Honor of the Imperium Battle

Xu Hanyu returned to his own training ground again, determined to push himself harder, even though he felt useless and inadequate. He believed that the training session would help alleviate his frustration and sense of hopelessness.

His feelings of hopelessness and helplessness seemed to increased with each passing day. He felt trapped by his own lack of progress, like he was hitting a wall no matter how hard he tried. The more he trained, instead of the desired results, he experienced only frustration and self-doubt.

Pushing to become stronger, even though it was highly unlikely to happen, motivated Xu Hanyu to continue training despite the futility he felt.

Without noticing, his eyes lit up as he was consumed by anger.

When I was born, I got this curse, the day I was born! One-year until I turned in my tenth-year. I had only hope to be normal, but why is life cruel to me. As I grow, people see me as a monster and foolish kid who's living with them. He thought while continuing to hit the boulder. Then, he sobbed as he did.

The frustration boiled over as he swung his wooden sword at the huge, thick rock in front of him with all his might, grunts "Hei!" in the process. With a forceful impact, the sword sliced through the rock, splitting it into two pieces.

However, the small feat of splitting the huge rock did not bring him the expected sense of accomplishment or relief.

He keep having the thought that by working hard, he could maybe become stronger and prove his worth, even in the tiniest way. He couldn't stop thinking how envy he is with those children who were capable of cultivating.

Suddenly, he was distracted by the sound of footsteps approaching behind him. He turned to see who it was and was surprise to see that his sister Xu Lian had come to visit him holding a brown lunchbox with her.

"Jie..? What are you doing in this late hour?" Xu Hanyu asked with a furrowed brow.

"Little brother, I came to check on you. Are you alright..?" Xu Lian walked towards the young man.

"yes, I'm alright." Xu Hanyu tried to hide the pain on his face, but his voice showed his true feelings.

"Its alright Hanyu'er, I know you're still upset because of earlier... but look what I brought you.." She said showing him the lunchbox.

"What is that Jie..?" he asked.

"Guess what it is..?" she playfully replied with a teasing smile on her lips.

"Hmm.. I don't know Jie." He shrugged and furrowed his brow, trying to think.

"Just try, what do you think I brought for you?" she gently caressed his hair.

"Dumplings..?" he guessed, but Xu Lian shook her head side to side, saying "hmm" in a playful tone.

"Noodles..?" he tried again.

"Na-uh," she giggled, clearly enjoying the game.

He took a deep breath, feeling a bit defeated.

"Jie, you're always doing this..." he sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"yes, you guessed wrong this time.. again," she laughed with her sparkling eyes in mischief.

Then she opened the lunchbox fully, revealing five fluffy baozi nestled inside, their warm steam rising into the air.

"Jie, where did you get this..?" he asked as his eyes widened in surprised and curiosity.

"Shh... I snuck out to buy this for you," she whispered conspiratorially, glancing around as if someone might overhear them.

"You...?! father will get mad if-" he began, worry creeping into his voice, but she quickly silenced him by putting baozi in his mouth.

"Shh, don't say it out loud. At least I brought you baozi... better than nothing, right..?" she said softly and Xu Hanyu nodded with the baozi on his mouth. Xu Lian's smile brightened the moment as she took the baozi from his mouth, her laughter ringing like music in the quiet night.

Xu Lian handed the baozi to him, and he started to take a bite into it.

"See? It's delicious, isn't it?" she teased, watching him savor the taste. Xu Hanyu couldn't help but smile back, feeling the warmth of her care wrap around him like a cozy blanket.

In that moment, the weight of his worries faded, replaced by the simple joy of sharing this secret meal with his beloved sister.

"Jie, thank youu..." At the same time, he couldn't help but shed tears while eating baozi.

"Hey... why are you crying by just thanking me?!" Xu Lian was surprised by his reaction. She quickly reached out to him, her eyes widened with concern.

"Did I make you sad? I just wanted to make you happy!" Then she patted his head as she trying to comfort him.

Xu Hanyu shook his head, wiping his eyes. "No, it's just... I'm thankful. You always know how to make me feel better." Xu Lian smiled, feeling happy that she could help her brother.

***

The Xu Clan's primary base was located in the small city of Tai Hua City, situated close to the coastline. The young man found a solace in a secluded spot by the coastline, where a massive, stout stone provided a comfortable and hidden location for him to spend time alone.

As he observed the waves, he was thinking about if there's still a chance for him in the future to be able to eliminate this curse in his body.

The eleventh-year, still the same. No changes. He thought

While leaning back against the stone, he suddenly heard a noise nearby, but he couldn't figure out where.

"Who's there..?!"

"..."

Xu Hanyu stood up and scanned his surroundings. As his gaze wandered, he spotted a black creature nearby, lying injure..! He moved closer to it to check, he realized it was a black cat that has a small strange symbol on its forehead, it looks badly injured and in dire need of help..!

The kitty's eyes looked very scared and he could sense the fear in this little creature.

Seeing the wounded cat, Xu Hanyu gasped and immediately knelt down beside it. He spoke softly in a soothing tone, gently approaching it to avoid startling the already injured animal. There were signs of blood in the small stones on the ground, where the cat was lying.

"Hey there, little one. You're hurt...don't be afraid. I won't hurt you," he whispered reassuringly.

He gently reached out, attempting to assess the extent of the cat's injuries to determine how he could help.

At first, the cat hissed and retreated as Xu Hanyu slowly moved closer to it. However, he gently spoke to soothe it.

"Hey, easy now... I won't hurt you."

As Xu Hanyu continued talking softly, the cat eventually allowed him to touch it, clearly feeling a sense of security in his hands. He looked at the extent of that cat's injuries and said with concern in his voice,

"Poor thing, what happened to you to end up in such a state? Who did this to you?"

Xu Hanyu assessed the cat's injuries, noting the severity and depth of the wounds that required immediate treatment. However, he did not have any bandages on him, so he made a quick decision.

rrrip! rrrip!

He ripped a portion of the sleeve off his own clothing and gently wrapped it around the cat's injury.

"Here you go, little one" he said soothingly.

"Keep it like this for now until I can get you a proper bandage from home."

The young man pondered over the dilemma of what to do with the injured cat. He remembered that there was a physical training session later in the day, and he knew he couldn't just leave the cat here in this secluded area by itself.

His thoughts drifted between two options: bringing the cat home or leaving it here then come back.

Even though Xu Hanyu was concerned about leaving the cat in the secluded area, he was also worried that taking it back to their residence would pose a risk.

"What if it sees me bringing a black cat to our place? That might attract trouble, and I cannot risk for this little creature to get hurt again" he said, repeating the thought in his mind.

In Yunxi Empire, black cats are seen as bringers of bad luck and misfortune. People there think they can cause many bad things, such as sickness, death, and demonic possession. They are feared, and some people kill them because of this.

After giving it a thought, Xu Hanyu decided to leave the cat in the secluded spot and come back after the training session. While he was worried about the cat's safety, he hoped that it would remain undisturbed until he could return.

The young man starting to carefully arranged a makeshift shelter for the black cat. He used nearby stones to create a small wall that was just high enough to provide some protection and cover for the injured cat while it's resting. He hoped that this temporary hideaway would be enough to keep it safe and out of sight until he came back.

"Don't worry, little one. I'll be back soon. I've made you a makeshift shelter to hide in. Stay safe and rest, okay?" 

After saying those words, Xu Hanyu left the secluded spot and slowly walked away as the cat's eyes followed his retreating figure. Little did he know that the cat he had just saved was not an ordinary one. Despite the young man's kind heart, he had no clue that the cat he had just left behind held secrets unlike ordinary feline.

***

When Xu Hanyu arrived at the training area, children were in the midst of their physical training. Each of them were paired with another person, and they were not using their wuqi since it was a physical training session.

In Wu Shu Continent in order to have a strong wuqi level, it is needed to train the bodies of a person, as without a strong body, they would struggle to harness and utilize more of their wuqi effectively.

The training area was a large open space, surrounded by large trees and open sky. The children were engaged in various physical activities, such as running, jumping, and climbing. The sound of panting and the occasional grunt filled the air, mixed with the slapping with feet on soil as they improve their strength and endurance.

Among the activities, some of the children were paired off to engage in mock duels with each other, using a wooden sword.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

They exchanged playful swings and parries, the sound of wood clacking together ringing out in the area. The rest of the children watched on, commenting and offering advice to their peers as they trained.

On the other hand, Xu Hanyu was focused on his own training since, hitting a thick wooden dummy that was specially designed for solo training purposes. The wood was thick and unyielding, providing plenty of resistance for Xu Hanyu to hone his skills.

"Hei! Hei! Hei!"

While practicing alone, he could hear others chuckling and looking at him.

Later on, Lord Xu and three elders who personally came to check them gathered all of the children.

In Xu Clan, there are three elders; Elder Xu Bai who is usually responsible for training the children. Elder Xu Ting, manages the clan's finances, and Elder Xu Jia who is responsible for managing clan events.

"Greetings, Lord Xu and the Elders." the children greeted them courteously and they nodded.

"Attention, everyone. We're going to be conducting a body strength check today to measure your potential."

The children listened attentively as Elder Xu Bai showed a special device called Flair Crystalline. It has an exquisite design, resembling a crystal ball, with a captivating fusion of bluish-green that swirls within its core.

This is also the first time they get to measure the children's potential.

When a person places their hand upon it, it determines what might be their potential in the future and it emits one of three types of light. A bright red color indicates that the individual has an 'exceptional' potential which is rare, and gets secret techniques instead of the normal ones. A luminous yellow hue signals a 'good' potential and will be able to master advanced techniques that are one time beyond the individual's current cultivation. An illuminated blue glow indicates 'average' and only a fifty-fifty chance of success, suggesting that the person may either acquire the technique or not.

"One by one, I want each of you to come up here and place your hand on this device," he instructed.

The kids started to move, and Xu Hanyu joined them, lining up at the front for the test. Despite knowing how this would go; the other kids would bring up terrible words about him again.

"He's here..." A whisper came from the crowd.

"Yellow - Good..! Blue - Average..! Blue - Average..! Blue - Average..!"

He could feel their eyes on him, judging and speculating as slowly put his hands in the crystal ball. The tales of failures and expectations that weighed heavily on his shoulders but he already expected something like this; today would be no different from the rest.

As Xu Hanyu put his hands on the crystal ball, there were no signs of changes. It remained the same, which can only mean he has no potential.

"No changes - Failed...!"

After hearing the announcement of getting failed, the other children in the crowd couldn't help but break into whispers and giggles, some whispering behind their hands while others sneering openly at Xu Hanyu's disappointment.

"He failed..!"

"What a weakling."

"It's normal for people who do not have a core and the inability to use wuqi."

"He's such a disappointment."

The mockery and jeers only added to his shame and disappointment but Xu Hanyu ignored them.

Even the other three elders looked like they're expecting this already.

"Next!" Elder Xu Bai called out, gesturing for the next child in line to step up for testing.

When Elder Xu Bai's voice boomed, declaring 'failed', Hanyu was disappointed in himself but this was not the only time he got himself a feeling of it. Although he knew deep down that he was likely to fail again, he couldn't ignore the inner determination that welled up within him. The thought of proving the others wrong motivated him to push forward, even if the odds were against him once more.

Lord Xu was giving Xu Hanyu a worried look, like he really cared about what was going on. He could see the young man lowering his head down with disappointment.

Despite the whispers and laughter from the crowd, Xu Hanyu mustered the courage to approach Elder Xu Bai and ask for a second try.

"Elders and Father, I would like to try it for the second time."

Elder Xu Bai looked at the young man with a furrow brow, it seems that he was surprised that Xu Hanyu would actually request another attempt after such a failure. 

"You want another try?"

"Yes."

Xu Hanyu's face shifted into calm and full of determination as he looked at his eyes. Elder Xu Bai took a glance at Lord Xu with a hesitant expression as he's not sure what to do with the situation.

"Let him be.." Lord Xu said and tapped Elder Xu Bai's shoulder.

His father supported Hanyu's request though the elders had low expectations of him, they couldn't ignore Hanyu's pleading calm expression. After a moment, the elder let out a sigh and nodded, gesturing towards the device.

The young man extended his arms back toward the crystal ball, waiting for it to have changes. But still, nothing happened.

"Still failed, Xu Hanyu."