LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 4: The Martial Path.(1)
After lunch, the instructors pulled the children back together and told them to sit down cross-legged. At first, they were only memorizing lines, now, they were going to put theory into practice.
"We will practice 'observing' this afternoon! Observing is utilizing the lines of the dark flower to feel the Qi in your body. Those who feel something hot or cold raise your hand and report it!"
Time went on as Number 800 tried to feel the Qi within his body, but it was to no avail. Even though he had completely memorized the lines, putting it into practice was an entirely different beast.
Several hours passed and Number 800 still hadn't felt any Qi circulating within himself.
'Dammit! Is this how far my natural talent goes?! Sigh...then, the solution is simple. I just need to work harder than everyone else. That's the only way I can bridge the gap between the lower and upper numbers.'
Another hour passed and the instructor raised his hand and shouted, "End of practice! That concludes today's routine! All students, come out and get your dinner meals! Also, you are free to use your time afterwards!"
Frustrated at his performance, Number 800 got up and immediately went back to his room, locking door behind him as he summoned the [Ashina Esoteric Text] with a wave of his hand.
Just like the black mortal blade, every gift received from the woman could be hidden within his own soul.
'I need to start doing multiple things at once. I don't need to sit still to recite the lines of the dark flower, I just need to keep following the instructions within the text as I train with the sword at the same time.'
As he thought about what he would focus on, he mentally replayed what happened at the daily food challenge that morning. While he had defeated most of his opponents, he just used his body as a shield most of the time.
There was barely any true technique involved.
It was then, that he figured out that he was lacking a true foundation for these arts. His body wasn't strong enough and he lacked the finesse to execute the techniques properly.
Furthermore...
'...I see. I was wrong. How can I master the sword, if I haven't even mastered my own body first?'
With a wave of his hand, he switched out the [Ashina Esoteric Text] for the [Senpou Esoteric Text].
This was focused on unarmed combat, but it also detailed the method of building a proper body ready to, as the text called it, 'challenge Buddha himself'.
'With my body's increased recovery rate, I can train 100 times as hard without any serious problems. Yes...this is the way forward.'
For the entire night, Number 800 trained relentlessly, so much so that his mind entered a state of autonomy when it came to practicing the lines of the dark flower. This allowed him to train in the Temple Arts of the [Senpou Esoteric Text] nonstop.
This cycle continued on for the next three days.
He would face the daily food challenge in the morning, while the rest of the day was taken up with cultivation and at night when he was alone, the [Temple Arts].
By the second day, Number 800 started to feel heat coming from his body, but he said nothing. It felt as if it was just a paltry amount.
In his mind, the numbers above him probably felt as if they had burning flames in their bodies when they cultivated. This was the level he kept them to.
So he had train harder to reach a place above that.
On the third day, during cultivation, Number 800 raised his hand as he felt searing heat emanating from his body, to the point where he felt as if he swallowed the sun itself.
"Good, Number 800. Keep at it."
The instructor nodded when he saw this. He was happy that the students were starting to get better little by little.
Just like that, another year passed inside the Cave Of Latent Demons.
Many changes had occurred for the students, including a steady increase in their strength. Even the number of them dying had decreased dramatically.
In a certain room within the cave, a muscular figure could be seen doing push ups with sweat pouring from his body.
WHOOSH!
He then jumped up, grabbed onto to some stone grips he built into the wall and started doing pull-ups for the next hour without pause.
Then, he dropped down to the ground and started another set of push-ups.
THUD!
His muscles, tired of tens of thousands of repetitions, gave out on him. The boy fell face first to floor, his arms feeling as if they would fall at any second.
"No...I can't stop now!'
When he fell, he imagined all the other students getting stronger than him, treating him as if he was nothing. The image of him becoming a no name cultivator made him so mad that blood came out of his mouth as he grit his teeth.
"Hah!!"
Number 800 pulled more strength out his exhausted body, training ruthlessly for another hour before stopping to sit on his bed.
"Whew...."
Over the past year, Number 800's entire body had grown rapidly from his training. His muscle definition and size were comparable and even overshadowed many adults while the boy was barely 12-13 years old.
He had recklessly used his Qi to open all of the meridians in his body, dramatically increasing the speed of his Qi flow. If not for his body's increased regeneration, such an act would have probably killed him.
The instructors had increased the weight of the bracers on each limb to 45 kgs. It wasn't a weight that children's bodies could bear without Qi, but Number 800 already trained past that level.
At this point, the bracelets were like feathers.
The most important part though, is he had mastered every one of the [Temple Arts].
Compared to one year ago, Number 800 was a different beast.
Just as he was about to start refining his martial arts, he heard the instructors calling them out to the main hall of the Cave.
"Sigh. What do they want now?"
Number 800 grabbed his ragged black robes from the corner of his bed and put them on, uncomfortable by how tight they had become.
"Tsk."
Number 800 ripped the sleeves of the robes and threw the cloth away to the side, his large arms feeling a bit more liberated as he walked to the main hall.
When everyone got there, the main instructor shouted, "Starting today, you will begin training with weapons."
In front of him were three types of weapons all arranged neatly in racks.
"As you are all aware, these are weapons that have become staples of the martial society. You will learn the basics of the Jian, the Dao and the Spear. You will choose one one of these weapons and learn it's martial arts. Stand in front of the weapon you wish to learn."
There was no questioning what Number 800's choice was going to be.
It had been cemented since the moment he was born.
Number 800 immediately stood in front of the Jian, which was in simpler terms, a basic double edged straight sword.
"Choose carefully, this will be your weapon for the rest of your life!"
The students quickly made their choices within a few minutes, some of them hesitant, wondering if they chose correctly.
But Number 800's gaze was firm as he grasped the sheathed sword in his hands, his eyes closely inspecting it's dimensions.
"800, go and receive your manuals. Stop holding up the line."
Number 800 went over to the next instructor, grabbed the three texts and found a secluded corner to practice in.
The texts were the [Three Basics Of The Jian], the [Six Combinations Of The Fist], and the [Movement Of The Wind And Cloud].
These were the basic texts that every cultivator learned as a child.
"After you collect your texts, you will be given time to practice and study martial arts freely! The instructors will be here, so feel free to come ask questions whenever you want!"
A sinister smile crept across his face as he continued, "Since we don't know how many of you will survive after 6 months, we'll help you learn martial arts. You will have a difficult time surviving if you don't learn properly. Heh! Even if you do, you'll barely be in one piece. Now, begin!"