Chapter 66
He was always far harder on himself than on anyone else.
"It's fine." Kanzaki had noticed Jingliu watching from the sidelines long ago, yet he made no attempt to hide it from her.
It was good for her to be mentally prepared. After all, she would have to face this reality sooner or later.
"Master… is this the physical conditioning program?"
"Yes."
"But why use this method? Other than ending up heavily injured, what benefit does it bring?"
Jingliu asked, her confusion clear as she noticed Kanzaki's unnatural gait. He was clearly limping.
It showed just how devastating the half-hour beating he had endured truly was.
Before Kanzaki could answer, Jingliu stepped forward, her face full of worry.
"Let me help apply medicine for you, Master."
"No need. It will be fine soon."
Kanzaki waved his hand and patiently explained the reason to his disciple.
"The Academy's biology classes taught us that the people of the Xianzhou are essentially humans who have received the blessing of Abundance and walk the Path of Abundance."
"Our bodies possess far stronger natural healing abilities than Short-Lived Species, and they surpass many other races that lack this blessing."
"Over the past few days, as the intensity of your training has gradually increased, your body has been constantly adapting. You should have noticed the changes yourself."
"In essence, whether it's sword swinging or long-distance running, both are forms of physical conditioning."
Hearing her master's explanation, Jingliu calmed down. She thought it over carefully and suddenly understood the logic.
Indeed.
Long-distance running had greatly improved her endurance and taught her how to manage her physical strength more efficiently.
Sword swinging, on the other hand, primarily helped stabilize her lower body and maintain balance in her limbs even when exhausted.
These two fundamental exercises, performed under strict conditions, had laid a solid foundation for her later precision training.
Without that foundation, she could never have met her master's targets on her first attempt at the new program.
The changes in her body over the past few days had been obvious.
It was just that every day she would wake up, train until she fainted from exhaustion, then wake up and continue. She simply hadn't had the energy to think about it.
Now everything made sense.
So Master was using this high-intensity striking method to condition his own body without treating the injuries afterward… Could it be for…
Kanzaki reached out and pressed down on a protruding broken bone in his chest, resetting it with an expressionless face.
"Through systematic and regular training, you can clearly feel improvements in every aspect of your body… faster speed, greater strength, increased endurance, and more."
"From a biological perspective, this is a potential that most organic life forms possess."
"After the body suffers injury, as long as the conditions for healing are met, the wound will recover with time. This is another characteristic of organic life, unlike the replacement of parts in inorganic matter."
"In other words, strength, speed, and endurance can all be enhanced through training… and so can our healing ability."
Having said this, Kanzaki used the back of his fist to strike his own spine, resetting the misaligned vertebrae.
"As long as your body can keep up with the energy demands, improving your healing ability is not particularly difficult. The real challenge lies in perseverance."
Most Short-Lived Species outside the Xianzhou had no idea just how powerful the regenerative abilities of the Xianzhou people truly were.
Broken limbs were minor issues. Even lost limbs could regrow.
Even if one's head and body were separated, as long as the core organ remained intact and the head was reattached before the brain suffered severe damage, survival was still possible.
Because of this, very few people had ever considered further strengthening this natural talent. They hadn't even thought in that direction.
The training plans previously created for the Cloud Knights of Cangcheng had also not included any focus on enhancing healing ability.
First, because for a Xianzhou that hunted the Abominations of Abundance, such training touched on sensitive taboos.
But now?
Some rules existed, but when they needed to be broken, they had to be broken.
To obtain the power he needed, he was willing to pay any price.
Secondly, he had a special constitution that allowed him to endure this kind of training.
For anyone else, failing to withstand the dual strain on body and mind could cause them to lose mental control and fall into mara-infection. The risk far outweighed the reward.
"…So to gain the strength to slaughter those Abominations of Abundance, these are the prices that must be paid?"
"Correct."
Kanzaki nodded as he pushed the last broken bone back into place.
The sharp pain radiating from inside his body was nothing compared to the pain of losing everything he once had.
"Jingliu, remember this: we are humans. We were gifted with wisdom, but not with strength. No matter how much power we obtain, it will never feel like enough when facing powerful enemies."
"Before the Era of the Three Sufferings, our ancestors once mastered an ability that allowed them to greatly strengthen themselves through special means."
"That was one of the shortcuts the Xianzhou people once used to gain power. But it was also the beginning of humanity's downfall, turning us into something little different from the Abominations of Abundance we hunt."
"This power brought too many disasters. After the Ten Lords Commission was established, that ability was completely banned."
"Our home was destroyed and our loved ones perished. The root cause was that we were not strong enough to protect everything we cherished."
Although Jingliu was still young, she understood. She nodded silently.
"…I understand, Master."
She did not miss the faint trace of helplessness in her master's voice. They both carried the same pain.
The pain of loss.
She took out armguards and leg guards from her personal storage device and put them on with practiced movements.
If even a powerhouse like her master trained this way, how could she afford to slack off?
"Wait."
Seeing her actions, Kanzaki suddenly grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
"What's wrong?"
"You don't need to train today."
"It's fine. I want to become stronger faster."
"Sometimes it's not about how fast you want to go. You're still young, and there are certain things you experience for the first time that cannot be ignored."
"Hm?" Jingliu tilted her small head slightly, not quite understanding what her master meant.
Until the next second…
She looked down and saw a small patch of deep red spreading across her training shorts.
"…"
A faint blush instantly colored Jingliu's cheeks.
She had excellent grades at the Academy, so she naturally understood what this meant.
While Xianzhou medicine allowed women to largely ignore the effects of their menstrual cycle, the first time was always an exception that medication could not prevent.
But how did Master know it was her first time…? Oh, right. He mentioned he knew a bit about medicine.
He must have noticed when he examined her body a few days ago…
Then, was the reason he told her she could rest for a day after completing the program yesterday because he had planned to give her today off regardless?
Had he deliberately set a target she could actually achieve on her first try?
Realizing this possibility, the slight resentment Jingliu had felt toward her master's strictness completely disappeared.
Master had still left her some consideration, even if it was only a small amount…
"The items are in the drawer beside your bed."
"Thank you for your concern, Master…!"
Jingliu looked slightly embarrassed as she quickly jogged back toward the house.
To Kanzaki, this was only a small interruption. Feeling that his internal injuries had begun to heal, he turned and walked toward the training automaton once more.
From inside the training grounds, the sounds of fists striking flesh and bones cracking rang out again.