After The Calamity-Chapter 14: I’ve Grown A Lot

As the sun rose, Tian Han awoke. The moment he did, a sharp pain spread from his legs throughout his entire body. The pain was so intense that Tian Han momentarily lost his balance and nearly collapsed.

He winced at the sensation. Despite the pain in his legs, he tried to walk. It was difficult at first, but it didn't take long for him to grow accustomed to it.

Normally, Tian Han would start his day with a series of stretches to loosen his joints and awaken his body, but today, each attempt to stretch felt like a knife being driven into his legs. Because of the pain, he gave up on his stretching routine.

Instead, he walked toward the kitchen. After eating his meal, Tian Han tried to sit in the lotus position to continue practicing the Floating Leaf Breathing Technique.

Though the pain in his legs was almost unbearable, it wasn't enough to suppress his determination. He sat down in lotus position, ignoring the silent pleas of his aching legs.

With great resolve, he began following the instructions of the Floating Leaf Breathing Technique. First, relax your muscles. Then clear your mind. After that, recall the image of Arcen energy and imagine it flowing like a river.

Though he had failed countless times the day before in imagining the river's flow, Tian Han had not given up. Even in the face of his searing pain, his will to train remained unshaken.

He began to visualize the Arcen energy again—a translucent force that shimmered brilliantly, moving like the vibration of a plucked guitar string.

He then tried to imagine that same energy winding and drifting along the current of a flowing river.

Yet again, he struggled to grasp the perfect flow. Sometimes he imagined a river that was too strong and turbulent, sometimes one that was too weak and sluggish. In the end, he always failed. Occasionally, the pain in his legs would distract him and cause the river in his mind to vanish.

Still, Tian Han endured. He kept training, failing over and over, but refusing to give in. Hours passed, and though he continued to try, he made no real progress.

"Imagining this damn river is still incredibly difficult... but unlike trying to sense the Arcen energy, at least now I feel like I'm making progress. Each time I fail, I understand more clearly what the right flow isn't."

With a displeased expression, he broke from his lotus position and stood up. As he did, another sharp pain shot through his legs, causing him to nearly lose his balance again. But he caught himself and stood firm, pretending nothing had happened.

"My legs hurt like hell. Did I overdo it yesterday? Maybe I'm being too hard on myself... No. Don't be stupid, Tian Han. You're treating yourself the way you should. What, did you expect to reach the Arcen Awareness stage just by sitting around? Nonsense. Now you truly understand how hard that stage is to reach. You're just doing what needs to be done."

As usual, Tian Han was being brutally honest with himself—but he wasn't wrong. Reaching the Arcen Awareness stage was no easy feat. He had to give it everything he had. Talent meant nothing if it sat idle. Without effort, even the most gifted would rust.

After finishing his training, Tian Han rested on the couch for a while. Once he'd recovered a bit, he planned to tend to the garden, then resume his training in Technique of the Mountain's Might.

When he stood from the couch, the pain in his legs flared again, but by now, he had grown used to it. He walked slowly toward the garden.

Once outside, he collected the necessary tools from the storage shed and got to work. While tending to his daily gardening tasks, Tian Han checked on the fruits—some had fully ripened.

Curious, he decided to taste one. He reached for a fruit that had grown from a seed resembling a wrinkled blue bean and plucked it from its stem.

The fruit was deep blue, shaped somewhat like a tomato, but with rough protrusions similar to a potato's skin.

Tian Han brought it slowly to his mouth. It looked strange, but he was curious about the taste. He took a small bite.

The fruit disintegrated in his mouth, breaking into tiny pieces. An unfamiliar but intense flavor exploded on his tongue—simultaneously sour, bitter, and sweet. It was like a flavor bomb detonating across every taste receptor.

The sourness hit first, causing him to grimace. Then came a burst of bitterness that burned his tongue, followed by an unexpected wave of sweetness, all mingling together.

Tian Han was stunned by the complexity of the flavor. At first, it didn't seem all that great—but the aftertaste left him wanting more.

"Of course it's this delicious. I'm the one who grew it—Tian Han!"

After finishing the fruit, he licked the juice from his fingers and got back to work finishing the gardening.

Once he was done, and certain there was nothing more to do, he prepared for his Technique of the Mountain's Might.

Standing before his makeshift weights, Tian Han took a deep breath. Truth be told, he didn't feel like training at all—he was physically and mentally exhausted.

But he didn't care. He had to push through.

"Tian Han, if you can't even do this training now, how can you call yourself a future immortal? Remember the promise you made to your mother and father—didn't you swear you'd become someone even immortals would have to respect just for being their son? Then don't let something like this stop you! I refuse to be stopped by something so small!"

With that declaration, Tian Han threw the weights on his back and started doing push-ups. The ten-kilogram load strained his arms, each movement causing his joints to crack and creak.

His arms trembled and emitted strange noises. Anyone watching might have thought his bones were breaking one by one.

"One push-up, two push-ups, three... ten..."

Tian Han was counting every push-up he performed, but by the time he reached the tenth, his arms gave out and he collapsed face-first to the ground. The weight on his back now pressed down on him, making him feel as if he were being crushed.

He twisted to the left and managed to wriggle free from under the weight. Once out, he dropped flat onto the ground, panting heavily.

"Damn it! I almost got flattened. My arms gave up on me... You damn traitorous arms, I nearly died because of you. I can't even move them now. I guess getting up is out of the question... Might as well take a quick nap right here."

Tian Han lay sprawled out on the dirt, his arms refusing to obey him, and he grumbled in frustration.

He remained on the ground until he regained some sensation in his arms. During that time, he stared up at the sky, lost in thought.

"I wonder what my mom and dad are doing right now... They must miss me, right? Of course they do—I'm their one and only son, Tian Han. Are they doing well? I hope they're okay. When will I see them again? I hope it's soon. But before I do... I need to become a son they can be proud of. I have to get up and keep working to fulfill the promise I made them."

With determination, Tian Han used his barely functioning arms to push himself up. Once he was on his feet, he looked back at the weights with renewed resolve.

"If I can still move my arms, that means I can still train. No excuses. As long as even a single finger of mine can move, I—Tian Han—will continue to train."

Once again, he picked up the weights and began doing push-ups. And, of course, he didn't forget to count each one aloud.

"One, two, three, four, five... twelve."

This time, he collapsed at the twelfth push-up—but he'd learned his lesson. Before falling, he had already thrown off the weight, avoiding injury.

Lying on the ground, Tian Han realized he couldn't feel his arms at all—and started laughing.

"Looks like today's training ends here. I can't even move a single finger. Hahaha!"

As Tian Han lay helpless on the ground, the garden gate opened and Li Shan walked in. When he saw Tian Han lying there, he paused in surprise.

"What the hell is this kid doing? Why is he lying on the ground? Did he finally go crazy?"

Li Shan took a few steps forward and glanced around. When he noticed the weights lying nearby, everything clicked.

"Hahaha! Little Brother Han, don't tell me the training got a bit too intense for you? Hahaha!"

He couldn't help but laugh. Meanwhile, Tian Han, still lying flat on his back, could only offer a bitter smile.

"Big Brother Li... can you help me up? I can't feel my arms."

At those words, Li Shan burst out laughing even harder—he was even slapping his knee at this point.

"Of course, Little Brother Han, I'll help you. Hahaha!"

Li Shan helped him stand, but once on his feet, Tian Han's arms dangled limply at his sides, like they had no bones in them. This made Li Shan laugh even more.

The more Li Shan laughed, the more Tian Han's expression turned embarrassed and indignant. Combined with his short height and childlike face, the whole scene made him look adorably pitiful.

"Big Brother Li, you're being mean. I gave it my all during training, that's all..."

"Judging by the state you're in, I can see you trained hard and with determination. Hahaha!"

"Yes, Big Brother Li, I did! But you're making fun of me. How is that funny? Hmph!"

Tian Han's pouty attitude only made Li Shan want to laugh more, though he tried to suppress it to avoid dragging it out.

"Yes yes, you're right, Little Brother Han. Actually, I came here today to check on how your training was going—but I guess I don't need to ask now."

As he said that, Li Shan gave a sly grin—a clear sign he was still teasing Tian Han, though the boy didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Training's going well, Big Brother Li, but I have a question. I still can't manage to imagine the river carrying Arcen energy flowing at the right speed. Do you have any advice?"

Li Shan placed a hand on his chin, thinking for a moment.

"That's something that varies from person to person, Little Brother Han. Not everyone's river flows the same. Some are calm and gentle, others are wild and aggressive. That's why I can't help you directly—you'll have to find it on your own. But don't worry. Someone as diligent and determined as you will find the right flow soon enough."

Tian Han looked a little disappointed. He had hoped Li Shan's answer would solve his problem. But of course, that didn't mean he would give up. He would keep trying until he succeeded.

Even though he couldn't clasp his hands together, he bowed his head respectfully.

"Thank you, Big Brother Li."

Seeing the boy bow without moving his arms finally broke Li Shan's composure—he burst into laughter once more.

"Hahahahaha! What a glorious salute! You're the best, Little Brother Han! Hahaha!"

Tian Han's face soured even more after that last laugh. He felt unjustly mocked.

"Big Brother Li is making fun of me... But I'm trying my hardest to train seriously. He's so cruel."

Li Shan continued teasing him for a while longer, and all Tian Han could do was grumble under his breath.

Eventually, Li Shan told him to get back to training and left. Once he was gone, Tian Han muttered quietly to himself.

"He laughed at me just because I couldn't raise my arms to salute... What was I supposed to do? I really can't move them! Big Brother Li is so cruel, making fun of someone who's training so hard. So cruel! But one day... one day, I—Tian Han—will be someone no one dares to laugh at."

As Tian Han mumbled to himself, the sky gradually darkened. Realizing he wouldn't be able to shower due to his limp arms, he simply threw himself into bed and drifted off to sleep.

Morning came, and the bright sunlight filled Tian Han's room. The wind whistled softly, joined by the cheerful chirping of birds. Tian Han was already awake, stretching his limbs. Today, he could stretch again.

This surprised him—it was as if his recovery speed was accelerating with each passing day. After finishing his stretches, Tian Han headed straight to the kitchen for breakfast. Once he'd eaten, he sat down to continue practicing the second part of the Floating Leaf Breathing Technique.

He tried once again to imagine the river carrying Arcen energy at the perfect flow speed. Hours passed, but once again, he failed. After training, he went out into the garden and tended to the plants, then moved on to perform the modified version of Technique of the Mountain's Might he'd tailored to suit his current limits.

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Every now and then, Li Shan would drop by to tease him about his exhausted state. He would stay for a short chat and then leave again.

Once Li Shan was gone, Tian Han would either continue training or, if it was late, head back inside and go to bed.

In this way, three more weeks passed.

Tian Han's hair and height had grown slightly, and the look in his eyes had become noticeably more serious and resolute.

During those three weeks, he had tried countless times to visualize the perfect flow of the river—but never succeeded. Fortunately, that didn't matter. Even though he couldn't perfectly imagine the correct speed, the river he did envision had become increasingly capable of guiding the Arcen energy. It was only a matter of time before he found the ideal rhythm.

And it wasn't just his mastery of the river that had improved. Tian Han's physical strength had also reached a whole new level. At this point, it would be a mistake to call him a mere child in terms of raw power.

Now, he could perform all the training exercises of Technique of the Mountain's Might in a single day with fifty kilograms of weight on his body—meaning he had already met about half of the requirements for the technique's first stage.

What an incredible leap forward!

Even Li Shan was stunned by Tian Han's rapid progress. He'd even said to him on multiple occasions:

"Little Brother Han, you're a monster. This growth rate is anything but normal."

"You've reached a level in mere weeks that takes most people years of cultivation. Calling you a genius doesn't even do it justice."

Tian Han knew these weren't just empty compliments—every time Li Shan praised him, his confidence and pride grew stronger.

"Yes, I am a genius. I'm on a level far beyond ordinary people."

And perhaps it wasn't just confidence—it could be called arrogance.

One day, while training with the lighter version of Technique of the Mountain's Might in his garden, Tian Han paused and glanced up at the sky.

He raised his hand toward the heavens and clenched his fist.

"I've grown... a lot."