"What’s next, you ask?" Shen Zhenyi looked at her and then shook his head. "Your luck isn’t good today, sorry. Do some more running.”

 

"Noooo, please, noooo!"

​

Ever since she started cultivating, Chu Huoluo had never focused on improving her physical strength. She always used True Qi to support her movements.

 

"Will this really enhance your martial arts realm?" Chu Huoluo expressed her doubts.

 

Shen Zhenyi stayed silent. He had promised to give her advice but didn’t intend to explain to her every little thing. She had to learn by herself too.

 

Chu Huoluo had no choice but to drag her tired body and continue to run along the rugged mountain road in the back hill. As soon as Chu Huoluo ran out of True Qi, her legs became as heavy as lead and her breathing turned ragged.

 

Halfway through the course, she felt her ribs begin to throb. She became dizzy and her eyes saw stars and fireworks from exhaustion.

 

"That's the consequence of relying too much on True Qi."

 

Shen Zhenyi was able to keep up with her running in his wheelchair because she was moving so slowly.

 

"The atmosphere of the Nine Realms is weak and can’t properly temper your body. It’s also because of this that the life expectancy of cultivators here isn’t very long."

 

True Qi could enhance strength, reduce injuries, and strengthen your viscera so physical actions would become easier. If the True Qi in the atmosphere was high enough and the body absorbed enough True Qi, even the elderly would be able to leap like little kids.

 

True Qi, however, did not improve the nature of the body. Aging and injuries still existed, but they become harder to detect and inflict.

 

"You talk as if you’ve been outside of the Nine Hells..." Chu Huoluo muttered, grinding her teeth and pushing herself forward.

 

Shen Zhenyi was silent. He had traveled to many places.

 

Some areas were so barren, one could not extract True Qi from the heavens and earth. In places like this, one could temper their bodies, push themselves to the maximum. The hardships and pain he had experienced couldn’t be imagined by cultivators of the Nine Hells.

 

In some chaotic places, the Qi in the air was like a sharp blade. When it was absorbed into the body, it would crush the bones, and one had to endure great pain in order to cultivate.

 

Of course, there were better places than the Nine Hells Realm to train. These rich lands were full of vigor and vitality allowing one to train their spirit. This was how people were actually supposed to properly cultivate.

 

It was because of his experiences with different types of True Qi that Shen Zhenyi was able to become more powerful.

 

This also gave him more insight into the way of the sword that he had been pursuing since he was young.

 

"The purpose of cultivation is to actually refine and utilize power. But the warriors in the Nine Secrets didn’t realize that their flesh and body could also become stronger. Instead, they only train their True Qi and search for the smallest fish at the top of the lake.”

 

"Exercise the body, grasp the subtle strength of each finger and muscle, and then fuse True Qi and the body. Doing this will allow you to breakthrough the nine realms of cultivation.”

 

For a long time, Shen Zhenyi continued to teach.

 

"It’s easy for you to say..." Chu Huoluo was out of breath. "Even if... you're right... How can I change… so much in… three months?”

 

Although this was just the first day, Chu Huoluo realized that there would be no end to her physical torture anytime soon.

 

Shen Zhenyi stopped and smiled, watching her stagger around.

 

"In your case, we will have to take some shortcuts."

 

Although the path of martial arts required slow and steady steps, Shen Zhenyi had to do this in order to save Chu Huoluo’s future. Many people have no choice but to look at the present before they can experience the future.

 

When Chu Huoluo returned to the White Pagoda exhausted, she found a huge wooden bucket in front of Shen Zhenyi. The bucket was filled with piping hot water and steamed in the early spring cold air.

 

"What’s this?"

 

Chu Huoluo felt that this was a bathtub, but who would expose their bathtub without a wall?

 

"This bath contains medicinal herbs. You might feel a little pinch when you enter the water." Shen Zhenyi explained.

 

Chu Huoluo stood at the edge of the barrel and found that the water in the barrel was an odd dark green. There were also some shriveled leaves and grass stems floating on top. The water was bubbling giving the water an ominous look.

 

"This… won’t do..." She was at a loss and she blushed. "How can I undress and bathe when you're here, Third Prince? I can’t stop you from looking… but there’s always proper courtesy…”

 

Her words became harder to understand.

 

Shen Zhenyi stretched out his hand, and Chu Huoluo felt herself coming off of the ground. What was he doing? Why is he grabbing me? Did he want to force her clothes off? Ahh, I’m still so young.

 

While Chu Huoluo was having wild thoughts, she suddenly heard a splash and fell into the water with her clothes on. Only then did she realize that Shen Zhenyi had thrown her directly into the bathtub.

 

It turned out that... she didn’t need to undress, Chu Huoluo’s head was in disorder.

 

"Hmm, this warm medicine bath is actually quite comfortable. I heard Grandma say that it remolds your body and washes the marrow. How could it hurt - ah!"

 

The nagging of Chu Huoluo was interrupted by her screams.

 

Then came the rolling cries of pain.

 

At first, she didn’t feel any pain. But then the medicine was absorbed by her skin and started stimulating her flesh, muscles, and bones. Chu Huoluo suddenly felt as if ten thousand bullet ants were biting into her body. The pain almost caused her to suffocate and faint on the spot.

 

The medicine-induced pain penetrated through her bone marrow like a knife wreaking havoc through her skeleton. A man made out of iron wouldn’t be able to endure this without cracking. Chu Huoluo was just a spoiled little girl.

 

Casting away your old self and washing your marrow, how could doing this just be “a little pinch”?

 

Besides... the bath consisted of the most domineering herbs.

 

Shen Zhenyi looked up at the sky, as if he didn’t hear a thing behind him.