That night, David sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes to begin meditating.
These past few days of running around busily had stimulated the factors for digesting spirit energy within him.
It felt like a tiny flame was burning below his navel, and as he directed it with his will, the flame grew stronger and stronger, and its heat began to spread through his blood vessels to his whole body.
Some viscous, invisible substance in his blood seemed to have been melted by the heat, transforming into pure spiritual power that lit up all the meridians in his body.
His muscles seemed to have been forged to be firm through repeated quenching, and in the darkness, his body took on a semi-transparent state. With his navel at the center, it resembled a glowing tree diagram conforming to the structure of the human body.
"This is the feeling. I feel like I'm getting stronger, and the barrier to Level 2 is being impacted..."
David's talents were unparalleled. These foundational cultivation practices came naturally and adeptly to him, operating entirely on instinct.
After meditating for a long time, David's consciousness grew increasingly blurred until he finally collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.
Even while fast asleep, the tree-like meridian map within him continued operating, ceaselessly tempering every cell in his body and evolving them towards greater strength.
...
The next morning, in the inn's restaurant.
"You guys really want to go with me to participate in the Adventurers' Guild's open training?" Lewis, who had been called over to meet with them, asked.
"Yeah, I really lack combat experience right now," David decisively made the decision.
"Then I'll go along with big brother too," Christina, as David's twin sister, stated her intention to follow her brother.
"We'll participate too! At least to give that dumb Emma some anti-scam training!" Leah deliberately bumped Emma's head, teasing her about getting scammed before.
"Hey, you agreed to it back then too!" Emma defended herself indignantly.
"Alright, then I'll go sign up with you guys too," Lewis said.
After breakfast, the six of them went straight to the Adventurers' Guild base. After asking around, they were led before the head coach.
He was a tall, muscular middle-aged man, bare-chested as he exercised his strength by holding up two large rocks.
"You kids want me to coach you too? Don't dream on, you probably can't even lift a weapon!"
The coach looked the six people up and down, seeing they were either frail youths or delicate girls, and even a pair of ten-year-old children. He let out a cold laugh and shook his head.
"Haha, that's what I said, but they insisted on coming over!" The female clerk who had brought them laughed, also not believing this group could pass the coach's assessment.
"How will we know if we don't try?" David said.
"Hmph, be careful or I'll smash you to death!" The coach casually picked up a large warhammer nearby and swung it lightly, smashing a big dent into the stone wall.
"Go back, kids. This isn't a place for you. We train newcomers here but don't run a daycare." He was on the verge of laughing out loud, shaking his head in disappointment.
However, David's expression didn't change at all. He simply extended his hand towards the coach.
"Huh?" The coach was somewhat puzzled, squinting as he looked the kid up and down. "What do you mean? You want me to actually throw this hammer to you?"
David silently kept his hand outstretched, only gradually releasing a certain imposing aura from his body, his amber eyes calm without waves.
The coach's brows furrowed slightly, seeming to sense something amiss.
"Fine, since you're asking for death, I'll humor you!" He casually flung the heavy warhammer out.
"Ah!" The female clerk shrieked, not expecting the usually prudent coach to actually hurl the heavy hammer at a child.
Slap!
The next moment, David steadily caught the warhammer with one hand.
The hammer was bigger than his head, but looked like a toy in his hand, lifted effortlessly.
Using his left hand, he rolled up the right sleeve, revealing a fair arm that glinted in the sunlight. Even as a child, evenly sculpted muscles could vaguely be seen, not like a normal person's!
"As long as I can make a dent in the stone wall, I'll pass?" David seemed to mutter to himself.
Suddenly, he swung the warhammer and slammed it heavily into the stone wall, stirring up a cloud of dust.
"Amazing!" The female clerk, who had been worried for him earlier, immediately applauded.
"Not bad, kid. You pass!" The coach was also surprised, not expecting this child to have some skills.
"I see, so that's all big brother had to do? It's my turn now." Christina immediately stepped forward as well, not caring about others' gazes as she rolled up her sleeves and walked towards the stone wall.
Everyone assumed she would also pick up the warhammer to smash the wall.
But unexpectedly, she simply threw a punch straight at the stone wall.
Boom!
That seemingly delicate little fist inexplicably exploded with tremendous power, directly fracturing the stone wall and breaking off several chunks!
"Huh? What's going on here? This little girl..." The female clerk was shocked again, completely confused about how a ten-year-old girl could have such strength!
"Hmm..." The coach also fell into contemplation.
It wasn't just him. Even Lewis found it unbelievable, silently swallowing as he took note of this little girl's abilities.
"As expected of David's sister. She looks even stronger than her brother!"
"Did I pass?" Christina saw no one responding, so she raised her little face, blinking her innocent amber eyes.
"Oh, yes of course you passed!" The coach quickly replied.
It was soon Leah's turn to step forward. She took a deep breath, clearly somewhat nervous.
"Alright, it's my turn now. I absolutely can't embarrass everyone!" She looked eager to try, walking towards the stone wall, about to lift the warhammer to imitate David.
"No, no need for that. You've already proven your strength!" The coach hurriedly stopped her.
"You two as well, no need to test further. I can already tell that despite your young age, you've reached the 1st rank Initiation!"
The coach was sweating, hurriedly stopping them, afraid this stone wall would be smashed to bits.
So Emma and Clara also went in together, considered as having passed.
"What about me!" Lewis' eyes lit up and tried to sneak in with them.
"Well...I have to say, you do look really weak...but for their sake, you can join the regular training group." The coach stroked his bearded chin, forced to inform him of the harsh truth.
As it turned out, the open training was split into two groups. One was the regular training for ordinary people, with the goal of becoming cultivators.
The other was the elite training, specially for low-rank Initiates to teach them cultivation and combat.
Lewis parted ways with the others, led by the female clerk to another training ground.
David's group, on the other hand, slowly followed the coach towards the forest up ahead.
Beneath the shade of the trees, the ground was very clean. Trainees sat resting beneath the trees.
Seeing the new arrivals, the trainees all looked over, but couldn't help laughing and gossiping after seeing what they looked like.
"Hey, what's going on here? Have the requirements for elite training fallen so low?"
"Am I seeing things? Aside from those three delicate girls, there are even two kids here?"
"You kidding me? Don't tell me we have to play house with these kids later!"
"Hmm, those three girls do look pretty though. With so many men here, a few innocent ladies should liven things up!" Some were even ogling Emma's group with obvious ill intent.
"Just find a spot to rest, morning training is over. The real training starts in the afternoon," the coach instructed before leaving them alone.
With the coach's departure, many began harboring unsavory thoughts.
"Hey ladies, come sit over here where it's cooler," an arrogantly tanned young man stood up and approached them.
As he got up, two other men also stood to follow him.
"No need, that open area over there is fine," Emma very calmly rejected him.
"Hey woman, don't be ungrateful. My bro is doing you a favor!" One of the men with blackened teeth viciously blocked their path.
"Hey, she's a beauty, be more gentle," the tanned young man stopped him, but still smiled as he approached to block Emma's group in the middle of the path.
David stood behind Emma and softly sighed. It seemed this training trip wouldn't be smooth sailing.
Having too many beautiful women around wasn't always a good thing, there were always shameless people coveting them!
"Get lost!" David stepped forward and yelled domineeringly.
Since trouble had come, he couldn't be afraid either. The more afraid, the more bullied they would be!
This was just a training camp, where everyone was a newbie. He didn't believe the other side could be that strong!
Moreover, there was a coach present. He surely wouldn't let things escalate to harm.
"Huh?" However, David's angry shout just left the few men stunned and confused.
The leading young man used his pinky to dig out his ear, as if not hearing David clearly.
"Pipsqueak, what are you saying?"
"Hahaha, the pipsqueak's angry!" The other man also laughed loudly.
David's tone was indeed authoritative, but he forgot that at just ten years old, it was hard to deter these burly men. His childish voice only made them find him laughable.
"Is this your little brother? Looks like he needs some discipline, but no worries. Follow me and we'll be family. I'll help teach him well!" The young man ignored David and spoke directly to Emma.
"I'm Victor, nice to meet you!" He stretched his hand out towards Emma.
Slap!
Unexpectedly, Emma decisively struck out, slapping Victor hard. The sound resonated clearly throughout the training hall.
"Ohhh!" The hall erupted in cries of shock.
"What a gutsy woman, to actually hit Victor!"
"Haha, Victor got owned by a woman, how funny!"
"Tsk tsk, pity for the beauty. Offending Victor like this, how unfortunate..."
Those below were dumbstruck, gossiping among themselves.
In an instant, Victor's face turned bright red as he stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"You!"
"You dare!"
"Woman, you're asking for death!"
Publicly humiliated, Victor was completely enraged. The two men beside him were also shocked pale.
With Victor as their boss, seeing him bullied, the three men were about to make a move.
"Stop!" Just then, a fit and muscular man walked over from the training hall and stopped them.
But they refused to listen, flaring up their auras, revealing their ranks and strength, as if ready to crush David's group at any moment!
"Do you want to be expelled?" the man who came asked coldly.
At the same time, his aura also climbed, clearly not inferior to these few, even faintly suppressing them.
"What, you wanna fight too, Captain?" Victor turned and asked.
"I told you to stop. I'm responsible for maintaining order here!" As it turned out, the mediator was the training captain, speaking righteously.
"Hmph, for your face I'll let them off for today!" Victor didn't want to butt heads further either. He just glared fiercely at Emma, anger clearly unabated.
"Woman, you dare hit me, I'll make sure you regret it. Not just you, your siblings will suffer too!" He also glared viciously at David and Christina, full of threat.
Fortunately the captain was stern, repeatedly forcing Victor's group back to prevent the conflict from escalating.
"You're new here. I warn you not to cause trouble!" He also didn't give David's group any kindness, simply intent on keeping order without considering right or wrong.