Dongbo Xueying, his younger brother Qingshi, and Zong Ling were gathered together. Dongbo Xueying took out a crystal ball the size of a watermelon from a nearby package, which was left by their mother.
"Brother, what is this? It's so beautiful," Qingshi, who was pretty and adorable, said. If Dongbo Xueying's appearance leaned more towards his father, then Qingshi's leaned more towards their mother, and it was clear he would grow up to be a handsome young man. Dongbo Xueying, however, couldn't match his brother's handsomeness.
"Come, Qingshi, put your hand on it," Dongbo Xueying said.
"Okay," Qingshi obediently placed his small hand on it.
As his palm touched the crystal ball, the spiritual fluctuations within his body naturally triggered a reaction inside the crystal ball. Immediately, the crystal ball emitted a faint red glow that spread throughout the room.
Dongbo Xueying and the others all showed signs of joy.
"Brother, why is there light?" Qingshi asked curiously.
"Great Mage, come, give me a kiss," Dongbo Xueying said happily, hugging his brother and kissing him on the cheek.
Mages are different from knights.
Knights need to start training from a young age; the Long Wind Academy sets the maximum age for admission at ten years old! In contrast, mages cannot train when they are young. Those from wealthy families usually start training at around ten years old, while some start at sixteen or seventeen, and even some over twenty. The Long Wind Academy admits mages up to the age of thirty.
Anyone under thirty can enter the academy.
This is because mages require a high level of mental acuity, especially when it involves the soul. If one starts too young and trains recklessly, they might even damage their soul and become a fool! Older individuals, with more life experience and the accumulation of years, can start training in their forties or fifties and still achieve great success, even reaching the extraordinary realm.
*****
Time passed day by day.
Before they knew it, five years had gone by.
"Whistling~~~" Snowflakes as soft as goose feathers were falling.
A young man in a black single-layered robe stood by the railing, watching the snowflakes fill the sky. His facial features were sharp, and years of training had given him a formidable aura, characteristic of a spear expert.
"Brother."
A boy dressed warmly called out from a distance.
"Qingshi," Dongbo Xueying smiled, leaped down from a height of over six meters, and landed on the thick snow-covered ground. His brother had grown up, and Dongbo Xueying now called him by his name, "Qingshi," instead of the childhood nickname, "Shitou."
"Brother, let's go to Yishui City to play. There are so many fun places there. It's boring to stay at home all the time," Dongbo Qingshi said excitedly.
"Let Uncle Zong take you," Dongbo Xueying said with a smile.
"You always stay within the Xueying Manor. You rarely go to the city even once a year. Don't you get bored?" Dongbo Qingshi muttered.
Dongbo Xueying smiled but didn't say anything.
His brother had no memory of their parents and didn't remember the night they were taken away. He lived a carefree life.
"I'll practice my boxing for a while," Dongbo Xueying said, taking off his shirt to reveal his muscular upper body. Years of rigorous training had made his body incredibly strong.
With that, Dongbo Xueying stepped into the snow and began practicing the "Flame Three-Stage Technique," a martial art that was also a boxing form.
Snowflakes landed on Dongbo Xueying's skin, and with each move, his perception of the surrounding environment became clearer.
"You can practice slowly. I'm going to play," Qingshi said, running off.
Dongbo Xueying continued practicing his boxing in the heavy snow, each move appearing slow, but his body's strength flowed like water, transmitting smoothly.
At the age of thirteen, his spear technique had already reached the level of "man and spear as one."
But this was not enough... He needed to achieve a perfect harmony of strength throughout his body, controlling every bit of strength with great precision, to be considered a "spear master" and to master the first level of the "Mystic Ice Spear Technique" known as "Falling Snow"!
For the past two years, he had often practiced boxing, seeking enlightenment within himself, searching for that spark of inspiration in the tranquility, aiming to achieve a perfect harmony of strength throughout his body.
"It's almost there."
Dongbo Xueying had already faintly touched the threshold of achieving a perfect harmony of strength throughout his body.
From the age of six to now, at fifteen, he had been practicing the spear for nearly ten years! His diligence was probably greater than what ordinary people would achieve in twenty or thirty years of practice.
"There's no need to worry about my spear technique, but why haven't I generated any martial qi yet?" Dongbo Xueying picked up a long spear from the side and began to casually wield it. The long spear seemed to merge with him, moving like a dragon, powerful and majestic. Each thrust of the spear created countless spear shadows, and when he swept the spear horizontally, it was unstoppable.
According to the initial estimate, he should have generated martial qi by the age of ten! By fifteen, he should have already crossed into the Earth Rank Knight realm.
But in reality?
He had still not generated martial qi and become a knight.
Dongbo Xueying, Zong Ling, and Tong San were not disappointed but rather found it strange!
The principle of martial qi techniques... is to absorb the power of the world to nourish the body, reaching a limit where the body can no longer absorb more, at which point the power forms martial qi within the body!
By the age of ten, Dongbo Xueying's body strength had already exceeded the normal human limit. Over the next five years, his body continued to grow stronger, constantly absorbing the power of the world, which is why he had not yet generated martial qi.
"What's the reason?"
"My body is now more than ten times stronger than a normal person's, yet it is still absorbing the power of the world."
Dongbo Xueying was puzzled.
Even Zong Ling and the others, with their extensive knowledge, could not understand the reason for this situation.
"Bang!"
The long spear suddenly struck the ground, smashing into the stone slab beneath the snow and rebounding, thrusting forward with a terrifying whistling sound.
While practicing the spear technique, Dongbo Xueying suddenly felt a faint itching deep within his body, at the most minute level.
"Hmm?" Dongbo Xueying immediately put away the long spear. Every bone in his body, from the inside out, was itching, and every muscle was itching. This itching was so intense that even his great endurance found it unbearable. Then, every part of his body began to feel a burning heat, as if being scorched, with his bones seeming to be incinerated. His skin turned red and became tough, and a layer of sinew began to form beneath the skin.
On Dongbo Xueying's bare upper body, a faint blood-red aura began to rise, vaguely forming the shape of a towering giant.
In a daze, Dongbo Xueying "saw" a towering giant, wearing a loincloth and barefoot, roaring to the sky on a desolate land.
Then the blood-red aura dissipated.
But the changes inside Dongbo Xueying's body became even more intense.
"Ah."
Dongbo Xueying could no longer suppress the pain and knelt down, supporting himself with his hands on the ground. The intense heat emanating from his body began to melt the surrounding snow.