Progress

**The Return to the Courtyard**

Three days had passed since my lesson on runes with Fúwén dàshī, and the thoughts of the River Footwork had never left my mind.

Every night, after the lessons, I would return to the courtyard.

The cold and darkness had become my constant companions as I tirelessly repeated the movements the nanny had taught me, trying to integrate those two missing movements that I had intuited but had not yet mastered.

The first day was exhausting.

I spent hours replicating every step, every slide, trying to understand where the natural flow was interrupted.

Frustration threatened to overwhelm me multiple times, but I didn't stop.

Every small progress was a victory, every mistake an opportunity to learn.

On the second day, something began to change.

As I moved through the five offensive and five defensive movements, I felt my body reacting with greater precision.

The flow I had sought for so long was beginning to emerge.

It was as if my mind and body were finally starting to work in harmony, allowing me to grasp the movements that had previously eluded me.

But it was only on the third day that everything finally aligned.

**The Revelation of the River Footwork**

The night was as cold as ever, but I no longer felt the chill.

I was completely focused on my training, on the dance of my feet as they slid across the courtyard's ground.

As I performed a sequence, I felt that uninterrupted flow of energy I had been searching for.

It wasn't just a series of movements; it was a continuous flow, a current that moved relentlessly, just like a river.

The two missing movements, the ones I had intuitively tried to integrate, now fit perfectly into the River Footwork.

It wasn't something I had forced, but something my body had naturally assimilated, as if it had always been there, waiting to be discovered.

**The Moment of Recognition**

The nanny was there, silent as always, observing me with her impenetrable eyes.

But this time, as I completed the sequence with a precision I had never reached before, I saw a change in her gaze.

There was a spark of recognition, a barely perceptible satisfaction that lit up her usually impassive face.

When I finally stopped, my breath was heavy but steady, and the nanny slowly approached.

Her figure, wrapped in the shadows of the night, seemed almost a part of the darkness itself, but her eyes shone with an intense light.

"You have made great progress, Schadet," she said, her voice low but filled with respect.

"Not only have you understood the River Footwork in such a short time, but you have also discovered movements that were not shown to you. This is the mark of exceptional talent and will help you in your understanding of martial arts."

Those words, so rare from the nanny, brought with them a sense of accomplishment I had never felt before.

I had overcome a significant obstacle, and I had done so with determination and intuition.

I knew my journey was still long, but this was an important step forward.

**The Consecration of Progress**

As the nanny walked away, leaving me alone in the courtyard, a silent notification seemed to appear before my eyes—it was the System confirming the result of my efforts:

**[You have understood the basics of River Footwork]**

It was a simple recognition, but it meant a lot to me.

I had reached a new understanding, not just of the River Footwork, but also of myself and my abilities.

The river I had sought so much now flowed within me, carrying me towards new challenges and discoveries.

With one last look at the courtyard, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

The night was still dark, but I knew there was a light within me that would never go out.

And with that awareness, I was ready to face whatever the future had in store for me.

At that point, I decided to check the System screen to see all the progress I had made since coming to this new world.

"Status," I thought, and the complete System screen appeared.

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**Username**: Schadet Oporitorco Ryushin

**Age**: 1 Year and 20 Days

**Gender**: Male

**Race**: Human

**Bloodline**: None

**Energy**: Mana

**Attributes**: Strength, Agility, Endurance, Vitality, Perception, and Intelligence

**Strength**: 150

**Agility**: 150

**Endurance**: 150

**Vitality**: 800

**Perception**: 150

**Intelligence**: 150

**Spirit**: 150

***

The stats are based on this planet; on a different planet, these stats may increase or decrease depending on gravity.

On planets with lower gravity, people would generally have the ability to move more easily and lift objects with less effort, which could lead to an increase in strength and agility.

However, on planets with higher gravity, people might experience greater physical endurance and have a different perception of objects and the environment around them.

Cognitive abilities such as intelligence and perception, on the other hand, mainly depend on brain structures and cognitive abilities, which are not directly influenced by gravity.

***

**Rank**: Vital Core Phase

**Sub-rank**: Intermediate +

**Body**: 7.5 Mind: 7.5 Soul: 7.5

**Mana Affinity**: 40%

**Law Affinity**: 15%

**Martial Talent**: SS+

**Affinities**: Blood, Life, Soul, Death, Darkness, Devour, Decay, Destruction, and Massacre.

**Affinity Rank**: All divine-level affinities

**Blood**: You inherited this affinity from your father.

**Life**: You inherited this affinity from your mother.

**Soul, Death, and Devour**: You inherited these affinities from your Death, the Devouring of other Souls, and Reincarnation.

**Darkness, Decay, Destruction, and Massacre**: You obtained these affinities from the talent of the body.

**Law Comprehension**:

Blood: 0%

Darkness: 0%

Decay: 0%

Destruction: 0%

Life: 0%

Massacre: 0%

Soul: 0%

**Skills**: River Footwork [basic], 4 Personal Martial Forms [basic]

**Innate Skill**: Steal

You are able to steal the life force of other living beings.

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**Mana Affinity**: Mana affinity is an individual's ability to harness and manipulate mana more efficiently than others, allowing them to cast more powerful spells or use mana with less effort.

**Law Affinity**: The value of understanding, in simple terms, is the cultivator's comprehension of heaven and earth.

**Martial Talent**: It is the sum of various values such as Agility, Vitality, Intelligence, Age, proficiency with various types of weapons, and understanding of various energies. For this reason, it is changeable over time.

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Strength = Strength is a value composed of different types of strength.

In the final calculation, values of isometric, plyometric, eccentric, and concentric strength of each muscle are involved.

Agility = Agility is a value composed of reaction speed, reflexes, coordination, balance, body control, dexterity, movement precision, and elasticity values.

Endurance = Indicates the ability to resist various types of attacks, resistance to fatigue during training and during prolonged combat.

Vitality = Vitality is a value composed of cellular vitality, metabolism, and cellular repair efficiency.

The vitality within a body determines the speed at which it regenerates, while the quality determines the extent of regeneration.

The quality of vital force determines whether limbs can be regenerated and the quality of the regenerated limb after regeneration.

Perception = Perception is a cognitive process that integrates and interprets sensory information from the body's five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

This process allows individuals to understand and interact with the surrounding environment, to notice the slightest details, and to understand any dangers.

Intelligence = Intelligence is a value composed of reaction speed, memory continuation...

Intelligence is a value composed of reaction speed, memory, concentration ability, mental strength, processing speed, visualization, creativity, and many other cognitive abilities.

Spirit = Spirit is the value that determines the strength of the soul and soul-related activities.

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