Path Of The Dragon (A Dark Fantasy Cultivation Wuxia Xianxia Progression Series)

Chapter 45 New Martial Skills

As always, Elder Shi's torturous routine began with a run. The increased resistance from the vest made Jie feel like she hadn't made any progress as, if anything, it only felt more difficult than before. But it helped to keep in mind that its current resistance and gravity likely would've killed her when she'd started.

Then came the thousands of push-ups, squats, and other exercises she still had no name for all while weighed down by more than ten times as much weight as when she'd first started training with the sadistic fox woman. And, as always, Elder Shi had Jie drink disgusting concoctions and consume body conditioning pills between her more arduous exercises.

Every movement felt as though Jie were wrestling with a mountain. Her muscles screamed and rippled beneath her skin, but the pain was an agony sweeter than honey.

So many years trapped inside her own body and now she could snap the bodybuilders on Earth in half with her pinky finger. The pain only made her feel stronger, to further remind her that she wasn't just alive... she was living! Living a life she'd only dreamed of in her wildest fantasies!

Jie smiled despite herself as sweat ran down her body and she did every movement to her fullest ability.

"If you keep smiling like that, I'll start to feel bad. Like I'm not training you hard enough," Elder Shi said.

Jie's smile grew.

"Tch, brat," Elder Shi said as she turned away but not before Jie saw the smile on the elder's lips.

Once her exercises were complete, Elder Shi helped to further condition Jie's body through calculated torture designed to make her body tougher and more resistant to attacks. To harden her bones and toughen her skin.

Hours later, Jie lay sprawled out on the grass, panting, and unable to move. Everything hurt.

"Hmm... I suppose that'll do for today," Elder Shi said, "your body is extremely impressive for your stage of cultivation. You mustn't neglect it. It may seem strange to do all this training when you grow stronger through cultivation, but the two together are where real strength lies."

Jie nodded slightly. It hurt to even do that much.

Elder Shi chuckled. "See? This is what happens when you smile like a maniac during torture," she said.

Jie giggled.

Elder Shi knelt beside Jie, still smiling as she shook her head. "I suppose there's nothing to be done for it. I can't let my student lie here all night," she said. She placed her hand on Jie's chest. It glowed green, vibrant, and filled with life. Jie felt the pain melt away as her muscles relaxed and healed, only even stronger than they'd been before.

"There," Elder Shi said, "now, stretch and go study your scrolls. I don't want to see you doing any more training today. I know you're hungry for power, but if all you do is cultivate, you'll be unprepared for a fight and get yourself killed."

***

Jie returned to her private residence, and after a bath to get the sweat off and a quick check on Ming, went into the private garden once more.

Her residence had enchantments that were supposed to obscure her from all but the strongest cultivators. They tended to make the sky shimmer when she entered the garden. But when she entered it now, the sky rippled and distorted heavily as though she'd thrown a large stone into a pond.

The effect was rather beautiful in a way, the ripples running through the night sky made it seem as though she could reach up and dip her hand into it. Jie smiled for a moment before turning her attention to more important matters.