"127… 128… 129…"
Two days had passed since I began my body training along with the enhancement training, and I was currently completing the last set of my military workout push-ups while Geonu was gone hunting for food, fishing by the river.
However, this was not the military training I was originally supposed to do, as there wasn't a single log or boulder adding weight to my workout and making it more difficult.
"132… 133… 134…"
This was because the training had to be changed when I attempted to do even one set of the workout with weights and failed miserably on my first attempt.
That was because I was not even strong enough to perform the normal military workout with ease, so how could I possibly handle additional weights? Of course, the training had to be changed.
"137… 138… 139…"
It seemed that Geonu had been far too excited and completely disregarded the fact that I had not undergone any prior training except for light exercises meant to improve my health.
As a result, the plan was changed so that I would only perform the normal military workout, excluding the addition of weights to each exercise and enhancement training.
"143… 144… 145…"
The exercises that were excluded from my current training would only be added once I could complete the normal military workout without any difficulty.
Which, I felt, would not take too long, as I could already see improvements in my strength, endurance, and stamina after only two days of training.
"148… 149…! 150…!"
As soon as I finished my last set of push-ups, I quickly stood up and looked at my current appearance to be more specifically, my body.
I was shirtless, but that was fine since it was only me and Geonu here. It was even better that way, as it saved me from doing extra laundry, though that wasn't the point.
:Wow, I really buffed up. To think the real training hasn't even started, yet I'm already getting good results.'
I was pleasantly surprised to see that my body had grown more masculine, with my muscles having developed slightly, even though the real training that involved weights had not yet begun.
Yet my body was already improving at an astonishingly fast pace, unlike what had happened during my training in my previous life.
'All of this is due to me having a dantian.'
The reason for this fast pace of improvement was the fact that I had a dantian, which circulated my internal energy throughout my entire body, enhancing and improving its capabilities.
Having a dantian gave me results that were entirely different from my previous life, as it allowed the efficiency of each workout to reach its fullest potential.
'Let's not waste time fawning over admiring myself. I should focus on recovering.'
Recalling something important, I snapped out of my self-admiration, took a lotus sitting position, and began circulating my internal energy.
As my internal energy circulated, it helped speed up the healing process of my tired muscles and recovered my stamina, allowing me to continue with the rest of my workouts.
'No matter how many times I do this, I can't help but be utterly amazed every time.'
What I was using was an ability which all martial artist have and one of the things that made to be consider superhumans along with being one of the benefits of having a dantian.
It's called the Qi Body Recovery Technique, which allowed a person to use their internal energy to recover their body by speeding up the healing process and replenishing stamina.
It also greatly sped up the healing process of my internal injuries, although I was still not skilled or experienced enough to heal severe internal injuries.
This was why the training speed of a person with a dantian and a person without one was vastly different, and showing it even more why martial artists were considered superhuman.
'No wonder Geonu taught me this technique first before I started my body training. He must have known this would happen.'
Although Geonu knew it would increase the pace of my training, he never expected it to be this fast that I'm almost finishing the normal military training in just two days.
This unexpectedly rapid pace of training was also thanks to my unique constitution, the Reverse Heavenly Body, which allowed me to easily adapt to any training method.
'If it wasn't for this, it wouldn't have taken this little time for me to improve and grow this strong.'
I could finally see just how incredible my constitution was, being comparable to a Heavenly Body. I felt eternally grateful to the scroll or to whoever had granted me this blessing that is making my training progress so fast, which perfectly suited to my situation.
Speaking of training, I remembered that I still had many workouts and enhancement exercises to finish before sunset.
'Let's hurry and finish recovery so I can complete the rest of my workouts and start the enhancement exercises before the sun begins to set.'
I was aiming to finish far earlier than before so i focused entirely on the Qi Body Recovery Technique, pushing its recovery speed to the maximum as all my concentration went into boosting its efficiency.
****
Eventually, I fully recovered and continued with the rest of my workouts, performing them at a faster pace than ever before.
"148… 149… 150…! Finally done!"
I was finishing the last of my military workouts an extreme decline sit-up that involved hanging from a sturdy nearby branch and performing sit-ups.
After finishing, I removed my legs from the branch and descended, doing a flip as I went down and landing perfectly on my feet without any trouble, as I was already used to it by now.
Thud!
"Phew! Now the only thing left is the hardest part—the enhancement exercises."
With all my workouts complete, it was time to proceed to what I considered the most difficult and grueling part of my daily body training.
After recovering for a bit using the Qi Body Recovery Technique, I left the edge of the clearing and headed toward one of the locations where my enhancement exercises took place.
****
"Alright, I'm here at the first enhancement exercise."
I arrived at my destination; the waterfall where the first of the three enhancement exercises would take place, requiring me to endure standing directly beneath the falling water.
The enhancement exercises had also undergone a slight change, as I would perform them without additional weights, since I couldn't even handle them without weights the first time.
'Since I already took off my shirt, I can just go in, although my pants get's wet again like every time.'
Still, I couldn't complain. If I took my pants off, I'd be completely naked, exposing everything to anyone who might be watching or even to wild animals.
So I decided to proceed and placed my feet into the river. The water wasn't very deep, only reaching my waist, but the moment my feet touched it.
'Argh! It's so freaking cold—it's freezing!'
I couldn't help but retract my feet from the icy water. The river was naturally cold, likely due to its rapid current and the densely packed forest that limited sunlight exposure.
But I couldn't skip the enhancement exercise just because it was cold. I was better than that. So I entered the water again, pushing through the cold as I approached the waterfall.
'Time for the hard part—entering the waterfall.'
I now stood in front of the river's source as the water crashed down, splashing cold droplets all over me making me shiver even more.
This was the hardest part of the exercise. I had to endure standing under the cold water crashing down from a significant height for five full minutes, shivering and using all my strength just to remain standing.
'I remember the first time I did this. I collapsed after only three minutes, and what happened after was super embarrassing.'
After finishing my first attempt, I had been left shivering and exhausted from the cold, forcing me to seek warmth by hugging a nearby boulder exposed to the sun. It reminded me of being held in my mother's arms as a baby.
That was when Geonu, who had been supervising me, told me I could have simply used the Qi Body Recovery Technique to warm up, which made everything even more embarrassing.
'I'm just going to go right in before I die of embarrassment—or freeze to death.'
To shake off the embarrassment and the intense cold, I stepped directly into the waterfall, feeling its weight as the water crashed down on me.
To complete this exercise, I had to remain standing for five full minutes under the extreme pressure and cold, which was already difficult even without added weights.
'Argh! This is still so hard, even though I've done it twice already!'
Though I had gained some resistance and grown used to it, making it less difficult than the first time, it was still brutal. But it wouldn't be training if it wasn't difficult.
This exercise was meant to train my mental resilience and focus while improving endurance, as I had to endure the cold water battering my body without giving up.
'This exercise really does helps with my internal energy circulation.'
The cold water reduced inflammation and improved breathing, enhancing the circulation of qi throughout my body.
This was excellent for my cultivation, as the circulation of qi through my meridians improved greatly. Aside from being extremely difficult, there wasn't much to complain about.
'Let's stay focused so I can get out and finish the other exercises as soon as I'm done with this one.'
"1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6…"
I focused entirely on the exercise as intended by the training and counted to measure the time, continuing until I reached five full minutes.
****
After enduring the waterfall enhancement exercise and recovering, I wasted no time starting the next exercise; mountain hiking already beginning my ascent while lifting a stick with two water buckets attached at each end, both filled to the brim.
This was the only workout that didn't rely on weights to be difficult, as its difficulty increased by the number of times you hiked up and down the mountain. That didn't mean it wasn't difficult on its own.
'This is the exercise that frustrates me the most.'
I had to hike to the summit and go all the way down without spilling a single drop of water, all while my arms grew tired, feeling as though I was lifting elephants in each arm.
The uneven, unpaved paths combined with my exhaustion often caused me to spill water midway, forcing me to start over, which frustrated me every time.
'Huff… already halfway up. Still, this is way better than the first time.'
During my first attempt, I failed seven consecutive times before even reaching halfway and only succeeded by sheer luck before the sun set.
This exercise aimed to improve my balance and coordination, along with muscular endurance, as I endured the grueling journey up and down the mountain using all my strength.
'Let's stay focused. I don't want to spill even a single drop because I wasn't serious and paying attention.'
With that, I became fully focused, pouring everything into the hike as I approached the summit without spilling any water.
I reached the summit faster than ever before, thanks to my prior experience and rapid improvements from my training and special constitution, meaning I would finish this exercise quicker than before.
After finishing the mountain hike enhancement exercise and recovering as usual, I proceeded to the final enhancement exercise, which I considered the simplest yet hardest one.
'It's time to push the boulder again.'
I stood in front of one of the boulders, larger than the ones used as weights but smaller than the massive ones I wasn't ready to handle yet.
At first glance, the exercise seemed simple as I only had to push the boulder five meters from its current position but it's was far more complex than it appeared.
'I remember the first time I did this. I could only push it a bit with all my strength until Geonu showed me how.'
During my first attempt, I pushed with all the strength I had and managed to move it slightly, which was decent for a first try. But that was it as I couldn't push it any further after exhausting myself.
That was when Geonu taught me a technique that didn't require internal energy, called Continuous Action, where I focused all my strength into a single action and maintained it until the goal was reached.
'If it wasn't for that, I wouldn't have succeeded even once and would have kept trying and failing pointlessly.'
Continuous Action was a mental technique that used intense emotions as a source of strength, with adrenaline allowing the body to maintain the maximum power output.
To use this technique, total concentration and controlled breathing technique were required to extend the physical boost it provided.
'Alright, let's start pushing so I can finish today's training earlier than ever.'
I began by placing my hands on the boulder and taking deep breaths to prepare before gradually pushing with all my might.
My strength was rapidly being drained, so it was time to use Continuous Action. I imagined that if I failed to push the boulder, it would crush me, Geonu, and everyone else, triggering adrenaline that allowed me to maintain my push.
'COME ON! JUST A BIT MORE!'
The boulder had already passed halfway of the five-meter distance, so I pushed harder and harder until it was only inches away from the goal.
I forced myself to push even harder, tearing my muscles in the process. This exercise was meant to improve willpower and the proper use of adrenaline, along with strengthening and maintaining power far more extreme than any other workout.
'HAAAAAAH!'
With one final push using every ounce of strength I had left, I finally moved the boulder five full meters. After confirming it, I collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.
Though I was utterly exhausted and unable to move, this was still better than the previous days when I had to take breaks in between. Today, I finished it in one try.
'Finally… huff… it's all over.'
Lying on the ground and staring at the deep blue sky, with all my adrenaline and strength gone, my daily training was finished before the sun even began setting.
All that was left was to recover, relax, and wait for Geonu to return from his hunt for food by the river catching fish.
"Young Master! You're early—I thought you'd still be training at this time."
"Well, I finished early, so I took some time to rest."
"I see. You're improving faster than expected—and you were already fast to begin with."
Geonu returned with a basket filled with fish just as the sun began to set, surprised to find me resting inside the cave he thought would still be empty.
He set the basket down and began preparing the campfire, skewering the fish on prepared wooden sticks. As he worked and I helped, we talked about my training.
"Hmm… considering you finished early, I think it's about time we add some weights to your training. I think you can handle it now."
"Really? You honestly think I can handle it now? You remember what happened last time—I got squashed and couldn't even stand up."
"I know, I know, Young Master. I'm really sorry about that. But I truly think you're ready now."
"It's not that I'm trying to guilt-trip you or anything Geonu so relax, but more importantly when can I start adding weights?"
"I think you can start tomorrow morning you can start be adding light weights first and don't push yourself to handle what you can't."
"I will be careful I promise but tomorrow morning? Well sure i guess, if you say so."
With that, it was decided that I would finally add weights to my training as originally planned, though I could only imagine how brutal tomorrow would be.
After everything was prepared, Geonu laid the skewered fish over the campfire to roast while I waited patiently, my hunger growing.
"It's done, Young Master. Here, eat it while it's still hot."
"Ah, thanks."
Once the fish was cooked, Geonu handed it to me before taking one for himself. I thanked him and took a bite.
I felt like I was forgetting something important, but I was too hungry to think and took a large bite which I would soon regret.
'Huh?! What the—?!'
The moment the fish touched my tongue, a disgusting taste flooded my mouth, almost making me puke on the spot, which I barely held back.
I finally remembered what I had forgotten, I remembered that Geonu was the one who cooked it. At first, I didn't think anything of it, until memories of our camping trips from my previous life resurfaced.
'How can you still make roasted fish taste terrible? You did nothing but roast it! How is this even possible?!'
"How was it, Young Master? Did it taste good?"
"Y-yeah… it tastes gre-eat."
Against all odds and logic, Geonu had managed to turn a simple meal that required nothing but roasting into a nightmare that destroyed your taste buds.
I wanted to scream this absurdity at him, to ask how it was even possible, but I didn't have the courage and could only smile wryly and agree that it tasted good.
'I know I should've told him the truth, and he'll eventually find out, but... I can't find the strength to do it, I just can't... I can only blame myself for keeping this lie going for so long.'
I had lied to Geonu the first time he cooked for me, thinking he would realize it himself after tasting his own food. But even after eating it, he said nothing that it was as if his taste buds were already dead.
When Geonu offered me more of his roasted fish after I barely finished the first one, I quickly made an excuse and ate all the fishs I roasted myself instead, which was probably the best decision I made to save my taste buds.
'Ahhh… it tastes so good!'
I took a bite of the fish I cooked and was delighted by how good it tasted. I wasn't a great cook, but compared to Geonu's cooking, anything tasted delicious.
I then stuffed my face with roasted fish, eating far more than usual. But after such intense training, I needed all the food I could get to restore my energy for tomorrow.
'Alright tomorrow a big day, I feel tomorrow's going to be really difficult but I also can't wait to start the training for real'
****