Chapter 12 - Hokuto Undergoes Primordial Training

Hokuto arrived the next day back in the dojo greeted with the sight of Astraea putting two barrels full of water and a single pole.

"What's all this?" Hokuto looked at what Astraea was doing.

"I am preparing a training regime for you, to strengthen your body."

"And you didn't think to talk to me about this first before getting it ready, Teacher?"

Astraea snickered. "Do you want to learn internal martial arts or not?"

At this minute, Hokuto stood still. Perhaps if she could learn internal martial arts, she could really compete with magicians. She would worry about the later, and instead try to see if the [Rose Sword Saint] could really teach her how to practice the internal martial arts.

"What does that entail, teacher?"

"For the first year of your tutelage under me, I must have you undergo the rigours of the ," Astraea explained. "It will temper and strengthen your body such that you will gain immeasurable fleshly strength."

"The ... That sounds incredibly domineering for a technique designed to strengthen the body?"

Astraea succinctly explained the training regime behind the . She also went into some details regarding the concept and ideas behind internal martial arts, which gave Hokuto some reassurance about her pretty much having no magical talent. So the idea behind internal martial arts being so difficult to practice was due to the initial requirement of having a body strong enough to naturally conduct worldly energies without the need of magic circuits.

While Hokuto still wasn't totally convinced about the use of the sword, she was incredibly interested in internal martial arts, so while her skepticism towards the was definitely real, she figured that it was at least a tangible goal. It gave her the chance to realize something that hadn't been accomplished since Astraea.

If she could use something that was similar to magic, that might just be enough. When she could do that, she would then decide what kind of martial path she would walk on. Perhaps she might end up following the sword after all. This was something only Hokuto knew, but for now, she would have to focus on working hard in following the training plan described in the .

"I shall do my best! Teacher!"

And so, the most difficult year of the ten year old Hokuto's life would begin.

Six months of the most hellish physical training Hokuto had ever undergone.

Deep inside, Hokuto was feeling some resentment towards Astraea. However, over these six months, the young ten year old was beginning to feel changes in her body. The longer she stood on one foot with those arms bearing the buckets full of water, the more her core was being enhanced.

Her legs and her arms began to throb with pain, but Hokuto herself knew it very well. She could feel her body becoming stronger and stronger. The squats further improved the strength of her legs. To deal with the matter of the enclosed space, Astraea had specifically requested to reserve a hot springs room for Hokuto to stay in, and artificially increased the temperature of the water to an abnormally high amount. This resulted in Hokuto's skin turning red temporarily each time.

Astraea began to observe the changes taking place in the kid's body.

With a smile, the [Rose Sword Saint] continued to oversee Hokuto's training as her body slowly began to evolve.

However, during these six months of training, strange phenomena and incidents began to occur throughout Heralldia...