Two months later.
A young man with unsteady steps was carrying a thin log on his back. Two wooden buckets filled to the brim were hung on the log's ends.
Making sure to keep his balance intact, he slowly reached the fields and began watering the small area of land he was responsible for.
During the last few months, he had adopted farming as a means of living. The seeds he had sown were all grown by now, and after another month, they would be ready to harvest.
With a satisfied expression, Zion immersed himself in his work and weeded out the unwanted plants until early afternoon.
After eating lunch from his small wooden tiffin box, he got back to work.
Until four in the evening, he observed all the crops and looked for pests or any signs of disease in them before finally calling it a day.
Carrying his items, he walked back home more energetic than ever. For others, their day was coming to an end, but for him, it was just beginning.
When he reached home, he quickly freshened up and ate an early dinner. His hurried actions carried a hint of excitement and anticipation.
After dinner, he immediately sat in the lotus position and started breathing in a pattern he had long become used to.
'Five short breaths in….one long breath out…'
The reason for Zion's excitement was that in yesterday's breathing practice, he felt a trace of something unique around him that he had never felt before.
Alas, it happened just before he reached his limit in yesterday's session. However, today was a fresh start once again, and he was confident in being able to get the same feeling again.
Half an hour passed, and Zion's mind finally reached the perfect state. The air around him suddenly felt more refreshing.
'It's Qi!' Zion contained the excitement in his mind and continued with his breathing technique.
Soon, the presence of Qi all across his room became apparent to him. The sensation was similar to cold, refreshing winds being wrapped around your body.
In his house, which had its windows closed now, Zion could naturally feel the presence of Qi more vividly.
Sensing the Qi was not even the start of the first stage of the Qi Building Phase. It could be said that throughout the last two months, he had been building a solid base for himself.
The true journey to gain strength was about to start now.
Clearly remembering the procedure, Zion breathed in the Qi, which felt a lot denser than air. He then tried to guide the cold energy from his lungs down towards his belly button.
His brows creased as he struggled to control the Qi.
Once…twice…ten times…a hundred.
His body was soon covered with sweat, and he was reaching his limits, but he was still unable to guide the Qi downwards.
'Just what is it that I'm doing wrong…' Zion kept thinking, but was unable to think of a solution.
Exhausted, he took a few minutes' break and went through the instructions in his mind.
'Guide the Qi to your belly button and let it settle…'
"Guide…but how?" Zion muttered. Every time he tried to control the Qi, it vanished inside his body as if it never existed.
'Guide…guide…' He kept thinking over it, and suddenly an idea popped up in his mind.
'Let's try this, I'm already exhausted, so this will be today's last try,' Zion thought.
He once again guided the Qi inside him, but this time, rather than focusing on controlling the Qi, he tried to imagine a clear pathway from his lungs to his belly button.
'Woah…' Zion almost opened his eyes in surprise. The Qi seamlessly passed down his lungs and settled in a point under his belly button.
A cool sensation could be felt in that region. The next moment, when he exhaled, almost all of the Qi left his body, but a very minute trace of it remained in that region.
Zion opened his eyes the next moment. He wanted to practice more, but his body and mind had reached their limits. Tired as he was, his face still carried an immeasurable amount of joy.
"With this, my journey has finally begun!" Zion clenched his fist in excitement.
The next day.
Early in the morning, Zion was training his body as usual. As a result, his muscles only continued to get stronger during the last two months.
Initially, the passer-by who used to see him training would laugh at him and call his attempts useless, but Zion never reacted to them and continued with his daily routine.
As a result, Zion's reputation in the village worsened.
He was already treated as an outcast because of his disability, but now they even called him crazy and kept their distance from him.
After finishing his morning workout, he went to the river to collect a fresh batch of water for the day.
On the way back, his gaze fell on a familiar figure. It was Fana. She was going to the riverside along with a few of her friends.
"Fana, you've struck gold! I wish my parents would also engage me with a hunter as strong as Troy."
"Keep dreaming! No one in this village is Troy's match!"
"I'm thinking how grand our Fana's life would become after marrying him, as he's also the Village head's only son,"
Hearing her friends' banter, a satisfied smile appeared on Fana's face.
The next moment, they all immediately quietened down when they saw Zion's figure passing by.
A look of scorn and disdain appeared on all their faces when they looked at his wooden leg.
According to the villagers' belief, the disabled were a waste of resources and should just end their lives.
All the disabled people before were unable to face the village's harshness and had ended their lives by either jumping into the river or trying to traverse the deep forests.
They all expected that Zion would try doing something like that as well, but he didn't. He kept existing. That's why Zion's presence felt all the more revolting to everyone.
Zion only glanced at the group for a second before averting his eyes. Fana's eyes no longer carried the previous liveliness when they looked at him.
Instead, it was replaced with annoyance and disgust whenever they crossed paths.
Zion kept walking. He had heard what the girls were talking about and had realised that Fana was about to get engaged.
'I hope you will stay happy in your new life,' Zion sincerely wished in his heart. Fana was the last person who was kind to him, so he would always be grateful to her.
After reaching home, he freshened up, had breakfast and left for the farm once again.