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"Alright, boys. Breathing exercises, go."

"Yes, Father."

Cedric watched as his sons sat down in the patch of grass and began breathing rhythmically. Each time they inhaled, a misty arrow seemed to be heading straight to their nostrils, and their exhale was akin to a strong gust of wind.

This was how Cedric trained his sons to be stronger—well, for now at least. They're too young to hold steel, and there's still years away before their awakening ceremony, so his will do for now.

This breathing exercise they're doing isn't really that difficult. In fact, anybody could do it due to how simple it was. It wouldn't require a heaven-defying comprehension to get started with it either. One just needs to follow a steady breathing rhythm and keep at it for as long as they can.

That said, while this might be a simple exercise, it is 'THE' exercise...

Even now, many people underestimate the simple act of mastering the way of breathing. For creatures like humans, each breath they took is quite literally their lifeline, especially at the early stages of their life. That's why Cedric wanted to instill this discipline in his kids as early as now so it becomes instinctive for them.

This is how Cedric began his rise too. It was the heaven-defying intuition he got from the god's eyes that hinted at the power of one's breath, and it became his foundation to reach where he's at right now. Of course he would pass this knowledge on to his kids.

It was fortunate that his kids didn't find this too boring and were able to keep at it for about six hours straight at this point. That's not too bad for their age, especially since the end goal was to keep this state of breathing 24/7.

But of course, this was just the start for them. Eventually, they're going to have to learn how to keep this breathing state while moving and doing burdensome tasks. It wouldn't be wrong to say that they still have a long way to go.

There is a shortcut for them, though. One that was perfectly valid since it's part of their innate talent. That is, if Cedric unsealed their heaven-defying perception.

These children had shown signs of awakening to this since they were infants. Back then, Cedric sealed this talent of theirs because he's afraid that they'd cause too much mayhem or accidentally hurt themselves with it.

It is sealed until now, which does sound unfair since these kids have displayed some semblance of maturity. Their mothers also instilled a sense of responsibility in them whenever they could so they could be trusted to handle this level of power. But Cedric still hasn't unsealed it for them because of one thing...

He wanted to teach them the value of hard work and discipline, and it's best instilled in them this early in their lives. He didn't want them to become so reliant on their talents that they became complacent, which would make them weak and might lead to their deaths.

Cedric was just as overprotective as any parent would, but he also knew the value of discipline from personal experience. His boys are expected to reach certain standards, whether he likes them or not, so it would be better if he personally guided them to it instead of them navigating this on their own.

He personally knew just how difficult it was to navigate the world of superhumans alone because he personally experienced it, after all.

Cedric watched over his kids as they practiced the breathing exercises for four hours. After that, without telling them to stop their exercise, he asked them to start running.

The kids followed their orders and began running while keeping up their breathing rhythms. Cedric didn't need to explain what this was for them since they already know; he's getting them used to moving while keeping up the breathing rhythm because the end goal was to keep this state permanent no matter what happens to them.

All three of them ran laps around the garden. They weren't in a race or trying to compete with each other. They maintained the same speed and focused on their task instead of something else.

Pshew!

Then, without any prior warnings, a stone suddenly flew at them. The force behind it was too strong to catch, but it wasn't too fast to catch them off-guard.

The kids evaded the unexpected attack without any problems and continued with their run. Even though there were no prior warnings for that, it seems that they were already expecting this somehow.

Yes, this is yet another obstacle they have to experience during their training. This was to hone their instincts and their reaction time.

Actually, the stones, while carrying astonishing speed and momentum, wouldn't hurt them too much if it ever landed. At most, it will leave a bruise, which will heal overnight. If anything, the most injury they'd experience was a wound to their pride. After all, the kids already knew that their father wouldn't force anything they couldn't handle just yet. Meaning that his attacks are all within their capabilities and they are expected to react to them. Failing to do so would make them disappointed in themselves.

Throughout the run, stones will fly at them at abrupt intervals. There were no patterns or anything; it was completely random, so they have to be alert. They have to dodge them without disrupting their breathing rhythms, making it extremely challenging.

But it's not all stones...sometimes it would be candies and gummy worms, treats to prevent the kids from being bored and resentful in this training.

In terms of gathering and catching the candies, though, Godwyn was uncontested, much to his brothers' lament. They don't understand how he's this good at catching the treats either. Their instincts and skills were at the same level. Actually, it is Gerald who's a bit ahead compared to his brothers because he's innately diligent in his training. But even he couldn't compare to Godwyn when it comes to catching treats that their father throws at them from time to time.

Cedric was obviously aware of this too, and of course, this was amusing to him. In truth, there was nothing too special that Godwyn does that allowed him to do this. He could just simply differentiate between the shapes better than his brothers, which amounts to having a better spatial perception.

The rocks that Cedric threw at them were relatively close in size and appearance, but the candies and treats are not. Godwyn notices that earlier than his brothers could, so he's always a step ahead of them when catching then. It's that simple.

This run went on for three more hours before the kids couldn't take it anymore. They have been pushed to their current limits, and there's no reason to continue any longer than this.

With a wave of his hand, the boys flew to him, and he gathered them one by one.

"Good job, my little ones. C'mere!!"

Cedric then started peppering them with kisses despite their sweaty faces. Godwyn giggled, Gilderoy just looked spent and just accepted his fate, and Gerald looked embarrassed. This wasn't the first time that Cedric did this. In fact, he does this all the time because they're used to it already. It's his way of showing them his affection. After all, he's not like those cold, detached, and too masculine to-show-affection type of fathers. He had no shame in showering his kids with all his love and affection, no matter how tall they got.

It's around this time that their mothers showed up. The kids ran to them, and with smiles, they all gathered at the table, spending time with each other. They then had dinner and had a movie night before the kids were tucked in for the night.

Cedric spent some alone time with his wives, talking about random things until they too retired for the night.

As for Cedric, the day hasn't ended for him just yet. He went to his office and dove into the virtual universe to continue his lessons.

By now, he's already done with all the basic courses, which meant that he could graduate from training anytime he wants. Of course, he didn't plan on doing this just yet since there's still too much time left he could squander before the deadline. He's in no hurry.

He actually enrolled in advanced courses, subjects that he thought would be helpful in his line of work. There were a lot of such courses available here, and Cedric knew that it's impossible for him to learn it all within the deadline set to him by the contract. However, he still aimed to learn as much as he could before he eventually graduated.

Once the sun is up, Cedric will leave the virtual universe to take an actual nap. He'd wake up about four or five hours later, just in time for the kids to begin their daily training again, and the cycle repeats.

This was how Cedric's daily life as a father went. And honestly, he couldn't ask for anything better. He cherished peaceful days like this because soon, his kids will grow old enough to be independent. By then, even he wouldn't know when he'd experience this kind of normal life again.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com