Chapter 63
Five days.
That was how long it took Jingliu to adapt to carrying a two-hundred-pound load while maintaining a speed of no less than forty miles per hour to complete her first eighty-mile long-distance run.
Every morning felt like the start of another predictable torture session.
Collapsing from sheer exhaustion and losing consciousness was no different from losing half her life. That was the finish line.
The next day, all her fatigue would miraculously vanish, and the cycle would repeat.
With every step and every swing of her arms, the Star-Iron Sand equipment on her limbs pressed down with crushing weight, threatening to drag her into the ground.
Her sword-swinging training had also been interrupted for several days because of this. She could only console herself by thinking of it as a blessing in disguise.
A person's ability to adapt and endure often grew most rapidly through hardship.
Finally, on the fifth day, Jingliu managed to complete her morning run… while remaining conscious.
She thought her master might offer some words of praise, but instead she received a calm, emotionless command.
"I'll give you two minutes to rest, then begin three thousand sword swings. At this stage, you may remove the weights from your hands and feet."
"…"
Jingliu's expression stiffened.
Because she had failed to finish the weighted runs in the previous days, she had naturally missed her sword-swinging sessions as well.
And the phrase "at this stage"… did that mean she would still have to wear the weights for future sword training?
Her small face trembled slightly.
It seemed she would still faint from exhaustion tonight…
"Yes… Master!"
She wanted to protest, but in the end she swallowed her words.
She could not help missing the Marshal Qi Zhimu from before the fall of Cangcheng — the one from the traditional Cloud Knights tournament who had seemed cold on the outside but warm on the inside.
Compared to her current master… he had practically been gentle.
Clearly the same person, yet his attitude was worlds apart.
When it came to training her, the word "strict" did not even begin to cover it. Even "harsh" felt like an understatement.
But… thinking back on certain things from the past, Jingliu's heart felt incredibly conflicted.
How painful must it have been for Master to personally kill a family member who had fallen to mara-infection?
She could roughly understand why Master had become like this.
Perhaps the kindness and tenderness deep within his heart had completely vanished the moment he killed his own mother.
All that remained was… endless hatred for the Abominations of Abundance.
She and Master were in complete agreement on this point.
She must not disappoint him!
Jingliu tightened her fists, gripped her longsword, and gritted her teeth as she assumed the all-too-familiar stance.
"One, two, three…"
The outcome was no surprise. She pushed herself until she completely lost consciousness.
After that, it was Kanzaki's turn to take over.
He was well-versed in this routine.
Only at this moment would Kanzaki set aside his merciless demeanor and gently lift his disciple.
The next day, as dawn broke.
Jingliu stared blankly at her fair, delicate palms, somewhat dazed.
Her strength had suddenly increased significantly… When she woke up, she had accidentally crushed the edge of the bed.
Only now did she realize that if she were a Short-Lived Species, these hands would have long since developed calluses.
For the Xianzhou people, who could even regrow a wisdom tooth after it was pulled, there was no need to worry about such skin damage.
She fingered the silver moon jade pendant hanging from her neck for a moment, then got out of bed, washed up quickly, and entered the main hall.
Breakfast was prepared as always. After eating and resting briefly, the hellish training began once more.
She grabbed the bottle of pills on the table, slipped it into her pocket, and ran out toward the martial arts arena.
It was bitter, but she had grown used to days like this.
In the arena, Master was already there as usual, holding a horse stance.
While hers was for sword training, Master's was for weight-bearing, standing as steady and immovable as a mountain.
Today, the objects on Master's shoulders were not cylindrical steel bars, but two Aurumaton Gatekeepers… A human carrying two mechanical constructs that far outweighed him, without moving an inch, was a rather terrifying sight.
Whenever she saw Kanzaki's even more extreme morning routine, Jingliu would hypnotize herself into believing that the hardships she faced were nothing in comparison.
This was the main source of motivation that kept her gritting her teeth and pushing forward every day.
Watching her master's figure helped her hold on longer.
"Good morning, Master."
"Mm."
Hearing the response, Jingliu habitually put on her arm and leg guards, took a deep breath, and began her training.
The morning sun gradually shed its shyness, peeking over the horizon and rising at a steady pace.
Its warm light felt pleasant, casting a dreamlike glow over the master and disciple in the arena.
Shadows lengthened beneath the green trees surrounding the track, and the birds began to sing melodic tunes.
Among the various sounds of nature, Jingliu's slightly hurried breathing gradually joined in.
The heavy weight on her hands and feet no longer felt like an unbearable burden.
In less than an hour, she completed the training that had once felt like torture in a single go.
When she finally stopped and panted heavily, Jingliu still felt dazed, as if it were all a little surreal.
"Rest for three minutes. Starting today, the training will include three thousand sword swings while wearing the weights."
Kanzaki's words instantly pulled Jingliu back to reality.
Her face fell. She silently took out the small bottle from her pocket, poured out a pill, and swallowed it.
The dry, parched feeling in her throat quickly faded.
The weighted run was finished, but weighted sword swings… holding a single posture for a long time without moving was actually harder than repeating movements without stopping.
To be honest, Jingliu did not have a shred of confidence.
In simple terms, how could she currently manage to lift a hundred-plus-pound barbell three thousand times in a row, and at a fast pace?
As it turned out, Jingliu was very self-aware.
Throughout the morning, she fell backward several times, badly bruising her back and buttocks.
She also fell forward several times, scraping the skin off her arms until dark red marks appeared in multiple places.
In the end… she fainted.
However, this time Kanzaki did not treat her wounds, nor did he let her soak in a medicinal bath.
He simply waited for Jingliu to wake up, tossed her a nutritionally balanced lunch box, and ordered her to continue training after resting for fifteen minutes.
For the first time, Jingliu felt absolutely miserable upon waking from her exhaustion-induced faint.
Her whole body was in excruciating pain. Being hit by a star-skiff traveling at two hundred kilometers per hour might not have hurt this much.
The hand holding the chopsticks would not stop shaking, and the food she tried to bring to her mouth occasionally missed and fell back into the box.
In this state, the outcome of continuing the training was obvious.
The fierce sun dipped below the horizon, and the crescent moon rose steadily with the night.
The familiar evening breeze, the familiar medicinal bath.
And the familiar, half-dead Jingliu.
Over a dozen silver needles were inserted into the girl's exposed, fair back. As Kanzaki twisted them with his fingers, the pain in her brow slowly faded.
Once the emerald-green medicinal liquid in the wooden tub turned clear, the familiar routine resumed.
At dawn the next day, Jingliu walked to the full-length mirror and took off her pajamas.
She turned left and right, examining herself.
Her skin was supple and white, glowing with a healthy luster. There were no scars left, nor any lingering discomfort from her injuries or fatigue.
"What exactly… did Master do to me last night…"
Her biology books at the Academy said that Xianzhou people had strong restorative powers, but they were not this strong.
How could someone who had lost half their life become full of vigor after just one night's sleep?
Wait… thinking about it carefully, there actually was such a thing!
…The Mara-Struck…