Garen gradually noticed the change in his sister . His adult consciousness allowed him to sense that Ying Er treated him slightly different; she seemed to take his every word very seriously . She was very careful with her actions when they were playing tag earlier, using only a very slight amount of force, as if she was worried that she might hurt him . That was how he managed to sneak an attack on her and take her down in the end .
"Have some lunch first . Making breakfast and lunch, going out to buy fruits, it's been a tough day for you, Ying Er . " He reached out a hand to pinch his sister's cheek . There seemed to be much less acne and freckles on her red face recently; it felt soft and smooth to the touch .
"Ugh, you!" Ying Er slapped away Garen's hand . "Did you take the wrong medicine? Since when did you know how to show concern towards someone else?" She quizzically looked at Garen . Although she usually tried very hard to pretend as if she wasn't close with her brother, in fact, she was constantly concerned about everything related to Garen in secret .
Garen's heart skipped a beat . He realized that he had gone slightly overboard with his change in character; he immediately retracted his hand without saying another word . "Can't I have grown up? Do you have to act all shocked? Come on, let's eat . "
After a rushed meal, the brother and sister duo worked together to wash the dishes, then quickly went back to their respective bedrooms, both seeming slightly off . Ying Er kept feeling as if there was a gust of wind under her skirt ever since she was accidentally exposed, and she constantly felt uneasy in front of Garen . They were step-siblings after all; a relationship built through the fusion of two single-parent families was not considered to be blood-relations .
Garen, on the other hand, was rushing back to his room to further ponder about Attribute Enhancements .
Standing by the window, he quietly stared at the pale red Attribute data in the lower part of his field of vision .
"If skills can indeed be enhanced, I will be able to participate in the tournament within a short period of time and win the large prize pool if I enhance my archery or sword skills . My only worry is that it would stick out like a sore thumb if a student that seldom practices suddenly participates and wins the award . Putting aside what others might think, Ying Er knows my situation well . She is aware that I don't usually practice my archery or sword skills . " He rested his hand against the glass window pane .
"If that's the case, this idea with archery and sword skills won't work . But what about the White Cloud Dojo? I've always been attentive to the Dojo's training . If I dove into the tournament, people would assume I have steadily accumulated the skills through observation, and it would attract less attention . Moreover, the Dojo isn't the Academy; it's an independent party . It wouldn't attract much attention even if something unusual or exceptional happened there . It's just that the prize money is a little on the low side… I could approach the Dojo and inquire whether there are any inter-dojo tournaments . Those offer much more prize money than internal tournaments! Now that's an idea!"
He lightly grazed his hand over the surface of the glass; it was smooth and cool to touch . "If that's the case, I'll pay a visit to the Dojo this afternoon and ask a trainer about the general situation . "
After resting in his room for a bit, Garen quietly walked out . When he walked past his sister's room, he saw Ying Er lying on the bed, cheeks rosy and sleeping soundly, and decided not to bother her .
He gently put on his scarf and coat, then changed his shoes and walked out the door . Walking out of his cul-de-sac and grasping the 300 dollars from his uncle in his pocket, Garen hailed a black carriage and stepped into it .
"To the White Cloud Dojo . "
"It's ten dollars yeah?" the driver turned around to confirm .
"Yup, just go . " Garen nodded in consent .
Sitting in the carriage and looking out the right window, he could see buildings with pale yellow walls swiftly pass by one after another . A few minutes later, after turning a corner, the streets gradually became deserted . The previous scene was replaced by solemn, gray buildings . Shops with round arch doorways formed a row, all of them selling clocks and sundries .
Garen looked closely at the Skills section in his field of vision .
Fighting skills: Amateur . Archery skills: Amateur . Sword skills: Amateur .
"If I can pass the assessment and train in the Secret Arts of White Cloud Dojo, I can enhance my physical quality . Couple that with my Attribute points to concurrently increase my power, the effect of my training would be exponential compared to that of my peers!" His wine-red eyes narrowed slightly, indicating a trace of anticipation .
"If I keep using Attribute points to enhance a single skill, I wonder what the maximum level of increase would it reach . It's been said that different people have different talents, leading to great disparities in the effect of training in the Secret Arts . This could help conceal the fact that I'm enhancing my skills with Attribute points . This way, even if the level of the training method is slightly inferior, it would still be able to match up to top-level training methods . Now, my only hope is that Attribute points can enhance training methods like they enhance personal qualities .
Recalling whom he could inquire with at the Dojo, Garen could only come up with three people: Sharmilla, Luo Ya, and the girl with short and silver hair that he trained with .
There was one that left a deep impression though: the best in their batch, Erwin . He would always achieve high rankings with overwhelming skills . In addition to that, he had a mild attitude, was very humble and was well-brought-up . If there was someone with a hundred percent chance of being a Formal Disciple of White Cloud Dojo, it would be Erwin .
"I could go to Erwin . This guy would definitely be training in the Dojo even if it's the weekend, no exceptions . Moreover, he would definitely be clear about these things," Garen thought . He has heard of grand inter-dojo tournaments where the crème de la crème of Galantia Province - in which Huaishan City is located - were chosen, and were presented awards and medals by officials . "This tournament is a great way for dojos to avoid vicious competition, exhibit their talent pool and solidify their social status . The annual grand prize is almost never below 100,000 dollars, and the winner will qualify for the national tournament . "
While Garen was busy sorting through what he knew, the carriage gradually slowed down to a stop .
"Sir, the White Cloud Dojo," the driver's words interrupted Garen's train of thought .
"Yes, very well . " He dug some notes from his pocket and handed it to the driver . Once he received his change, Garen immediately leapt off the carriage .
The streets were narrow, giving a messy and complicated impression .
The ground was paved with gray and black pebbles, which made it uncomfortable to step on . The heights of the buildings on both sides of the street were varied; there were red ones, gray ones, and pale yellow ones . There was a variety of patterns too: squares, triangles, plaid, wavy arcs, etc . It all looked a mess . Ten odd steps from Garen, a khaki-yellow bell tower stood in the middle of the street; at its base, a round and arched doorway allowed pedestrians through .
A smattering of pedestrians continuously went in and out from the doorway .
There was a white wooden board on the left side of the doorway displaying a paper notice . Two people were standing there reading it .
Garen walked over to the notice and checked it out .
"White Cloud Dojo Notice on Recruitment over the Holidays: Under-18 applicants with a student card can enjoy half-off student fees . The specific adult fees schedule is as follows: …"
One of the people reading the notice was a freckled teenage boy who frowned after he read it . "Let's go, Jim . Martial arts training is too exhausting, and it's not as if it would serve any purpose . No matter what arts you train in, a shot from a pistol would still take you down in an instant . "
The other boy shook his head and both walked past the board through the doorway, leaving Garen standing there alone .
To the right of the notice was the façade of a building with a grayish-white steeple . Mahogany strips were affixed to its main entrance like a spider web . The mahogany door at the entrance was wide open, displaying the deserted scene beyond: a lone student wearing khaki-yellow robes was sweeping inside .
Garen browsed the contents of the notice, then immediately walked towards the entrance to the right .
The student who was sweeping looked up at him, but kept silent .
Garen went through the main entrance, the middle hall, past the khaki-colored courtyard, and headed directly towards the innermost row of short buildings .
The row of short buildings at the edge of the courtyard formed a straight, dark gray line . Garen walked towards the entrance of the leftmost house . The sound of people hitting sandbags came from inside the room .
He gently opened the door . It was quite dark and empty inside, with only four black sandbags hanging on the wall at the far end . Two guys and a girl were each hitting a sandbag at a fast pace, and there were three students by the side holding towels and the like for them .
An endless stream of thumps could be heard .
Garen's entrance went almost unnoticed . One of the students holding a white towel turned around to look at him, and then proceeded to ignore him . This was the gym where any student could train in, but with relatively high specifications . The sandbags here were extremely heavy, only suitable for Formal Disciples to train with . If normal disciples tried to train with these sandbags, they would probably hurt themselves .
Garen's sight swiftly fell on the leftmost boy .
The boy's upper body was bare, and the bronze muscles on it were distinct . Sweat poured down his back and drenched his gray shorts . He was completely focused on the sandbag in front of him, punching it at a moderate pace, only causing it to tremble slightly at every punch .
Garen walked over and waited patiently by the side .
More than ten minutes later, the boy stopped . He wiped the sweat off his face and combed his short, pale yellow hair - completely drenched in sweat - backward . He yanked a black towel off the rack to the side and started wiping his sweat .
"Senior Brother Erwin, I'm Garen, one of the students in your batch . Can I ask you something?" Garen took the opportunity to step forward and said aloud . The room was filled with punching sounds; he wouldn't be heard if he didn't speak up .
"Garen? Oh… I know you . " Erwin put down the towel and gave a kind smile . "Just ask anything you want . We're batchmates, no need to stand on ceremony . "
"I'd like to inquire about the student tournaments . "
Ten minutes later…
Garen came out of the room with a good general understanding of the tournaments . One had to first participate in the dojo's internal tournament and get a good ranking in order to participate in the tournament jointly organized by two neighboring cities . The winners would then be selected for the provincial tournament, which would eventually lead to the national tournament; the multiple stages formed a ladder-like hierarchy . Additionally, only the internal and inter-city tournaments would be held within a span of three weeks from start to finish; the rest would be held in the next year or in the year after that .
"But it's good enough if I can get my hands on some prize money . The first prize for the city tournament this time around is 10,000 dollars, 5,000 for the second and 2,000 for the third . I'll be able to resolve this money issue as long as I get second place . "
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