August 8th.
The height of summer was fading into memory. A cool breeze drifted through the air, signaling the end of the sweltering heat. More pedestrians appeared on the streets.
In that tranquil park,
Andrew Han and his family of four were strolling leisurely.
“The air is really nice.”
William Han let out a breath and sighed, “There are so few visitors in this park. We've been walking for over half an hour and only saw four or five people.”
Linda Chen looked around, “It's all trees here, not much in the way of attractions.”
“That's exactly why.”
Andrew Han chimed in, carrying his sister Lucy Han and walking beside his parents, a peaceful smile tugging at his lips.
Since the college entrance exam ended, he hadn't had time to go out and relax with his parents. Today, he finally got a half-day off—at Miles Ning's request.
Practicing martial arts requires both tension and relaxation to maintain peak efficiency.
Unless one is a reclusive ascetic severing all social ties, relentless training only causes martial prowess to affect the mind, even hindering progress. Like machinery, prolonged operation leads to strain and a higher risk of breakdown.
Chirp-chirp.
Occasionally, birds circled the woods, flitting through patches of sunlight.
William Han and Linda Chen exchanged glances, unable to hide their relief. "Our son finished his college entrance exam and got into university. Now we can finally take a break."
They still didn't know that their son already had a million Huaguo dollars in savings—and that was just from a single mission.
Andrew Han had no intention of telling them; it was simply too hard to explain.
As the conversation continued, the couple shifted to discussing their hopes for the future.
"I think Xiao Dong would make a great martial arts instructor. I hear the pay is pretty good," Linda Chen suggested.
William Han disagreed, "No, no. Once Xiao Dong gets to Jiangnan University, he needs to pick a good major. After graduation, he'll be able to find a stable job. Professional skills are something you can rely on for a lifetime."
"Hehe, you can't catch up with me, Qian!" Her cheeks flushed with happiness as she kept glancing back to watch Andrew Han's movements. Her wobbly legs suddenly tripped, and she seemed to fly through the air, her small body pitching forward, headfirst toward the ground.
Huh?
Why am I flying?
Han Qian's eyes showed confusion as she stared blankly at the spinning world, not knowing what to do.
In that instant—
Andrew Han's pupils contracted sharply. He instinctively lifted his right foot, unleashing the terrifying power within him, as if a slumbering beast had awakened. The force erupted like a flood, pouring into his foot, which landed on the park's stone path, shattering the stones around him.
With a force of about twenty thousand jin, combined with gravity, acceleration, and technique, it was like a truck crashing onto the stone path.
Boom!
With a deep, muffled boom, Andrew Han shot forward, propelled by the rebound.
At the same time, the ground around them trembled slightly twice, the vibrations as clear as the aftershocks of an earthquake, and vanished instantly. William Han and Linda Chen were both stunned.
Whoosh!
The laces on Andrew Han's right sneaker snapped instantly, and he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, like a cheetah in full sprint, appearing behind Qian in a flash, reaching out with his right hand.
Like scooping the moon from the sea.
He gently caught Han Qian just before she hit the stone path, twisted his waist, and spun with fluid grace. Then his right foot lightly touched the ground, restraining his immense strength as he took two steps forward to offset his momentum.
"Huh? Huh?"
Han Qian was held in Andrew Han's arms, her little head full of confusion, only able to watch herself spin around. After the dizzying turn, she finally returned to normal.
Immediately—
She stared with wide, watery eyes, waving her little hands, carefree and jubilant: "That was fun, so much fun!"
Andrew Han, however, looked grim and admonished her, "Qian, you were way too careless. You almost fell just now."
He couldn't help but worry.
This path is covered with stones. If you trip, you'll definitely scrape your skin.
Behind him, William Han and Linda Chen stared in disbelief, their gazes filled with incredulity as they fixed their eyes on their son, Andrew Han.
At that moment, it felt as if a tsunami had erupted in their hearts.
The bizarre and unbelievable scene made William Han's head buzz, as if struck by lightning, shattering his old beliefs.
Could a person really be this strong?
And this powerful person was his own son.
William Han muttered to himself, "I blinked, and Andrew already caught Qian? And that tremor just now? What... what is going on?"
A flood of emotions swirled inside him.
He just wanted to know, how did Andrew do it?
But when William Han turned to look at Linda Chen... she was just as bewildered, with no idea what had just happened.
The elderly couple exchanged glances, overwhelmed with emotion.
Andrew Han, meanwhile, pretended to act normal, quietly glancing at his parents before continuing to play with Qian.
This situation was hard to explain.
Should he tell his parents that the strength in his body was nearly twenty thousand jin, and that he hadn't even reached his limit yet?
Even when facing Miles Ning, Andrew Han wouldn't dare reveal the truth.
A thousand jin of strength was already beyond what ordinary people could comprehend; ten thousand jin was the extreme limit in the Martial Arts World. As for a second-rank martial artist with twenty thousand jin of internal strength—that was unheard of and utterly astonishing.
"Brother, come catch me!"
"Qian, can't you slow down a bit?"
They played up ahead, while William Han and Linda Chen watched in silence, their hearts in turmoil.
——
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a week had passed.
On the streets of Suhe City, a white-plated Volkswagen sped through traffic, racing along the elevated highway.
Inside the car—
Wen Zheng respectfully asked, "Mr. Han, shall we continue?"
The question was asked softly.
Andrew Han, gazing out at the city buildings, was momentarily stunned. His previously tranquil thoughts turned into a blazing, powerful determination.
As his physical condition improved, the limit to how much Graywhite Aura he could absorb also increased.
By now, Andrew Han's internal strength had reached about twenty-five thousand jin. With a casual tug, he could tear off the sturdy car door, or even lift the entire car with ease.
He could feel it—the peak of his strength was near.
If he could increase his strength by a few thousand more jin, reaching about thirty thousand jin, that would likely be his peak—his physical limit.
Thinking this,
Andrew Han's lips curled into a faint smile. He glanced at Wen Zheng, who was focused on driving, and said softly, "Of course we'll continue. The next location is the under-construction Suhe Museum, right?"
"Yes, sir," Wen Zheng replied respectfully.
"Good."
Andrew Han nodded slightly, his calm gaze returning to the world outside the window.