"I'll prove it to you all then! I can still fight!" Zion wiped off his tears with his sleeves and, with a determined look, rushed into the forest.
He made sure to take the route which wasn't taken by the rest and went deeper into the forest.
He planned to hunt a deer or a rabbit and prove his worth to those hunters.
However, the more time he spent in the forest, the clearer it became to him that he was totally useless now.
He couldn't just jump over bushes that were blocking his path, and the rabbits or the small animals he tried to chase always bested him.
After an hour of worthless struggle, the words of the villagers started cementing in his mind.
'They are right, what could a cripple like me even do?' He thought in exhaustion.
Bruises and cuts were everywhere on his body from falling around, but there was not a single catch in his hand for all the struggle.
He had failed miserably.
The normal hunts were conducted for 3-4 hours, so not wanting to meet them again, Zion decided to return early. Heart completely shattered, he wouldn't be able to look at their jeering expression anymore.
Once he was back home, Zion fell on his bed and cried his heart out.
A few hours later, he opened his eyes. Unknowingly, he had fallen asleep and had slept the entire afternoon.
Growl~
His stomach growled to remind him about the missed meal, but Zion had no desire to get up.
"What's the point of eating when I can't hunt?" He muttered as a droplet trickled down from the side of his eye.
His gaze went towards the wall where his father's swords were hung.
"Father…I wanted to become as strong as you, but it looks as if fate doesn't want that to happen. Maybe I was just too arrogant, thinking that I would still be able to achieve something after losing my leg,"
Zion muttered. His eyes once again brimmed with tears when he said those words as he wiped them out with his hand.
In the process, a few drops of tears touched the surface of his ring and disappeared, as if the ring had absorbed them.
A sudden golden glow emitted from the ring and attracted Zion's attention to it.
"What's happening to this ring?" Zion thought.
He had already tested this ring enough during this short period. Apart from its ability to disappear when he wills it, Zion couldn't find anything more to the ring.
Therefore, the sudden golden glow bewildered him.
A couple of seconds later, the glow disappeared, and before Zion could check the ring, he felt that there was something extra in his memory.
Zion closed his eyes and squinted his brows in an attempt to focus his mind.
"Heavenly Triumph Technique," Zion muttered, a name he had never heard before. However, just from the name, he could sense an overpowering feeling.
As if the person who had created this technique looked down on everyone in this universe
The next moment, a part of this technique appeared in Zion's mind.
"Qi Building Phase…. 7 stages…" Details of the phase entered Zion's mind, and an expression of utter shock appeared on his face.
Wanting to know more, he immediately closed his eyes and focused on the information flowing in his mind.
According to this technique, there is an invisible energy called Qi in this world.
Qi is emitted by both living and non-living things and is part of the realm. The more Qi an individual or substance has, the more valuable it becomes.
In case of humans, the more Qi they have, the stronger they become.
Understanding this much, a question appeared in Zion's mind: 'Just how strong?'
The next moment, an image of a man in red robes whom he had never seen before appeared in his mind. He looked calm and composed and had a special air about him.
In front of the man was a boulder the size of two grown men. The man's gaze suddenly turned serious, and he took a fighting stance.
The next moment, a bluish layer completely covered his right hand, and a punch soon made its way towards the boulder.
BOOM!
A huge gaping hole formed through the boulder, and Zion opened his eyes the next moment in shock and horror.
"Incredible…" He murmured.
Although the scene he just saw in his mind was unbelievable, he couldn't help but feel that he, too, would be able to do it if he started learning the technique.
"Let's do it! With this technique's help, I can finally fulfil my promise to my father. Not only will I become as strong as my father, but I will also surpass everyone in this village. No one would dare to look down on me after that!"
Zion said with conviction. He had finally found the solution to his problem. What if he doesn't have one leg? If he's as strong as the person he just saw, no wild animal would pose a threat to him.
With this thought, Zion read the Qi Building Phase's introduction in his mind and soon sat down on the floor in the lotus position.
'Take five short breaths in… breathe everything out in one go…' Zion followed the breathing pattern that was revealed to him and kept doing it.
According to the details, a normal person takes two months or more to feel the presence of Qi.
There was no time limit given as to how long a person could keep absorbing Qi. However, after conducting this breathing exercise for an hour and a half, Zion's whole body was drenched in sweat, and he could do no more.
His stomach rumbled as if it would go on strike if he didn't eat anything. This forced Zion to prepare dinner. While the dinner was getting ready, he freshened up and changed into a new robe.
The earlier traces of gloominess were no longer visible on his face. He had regained the youthful glimmer of hope on his face.
Zion then voraciously consumed all the rice and meat he had prepared for dinner. It had been a long time since food had tasted this good to him, and delight was apparent on his face.