Elder Zal wasn’t joking when she said there would be no breaks and there really was none. At least if I didn’t count the few moments that Elder Zal paused to deliver her wisdom before the onslaught of attacks resumed.

  Anyway, I still had no idea how much time had passed by now. I could be days, it could be weeks. I had no clue.

  But what I couldn’t deny was the progress being made.

  With each passing moment I was becoming a much better fighter than I did the previous engagement with the boys.

  Whether it was tracking their movements and accurately predicting the flow of battle or throwing better and more believable feints. I was getting better.

  Especially when it came down to the techniques Elder Zal gave me.

  Infernal Empowerment was the simplest one. In fact, I could do it with ease.

  For this technique specifically, I didn’t need to speak it aloud and it was more of a will/breathing thing.

  All I had to do was tell the Qi exactly where in my body I wanted to go to. If there was a challenge with the technique, It was making sure the exact amount of Qi moved exactly where it needed to go every single time without fail and that’s where the practice came in.

  Because it would do more harm than good if, if the levels of Qi I expected was different in reality. It would throw off my balance and weaken my control overall.

  Of course, even though I became proficient in that technique, it did nothing to change the tide of the battle between the boys and the flying stick.

  The boys knew the technique as well, and the flying stick… well it was the flying stick.

  It wasn’t until I finally got good enough with the Flame Step that things started to change.

  The boys couldn’t use Eternal Flames, and that proved to be a turning point in our constant battles.

  I was on my backfoot being pressed by the boys, as their spears continuously danced with fervor.

  Moving with nothing short of precise and intense motion. Aiming only to cause me harm and nothing else. If they were any doubts to be had in their movements it was long gone. By now they were extremely determined to win these fights and attacked with me zeal.

  It was then that I finally gave power to the second technique I learned.

  “Flame Step.”

  The Qi and the flames in my body moved with intention and a large yet controlled amount of both was redirected to the soles of my feet and very quickly black flames roared form my feet and I used it to propel myself to the left, quickly finding the wide open flank of Lirian.

  I swung my spear with control and power aiming to finally leave my mark in the battle, yet I only barely managed to draw blood before the flying stick took a nose dive towards the back of my neck.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  I was able to sense in time and the flames gathered at my feet, I spun out of the way.

  The stick didn’t stop.

  It was relentless in its barrage and before long the boys recovered from their lapse and joined the attack against me once more.

  It seems the Flame Step wasn’t enough to contend with the might of the flying stick just yet.

  Of course, I knew that.

  I knew there was realistically nothing I could do defeat the ever ruthless flying stick. It was being controlled by Elder Zal. Whose power was unfathomable to me.

  But I will still try.

  I don’t remember when, but at some point I vowed to myself that I would break that stick in half by the time training was over.

  But for now, I would be content with not being hit.

  Time continued to pass.

  I no longer concerned myself with how many days, weeks, or even months had passed since this all began.

  Instead my focus now was making sure to use the few cultivation breaks I was given to heal and recuperate as much as possible.

  Which itself was training on its own.

  Because the pain that Elder Zal inflicted on me on day one has never once rescinded. In fact…I think it’s only gotten worse.

  I guess it was a blessing that I didn’t have to wear the Grivs during all of this. I honestly thought I would have to, but I wouldn’t question Elder Zal about it…I’m sure she has her reasons.

  Anyway, for the time I was in seclusion, there was only one time when the pain stopped, and I finally had a real break.

  It was time to breakthrough passed the middle of Qi Refinement.

  I could feel the pull of my meridians. They wanted more Qi. They thirsted for it, and it signified the necessity to break through.

  I sat down closed my eyes and focused on the Qi that coursed through my meridians. Just to ensure what I felt was accurate. And it was. Instead of circulating, most of the Qi was instead being absorbed.

  My meridians have now surpassed the absorption rate of the midpoint in the Qi Refinement Realm, and I was time to upgrade.

  I then brought my focus to the ambient Qi that existed in the training room. And it was always a lot of it.

  Then in one big rush, I absorbed as much of it as I could in one go and didn’t stop until my body properly acclimated to the influx of Qi.

  It was a slightly painful process, but nothing like the pain I’ve been experiencing recently. So I was able to successfully push through until a soft click resounded somewhere in my body.

  Still don’t understand where these clicking noises come from, but it doesn’t matter. I’m finally at the peak of the Qi Refinement Realm.

  Well, technically I was only at the beginning of the peak. It would take some time for me to reach the point where I’d be ready for Core Formation.

  And by now more and more streaks of black was coloring the Qi that I produced. Soon and very soon I would only be using Infernal Qi.

  But that was my first and last break, and it was also the beginning of the end for the boys.

  The main advantage they had on me was dwindling by the second and my spear fighting proficiency was nearing theirs just as quickly.

  If it wasn’t for the constant presence of the flying stick or maybe even the pain, I likely would have defeated them both a lot quicker than I did.

  In fact, it took me finally be able to use the final technique that Elder Zal gave to me to accomplish it.

  Black Lance.

  It truly was a special technique, and it wasn’t that was easily countered if the user could make use of it in the heat of battle.

  Something that took me a very long time to accomplish.

  Long enough that there were now plenty of actively bleeding wounds on my body that I received due to my many failures.

  Until I finally succeeded.

  With Infernal Empowerment active, and black flames gathered at my feet causing me to move much faster than the boys, and of course the increased strength of a body whose meridians had reached the point of refinement that mine had.

  And not to mention I was someone who completed 9 Cycles of Body Tempering.

  In the same realm as my opponents It would be hard to be my equal. I felt like an unstoppable raging tide that would never be contained.

  The boys learned this first hand.

  I purposely showed a moment of weakness, and the boys didn’t waste any time in trying to exploit it. Attacking me with powerful Qi strengthened strikes of their own.

  Only for me to grin widely and pointing my spear at the rapidly approaching figure of Frian.

  “Black Lance!”

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  P.S Book One of Infernal Apocalypse will be Stubbing this year as well!!!