"We had a brief confrontation before I made a run for it. When the guy slashed my arm, I froze a bit in shock. Then, he aid for my neck again, but I managed to dodge, only to be caught off guard by a surprise attack to the ribs," I scratched the back of my head nervously and offered a strained smile. "Honestly, I don't rember the exact details of what happened after that. It's all a blur like I could sense my opponent's bloodlust lingering in the air as I escaped.
"Well, I'm not here to pass judgnt on whether running away is good or bad," the old woman shrugged. "And there's no need to be so nervous. You're just a Body Tempering outer disciple. Nobody suspects you or anyone else at your level of being involved in this ss."
Yeah, that made sense. But the old lady gave a scare for a second there. Thankfully, it seed she wasn't too invested in this investigation, and her questions lacked enthusiasm.
Or did they? For all I knew, everything she had done until now might have been to put at ease. I couldn't afford to let my guard down. She was a dangerous woman who would pick up on any inconsistencies in my story. The best I could manage was to offer her so half-truths, wording my responses so that if there were any ans to detect falsehoods, my words would technically hold true.
It sounded much simpler than it was, considering I had to concoct responses on the fly.
As far as I knew, I was the only survivor of that incident, and if I outed myself now I would have to get involved. There was no other way around it, and depending on who that young girl who had tried to kill was and who eliminated all the other people who were observing. It had to be a group of people covering things up, and they had a list of people to take care of, and who knew where I sat in that hierarchy.
While the Blazing Sun Sect would protect to a certain degree, there was a limit to where the costs would outweigh the benefits of protection. Then, they would likely throw to the wolves.
She continued probing with miscellaneous questions about my activities outside the sect. I mostly stuck to the truth, ntioning my visit to the Greengrass Town market and the purchase of the turtle, conveniently omitting the encounter with the three bandits and replacing it with an altercation with soone else, which accounted for my injuries.
The story contained enough truth that I could recall the details; if anyone decided to investigate, they wouldn't find anything incriminating.
The three bandit brothers were my only vulnerability. Though they were likely victims of the explosion, given its proximity to their village. I hoped the villagers had managed to escape despite the weakness it might pose to my case. They were decent folk.
Either way, even if they miraculously survived, they couldn't provide a detailed description of . My face had a lot of average features. Dark hair, dark eyes, and sowhat pale skin, that described most of the cultivators out there.
"Well, that concludes our session. I may return with more questions, perhaps the sa ones, perhaps not," she announced, rising from her seat with a sour expression as if she'd prefer eating a raw lemon to this task. "Honestly, the sect leader places too much trust in that paranoid old coot."
It was ironic that she was calling soone old, but I held my tongue and bowed respectfully toward the elder woman. "Thank you for your ti, honorable elder."
"Don't ntion it, brat," she waved off my gratitude. "I'll attempt to persuade the sect leader to abandon this foolishness. So you can return to focusing on your martial arts. And I'll ensure you're all compensated for the ti wasted here by that old fool. What did he hope to achieve by imprisoning over a hundred kids?"
She was surprisingly amicable. Or perhaps she was playing the good cop to coax into lowering my guard.
As she exited, the door screeched loudly behind her, and I released a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Relief washed over .
I was still curious and wanted to inquire about the whole incident, but I bit back my questions. After all, the prison had our silence arrays, preventing even the prisoners from discussing what had occurred.
Prison life wasn't terrible; als were delivered, and I had ample ti to train and only train.
Though, I did miss the old man's company and his snarky remarks.
"Welp, little buddy. Ti to get back to training," I scratched Speedy's head and resud my ditation where I had left off.
Three days passedor at least I believed they did, judging by the nine als I'd received. It was challenging to gauge ti without sunlight.
Despite the circumstances, I had grown sowhat accustod to prison life. There were no complicated schedules, and no curfews to abide by. I didnt fret over etings, readings, or conversations. I simply woke up, ate, trained, and slept.
Occasionally, the old lady would drop by, feigning interest as she posed her questions. Her disdain for the situation couldn't have been clearer; she was vehently opposed to it. From what I noticed, it seed like her granddaughter was also entangled in this ss too.
Today unfolded much like the previous ones. Upon waking, I felt rejuvenated and brimming with energy, ready to embark on another grueling training session until my arms threatened to detach. However, I deviated from the routine today, opting to assess my progress.
After a series of swift tests, I recorded my stats in my trusty notebook, crossing out the previous entries.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Na: Liu Feng
Age: 16
Talent: C (fifty-three spirit root branches)
Cultivation: Body Tempering (seven-star)
Strength 7.5 7.7
Agility 7.2 7.5
Endurance 7.4 7.9
Qi 0
Techniques:
-Piercing Fang Fist (Mortal Grade)
-Rushing Bull Step (Mortal Grade)
-Turtle Shell Body (Mortal Grade)
My Endurance had soared, evident in the lengthy duration it took for the Turtle Shell Body technique to induce fatigue and discomfort nowadays. Previously, I'd feel the strain almost instantly; now, it would take hours.
Still, according to my calculations, achieving an eight in endurance should propel to eight-star Body Tempering.
I felt a mixture of excitent and apprehension. While a one-star improvent might appear insignificant, it marked a minor bottleneck that many struggled to overco. Liu Feng had relied on body-strengthening pills to forcibly advance from six-star to seven-star Body Tempering. Even then, the breakthrough had been arduous and painful, requiring multiple attempts.
Yet, despite it all, a surge of excitent coursed through at the prospect of experiencing a breakthrough to the next level. While I had Liu Fengs mories of such an event, undergoing it myself was a wholly different sensation, and I could not wait for it!
Lost in my daydreams of advancent, the door to my cell creaked open, and I scarcely needed to glance to determine the visitor's identity. By now, the familiar sound of the old lady's walking stick tapping against the ground had beco second nature.
"Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself," she remarked.
The fact that she could observe training and going about my routine was unsettling. It amounted to a gross invasion of privacy, but this is the realm of xianxia, so there was no use whining about it. Even if I did, who would even bother to listen?
"I'd be having even more fun if I had enough space to practice the Rushing Bull Step Technique," I reminisced.
She leaned her cane against the doorfra, and two tea cups appeared in her hands with a flick of her wrist. "I learned during the investigation that you enjoy sharing tea with the old janitor."
"Yes."
"Don't look so uncomfortable; it kills the mood," she chided gently, sipping from her cup before offering the other. "By the way, your frequent interactions with the old janitor essentially clears you of suspicion. He's been around for quite so ti, and his integrity is well-known."
Her words lifted my spirits, prompting a grateful smile as I accepted the tea. "Thank you."
"Anyway, about this Rushing Bull Step technique and your desire to train it more... Why exactly can't you practice it here?"
"Well, this space is confined, and the technique involves kicking off the ground and charging forward blindly. I can't exactly halt mid-motion, and the technique only allows forward movent."
She arched a skeptical brow, regarding as though I had uttered the most absurd statent. "So what?"
"So... what?" I echoed, equally puzzled.
The corner of her lips curled upward. "If your technique is direct and would result in you crashing into a wall, then master it until that's no longer the case. Every technique's weaknesses can be overco with mastery!"
What she said was very basic, yet its simplicity held profound wisdom. After all, while techniques could be learned, true mastery allowed for personal imprint and refinent.
"Also, don't fret about breaking the stone," she chuckled, the sound sending a shiver down my spine.
Okay, that laugh was a tad unsettling.
"You'd break your face and every bone in your body before the wall even registers a hit. This stone wall was built to withstand forces far greater than you, brat."
At that mont, everything clicked into place. It was a eureka mont for !
"May I begin training now?" I inquired.
"Go ahead," she shrugged. "Chair!" she called out, and an inner disciple promptly brought in a chair before departing once she was seated. "There's no use questioning you further. Nobody suspects you anyway. You're mostly here because certain inner elders would complain if their sons remained confined while you walked free. But don't worry, the longer you stay, the more that paranoid bastard will have to pay in reparations."
I only half-listened to her words, focusing instead on crouching and setting aside the teacup. In an instant, I launched myself off the ground, activating Rushing Bull Step. Suddenly, within the confines of the room, new ideas began to flow.
Control it! Control the power! I ntally urged myself as I felt my thighs swell, though not as much as usual.
First and foremost, I realized I didn't always have to employ Rushing Bull Step at full force. Furthermore, I discovered that I could manipulate my movents within the technique, allowing for strategic positioning. With each landing against the wall and subsequent rebound, my speed increased.
The old granny waited patiently until I finally grew fatigued, offering only a nonchalant hum when I ceased. Thankfully, my legs didn't ache more than they would from a brief run. The Turtle Shell Body was perfect for what I had lacked.
"Since I'm not free, may I inquire about what's happening outside?" I asked, retrieving the tea I had set aside. Its flavor mirrored the tea I often enjoyed with the old janitor.
"Well, a Spring of Power was discovered near Greengrass Town, and soone managed to steal it right from under our noses. There's now a hunt for the thief," she explained, her expression clouding with disapproval. "At least that bastard's nephew didn't get his hands on it."
The notion of soone stealing from a prestigious sect like ours sounded straight out of xianxia protagonist material. Stealing such a valuable resource that sects invested considerable effort to obtain required exceptional skill and audacity. Even when rival sects were involved, such resources were safeguarded with utmost vigilance, given their critical importance in cultivation.
Stealing sothing of that magnitude was akin to making a horde of enemies, each eager to exact revenge.
I often joked about the tropes of xianxia protagonists. But this situation really resembled onea character who stole from dangerous sects and formidable adversaries, only to find his own clan targeted once his adversaries couldn't apprehend him. So were hypocritical enough to decry their enemies as dishonorable scum for such acts, conveniently ignoring their own similar tactics.
Did actually sothing as ridiculous as soone favored by the heavens exist? A so-called protagonist?
I was curious, since if they did exist, I would have to take a second look at everything I knew about this world
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