Chapter 64
"I have some knowledge of medicine and have studied acupuncture. Since I put you through this kind of training, I naturally have ways to make sure you can train safely. Don't ask any more questions."
"...Oh."
Jingliu was slightly rebuffed by her master's short answer. Since he didn't want to explain further, she stopped thinking about it and obediently went back to her training.
In any case, Master would never lie to her. The harsh training was all for her benefit.
After enduring the most painful early stages, she could clearly feel how much stronger her body had become. If she were to return to the Vanguard Challenge during the Pilgrimage now, defeating several opponents would no longer be a problem.
With that thought in mind, Jingliu began another day of grueling training.
Several days passed in a blur.
At dusk, Jingliu completed her three-thousandth weighted sword swing without fainting on the spot.
Although her arms still felt like they were tearing apart, she had finally grown used to that suffocating weight and exhaustion.
When she met Kanzaki's gaze, a spark of expectation appeared in Jingliu's eyes.
Would Master praise her this time?
"Since you've adapted, add another three thousand swings."
Kanzaki's emotionless voice instantly crushed her hopes like a bucket of cold water.
"Starting tomorrow, double the distance of your morning run and increase your sword swings to six thousand."
"...Yes, Master!!"
Jingliu secretly gritted her teeth and swallowed the protest that had nearly escaped her lips.
The following days turned hellish once again.
Doubling the morning run distance was far more difficult than simply adding the numbers. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, she still couldn't complete it in a single day.
Carrying the heavy two-hundred-pound load while maintaining a punishing pace over the full doubled distance proved brutal.
In reality, she had to restart multiple times, with each attempt covering less distance than the last. Only after pushing herself to the brink of collapse for several days straight did she finally reach the target.
And even then, six thousand weighted sword swings still awaited her under the blazing afternoon sun.
Every form of training pushed her physical limits to the extreme.
Most nights, Kanzaki had to carry her back from the training grounds.
Yet every morning when she woke up, her body felt strangely full of vitality, as if it had been tempered like steel — impurities hammered out, becoming denser and stronger with every session.
Another ten days passed.
On the training grounds, Jingliu no longer looked as disheveled as she had half a month ago.
She still carried the two-hundred-pound load, but her steps were now steady and powerful. Completing the long run left her flushed and breathing hard, but she remained standing.
The longsword whistled through the air with every swing. After six thousand repetitions, she was panting heavily yet stood firm on both feet.
"Master! I... I did it. Are there any more arrangements for next...?"
She no longer dared to show open hope for praise, afraid that her daily quota would double again.
That really would kill her, wouldn't it...?
In the center of the training grounds, Kanzaki struck downward with his palm, causing the air to whistle sharply.
He finished the motion, steadied his breathing, and looked at Jingliu with a calm gaze.
With a flick of his fingers, a glowing Jade Sign appeared between them.
He tapped it lightly, and the Jade Sign hummed as it flew to the ground.
A pale blue beam of light rose, twisting and forming the ferocious phantom of a Borisin.
Fangs bared, eyes glowing blood-red.
Even though it was only a projection, the overwhelming bloodlust and chilling aura felt incredibly real.
On the phantom's neck, vital organs, and joint connections, several thin black lines and glowing spots were clearly marked.
"This is a Military Training Jade Token. It can simulate common Abominations of Abundance."
Kanzaki pointed at the black lines.
"Starting today, we begin precision strike training. No more simple counting. You must use your sword to accurately cut through the black lines and pierce the glowing spots. Even a slight deviation will count as a failure."
"When you can land five successful strikes within three seconds, you will have completed the first stage. For this initial session, you may remove your weights."
Hearing this, Jingliu gripped her longsword tightly.
She was familiar with this type of training. She had seen it during the Pilgrimage, and she still clearly remembered her Master's blindingly fast ten strikes per second while blindfolded.
No running, no repetitive swings, and no heavy weights. It should be easier than before, right?
Kanzaki saw through her thoughts immediately and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The sword forms you learned during the Pilgrimage practicals were only the most basic foundations. To put it bluntly, they were nothing more than surface-level techniques."
"On a real battlefield, those moves wouldn't even scratch an Abomination's hide."
"If you think precision strike training is going to be easier than long-distance running and weighted swings, you are sorely mistaken."
"I should also mention that this is only the stationary phase. Later, the projected Abomination will begin moving rapidly."
"Although it won't change position, its twisting body will make the vital points much harder to track."
"If your strikes are accurate but too slow, you will still struggle."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Borisin phantom let out a silent roar.
"Begin whenever you're ready."
"Yes, Master!"
Jingliu nodded firmly. Her eyes sharpened as she dashed forward powerfully.
She raised the longsword high with both hands and brought it down with the momentum of her charge, aiming straight for the black line on the phantom's neck!
The blade whistled through the air with good force.
But just as it was about to connect, she overcommitted and pressed down an extra half inch.
The sword passed through the light and shadow, missing the target below the black line.
The Jade Sign emitted a low hum, marking the strike as invalid.
Kanzaki's voice came from behind her. "Are you chopping firewood?"
Jingliu refused to accept it and tried again. This time she deliberately held back some strength to improve her control.
However, because she withdrew her power too soon, the strike lacked momentum. Although the blade grazed the edge of the black line, the angle was wrong and it was still ruled invalid.
"Lock your wrists. Don't let your power scatter."
The third strike. The fourth strike...
Half an hour later, Jingliu had already swung her sword hundreds of times.
Yet that thin black line continued to elude her. No matter how hard she tried, the blade would always deviate for one subtle reason or another.
Either she used too much force and her movement became distorted, or she focused too much on accuracy and her strikes became too slow — taking two or three seconds per swing with almost no lethality.
Sweat dripped into her eyes, stinging.
Jingliu grew more anxious. Her breathing became ragged, and her sword strikes turned increasingly chaotic.
"Stop."
Kanzaki stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, halting her completely disorganized swings.
"If your mind is in chaos, your sword is nothing but scrap metal."
Without releasing her wrist, Kanzaki moved behind her and placed his other hand on the side of her waist.
The sudden closeness made Jingliu's body stiffen. She instinctively wanted to pull away, but her attention was quickly captured by her master's words.
"Don't move. If you cannot learn to adapt your power flexibly, then in the eyes of your enemy you will only have one predictable move."
His voice was right beside her ear, carrying only strict instruction with no trace of anything else.
"Calm your mind and feel this force."