Chapter 2: Training Plan

The noise and trembling within the ancestral hall were finally quelled by Bai He’s commanding presence as clan leader.

He said nothing more, only casting a deep, lingering glance at his granddaughter. His gaze was tangled and complex, like an unsolvable knot—part pride, part relief, but more than anything, it bore the weight of heavy responsibility and uncertainty.

Taking Bai Chenxiang’s small hand in his own, he stepped out of the hall under the mixed looks of awe and doubt from the clan members.

The grandfather and granddaughter walked in silence, their shadows stretching unevenly in the sunlight.

Bai He’s pace was slow, as if each step was measured and thoughtful.

He could feel the small hand in his palm—warm and steady—without a hint of the dependence or trembling one would expect from a child.

This steadiness gradually transformed his initial ecstatic belief in his granddaughter’s genius into a deeper, more profound emotion: respect.

Yes, respect for a child of merely six years old. It sounded absurd, yet it was unmistakably real.

“Xiangxiang,” Bai He finally spoke, his voice hoarse, “were you serious about what you just said?”

“Grandpa, I never speak without certainty,” Bai Chenxiang lifted her head to meet his gaze. In the sunlight, her eyes shone clear and bright like twin pools of spring water.

“My Martial Soul has awakened, and the path lies beneath my feet.”

“To follow the old ways of our forebears, seeking fleeting openings within the gaps of speed to strike, only to blend indistinguishably with the crowd;”

“Or to carve out a new path, pushing speed to a level that astonishes gods and ghosts alike—hasn’t the answer already become clear?”

Bai He’s footsteps came to a sudden halt. Looking down, his eyes met the pure, untainted gaze of his granddaughter.

There was no arrogance in them, only a near-cold rationality.

He chuckled bitterly, releasing her hand to ruffle her hair.

“What exactly have you packed into that little head of yours? I’ve lived over seventy years and never seen so clearly.”

“Because you and the others are shackled by conventional wisdom,” Bai Chenxiang said without flinching, letting her grandfather’s large hand tousle her hair into disarray.

“You always think of patching up your weaknesses, but forget that when one’s strengths stretch long enough to cover everything, those weaknesses cease to be weaknesses.”

“What a long strength,” Bai He muttered, chewing over the words repeatedly. The dimness in his eyes brightened.

Decades of ingrained thinking seemed cracked open by a great boulder, and a fresh light poured wildly from the fissure.

In Bai He’s study, the two sat facing each other.

No steaming tea lay on the table, only an old, worn map spread wide.

Bai He’s gaze lifted from the map to rest upon Bai Chenxiang’s youthful yet extraordinarily composed face.

He no longer saw her as a granddaughter in need of protection but as a companion whose efforts he must fully support.

“Xiangxiang,” Bai He’s voice was low and resolute, “I believe in the path you speak of. But it’s uncharted territory. How will you take the first step? What is that first step?”

His question was blunt.

Anyone could offer grand speeches, but to turn ideals into reality required clear planning and steadfast execution.

Bai Chenxiang raised her small index finger and tapped her own body—limbs first, then her mind.

“The first step is ‘body speed.’”

With logic beyond her years, she began to dissect her path.

“The limit of ordinary speed. My body is the vessel carrying speed. If the vessel is not strong enough, no matter how fast the sail, it will be torn apart.”

“From today until I acquire my first soul ring, my task is to squeeze every ounce of potential from this body.”

“Strength, endurance, flexibility, explosiveness—they are not my goals themselves but the foundation of speed.”

She paused, then pointed to her eyes and temples.

“Simultaneously, I will cultivate the embryo of ‘mind speed.’”

“The eyes must keep pace with the body’s speed, or I’ll simply crash headlong.”

“The mind must surpass the body’s speed to make the right decisions in extreme situations.”

“To see the trajectory of falling petals, hear the rustle of grass a hundred meters away, anticipate the subtlest moves of an opponent—these are the instincts of battle and the very soul of speed.”

Bai He listened silently. His heart, once restless over his granddaughter’s extraordinary talent, sank deeply into calm.

He felt a pang of fear, and also relief.

The fear was that, had Xiangxiang been an ordinary prodigy, he might have pressed her impatiently to obtain soul rings quickly, chasing power levels, thus ruining this raw gem.

The relief was that this gem could speak for itself, even seeing farther and clearer than this old man.

“So, you mean…” Bai He’s Adam’s apple bobbed, “before becoming a soul master, you will first forge yourself into a monster without soul power?”

“Yes.” Bai Chenxiang nodded without hesitation.

“Soul rings and soul skills are wings. But only a bird strong enough in itself can flap those wings and soar to the heavens. Otherwise, no matter how dazzling the wings, they are but a burden.”

Bai He exhaled deeply, as if releasing the last shred of doubt in his heart.

He stood and paced the study, his shadow lengthening and shrinking under the lamplight.

“A body first, then soul!”

He struck the table sharply, making the map jump.

“Our Minzhi clan has speed but weak bodies and poor soul endurance. We have never truly become strong.”

“Everyone fixates on soul rings and soul skills, forgetting the fundamentals!”

“Your path is right! The only right path!”

He stopped suddenly, turning to Bai Chenxiang with a gaze filled with genuine inquiry.

“Xiangxiang, what do you need? What can Grandpa do for you? Though the Minzhi clan is not wealthy, whatever I can provide, I will not hold back!”

This was the moment Bai Chenxiang had been waiting for.

She needed her grandfather’s full support—not only emotionally but in resources.

“I need the best training ground.”

“One with complex obstacles and sudden dangers, to comprehensively train my reflexes and evasions. The clan’s training ground is too simple.”

“And I need sparring targets.”

She continued, “That can attack me from all tricky angles, as fast as possible—preferably Grandpa himself.”

Bai He was stunned, then burst into hearty laughter, filled with relief and fighting spirit.

“You dare make your grandpa your target! Fine! So be it!”

“There’s a boulder forest behind the clan’s back mountain, with a complex terrain. I’ll have the clan set traps and devices. Starting tomorrow, Grandpa will personally train with you!”

The next day, at the boulder forest—which was more of a ruined mountain strewn with jagged stones and uneven ground—cliffs and narrow crevices lay everywhere.

“Xiangxiang, are you ready?”

Bai He stood atop a giant rock, holding a bag of stones of various sizes, his expression serious with a barely concealed mischievous grin.

Below, six-year-old Bai Chenxiang was dressed in a sleek, short training outfit, her face taut with focus. She nodded.

“Then, let’s begin!”