The sound of a door opening echoed softly, followed by the rhythmic clicking of boots striking the wooden floor.
A bulky man stepped into the modest room of a young teenage boy, who was tightly wrapped in a blanket like a caterpillar in a cocoon.
"After so many days, he still doesn’t know the routine? He sleeps like some kind of pregnant pig." Yami scoffed as he walked towards Grey’s bed. "He’s wrapped from head to toe. Does he want to suffocate himself or something?"
’Let’s see... How shall I wake him up today?’ Yami thought, pacing around the dimly lit room. The light was so faint, a person could barely see two feet ahead.
"How about I scare him off?" Yami smirked as a subtle glow appeared in his hand. He stretched it forward toward the blanket.
With a swift yank, he pulled the blanket away and readied himself to pounce—only to freeze.
Instead, it was just a bundle of pillows lined up carefully to mimic a sleeping body under the covers.
A voice rang out sharply from across the room, and something sharp whistled through the air toward Yami.
Reacting instantly, he spun around and smacked the projectile to the ground with the back of his palm. The lights flickered on, revealing Grey standing fully dressed on the other side of the room, a smirk etched across his face.
"Oh! You’re ready," Yami muttered with a short laugh as he began walking toward the door.
"Can’t believe you were actually about to strangle me," Grey said, glaring playfully as he grabbed his small training bag and followed him out.
"Different strategies for waking you up on different days," Yami shrugged. "Gotta keep you guessing."
The two of them exited the room together.
A Few Moments Later...
The early morning air was crisp on the mountainside as the duo arrived at their training ground. Without hesitation, Grey dove into a series of stretches and warm-ups.
He sprinted up and down the mountain trail six times, followed by push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. His form was perfect, his breathing controlled. In just twenty minutes, he was done with all of it.
Not even a bead of sweat dripped from his forehead. He exhaled lightly and stood before Yami, who raised a brow in silent amazement.
"You do know that you don’t have to do all those anymore, right?" Yami asked.
"I know," Grey replied, brushing off a nonexistent speck from his sleeve. "But I’m already used to them. I can’t help it. Though to be honest... they don’t challenge me anymore. It’s getting boring."
"You want more challenge?" Yami asked, one brow arched higher than the other.
Grey nodded without hesitation.
"I think I’ve got just the thing for that." Yami grinned as he tugged at the sleeves of his shirt, revealing his forearms.
Wrapped around them were what looked like armored shin guards. He undid the strappings and let them fall to the ground.
The moment they hit the earth, the ground trembled faintly.
Yami then crouched and pulled open the cuffs of his pants, revealing similar heavy-looking materials strapped around his legs. He unfastened them as well.
The second impact made the ground vibrate again, heavier this time.
Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly, curiosity piqued.
"What are these?" Grey asked with a raised eyebrow as he examined the weights lying on the ground.
"These are training weights. My grandfather gave them to me," Yami replied with a smile, twirling his wrists a few times as if to loosen them.
"How much do they weigh altogether?" Grey asked, gulping audibly after seeing the cracks the weights had left in the mountain floor.
"Nothing much. About 200 kilograms or so," Yami shrugged casually, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Wait—200KG?! And you’ve just been wearing them around like it’s nothing?" Grey blinked hard, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at Yami.
"Like I said, it’s nothing. Back when I first started wearing the hand and leg guards, it was insanely heavy. I could barely lift a foot. But with time, I got used to them. Now, it feels like I’m wearing paper," Yami said with another shrug, making Grey gulp again.
’He’s been wearing something as heavy as twenty carriages, and he says it isn’t anything?’ Grey thought, stunned, as he eyed Yami from head to toe in awe.
"Also, they’ve really helped improve my Ki cultivation. The strain pushed my body to adapt, letting me cultivate more Ki at a faster rate. When I take them off, my body feels lighter—faster.
So if you’re looking for an extra challenge, those weights might be exactly what you need," Yami offered with another nonchalant shrug, while Grey silently stared at the weights on the ground.
His mind reeled with thoughts as he continued to study them.
’My regular physical exercises aren’t doing much anymore. My body’s already close to its current limit. But I need more—I have to push myself beyond the ceilings set for me. If I want to keep growing stronger, I need to break through. These weights might just be the key.
Damn... all the things I have to endure just to attain true power. But oh well, I can’t become the Supreme Yun Warrior if I don’t go through hell first, right?’ Grey chuckled inwardly, finally taking a deep breath before glancing back at Yami.
"Alright, I’ll take them," Grey said, moving to grab the weights when Yami raised his hand to stop him.
"Not yet. Don’t forget why we came here in the first place," Yami reminded with a small chuckle. "You can start wearing the weights after today’s session. Right now, I’m going to teach you how to circulate Ki throughout your entire body."
"The faster you get the hang of it, the sooner we can move on to actual combat techniques—both defensive and maybe even offensive," Yami added with a grin.
"Vanessa showed me a move yesterday. The Cyclone Fang Kick. I want you to teach me that after this whole Ki circulation thingy," Grey said as he gave a respectful bow.
"Why not?" Yami chuckled. "That is... if you can grasp today’s lesson fast enough."
"I will," Grey responded firmly.
Yami walked to the center of the mountain, sat down cross-legged, and gestured for Grey to sit opposite him.
"Let’s begin your Ki circulation lesson," Yami announced with a nod.