Through the library's tall windows, Tae-Won reviewed the final scroll of advanced techniques when the system chimed with an unexpected alert:

[System Notice: Warning - Physical foundation insufficient for advanced technique implementation]

[System Notice: Current body condition: 42% of minimum requirement]

[System Notice: Generating foundational training regimen...]

Tae-Won frowned at the notification. He'd been so focused on analyzing techniques, he'd overlooked the most basic requirement—a body strong enough to channel the qi properly.

[System Notice: New Quest Generated - "River's Foundation"]

[System Notice: Objective - Achieve baseline physical conditioning for advanced technique usage]

[System Notice: Time Limit - 30 days]

[System Notice: Reward - Unlocked technique implementation capability]

[System Notice: Quest Requirements:

- Complete daily strength training

- Master basic breathing exercises

- Achieve muscle control benchmarks

- Establish qi circulation pathways]

The system laid out a brutal regime:

- 500 squats daily

- 300 push-ups

- 1000 steps of basic footwork

- 2 hours of stance training

- Core exercises until failure

- Basic striking practice against wooden posts

[System Notice: Warning - All exercises must maintain perfect form]

[System Notice: Optimal training time - Pre-dawn to breakfast]

[System Notice: Secondary training - Post-dinner to midnight]

That night, under the moon's watch, Tae-Won began. His first attempt at the basic stance lasted barely five minutes before his legs started shaking. Hour after hour, he worked through the exercises in the furthest corner of the estate's grounds. Dense foliage and an old gardener's shed kept him hidden from casual observation.

[System Notice: Current progress - 8% of daily requirement]

[System Notice: Continue training sequence]

[System Notice: Pain threshold within acceptable parameters]

Two weeks of relentless training had changed his body, but not enough to draw attention. The changes were subtle - slightly better posture, more controlled movements, a bit more definition to his muscles. Nothing that would raise eyebrows among those who still saw him as the family fool.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Then, on the fifteenth night, everything changed.

[System Notice: Alert - Breakthrough approaching]

[System Notice: Natural qi sensitivity increasing]

[System Notice: Basic meridian adaptation detected]

Collapsed against a tree in his hidden training spot, muscles screaming from exertion, Tae-Won felt something different in the midnight air. Each breath carried something more than just air.

[System Notice: Opportunity detected]

[System Notice: Beginning natural qi absorption guidance]

[System Notice: Follow breathing pattern...]

The system's instructions appeared in his mind - a specific rhythm of breathing, particular points of focus throughout his body. As he followed them, something shifted. The exhaustion in his muscles began to feel different, more like a warm current than a burning pain.

[System Notice: Initial qi flow established]

[System Notice: Basic meridian channels activating]

[System Notice: Recovery acceleration beginning]

For an hour, he sat perfectly still, feeling the strange new sensation flow through his body. It wasn't powerful or dramatic - just a gentle current, like a small stream finding its path downhill. But where it flowed, his aching muscles began to recover.

[System Notice: Basic qi circulation achieved]

[System Notice: Recovery rate increased by 47%]

[System Notice: New training parameters available]

Dawn found him still in the secluded corner, but something had fundamentally changed. His body, which should have been crippled with soreness, felt refreshed. Ready.

As he made his way back to his quarters, the system suddenly issued a new alert:

[System Notice: Unknown energy signature detected]

[System Notice: Analysis incomplete]

[System Notice: Further investigation required]

Tae-Won paused, looking around the empty courtyard. For a moment, he thought he saw a shimmer in the air, like heat waves rising from summer stones. But before he could focus on it, both the shimmer and the alert vanished.

[System Notice: Anomaly recorded]

[System Notice: Continuing standard protocols]

[System Notice: Maintain current training regime]

He shook his head and continued walking. Whatever it was, it would have to wait. The martial tests were approaching, and he had a facade to maintain.

[System Notice: Warning - Thirteen days until martial tests]

[System Notice: Current status - Classified]

[System Notice: New protocols initiating...]