Everything that just happened made William Foster feel as if he were in a dream. It was so real, yet so illusory.

Suddenly, William Foster stood up and grabbed the celadon teacup from the only red sandalwood table in the private room. The delicate porcelain flowers, the smooth cup body—when held in his palm, it felt cold and familiar.

Closing his eyes, William Foster could clearly picture the patterns of this teacup in his mind. There was no other reason—just habit. In his previous life, William Foster had used this teacup for more than twenty years; he couldn’t be more familiar with it. William Foster could even tell, just by touch and the slightest difference in weight, whether someone had switched the cup.

“Bang!”

In William Foster’s mind, the celadon teacup suddenly shattered, the entire cup turning into a wisp of smoke and drifting away, vanishing. William Foster quickly opened his eyes. The teacup was still there in his hand, unmoving. The sensation at his fingertips was so real, yet in his heart, William Foster felt a sudden urge, as if the cup in his hand might shatter and turn to smoke at any moment.

“Ten years. I still have ten years to defy fate and rewrite the destiny of my ruined family. Let everything begin anew, starting now!”

……

Outside the Marquis Sifang’s residence, David Harris and James Thompson covered their faces with their hands and hurried along with their heads down. Both of them reeked of urine; if anyone recognized them here, it would be utterly humiliating. Fortunately, the Great Zhou Dynasty was prosperous and powerful, with a strong military. There were plenty of people in fine clothes on the street, so as the two hurried along, few paid them any attention.

Turning a corner where there were few pedestrians, the two stopped.

“This time we’ve really lost all face, those three bastards!” James Thompson cursed bitterly, turning to look at David Harris. “What are you going to do now? Are you really just going to let this go?”

“Let it go? Hmph!” David Harris sneered, a sinister glint flashing between his brows. “I can’t beat John Foster, but William Foster is a different story. That little bastard doesn’t know his place and actually dared to challenge us! John Foster can protect him for a while, but not forever. As soon as he leaves, we’ll go after William Foster and pay back today’s humiliation a hundredfold to his little brother!”

James Thompson said nothing, looking thoughtful. Suddenly, he raised his head, a bit worried. “I think that kid challenged us on purpose—he must have something up his sleeve. Are we going to get tripped up by him?”

“Tripped up? How could that be?” David Harris looked up at the sky, unconcerned. With a twist of his arm, he took something from his chest and placed it in his palm—a black, semi-transparent bead. In the center of the bead, there seemed to be a lotus-root-shaped infant lying inside. The “infant” was about an inch tall, and on closer inspection, it actually looked seven or eight parts like David Harris—almost like a miniature David Harris.

“A Human-grade Bead!” James Thompson recognized the bead and gasped. He was from a noble family and had seen much of the world, so he recognized this cultivation treasure at a glance.

In martial arts, every step must be taken solidly, with no room for falsehood. But the mysteries of heaven and earth are beyond human understanding. This Human-grade Bead is a sacred item for martial cultivation. When carried during training, it can multiply the speed of cultivation several times over. The higher the level, the greater the multiplier.

Both David Harris and James Thompson were at the Vital Energy level. With this kind of bead, a day’s training was worth four or five days for an ordinary person—truly a heaven-defying treasure. These are extremely rare; it’s said that even if you searched all of Zhongtu Divine Continent and the Five Wilds, there would be only about a hundred, all formed at the dawn of the world.

Human-grade Beads are easy to identify, with their most distinctive feature being the three-inch baby in the center. Whoever carries it, the baby’s face immediately changes to match the carrier’s. Legend has it that this feature comes from long companionship with humans—the bead nourishes the person, and the person nourishes the bead. Over time, as it absorbs human energy, the bead develops a human face.

“Outsiders say that noble marquises look down on commoner marquises, but they have no idea of the vast difference between the two. Not to mention anything else, just this Human-grade Bead—there isn’t a single one in the entire Marquis Sifang’s residence. Hmph, those bastards from the Fang family have no idea that without long-term accumulation, you can’t become a noble marquis. In half a month, I’ll make William Foster kneel before me and bark like a dog!”

David Harris’s eyes flickered with a sinister gleam.

Chapter 4: Wild Ox Fist Technique

Morning. The air was chilly and misty.

In the Zilong Garden of the Marquis Sifang’s residence, a tall and burly figure moved like a dragon, his steps swift and powerful. As he demonstrated the moves, he explained:

“The world is filled with boundless, powerful vital energy. We can’t see this energy, but it truly exists. The first step in martial cultivation is to draw this vast, invisible, omnipresent vital energy into the body to temper the flesh and lay the foundation for martial arts. Only with a strong body can you contain greater power.”

Using his own training as a basis, John Foster explained his martial experience to William Foster in detail: “The fastest way to train at the Vital Energy level is to practice boxing—move your body with the flow, control your breathing, and let the world’s vital energy slowly seep into your body. This ‘Wild Ox Strength’ is the most basic martial art in the army. Although it’s not very advanced, it’s extremely practical. It’s the best for drawing vital energy into the body.”

In the nearby pavilion, William Foster was squatting on the steps. John Foster was teaching with dedication, and he listened attentively, barely blinking as he watched John Foster’s demonstration and absorbed every word he said.