8 Weeks Later
Those were the worst 8 weeks of my entire life, every day, after training, I was so tired I couldn't even bring myself to drink water!
And it repeated, day after day, what kind of theory could they have learnt for a week to cause a month and a half of pure torture labeled as 'training'?
But…the results do speak for themselves, my Dantian, previously at the size of a pigeon's egg, was now at the size of a duck egg! Don't be fooled, even though a duck egg is barely bigger than a chicken's egg, that is a vast reserve of I could barely have dreamed of before!
Additionally, my entire physique was transformed! Before, you could not see the definition of my muscles at all, and now I have gained over 20 pounds of weight and my muscles are more defined than the brushstrokes of a scholar!
Finally, however, we have put our physical training to the side and moved on to your next lesson…
"We have spent the last 2 Yucheons (months) on training to temper your bodies, your Dantians, and your meridians! Now! Let's learn how to control your Qi! We will spend about a Yucheon on this, then the season of winter will come, we will do weapon trainings and I believe we will have some sparring exhibitions with your Black Robe Seniors" The instructor spoke while handing out…leaves?
Hm, that's right, I forgot we're only juniors in terms of Black Robe disciples, I've heard there are some that have been training here for four years…four years of this rigorous physical training, what kind of monsters must they be?…
"Now, many of you might know how to expel Qi, but that is not what is most important, such forceful expulsion of Qi can damage you and leave you powerless when you might have needed it later in the fight! That's why our lesson will be about control! You have to emit just enough Qi so as to gently make the leaf balance in the air"
I put the leaf on the middle of my hand and tried to gently push out my Qi-
Ah, my leaf has blown meters into the air and floated away into the forest.
"That's alright, this is why we train, training without failure is just warm ups!"
I was given another leaf, and this time, I really focused.
And as I did, my mind lingered on the thoughts of Tao. Cultivators seek to gain more Qi even if their main goal is to understand the Tao because Qi is one of the most fundamental energies of the Tao, and since were able to control it, it's essential to the understanding of Tao.
I've been lackluster in my Qi control training, and even my physical training, I opted only to focus on the path of the sword.
What a fool I was, if I want to seize control of the Tao, don't I need to be able to control the very energy it is based off of?
So is the prowess of the Five Flame Art I understand now as well. It lets me seek and understand the Tao when doing anything, not just meditating or swinging my sword! Hah! It is no wonder my ancestor was so powerful with this technique.
—
Ah? Am I seeing things? Or do I have a faint feeling that this kid in front of me just enlightened on the Tao?
A talent he sure is…I can't wait for the black robe competitions, watching him and his sect brother for Hainan battle it out…what a sight it will be
Most youths his age don't understand the uses of philosophical thought in battles, but it's more than that, the Tao is your fate and future, the better you can understand it, the better you can flow along it and flow farther into brighter futures!
That's why, if this kid is truly the genius I think he could be, then he could just be the greatest master of his generation!
—
Hmm, it's taken me 10 days, but I can keep this leaf afloat, and once all my other disciple brothers and sisters have gotten it in control, we moved on to the next lesson.
"The next lesson I will keep short and simple, you all have to know some kind fit techniques, be it family techniques or those taught to you by another sect or house, you all must've gotten to know one before coming here. That's why our next Qi Control Technique will be much shorter than the last one! You get 1 breath!"
All six disciples tilted their heads and had the most confused look they could muster
"You circulate your Qi through your breaths! Before, you might've had irregular breathing patterns during fights in order to use your techniques as you saw optimal. But no more, a constant, regular breathing pattern will not only keep your head cool in battle, but prove to be deadly! That is…if you manage to use an entire stance of attack in a single breath! It shouldn't be hard for you, what will be is to make it a habit! But we can work on that simultaneously with our next lessons!"
Hmm, interesting, what he says is definitely true. Even when I was fighting the puppets as part of my entrance examination, I held and release my breathes without control, letting my instincts take control.
Being able to execute potentially lethal attacks in a single breath, and to sustain those attacks in constant…how useful that will be…
We all went one at a time, with Baiyu going first. I had never seen my sect brothers and sisters fight before, so you can call me surprised when I saw him pick out a weapon, and two at that! Dual-wielding swords? Surely it must be a secret family technique of Hainan.
He held one sword out front and one sword above his head, then rushed forth with little verbal noise. I could feel him move like the tide of the ocean, constant movement back and forth. He would rush in with countless powerful strikes and retreat in a very defensive stance, before rushing forward again.
He told the instructor the technique was named, "Namhae Ssang-Geom Sul (Southern Sea Twin Blade Art)"
My brother Zhi went next, and he picked out a sword as well, but just one. He took a steady stance and moved forward with heavy steps, every single slash of his sword was made with unbelievable confidence. It's as if he had hatred with the air itself and wanted to strike it down with each swing.
He only did the same overhead slash again and again, yet you could barely take your eyes off of it. My brother sure was a prodigy!
He told the instructor the set was called, "Mukcheol Geombeop (The Silent Iron Sword)"
The next to go was the other male disciple, he was one of those Zhongnian fanboys and of course had techniques to match. He used a large, curved saber.
The next to go was one of the girls, with pitch black hair, she picked up multiple daggers. It was weird, unique, a hidden weapon based technique and yet she claims she has no affiliation with the Tang Clan of Sichuan.
But still, her daggers flew unpredictably and with great speeds, like blossoms caught in a tornado! And it seemed as though she had precise control over each dagger, it flying exactly where she wanted it.
She told the instructor the technique was named, "Cheon Gabimu (Thousand Thorn Dagger Dance)"
Second to last was my other sect sister, now she was a real beauty to look at, but over the last few months, I could barely, I was too tired to breathe much less gaze!
She had brought her own weapons, as the academy didn't have them…threads of steel?
The technique…I could hardly describe it, it was like if a spider could fly and move at the speed of light while shooting out iron threads. If I had to fight her…I'm not even sure I would win, I could hardly see her treads, and yet just one was enough to lob my head off!
She told the instructor the technique was named, "Mongchim Sa-Hyeong (Dream-Needle Silk Form)"
Last to go was myself, and at this point I figured I had no reason to hide my technique, atleast not the first stance. From the outside it would just look like a fourth stance to my Soaring Red Flame Art, so I stepped up, grabbed my sword, and got ready.
I regulated my breathing while holding my stance, in, out, in, out
In…
Out…
In…
"Bultaneun Wangnyeong! (Burning Sovereign's Mandate)"
I whispered under my breath, and swung my sword down accordingly.
The instructor and all the other disciples bent down because of the immense force emitting out of my slash.
After just a single downward slash, I was told that was good enough by an instructor who had a bead of sweat forming at his hairline….well, bald head.
I told the instructor that my technique was named, "The Seven Commandments Blade Art"
Though my Five Flame Arts hasn't been around or heard of for 500 years, why not put on some extra precaution that has no cost but can only benefit me in the future?
"Commanding it is," the instructor noted, "Ahem, that will make do of our introduction to this. We will be doing our breathing technique on the daily from now on until you graduate, alongside our physical training of course. Ah! But your minds are so young and strong, surely a third training is not too much to ask?"
All the disciples (including me) groaned. We barely had energy after our physical training to even interact with each other, now we have to add on two extra training that will drain us of our internal energy? The path of a cultivator sure is tiring…
"Oh come on, it won't be too bad, kek..ahem, instead of resting in your beds or the ground after we finish training, instead you'll have to meditate under certain locations in order to enlighten yourselves with the Way!"
Meditate? Sounds like sleeping in more steps!
"Currently, on the northern side of our academy, we have a powerful, raging waterfall! And after a few weeks, we'll travel out to the northern part of the Gansu province to meditate in a raging sand storm!"
Well…so much to that.
Meditating is not helpful to me! Sure, I can enlighten myself like the others with it, but I can also do that while doing menial tasks! Maybe I'll have to sneak out during practices in order to learn the Second Stance of my Five Flame Art…
—
"Hmm," the instructor rubbed his chin while looking out to the glorious view of forest. Behind him were all his first-year disciples meditating, but something was bothering him clearly.
'It's the fact that I have 4 Martial Geniuses as it seems, one is one of the children of the Sect Leader in the Southern Sea Temple, another is one who has already mastered his fundamental to the point it can be called a whole different technique, another uses iron threads as weapons, and the last…er, it was hard to describe. It was just a single strike and yet…'
The instructor turned around, to see 5 disciples meditating and the last trying to hide behind the waterfall and practicing swordsmanship.
'…it carried so much pressure, as if there were a hundred men's strikes in that single downward slash…a majestic family heirloom it truly is.'
'Oh and I guess there is that one girl who uses the daggers, it was unique for sure.'
—
Li Baiyu was meditating peacefully under his waterfall, when he noticed he only had a disciple to his right and not his left, when he looked over…
The damn bastard was gone!
What kind of idiot is he that he woul-
Swoosh!
Huh? Was that fire? Is he practicing his flame arts? Wait, what's that energy?
Baiyu instinctively backed up against the wall of rocks and his hand reached down to his sword.
Why do I feel the murderous intent only equivalent to that of somebody who's claimed hundreds of thousands of lives?!