"Mmm…" Kai groaned drowsily as he woke up. Through his sleep he felt some strange kicks to his side.
"Wha…?" he mumbled, not understanding what was going on.
"Get up, we're going to your morning training!" the old man said cheerfully.
"So early? Can't we wait just a little longer?" Kai replied with a faint smile.
He understood that the rest was over, but he just liked getting on the old man's nerves.
"Up! Training starts with the first rays of the sun! As soon as the first beam rises, you should already be running around the cliff!" Mo barked in a commander's tone. "Don't worry… Once you temper your body and become a Warrior, you won't need that much sleep. A few hours will be enough, since you'll be nourished by the energy you absorb from the environment," he added with a hearty laugh.
He thought that would scare Kai a bit… Less sleep meant more training, after all! But to his pleasant surprise, the boy's eyes lit up at that moment! It seemed like this was exactly what he'd been dreaming of…
Kai quickly jumped up and, smiling, said:
"Let's move out, Master Mo!"
Once outside, Old Man Mo first made Kai run around the cliff. He watched him constantly, shouting instructions and corrections. They included things like: proper foot placement and ankle bend, the position of his back, the rhythm of his breathing, and even how to tense different muscles!
It turned out that even something as simple as running contained an entire science within it! Kai soaked up all the knowledge like a sponge. He constantly strained his mind to control himself and follow his master's teachings precisely. This went on for about an hour. The sun gradually rose, and the forest slowly filled with light. Drops of sweat ran down Kai's face and body, gleaming in the sunlight like morning dew.
"Good… Now get up on the cliff! We're going to stretch your tendons. You know that the tendons of powerful beasts can be used to make bowstrings for divine bows? It's because they're incredibly strong, yet elastic. That kind of combination hides immense power! If you train properly, one day we'll be able to make a bow out of yours too! Hahaha!" Old Man Mo laughed, teasing the boy.
But Kai wasn't in the mood for a comeback… He dragged himself up onto the cliff and slowly walked over to the old man.
Master Mo began demonstrating exercises and techniques to develop tendon strength and, most importantly, to increase their elasticity! The process was very painful, but to Kai it felt like a light stroll… You could say he had been building up a tolerance to pain since childhood, so he didn't make a single sound.
Master Mo constantly helped by pressing on his arms and legs to stretch them further, and he gave a lot of advice. It was extremely important to keep the right frequency, speed, and angle for every movement!
Kai was thrilled! No one had ever taught him anything like this before, and now, every basic movement hid a cluster of subtle details!
This is amazing! he thought, carefully following every instruction.
"Boy, you're something else! With that kind of perseverance, in a month or two you'll be able to do this routine without my help! Work hard and follow all my instructions. My advice is very valuable, you know!" the old man said enthusiastically, not forgetting to praise himself.
"Yes, Master Mo!" During training, Kai was extremely diligent. The process completely absorbed him!
Kai performed each exercise like a fanatic in a trance. He ignored both fatigue and pain. All he felt in his heart was drive and determination!
The Eternity of Will is the third law. Will belongs to all that lives and all that does not. It is like an immaterial essence that sets all the laws of existence into motion, he repeated in his mind.
When they finally finished that stage of training, the old man led him to the side of the cliff closer to the lake. Muscle training began, again under Old Mo's never-ending shouts. He constantly corrected Kai's mistakes and gave more advice. Every time Kai repeated an earlier mistake, Master Mo smacked him on the head with a stick.
"Do it right! Your elbow's at the wrong angle! I already showed you how it should be! Or did I praise you too soon?!" Mo shouted, though inside he was in complete shock…
This kid's not human! he thought in amazement. I've seen a lot of people training, but none of them learned this fast. His perseverance and resistance to pain are unbelievable… the old man continued analyzing.
"Give me another twenty reps!" Under his loud commands, Kai was getting better and better.
"Alright, that's enough… Now go to the lake shore. You need to go in up to your knees and then sit in the lotus position so that the water covers you up to your neck. That'll help relax your muscles after training and speed up your recovery. But most importantly, it tempers your mind!" the old man ordered firmly.
"You must breathe in a very specific rhythm! You'll start under my commands, then continue on your own! But it'll be harder than you think!" he paused, then went on, "The lake water is insanely cold, your entire body will be shaking. Keeping the rhythm won't be easy… Only with a very steady mind and control over your body will you be able to calm down and follow my instructions."
"Understood, Master Mo!" Kai said and headed toward the lake.
He once again noticed the strange markings around the water, but still hadn't dared to ask about them…
"Master, what are those symbols on the ground?" Kai asked with interest.
"That's an Array Technique. With the right formulas, I can create a formation that manipulates the energy of nature. It partially feeds off external energy, but sometimes I have to feed it with my own," Mo explained calmly, without going into detail.
"Don't you find it strange that, with such low temperatures, the water hasn't frozen over? And why is it so cold when there's nothing in this region that would cause such low temperatures?" the old man asked rhetorically.
"Array Technique? How do you learn it?" Kai asked curiously, eager to absorb all information he could.
"You can't. For that, you need a far higher level of development. You're still too weak," Master Mo replied calmly.
"Master… Is there something beyond Cultivator?" Kai interrupted.
"The less you know, the better you sleep. Don't rush your development; walk your path steadily. You'll learn everything in time! Now get in the water!" Old Man Mo retorted seriously.
Hearing the command, Kai simply nodded and continued forward. The moment he touched the water, he felt the cold pierce him to the bone. It hurt—so much that it felt like something was drilling into his bones! And the deeper he went, the harsher the cold became…
Thankfully, the banks of the lake weren't too steep. When he had fetched water before, he'd only touched it briefly. Now he felt the full horror of this body of water. Kai dropped into a sitting position in one motion, and the water instantly rose up to his neck!
At that moment, his brain felt like it was pulsing from the cold! When he exhaled, white steam poured from his mouth—his breath was freezing on the way out…
Kai closed his eyes and began to focus. It was difficult, but with time his body slowly started to adapt.
"Inhaaaale! Exhaaaale!" Old Man Mo called out the breathing rhythm, and Kai tried his best to follow.
At first, his shaking body and chattering teeth kept throwing him off. But focusing on the process, after about ten minutes he was following the rhythm perfectly, without a single mistake.
Kai concentrated on every part of his body, on his thoughts, and on the movement of his lungs. He could literally feel his muscles itching as they healed from the training, while his mind cleared completely. There was a faint dissonance of pain and bliss…
He paid no attention to the pain in his bones, as if entering a trance. He didn't even notice that the old man had stopped calling out the rhythm—yet he kept following it on his own. In his mind, he recalled three of the strange sphere's laws:
"The Law of Flesh is the fifth law. Everything begins with flesh—flesh living and nonliving, flesh material and spiritual; even the manifestations of nature possess flesh."
"The Law of Energy is the sixth law. The development and activity of all things give birth to myriads of variations of energy, their combinations and types."
"The Law of Spirit is the seventh law. Given enough time, everything acquires its own spirit and consciousness, which are the manifestation of the highest form of being."
That's it! I kept wondering what all of this meant… If I want to be a master, I have to pay attention to every aspect. My body must be in balance with my energy and my spirit! Kai exclaimed inwardly.
A whole theory was born in his mind on its own…
It was like Sudden Enlightenment. People said that only great luck could grant such insight! Legends spoke of masters who became gods after such enlightenment—but no one knew if those stories were true. Naturally, most believed they were just tales…
And right now, Kai was in such a state…
"Terrifying…" Old Man Mo whispered quietly.
He watched in total shock as Kai sat there, breathing with a perfectly steady rhythm… and had been doing so for half an hour already!
This was far longer than he was supposed to endure. And yet it looked like Kai had no intention of coming out. The old man decided to keep watching. He would only intervene if he saw that the boy's life was in danger.
The body is like a vessel. The larger and sturdier it is, the more it can hold and the harder it is to break. Energy is like the nourishment and filling of the vessel, and spirit is what governs it all, Kai reasoned in his mind.
The lake and Master Mo's training helped me realize this! While my muscles harden and icy energy continuously seeps into my body, nourishing it… with a clear mind I can control it all and turn it to my advantage! he analyzed his state.
Realizing this, he suddenly opened his eyes! At that moment, it seemed like a faint ripple ran across the lake's surface… He slowly took a breath in and out, then began to stand up. Kai turned to the old man and said with a smile:
"Master Mo, this is incredible! I feel amazing! It's like my muscles have almost completely healed, and I'm full of energy again!" he shouted happily.
"Well done. Khe-khe…" Old Man Mo coughed dryly. "Earlier, I intentionally set the bar at twenty minutes because you're just a village boy. But you did well. Keep it up," Mo said calmly, though his thoughts were entirely different…
It's ridiculous… He sat there for more than an hour… This boy is a monster! But I can't give him any reason to become arrogant. Pride is the harbinger of a fall. Let him develop quietly, and I'll see what comes of it.