I can't remember clearly. I'm sure I counted up to 8,000, but it doesn't come to mind easily. I think I need to do another 92,000, but the moment I consider it, I feel my mind will collapse, so I force myself not to think about it.
Master Yun-gwang was watching me with hawk-like eyes. He struck my calf with a wooden sword and shouted.
"Pull yourself together! Your footwork is wrong."
"......!!"
I feel like I'm about to collapse. Thanks to my near-infinite internal energy, my body recovers instantly, but my mental strength is almost depleted. I've been practicing the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique for two nights and three days straight without a moment's rest. I never imagined I would start such intense training from the beginning.
'I want to rest.'
I'm so sleepy. Even though my physical strength shouldn't be exhausted, I keep feeling drowsy. I think I would be happy if I could just lie down and recover, even a little. When I staggered, Master Yun laughed.
"Thought you were a new instructor, but are you just here to be chased away? Hahaha."
"What...?"
"I've been an instructor for several years, but I've never seen such crazy training. You might as well give up."
Master Yun was originally a renowned first-rate martial artist in the Guanzhong area. However, he suddenly lost to Li Guang in his youth and was so impressed that he gave up all his martial activities to become an instructor of the Thunder God Style. Despite his original success, his tone was arrogant and frivolous.
'But his skills are definitely solid...'
I muttered to myself.
Jin So-cheong, the head instructor, and the two other instructors, Yun-gwang and Ji-pyeong, would immediately strike me with a wooden sword if my "stance" was even slightly wrong. They seemed to have received orders from Li Guang to do so.
Swish
I mustered my will and reached 10,000 repetitions.
"Switch, Ji-pyeong."
"Hmm."
By the third day, it was almost evening, and Yun-gwang handed over to Ji-pyeong. Unlike Yun-gwang, who seemed frivolous, Ji-pyeong was a stubborn man like a plow ox. He only watched me silently, without even trying to start a conversation.
Smack
"Ugh."
Ji-pyeong, who had been watching in silence, struck me whenever my stance was wrong. Even though I quickly protected myself with my internal energy, the pain was intense. A normal adult would likely be incapacitated by a single strike from Ji-pyeong.
'Is this guy trying to kill me?'
But Ji-pyeong, with his stubborn ox-like appearance, was unreadable. I had to struggle even harder than before. My hands felt like they were about to cramp from practicing the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique so much, but I forced myself to continue swinging the sword.
I felt my mind going blank. I'm really at my limit now. I just want to collapse and sleep. Even if I don't sleep, I want to lie down for a moment. My body is screaming for a break. I can't even remember how many times I've practiced. I even thought it might be better to die than to continue like this.
At that moment, Ji-pyeong spoke.
"If you want to give up, just say so."
"......?"
"It's impossible to reach 100,000. If you keep this up, your tendons will tear or your muscles will rupture, and you won't be able to live as a martial artist. Just stop."
I had never seen the stoic Ji-pyeong speak so much. But I soon realized it was because he genuinely cared. He thought this training would only shorten a martial artist's life and had no real value, so he was giving me advice out of concern. I snapped back to my senses and replied.
"I won't give up!"
"... Alright, then keep going."
Ji-pyeong closed his mouth and resumed watching me.
Even as my mind was about to give out, my body moved on its own, and I felt my杂念 gradually disappearing. Once the difficulty surpassed a certain level, my mind felt as if it were floating, and I couldn't think of anything.
Soon, Ji-pyeong's turn ended, and Jin So-cheong took over in the early morning. He looked at me, drenched in sweat, and said.
"Wait a moment."
Swoosh!
He suddenly poured a bucket of cold water over me. When I looked at him with a bewildered expression, Jin So-cheong said calmly.
"How many times have you done it?"
"About 26,000..."
"You're too slow. If you don't speed up, the disciple will die during this training."
"What...?"
Jin So-cheong, with a sigh, tore open a piece of dried fruit and said.
"The master has his own confidence in this training. But it's also a gamble. He believes in the disciple's potential, that he can overcome it, and that it will help him grow to the next level. So, believe and don't doubt."
"That doesn't matter. I've decided to do it, so I'll finish it."
"Remember that. The key in this training is to be 'accurate and fast.'"
Jin So-cheong seemed to be giving me a hint.
'Has Jin So-cheong already done this training?'
The thought was terrifying, but I shook my head. If that were true, Jin So-cheong would be a demigod born for martial arts, not a human. Even with my near-infinite internal energy, I'm struggling, so how could a normal human do this training?
But I decided to take his advice seriously. I focused on being accurate and fast in my Thunder Shadow Sword Technique. I was already at my limit, far beyond my usual concentration, and it felt like bugs were crawling in my brain.
For a moment, my vision went dark.
I must have lost consciousness for a moment due to the extreme difficulty. I regained my senses and swung the wooden sword again.
By the time I reached 35,000, the fourth day was almost over.
I was so exhausted that I could barely tell who was watching me. I only felt a dark shape shouting and striking me. My eyes were heavy, and I continued moving without recognizing the shape.
"Hey, pull yourself together!"
Swoosh!
Yun-gwang poured cold water over me. I must have lost consciousness for a moment. As soon as the cold water hit me, I swung the sword mechanically again. I heard Yun-gwang mutter in amazement.
"Crazy... He's been doing this non-stop? Crazy..."
Am I crazy?
Am I crazy?
I kept swinging the sword, repeating Yun-gwang's words. The sword path of the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique was fading from my memory, and my fingertips felt like they had become one with the sword. In that strange sensation, I thought about the past for a moment.
Death. Slaughter. And defeat. Powerlessness.
I've felt these things too many times over the past few decades.
And, Wangliang died.
He died because of my foolish choice, and because of my weakness.
If I remain weak, the same thing will happen again.
'I am weak.'
I've never thought about why I am weak. I've been in a position of inherent weakness since birth. I've lived a hopeless life for decades, being beaten and rolled over countless times. I've been dominated by a sense of powerlessness all this time.
So, I endure.
I don't want to give up.
I've lived a life of decay and ease to the point of being sick of it. Each time, I realized my limits. I understood the harsh truth that you can't gain anything without giving up something of your own.
Now, the only thing I can give up is laziness.
If I give up this training, I'll lose to Sanjie Li Guang again, and he'll let me go. If that happens, I'll just keep spinning my wheels, making no progress, and living a life that would make my promise to Wangliang meaningless. I'll continue living as I have, as if nothing happened.
I don't want that. I don't want to give up.
Now, I have to hold on.
I have to hold on with my life.
By the fifth day, Ji-pyeong came to watch me with concern. His face, usually as expressionless as a stone, showed worry, indicating that I must have looked pitiful. But I had no time to care; I was just counting the repetitions in my mind, numbly.
'55,321... 55,322...'
I was halfway there.
'Wait... Halfway...? Already halfway?'
At that moment, my spirit almost broke. After all this madness, I still had to do it twice more. The idea of doing it all over again seemed impossible. But I gritted my teeth and endured.
I can't think of any reason to keep going.
I just endure.
It feels like a sword is growing from my hand. Time seems to slow down, and my body adjusts to the slower pace. I was lost in the dazzling sword tip in the darkness, and I was in the process of performing the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique for the 55,623rd time.
' I won't give up.
I won't give up.
I will never give up.'
I keep muttering like a mantra.
Because I...
"Master, this is madness."
On the eleventh morning, Jin So-cheong finally voiced his opinion.
Sanjie Li Guang, who was eating breakfast, glanced at him. Jin So-cheong's face was stiff, and he had stopped eating. Li Guang, who was eating stir-fried vegetables, said.
"Yes, it is madness. But why?"
"That child will die."
Jin So-cheong said, exhausted.
That's right.
By common sense, Baixiong will die soon. A normal person would collapse from exhaustion, suffer from tetanus or bruises from the strikes, or die from dehydration. At the very least, their tendons and muscles would rupture, making them unable to practice martial arts again.
In fact, Jin So-cheong believed in the master's training method. He thought the master had a reason for assigning the insane task of swinging the sword 100,000 times without rest. However, as the days went by, he began to doubt it. He could see Baixiong's face losing its vitality in real-time during the repetitive practice.
After a moment of enjoying his breakfast, Sanjie Li Guang said.
"He must die. Otherwise, it won't work."
"Excuse me?!"
"Baixiong has a desperate desire. I realized that the reason for this desperation is a lack of talent. Although it's hard to believe he could grasp the Thunder God Style to this extent at his age, he lacks the insight to understand and master advanced martial arts."
"......!!"
"Perhaps he reached this level due to his incredibly powerful internal energy, despite his lack of insight. However, this has become a poison, and I must eliminate it. The sooner, the better, before he develops worse habits."
To kill.
Jin So-cheong, understanding the meaning, said in a trembling voice.
"Are you trying to force him into a state of self-forgetfulness?"
"He will stay at this level for life if I don't. And I want to see if he has the will to overcome this. Even with his mysterious background, I want to see if he can be accepted as a successor of the Thunder God Style."
"But... But this is too..."
"Enough. If you're so worried, come with me."
After finishing his breakfast, Sanjie Li Guang headed to the training ground with Jin So-cheong. In the training ground, which only instructors and above could enter, a foul smell was emanating. It was the body odor of a young boy standing in the center.
Whoosh
Whoosh -
Baixiong was still swinging the sword. However, his eyes were half-dead, and his movements were slow and mechanical. He looked like a living skeleton.
But Jin So-cheong was surprised by Baixiong's movements.
'He's forgetting! And he's drawing out his potential.'
Li Guang asked the guard, Master Yun-gwang.
"How many times now?"
"It... It's 150 left."
There was a moment of silence.
"... Good. Let's watch."
Jin So-cheong noticed his master's eyes twitching slightly. The slight movement suggested that even Sanjie Li Guang was somewhat taken aback. He likely didn't expect Baixiong to complete it.
'Master really pushed him to the brink of life and death.'
Is it out of caution for the Thunder God Style?
Jin So-cheong didn't know that Li Guang was wary of Baixiong's near-invincible internal energy, similar to the Tianling Pill. Li Guang was deeply cautious of Baixiong, despite his lack of martial arts talent.
This feels like he's fine with me dying.
Or - perhaps he even wanted me to die?
At the same time, Jin So-cheong looked at Baixiong with a sense of awe.
'He's using his internal energy to recover infinitely and drawing out his potential. As his body's protective instincts use the internal energy spread through the eight extraordinary meridians for recovery, he's raising his absolute limits. That's why he can endure when a normal person would die.'
Where does such willpower come from?
Jin So-cheong knew he couldn't do the same even if he had the same internal energy. Of course, his talent meant he didn't need to, but it would still require immense willpower.
Whoosh
When there were only about ten repetitions left to reach 100,000, everyone in the hall noticed a bright light emanating from Baixiong's body, and he instantly recovered. All the bruises, injuries, and accumulated pain and tears in his tendons and muscles disappeared. The internal energy from the six thousand-year-old snow ginseng he had consumed was causing an extraordinary recovery.
"......!!"
A powerful internal energy, far beyond what he had shown so far, began to surge from Baixiong's entire body. Jin So-cheong couldn't believe it.
'The internal energy he had... was just a part of it...?'
He thought Baixiong's internal energy was already a hundred times that of a first-rate martial artist. However, due to his young body and clumsiness in handling qi and intent, he couldn't fully utilize it. Still, Jin So-cheong believed Baixiong's internal energy was world-class.
However - he was wrong. The internal energy they had felt so far was just the tip of the iceberg.
Boom
The entire training ground shook as Sanjie Li Guang, who was sensing the sword path, had a grim expression. Even he was shaken by the immense internal energy. He hadn't expected Baixiong's true internal energy to be ten times what he had shown.
Boom
Qi materialized and coiled around Baixiong's body. It was a continuous phenomenon of qi being released to stabilize his body. As Baixiong faced death multiple times, the power of the six thousand-year-old snow ginseng was being unleashed. Sanjie Li Guang raised his hand to block the influence and muttered.
"A monster..."
99,999.
... 100,000.
Half-conscious and in a state of self-forgetfulness, Baixiong performed the final 100,000th Thunder Shadow Sword Technique.
At that moment, a massive force of Baitian (覇天) was infused into the sword tip and radiated brilliantly. Jin So-cheong, seeing the vivid rainbow-like star cluster, exclaimed in shock.
"Sword Qi!"
It wasn't a complete enlightenment, but who would have thought he could form sword qi purely from internal energy? It was highly inefficient but beautiful. Forming sword qi in such a way was impossible for a human. Only the greatest masters, who had reached the ultimate level by unifying their body and mind, could use such techniques. Jin So-cheong was extremely shocked that Baixiong could force it with just internal energy.
Whoosh
The light of the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique's sword qi flowed perfectly along the sword path. After 100,000 repetitions, Baixiong's Thunder Shadow Sword Technique was faster and more accurate than any previous sword path. The dazzling display of lightning was like a galaxy.
Suddenly, Li Guang, excited, shouted.
"Good!"
Thunder God Style (雷神流)
Secret Technique (秘技)
True (眞) Thunder Sky Annihilation (雷空殲)!
Li Guang's spear cut through the space-time and clashed with Baixiong's sword qi, creating a massive shockwave. Though no sound was heard, the high-frequency sound waves created several shockwaves.
Boom
In the room, Baixiong, standing with his eyes rolled back, fainted.
"......"
"......"
No one could remain unmoved.
A mere teenager in his early teens had endured what was considered impossible for a human. Moreover, the manifestation of sword qi at the end seemed like a milestone in his martial arts journey. Even the usually sarcastic Master Yun-gwang was silent, watching Baixiong.
Sanjie Li Guang approached Baixiong and placed his hand on his shoulder. His qi flowed into Baixiong, stimulating his meridians, and he would soon regain consciousness.
"Ah, uh, where am I?"
Baixiong, still disoriented, heard Sanjie Li Guang say calmly.
"Congratulations. You've successfully completed the 100,000 repetitions."
"Is that so."
"From now on, you can make great progress by studying qi and intent."
"Wow!!"
Baixiong's face showed undeniable joy. He thought he would die during the practice but had survived and succeeded. Of course, Baixiong had no memory of forming the sword qi.
Sanjie Li Guang, who had been watching Baixiong intently, asked.
"What is it?"
"Excuse me?"
He had lost his composure.
"What makes you so desperate? The willpower you have is not that of a child your age. Even a hero of a comeback would find it difficult. Where does such willpower come from? What is so desperate that you crave power?"
Li Guang's question was justified.
Baixiong's willpower exceeded his current understanding. Despite recognizing Baixiong's low talent