Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 411 The Path of the Monk
"Cultivation is not something that can be achieved overnight. We must constantly adjust our training plan according to our body's capacity to keep it in a highly active state. Blindly pushing the intensity to the limit will only lead to physical damage or a backlash of complacency after a short period of self-satisfaction."

"Sounds like a self-destructive act from someone who gave up on dieting?" Hela smiled knowingly, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

"Ha, how could it be giving up because you couldn't keep going? Uh, I mean, training and stuff like that should be done in moderation."

To the supervisor (Hela), Rean tried to explain that he wasn't giving up, but rather that the training program was unscientific and completely illogical from the start; continuing like this would only damage his body and be utterly pointless.
"Uh, isn't this a pretty normal training program for martial monks? Martial monks train like crazy, training until they're near death, in order to awaken their ki."

Handstands on needles are just the beginning; various rope sleeping exercises and brute force crashes into waterfalls are routine. Moreover, these training exercises basically don't have any "quantity." They are basically described as "training until the body can't continue" or "training until one faints."

Looking at the words "running under load until unconscious" and "hanging upside down until unconscious," Rean felt that this was a bit too extreme.

However, this is the basic training of a martial monk, a prelude to pushing the physical body to its limits in order to generate vital energy.

"Uh, I can feel the 'qi' now, can we stop?"

"No, when you asked me to supervise, you said that no matter what you say afterward, I must do my best to supervise to the end."

Rean, who was a while ago, foresaw his current situation.
"Wait a minute, when I said that, I didn't expect the training to be this outrageous; they're training like they're going to kill themselves."

"The training of a paladin is not the same as training to the point of death."

"That's different, it's really different."

Rean sighed, but ultimately gritted his teeth, stood up, and continued practicing.

He knew that as long as he persisted, Hela's supervision would become unnecessary. However, he still had to save face in front of Hela and Dania, and he would try his best to persevere even in the most difficult training.

However, if this is normal monk training, then this profession is far too arduous.
"Of all professions, the training of monks is indeed the most arduous. They do not rely on weapons or magic; they can reach a transcendent level solely through their physical bodies."

Monks are a profession that fights with their bare hands. To make an ordinary body reach the strength of a magical beast, and to make their fists surpass magical weapons, they naturally need to undergo training intensity beyond self-torture. Monks can only rely on their own "life" and the "qi" squeezed out by that life.

Is this what qi is?

Rean could feel a surge of heat circulating within his body, even transcending his flesh and blood to solidify into a tangible form.

This is "Ki," or "life force materialized/energized." It is basically only mastered by monks and a very few top warrior branches. Unlike the omnipotent Ki in some legends, the "Ki" in this world is a kind of life energy, and it is not fundamentally different from magic or holy power.

For a normal monk to obtain it, they need to hone their physical strength to the brink of life and death several times. One wrong move and they're done for. Becoming a normal monk is not a path that normal people can take. Only those with truly extraordinary willpower can complete the basic training and become a true monk.

This is a special profession that can compete with other powerful and extraordinary professions without needing external assistance. Apart from having a particularly high employment threshold (for those who are disabled), it has no obvious shortcomings.

"This is too much of a cheat."

Looking at the "KI" that Rean pulled out, Hela pouted. She said that she only awakened her "sword aura" when she reached the seventh ring swordsman level.

Moreover, the swordsman's aura and the monk's aura are two different concepts. Just like a thief or bard who reaches the top level can throw a few low-level spells, but no one would really consider them a mage.

The swordsman's aura, specifically referring to the Sword Saint branch within the Warrior class, can likely only be channeled into the weapon to increase its attack range and sharpness.

Even so, reaching this level still requires arduous training. Meanwhile, martial monks possess at least dozens of extraordinary powers, ranging from injuring people from a distance to manipulating elements, all of which require mastery and use of ki. The practicality of the two is simply incomparable.

"Hehe, looks like I got a bargain." The monk's control over ki is the core of the core, a prerequisite for taking up the job.

Under normal circumstances, it requires long and grueling inhuman training to gradually unleash the potential of life before one has a chance to awaken. This is similar to how a life that breathes controls the flow of air, or how a life that creates something from nothing controls the life energy. It requires more than just talent.

Monks are an extremely special profession, and their lifespans are either extremely long or extremely short, which is also the consequence of their attempt to "control" their lives.

If someone lacking talent forces themselves onto this path, they will truly die.
"Perhaps, the fact that I can so easily obtain these starting points in the professions is the biggest cheat code I've ever received."

Unlike the arduous leveling process in games where getting started is easy, the most difficult and demanding part of real life is often the starting point for each profession. Mages need years of study and accumulation, monks need to endure life-or-death struggles and rigorous training, while the easiest are pure melee combat units like warriors and paladins, which can be completed in about two or three years (or even three months for those with exceptional talent).

"Even without the blessing of the monk profession, the feeling of mastering ki will not be forgotten, and the body's memory of ki will not be lost. It may only take a few weeks or even a month to regain mastery of ki."

Rean pondered for a moment. This ability was actually quite good. Even without considering the monk's close combat ability, the fact that the Qi could be used for "self-healing," "acceleration," and "reducing fatigue" was a strategic-level boost.

Whether it's a dragon or a beast, their life energy is extremely terrifying.

In fact, there is a very powerful branch of the Monk class: the Blue Dragon Monk. Those resolute blue desert dragons favor the Monk as their most preferred humanoid class.

However, from another perspective, dragons also have an advanced form called "Skin-Carved Dragon," whose abilities can probably be seen as a monk version of a dragon.

"Sigh, let's continue."

With a sigh, Rean continued his training for the day.

He had realized that these seemingly unreasonable training methods were actually pushing people to the brink of death, designed to make them "forget" their physical bodies and unleash the full potential of their lives.

The improvement in training is not actually important; what is important is the state of "walking between life and death" during training. This is an extremely absurd and special profession.

"At least, it's effective."

In the process, Rean gradually forgot about his own body. When he relied on his instincts to struggle desperately for survival, his body, which was originally unruly, was gradually completely controlled by him.

When life is threatened and death is imminent, all instincts and the body are used to resist the crisis. At this time, any slight disharmony between the spirit and the body is naturally forcibly fused together.

This is a process, a process of gradually finding oneself.
"It is also a training journey for martial monks."

Contrary to legend, the physical body is fundamental to martial monks. Having achieved a unity of spirit and flesh, they can, upon reaching a certain level of cultivation, allow their souls to leave their bodies and their physical forms to vaporize.
"Alright, we're almost done with the first stage. Let me see what the second stage is."

He flipped to the back of the booklet, glanced at it, and Rean felt numb.

The text contains only four familiar Chinese characters, which are simple, direct, and leave no room for misunderstanding.

"To truly die once."

He flipped to the back, intending to give a sneak peek; this time there were eight.

"If once isn't enough, die a few more times."

(End of this chapter)