Leo made up his mind. With a thought, he allocated a single experience point onto Primordial Stance.
A strange yet familiar sensation washed over his mind—memories he hadn't known appeared, as though remembered from a forgotten life.
----------------------
Skill: Primordial Stance – Lv.0 (54%)
----------------------
"Just as expected."
A faint smile tugged at Leo's lips. One point had pushed his progress past the halfway mark. If he added just a bit more… wouldn't he reach Level 1?
A new Trait would surely unlock then, right?
Without hesitation, he added another point.
Warmth surged through his body. The soreness in his muscles melted away.
That sensation... he'd felt it before.
"Could this be... Physique enhancement?"
He quickly opened his panel.
----------------------
Skill: Primordial Stance – Lv.1 (1%)
— Trait: Reinforce Body Lv.1
----------------------
Just as he'd guessed. The Trait added +1 to his Physique.
Not groundbreaking, but decent. It wasn't as dramatic as the bonuses from Basic Archery, but that was expected—this skill was far easier to perform.
He wondered if Level 1 was enough to meet Uncle Zach's standard.
Instead of dumping more points in, Leo shifted his posture slightly and snuck a glance at Zach Mercer from the corner of his eye.
"Hm?"
Zach's gaze had locked onto him. His pupils contracted with surprise.
The kid really had talent, Zach thought. Most people took at least a week just to grasp the basics of the Primordial Stance. Even the gifted ones needed two or three days.
But Leo… he was doing it properly on the very first day.
A few more sessions like this, and Zach figured he could start teaching him the Taichi Stance in full.
Pleased, Zach turned to Zhao.
The boy showed remarkable perseverance. It was obvious he was pushing himself to match Leo. Unfortunately, talent wasn't on his side. But effort could make up for that.
Leo frowned slightly.
Still not enough? Fine.
He looked at the remaining 14 experience points.
Another tap—one more point went into Primordial Stance.
This time, the progress bar surged by a third.
He shrugged. Might as well.
Two more points.
Warmth flooded his limbs once again, washing away fatigue like morning light through fog.
----------------------
Skill: Primordial Stance – Lv.2 (0%)
— Trait: Reinforce Body Lv.2
----------------------
Not just a stat boost—something else had changed.
Now, standing still wasn't a chore—it was peaceful. Relaxing. Even his mind felt calmer, as if the stillness of the stance had crept into his thoughts.
"What the…?!"
Zach's eyes bulged. He looked like he was about to rub them in disbelief.
Just now, that brat was barely at entry level. Now he'd reached minor mastery? It took Zach over a month to get that far!
A monster. The kid's comprehension was freakish.
The others noticed Zach's intense stare but had no idea what was going on.
Leo smiled inwardly. Looked like he was good for now. Glad he hadn't spent more points.
Feigning innocence, he looked up. "Uncle Zach? Is there something on my face?"
Zach coughed and quickly turned away. "Keep standing."
"Alright."
Leo returned to enjoying the stance. It might not be a bad recovery tool after archery practice, he mused.
Finally, the hour was up.
Zhao collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.
Leo? He looked even better than before.
"Leo, aren't you tired?" Warren asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, you look more refreshed than ever," someone else added.
"Do I?" Leo scratched his head. "I dunno. I actually felt pretty good just standing there."
"No way."
The group exchanged stunned looks. No one believed him—but they had all suffered through it, so they didn't argue too hard.
"He's not like you," Zach said flatly. "You haven't even gotten through the basics yet. He—" Zach's face twitched. "—he's already qualified to learn the Taichi Stance."
"What?!"
Zhao and the others stood there, jaws slack.
Even Leo played along, eyes wide and voice trembling. "Wait, Uncle Zach—what did you say? I can start learning the Taichi Stance?"
Zach nodded. "After I teach the group the basic hand forms and footwork, I'll begin teaching you the Taichi Stance one-on-one."
"Thank you, Uncle Zach! Thank you!"
Leo tried to keep his excitement under control, but most of it wasn't fake.
"He actually made it?!"
"Didn't Zach say most people take a week or two to get that far?!"
"I'm so jealous. I could barely last half an hour, and Leo's already learning advanced stuff. I want to learn the Taichi Stance too…"
Zach overheard and sighed inwardly.
It's not just 'entry level'… he's already at minor mastery. But telling them that might make Leo arrogant. Better keep that part to himself.
Zhao looked at Leo with a complicated expression and gave a bitter smile.
He thought he'd caught up… Turns out the gap had only widened.
But he wouldn't give up.
"Alright. Next, I'll teach you the basic hand forms—fist, palm, claw. These are the foundation. Once you understand them, you can begin learning basic strikes, basic palm techniques, and eventually—Taichi Flow."
As he spoke, Zach cast Leo a sideways glance. This brat… he bet Leo would memorize them all on the first try.
The group lined up.
Compared to standing, the hand form training was slightly more interesting—but only slightly. Before long, the sheer number of names left them dazed.
Who would've guessed a simple palm could branch into five styles—Yang Palm, Yin Palm, Vertical Palm, Reversed Palm, Horizontal Palm?
And apparently, there were two types of Vertical Palm.
Even Leo's head hurt from trying to remember them all.
There's no way they could master all this just through repetition. A week wouldn't be enough…
He glanced at his skill list.
----------------------
Skill: Basic Hand Forms – Lv.0 (0%)
----------------------
Maybe it was time to spend a few more points…