The Valerian training grounds were already crowded.
Young members of the family practiced in small groups across the wide courtyard. Some sparred with wooden weapons while others sat cross-legged nearby, quietly circulating Qi.
Family instructors walked between them, occasionally correcting stances.
Alex felt the emotional currents immediately.
Excitement.
Confidence.
Jealousy.
And—
Mockery.
Quite a lot of mockery.
Whispers spread the moment people noticed him.
"Look who finally woke up."
"The fool came back already?"
"Cedric knocked him out yesterday."
Alex ignored them.
Instead, he calmly observed the training field.
Several instructors stood nearby.
All experienced cultivators.
Their Qi felt stable, dense, and powerful.
Then Alex saw him.
Cedric Valerian.
Tall.
Confident.
Qi flowed smoothly through his body.
Even from a distance, Alex could sense the difference.
Cedric noticed him almost immediately.
A grin spread across his face.
"Well, well."
He walked over, drawing attention from everyone nearby.
"Looks like our family fool recovered faster than expected."
Several cousins laughed.
Alex studied him silently.
Through his strange emotional perception, he felt something unexpected.
Not just arrogance.
Suspicion.
Cedric was watching him carefully.
Interesting.
Alex tilted his head slightly.
"Did you need something?"
Cedric blinked.
That clearly wasn't the response he expected.
"You hit your head harder than I thought," Cedric said.
"Did you forget what happened yesterday?"
"No."
Alex's voice was calm.
"You knocked me unconscious."
Cedric crossed his arms.
"Then why are you here?"
"Training."
Laughter erupted from the surrounding students.
Cedric chuckled.
"You?"
Alex shrugged lightly.
"Everyone has to start somewhere."
Cedric stepped closer.
A faint wave of Qi pressure spread from his body.
A subtle attempt at intimidation.
Most beginners would feel their legs weaken under the pressure.
Alex felt the weight of it immediately.
The pressure pressed against his chest and shoulders, making his breathing slightly heavier.
But he forced himself to remain standing.
Instead, he focused on the emotional currents surrounding Cedric.
Confidence.
Arrogance.
But also something else.
Irritation.
Alex suddenly realized something.
Emotions were like ripples in water.
If he could sense them…
Maybe he could nudge them.
Just slightly.
He focused on Cedric.
Only for a moment.
A faint heaviness formed at the back of his head, exactly where that strange hidden node had appeared earlier.
Alex ignored it.
He didn't try to force anything.
He simply pushed the emotional current.
Cedric's smile twitched.
The irritation grew stronger.
The change was subtle.
But real.
Alex's heartbeat quickened.
"So it works."
Cedric suddenly stepped forward.
"If you're so eager to train again," he said coldly, "why don't we spar?"
The crowd immediately became excited.
Another humiliation for the Valerian Fool.
Alex glanced around.
Dozens of eyes watched him.
Waiting.
Expecting him to refuse.
He stepped onto the sparring platform.
"Alright."
The courtyard fell silent.
Cedric blinked.
"You're accepting?"
Alex stretched his shoulders.
"Why not?"
Cedric laughed.
"You must really want another beating."
The instructor raised his hand.
"Begin!"
Cedric moved first.
His fist shot forward like a spear.
Fast.
Precise.
Alex barely reacted in time.
He stumbled sideways rather than stepping cleanly aside.
The punch still passed close enough that he felt the wind brush his cheek.
Cedric's eyes narrowed.
Alex quickly steadied his footing.
He wasn't trying to win.
Not yet.
Right now he only needed one thing.
Information.
How Cedric moved.
How he controlled Qi.
How cultivators actually fought.
And most importantly—
How badly outmatched he truly was.
Because even after that first exchange, Alex could already tell one thing clearly.
If this fight continued head-on…
He wouldn't last long.
The fight had only just begun