Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

"I have some medical knowledge and have studied acupuncture. The reason I have ordered you to undergo this training is that I have a method to allow you to practice without any worries. Do not ask any questions."

"…oh."

Jing Liu was met with a small setback, only receiving this answer from Qi Zhimu.

Since the school didn't have a medical department and her master didn't want to talk about it, she gave up thinking about it and obediently went to train.

Anyway—

Her master wouldn't lie to her; the rigorous training was for her own good.

Having endured the most painful period, she clearly felt the extent of the changes in her body.

If she were to return to the Valiant Guard Challenge from her pilgrimage days, defeating several opponents wouldn't be a problem for her now.

With these thoughts in mind, Jingliu began another day of arduous training.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

dusk.

Jingliu completed his three thousandth weighted sword swing without immediately passing out.

Although her arms were still aching terribly, she had finally gotten used to the suffocating heaviness and exhaustion.

Meeting Qi Zhimu's gaze, Jing Liu's eyes lit up with anticipation.

Will her master praise her?

"Now that you've gotten used to it, let's do another three thousand times."

Qi Zhimu's voice was devoid of emotion, instantly extinguishing her illusions like a bucket of cold water.

"Starting tomorrow, the morning running distance will be doubled, and the number of sword swings will increase to 6,000."

"...Yes, Master!!"

Jingliu gritted his teeth and swallowed the question mark that was about to come out of his mouth.

The days that followed were another hellish time.

Doubling the morning run distance isn't as simple as 1+1=2. Even though she was mentally prepared, she still couldn't complete the task throughout the day.

Carrying a load of 200 jin (100 catties), maintaining a minimum speed of 40 li (20 km/h), and running 160 li (80 km) in one go.

This is the data after doubling.

In reality, it's impossible to do that; each time you recount, the distance is shorter than the first time, and the process ends much faster.

The total distance covered by all those runs is well over 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers)...

She only managed to meet her target after several days of exhaustion.

Then, six thousand more heavy sword swings awaited her.

Under the scorching afternoon sun, no matter what kind of training it was, it pushed her physical strength to the limit.

Every night, she was usually dragged back from the training ground by her master.

As always, I woke up the next day feeling an indescribable sense of fullness.

Just like refined iron that has been repeatedly forged with a hammer, impurities are removed, making it more compact and stronger.

Another ten days have passed.

On the training ground, Jing Liu was no longer as disheveled as he had been half a month ago.

She still carried a 200-pound load, but her steps were steady and powerful. After running 160 miles, she was only flushed and out of breath.

His long sword whistled through the air as he swung it six thousand times. He was panting heavily, yet he stood firmly.

"Master! I...I did it. Now...is there anything else?"

She dared not express her desire for praise again, fearing that her daily training targets would double again.

That would really kill me...?

In the center of the training ground, Qi Zhimu slapped down from above, causing the air to whistle.

He finished his move, gathered his energy, and looked calmly at Jingliu.

With a flick of his two fingers, a jade tablet gleaming with a faint light appeared.

With a flick of Qi Zhimu's fingertip, the jade disc vibrated and fell to the ground.

A pale blue beam of light rose up, the light and shadow twisting and intertwining, condensing into a hideous phantom of Bu Liren.

Its fangs protrude outwards, and its eyes are bloodshot.

Although it was just a phantom, the overwhelming bloodlust and chilling aura it exuded were so realistic that they involuntarily instilled fear in people.

Several extremely fine black lines and light spots were marked on the neck, organs, and joints of this monstrous creature.

"This is a military training jade, which can simulate and generate common abundant abominations."

Qi Zhimu pointed to the black lines.

"Starting today, we will begin precision attack training. We will no longer count the hits. You must use your sword to precisely cut through the black line and hit the light spot. If you deviate even by a hair's breadth, it will be considered invalid."

"When is it considered a preliminary success to hit five times in three seconds, and the weight can be removed during the first training session?"

Upon hearing this, Jingliu gripped his longsword tighter.

She was no stranger to this training, having seen it during her pilgrimage, and was particularly impressed by her master's ability to strike ten swords in a second with his eyes covered.

No need to run laps, no need for tedious sword swings, and no weights—it should be easier than before, right?

Qi Zhimu immediately saw through Jing Liu's thoughts and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"The sword techniques you learned during your pilgrimage training were just the most basic, to put it bluntly, just the surface."

"Once you're on the battlefield, those tricks won't even scratch the surface of the monsters."

"If you think that training for attack precision is simpler than long-distance running and swinging a sword, you are sorely mistaken."

"I forgot to tell you, this is only the stage where the phantom doesn't move. From now on, the projected monsters will rapidly change their movements."

"Although it doesn't move, its twisted shape makes the area of ​​fatal attack difficult to pinpoint."

"If your sword strikes are accurate but lack speed, you're in for a world of trouble."

As the words fell, the illusory figure of Bu Li roared silently.

"Give it a try when you're ready."

"Yes, Master!"

Jingliu nodded, his eyes narrowed, and he took a deep step.

His body shot out like an arrow, raising his longsword high with both hands, and using the momentum of his charge to slash at the black line on the monster's neck!

The sword flashed, and the momentum was still quite good.

Just as the blade was about to touch the edge of the black line, it pressed down uncontrollably by half an inch due to excessive force.

The sword's edge pierced through the light and shadow, striking below the black line.

The jade chime emitted a low sound, indicating that the attack was ineffective.

Qi Zhimu's voice rang out from behind: "Are you chopping wood?"

Jingliu refused to believe it and turned around to strike again. This time, she deliberately held back a bit of her strength, trying to control her aim.

However, because the force was withdrawn too early, the sword momentum was weak. Although the sword tip grazed the edge of the black line, it was still judged as invalid because the angle was incorrect.

"Lock your wrists firmly, and don't let your power slip."

The third sword, the fourth sword...

Half an hour later, Jingliu had already unleashed hundreds of sword strikes.

But the thin black line seemed to be mocking her; no matter how hard she tried, the sword's edge would always deviate from its target for various subtle reasons.

Either the force is too great, causing the movement to become distorted, or the deliberate pursuit of accuracy results in a sword strike that is too slow, taking only two or three seconds to strike, which is completely ineffective.

Sweat getting into the eyes causes discomfort.

Jingliu fought more and more frantically, his breathing became erratic, and his sword strikes became chaotic.

"stop."

Qi Zhimu strode forward and grabbed Jingliu's wrist, stopping her increasingly chaotic swings.

"When the mind is in turmoil, the sword is nothing but scrap metal."

Qi Zhimu moved behind Jing Liu, not letting go, and placed his other hand on her waist.

The sudden close contact made Jingliu freeze, and he subconsciously wanted to shrink his shoulders, but his attention was immediately drawn to his master's words.

"Don't move. If you don't know how to flexibly adapt your power techniques, it means that in the eyes of your enemy, you only have one move."

The voice was right next to my ear, devoid of any allure, only sternness.

"Concentrate and feel this power."