat by the window. Outside, sunlight was cutting through the last of the mist, gold streaking across the courtyard.
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"Look who decided to show up again."
Li Feng turned his head slightly. Three boys lounged near the back, wearing the smug confidence of those with power behind them.
Their leader — Zhao Kai, the son of a mid-level government official with connections to the Li family's first branch — smirked. "How's your recovery, second-branch prince?"
A few snickers followed.
Li Feng met his gaze briefly, then returned his eyes to his notebook. "Good."
Zhao Kai leaned forward on his desk. "You must have thick skin, getting back up after being beaten by your own family. Guess some dogs can't tell when to stay down."
The class went quiet, a mix of anticipation and unease in the air.
Li Feng's pen stopped. He looked up, eyes calm, bored even.
"I see your father still hasn't taught you the difference between confidence and noise," he said mildly. "You should work on that lest you embarrass him."
The boy froze — just a flicker — before forcing a laugh. "Still got a mouth on you, huh?"
Li Feng smiled faintly. "Can't say the same about your brain."
Zhao Kai's smirk faltered. A few students coughed to hide their laughter.
The teacher entered then, saving the other boy from replying. Zhao Kai's glare lingered, but Li Feng had already turned back to his notes — serene, unbothered, pen moving in steady lines.
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Hello, Author here,
Thanks for reading — Leave a comment to tell me what you think about this chapter, and drop a Power Stone if you're enjoying Li Feng's story so far! Let's grow this story together.