A ten-meter-tall giant!
He stood like a small mountain, blocking the entrance of the martial arts training ground.
His body was broad, muscular, and powerful, with thick limbs. Veins bulged across his muscles, resembling creeping vines.
His upper body was bare, with a heart-guard slung diagonally across his shoulder. In each hand, he held a rough iron hammer, the handles of which were studded with barbs.
Chen Yi tilted his head back, raising a small hand to his brow to shield his eyes from the sun as he examined the towering figure.
He soon noticed that the giant's head didn't resemble that of a human but looked more like an ape—its face was covered in fur, with sharp fangs, and its large eyes were as big as bronze bells, yet devoid of any life.
Dead?
Chen Yi murmured, "A dead demon… a medal of honor? (king of decoration)"
"That's right. This is a dead demon."
At that moment, a voice sounded, and Chen Yi felt himself being lifted.
He turned his head and smiled. "Second Uncle."
The newcomer was none other than Chen Taihang, the younger brother of Marquis Wu'an—a rugged and carefree middle-aged man.
As always, Chen Taihang wore a blue fitted outfit, his long hair casually tied back. His tanned face was adorned with a scruffy beard, but his smile radiated warmth and friendliness.
"Xiao Yi'er, you still remember your Second Uncle?"
"I do. Great-Grandmother often mentions you."
"Oh? What does she say about me?"
Chen Yi recalled how the old lady would constantly grumble about Chen Taihang, calling him a "good-for-nothing" every chance she got. He decided it was best to leave that part unsaid.
Chen Yi's eyes darted around before he pointed at the demon—whose toe alone was larger than his entire body—and asked, "Second Uncle, why is this demon in our estate?"
Chen Taihang casually replied, "Martial arts training requires courage. It's here to help the Chen family's children build bravery."
Chen Yi glanced at the demon again, hesitation flickering across his young face.
Noticing his unease, Chen Taihang's expression shifted slightly as if something had just dawned on him. "Xiao Yi'er, are you scared?"
He had almost forgotten.
According to the family rules, children who first entered the training ground needed to be supervised by someone to prevent them from being harmed by the demon's imposing presence.
Yet here was his nephew, not only coming to the training ground alone but also having encountered the corpse of this demon...
"Not scared at all," Chen Yi hesitated before asking, "Second Uncle, who would be afraid of a dead demon?"
He wasn't sure if his response was appropriate.
Or perhaps there was something special about the corpse of this demon that he hadn't noticed?
"Of course not! Who would be afraid of a dead demon? Ha, haha…"
Chen Taihang was now certain that his little nephew was genuinely unafraid.
He recalled that when he first arrived at the training ground, he had been so intimidated by the corpse of this demon king-level creature that his legs had turned to jelly. Even with that reaction, his father had praised him for his bravery.
What kind of evaluation would there be for a Chen Yi who displayed no fear at all towards the demon's corpse?
Innate martial courage?
A martial arts genius?
Chen Taihang decided he would tell his elder brother about this matter and smiled, "Since you're here at the training ground, let me show you around."
Chen Yi instinctively responded, "Thank you, Second Uncle."
Once he realized what he'd said, he couldn't help but chuckle.
It seemed the lessons from his teachers over the past year had truly paid off.
If he weren't being held by Chen Taihang, he might have even followed the etiquette lessons and bowed respectfully to his elder.
"Has your mother been teaching you your etiquette?"
"Yes, not only etiquette classes but also reading and writing, astronomy, geography, and more."
"So many…"
The large and small figures circled around the demon's corpse, meandering through the training ground.
The entire training ground was vast, occupying nearly half of the central courtyard.
In addition to the space for the Chen family's children to practice martial arts, there were also a library and a treasure building at the far end.
The library primarily housed various martial arts manuals, the summaries from previous generations, and texts from various schools of thought.
The treasure building contained weapons, armor, and other items collected by the Chen family over the generations.
At the same time, Chen Yi resolved a lingering question: why the demon couldn't be seen from outside the training ground.
It turned out that the entire training ground was surrounded by a formation that blocked any sound or sight from escaping.
This had several benefits.
In Chen Taihang's own words, this setup not only prevented the demon from frightening outsiders but also kept others from stealing the Chen family's martial arts secrets.
After wandering around, Chen Yi followed Chen Taihang back to the training area.
There were already over a hundred Chen family members here, mostly from collateral branches, along with a few descendants of household servants.
Among them, the youngest looked to be only three or four years old.
"Ha!"
"Hum, ha!"
At this moment, each of them occupied their own area, practicing their martial arts.
Some were practicing boxing techniques, while others were wielding swords and knives.
Chen Yi first watched some disciples practicing sword techniques, but after just a few seconds, he turned his gaze to elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Chen Taihang was closely observing Chen Yi, paying attention to his expressions and reactions.
He had expected that since his little nephew had snatched the jade sword during the ritual, he would be interested in those practicing swordsmanship. To his surprise, Chen Yi showed little reaction.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Taihang asked, "Xiao Yi'er, what do you think of your older brothers?"
Chen Yi glanced at him and nodded with a smile, "They're all very impressive."
Putting aside everything else, it was truly difficult for him to evaluate the more than ten Chen family members practicing sword techniques.
If he had to summarize, he could only use eight words—too many flaws, not worth seeing!
With Chen Yi's entry-level understanding of swordsmanship, he noticed that those individuals had numerous gaps in both their footwork and sword techniques.
He couldn't tell if it was because the swordsmanship taught in the Chen family was inherently flawed or if these individuals simply lacked talent and practiced poorly.
In any case, the people in the training ground left him feeling somewhat disappointed.
Chen Taihang patted his head and said, "Don't be anxious. Once you complete your foundation training, you can be as impressive as they are."
Chen Yi: "…"
Totally unnecessary!
If he were to end up like these people, his future trajectory would likely be as dismal as the panel described...
Before long, Chen Yi bid farewell to Chen Taihang and left the training ground.
The young house servant let out a sigh of relief. "Young Master Yi, it's getting late. Why don't we head back to the courtyard and continue exploring tomorrow?"
He could hardly bear the tension of another round of anxiety.
"Alright."
Chen Yi nodded and followed the house servant back to the rear courtyard, but his mind was still occupied with what he had just witnessed in the training ground.
He was particularly struck by two things: the corpse of the demon and the library deep within.
Once he completed his foundation training, he was determined to spend some time exploring the books there.
...
As night approached, Chen Taihang found Marquis Wu'an, Chen Taiping, in the left wing room.
"Elder Brother, guess what I discovered today?"
Chen Taiping was sitting in the pavilion drinking tea. Upon hearing this, he became curious and asked, "Did a promising talent emerge from the training ground?"
"There is indeed a promising talent, but it's not among those collateral branch disciples."
Chen Taihang couldn't help but laugh as he continued, "It's your good son, Chen Yi."
"Yi'er? He went to the training ground?"
Chen Taiping's expression turned serious, signaling for him to elaborate.
"Xiao Yi'er really surprised me today."
Instead of directly saying it, Chen Taihang created a bit of suspense and asked, "Do you remember how you felt the first time you saw that demon king's corpse?"
"I remember you were so scared your legs went weak. If I hadn't supported you, you would have been lying on the ground."
"…"
Chen Taihang was momentarily at a loss for words, rolling his eyes as he said, "Wasn't that you clinging to me out of fear?"
"It wasn't clinging; it was support," Chen Taiping corrected him sternly.
"Alright, alright, you're the best."
Chen Taihang knew his elder brother was proud, so he didn't dwell on it and continued, "But Xiao Yi'er showed no fear at all when he saw the corpse of the demon king."
Chen Taiping was somewhat surprised by this. "Really?"
"Do you think I would lie to you? He even asked me, 'Who would be afraid of a dead demon?'"
Chen Taihang animatedly mimicked him, his scruffy beard bobbing with his gestures.
"Who would be afraid of a demon's corpse?"
Chen Taiping repeated this phrase to himself, and a smile gradually spread across his face until he burst into hearty laughter.
"Good, good, good! No wonder he's the child of Chen Taiping!"
"Right? I also believe that with this kind of courage, Xiao Yi'er will surely progress rapidly on his martial arts journey."
Just then, Zhou Wanyi arrived, holding Chen Yuan's hand. With a joyful smile, she asked, "What are you two brothers talking about? I can hear your laughter from so far away."
Chen Taiping couldn't help but say, "Wanyi, Taihang just told me that Yi'er went to the training ground today."
"Really? At such a young age, he must have had someone accompanying him inside, right?"
"No, not only was there no one with him, but he also…"
Before he could finish, Zhou Wanyi maintained her smile but tightened her grip on Chen Yuan's hand as she said,
"Yi'er indeed has remarkable courage. Even if his foundation assessment isn't great in the future, his achievements won't be low."
Chen Yuan frowned slightly, sneaking a glance at his mother but didn't dare to speak up.
"Foundation?"
Chen Tai Ping's smile faded as he sighed softly, "Marquis Taishan will be returning to the capital soon, and that will coincide with my departure for Northern Border. It's a pity…"
"A pity I won't be able to see Yuan'er and Yi'er complete their foundation training."
"Don't worry, my husband. I will send you the results when the time comes."
"That's the only option…"
(End of this chapter)