Chapter 110 – Training

  Jun De’s days under Shen Weifeng’s brutal training blurred together into an endless cycle of pain and growth. But there was undeniable progress, and as much as he wanted to, Jun De didn’t quit.

  What had once left him crumpled onto the ground, complaining about the Sect and Shen Weifeng, he could now endure with only mild discomfort. Strikes that had shattered his bones like porcelain resulted in them healing to become denser and stronger with the help of medicinal baths and healing pills.

  Jun De’s mentality improved as well; he barely flinched when Shen Weifeng would attack him in their daily sparing sessions. Rather than trying to run away or hide when the former Elder came looking for him, Jun De would only sigh and whine internally while outwardly meeting the attacks with grim determination.

  As Jun De improved, Shen Weifeng stopped trying to trick him into breaking his bones. Instead, he told Jun De to do it himself or he would do it for him.

  That was how Jun De found himself in his courtyard practicing the Stonebreaking Fist. His opponent was a stone pillar that he had lugged from the training hall himself, without the use of Qi, during one of their earlier physical tempering sessions.

  Jun De’s Qi surged through his arms as he took a stance and punched the pillar. There was a ringing sound like a gong being struck, but rather than breaking the stone as the technique promised, Jun De heard his own knuckle bones shatter.

  “Not bad! At least you’ve stopped being made of twigs and clay. A week ago, that strike would have turned your right arm into dust.” The older man barked out as he studied the stone pillar carefully, shaking his head as he saw that the reinforced stone had still resisted Jun De and refused to crack or break.

  Jun De only gritted his teeth and bowed his head as sweat dripped down his face. He knew that if he opened his mouth, he would say something that he would later regret.

  “You don’t have to thank me, Jun De. I can see that you’re overwhelmed with gratitude for my training methods. If it consoles you at all, I believe I saw a small crack beginning to form in the pillar.” Shen Weifeng said as he turned toward Jun De while holding his hands behind his back.

  The former Elder was smiling serenely as he saw Jun De shake his injured right hand and pull out a small pill from his pouch with his left.

  Weeks turned into months, and Shen Weifeng’s methods grew harsher as Jun De began to adapt. They now sparred twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening, and often without the use of Qi at all.

  Jun De had thought that if they were equal, without their cultivation to rely on, he would hold the advantage against the elderly Shen Weifeng.

  That notion lasted only a few moments into their first spar.

  Shen Weifeng was a monster. It didn’t matter what Jun De did, how carefully he prepared or attempted to study his opponent's moves, he would lose.

  The former Elder was spry beyond his years, with muscles hardened by decades of training and combat. It didn’t matter if Jun De used a sword or fought Shen Weifeng barehanded; the outcome was the same.

  Meanwhile, the bet between Shen Weifeng and Zhang Yuehong spread like wildfire throughout the Inner Sect. But when Jun De’s name became connected to it, along with Zhang Yuhai, two of the young prodigies of the Inner Sect, those rumours soon consumed the Outer Sect as well.

  It was undisputed that Jun De was talented; his accomplishments in the Outer Sect were well known. But Zhang Yuhai was a young lord of the powerful Zhang Clan, and that meant resources and backing that Jun De didn’t possess.

  So, as the weeks dragged on, many Inner Sect Disciples would travel to the training area where Jun De was being assaulted by Shen Weifeng in their duels, or follow the pair as they carried heavy boulders up the Tranquil Mountain and back down again.

  Some mocked the pair, the former Outer Sect Disciple who had been forced to leave the Inner Sect after his failure to achieve Foundation Establishment, and the handsome but na?ve fool who obediently followed him.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Many people doubted that either would be enough to contend against their opponents from the Zhang Clan. But as more and more people saw the pair train, their opinion of them began to shift.

  Jun De stared at the stone pillar that had been his hated opponent for over a month of practice, and watched in satisfaction as it split in half and fell to the ground. To his surprise, Elder Shen’s face carried no trace of satisfaction at his accomplishment.

  ‘Your progress is impressive, Jun De. But we’re at the point where you’re walking a thin line.” The former Elder said at last, his voice sharp.

  Jun De frowned.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your mentality isn’t ideal, and neither is mine, if I have to admit. We’ve been seeking strength, craving it too much, and we’ve been pursuing it too quickly. That hunger, that drive to push yourself beyond your limits, it’s a double-edged sword.” Shen Weifeng said, tapping his own chest over his heart as he let out a sigh.

  “On one hand, cultivation is about defying the heavens. It’s about overcoming your limitations and ascending higher. But that drive can also invite an Inner Demon into your heart. We need to temper our minds, as well as our bodies.”

  Shen Weifeng’s eyes sharpened, pinning Jun De into place.

  “There is a reason I told you to advance one step at a time, to temper each realm before striving for the next. Power gained too quickly is like pouring water into a cracked jug; at best, it merely leaks out. At worst, the entire thing shatters.”

  “I should know.” Shen Weifeng added softly, and his tone was filled with grief, before he shook his head and continued.

  “But, more dangerously, is the risk of an Inner Demon developing. The higher your realm of cultivation, the more vital it becomes to have a steady Dao Heart, one that can’t be swayed by greed, fear, guilt, or obsession.”

  “There is a reason that the Sect encourages mediation as much as cultivation. We have to temper our hearts and minds as much as, or more than our bodies.” Shen Weifeng explained.

  “How do I do that?” Jun De was instantly interested in preventing an Inner Demon. He wanted to live a long, eventful life and developing an Inner Demon would put an end to that.

  The first method was simple and cruel. For days, Jun De was given only a mouthful of water and a single sliver of food that was barely enough to sustain him. His fasting pills were taken away, and the only thing that consoled him was that Shen Weifeng suffered alongside him.

  They would meditate in silence for hours, in between their other training, as Jun De’s stomach growled.

  Shen Weifeng would chant a mantra when Jun De lost focus, and oddly, it helped.

  “The body screams, but the mind obeys. Which one rules you?”

  When they had mastered hunger, they moved on to sleeplessness. Jun De had to stay awake even as his body cried for rest. Whenever he would start to nod off, Shen Weifeng would flick him in the forehead to snap him awake.

  “An Inner Demon strikes hardest when you are weary. If you cannot hold your mind when you’re tired, you won’t hold out when temptation comes.”

  After staying awake for two weeks, Shen Weifeng led him to a cave in the Inner Sect that was used for special training. The cave was covered in ice, and the wind was biting cold all year round, as it was filled with strong Yin energy.

  Shen Weifeng and Jun De would recite mantras and meditate while frost clung to their robes and their hands went numb. The next day, they repeated the process in another cave beside a volcanic spring, where the humid air seared his lungs and his skin reddened from the high temperature.

  Along with physical discomforts, Jun De was given other, more humiliating, tasks. He was told to carry crates of medicine, sacks of rice, and bundles of firewood throughout the Inner Sect and into Tranquil City below.

  He would need to sweep the stairs and paths of the Sect, doing the work of Servant Disciples while wearing his Inner Sect robes. Some people laughed at Jun De as he worked or stared at him in curiosity.

  “If your pride breaks you, then you were never worthy to begin with. Do not allow an Inner Demon to exploit your arrogance and conceit.”

  The months continued to pass, and Jun De's training shifted from gaining strength to developing resilience and endurance. His body was becoming stronger, but it was his mind and spirit that were now being hammered beneath Shen Weifeng’s training.

  In the Outer Sect, Lin Yue and Shen Ruolan sat across from each other at a low, wooden table that had been placed in Shen Ruolan’s courtyard. A teapot rested on its surface, while the pair drank from delicate, porcelain teacups.

  “The Outer Sect seems so quiet and empty lately. Even Sister Mei hasn’t been around.” Lin Yue said softly.

  Shen Ruolan gave a faint smile, brushing a lock of her blue-black hair behind her ear.

  “I don’t mind it. It’s given us both time to focus on our training and cultivation. There were always too many distractions in Yunlai City. You’ve benefited from this silence as well, Yue.

  Your

  aura is sharper than it was a few months ago.”

  Lin Yue looked down at her tea and smiled.

  “I’ve been working hard, but the Inner Sect still feels so far away. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for us to get there.”

  Ruolan reached out and rested her hand lightly on Lin Yue’s.

  “We’ll get there eventually. There’s no need to rush things. Besides, I heard something from my uncle that you may find interesting.”

  Lin Yue looked up sharply with curiosity.

  “Elder Shen?”

  “Uncle told me that he and Jun De are training together. They are going to participate in an Inner Sect tournament next year. He assured me that we’ll both be allowed to attend, along with all the Outer Sect.”

  Lin Yue’s eyes widened, and her cup nearly slipped from her fingers.

  “You mean we’ll all get to visit the Inner Sect and see Jun De compete?”

  Ruolan nodded, and a smile bloomed on her face that was soon matched by her friend.