Caleb, like the other kids, found himself fully immersed in the serpentine stance. The beauty of the movements couldn't hide the sheer amount of strain and pain the body would feel. Feeling overwhelmed, Caleb decided to step away from the group to gather his thoughts. The Third Captain had demonstrated two forms, the snake body and slither, and Caleb attempted to imitate the movements but failed. He realised that despite having refined his skin and progressed to the honing bone stage, his body was not flexible enough. Caleb understood that flexibility was the key to mastering this stance, and he cleared his mind of all distractions, determined to improve.
Caleb began his journey by focusing on stretching his lower body. He realised that there was no rush to learn the stance anymore, and he dedicated the entire day to stretching every part of his body. This routine continued for the next few days, and there were even rumours circulating that Caleb had given up and was quietly waiting to be kicked out of the training camp. However, Caleb remained undeterred, knowing that every day his flexibility was improving, building upon his already refined skin.
After three months of dedicated stretching, Caleb noticed a significant improvement in his control over his body. He felt more confident in practising the stances and started slowly imitating the captain's movements. It took two weeks of intense practice, but Caleb finally grasped the essence of the forms, further deepening the tempering of his skin.
With six months of training under their belts, all the children had now trained in three of the Six Stances: Serpentine Form, Bear Form, and Tiger Blood Form. Some particularly talented children, specialising in body cultivation, had even begun training in the Eagle Bones Form and Dragon Marrow Form. By reviewing the basics and improving upon his already tempered stages, Caleb managed to have a smooth breakthrough into the marrow tempering stage.
Third Captain stood before the children once again, acknowledging their hard work over the past six months. He expressed his recognition of their hard work but reminded them that there was still much more to accomplish to truly impress him. The time had come for each of them to obtain their rank in the camp, and a competition had been arranged to assess their progress. The captain explained that the competition would involve a 30-lap race, with a twist. Depending on the stage of their body cultivation, a 10 kg weight would be added to their vests. Some kids initially underestimated the challenge, thinking it would be easy compared to other potential tasks like killing a wild beast. However, the captain quickly dispelled their misconceptions, emphasising the gruelling nature of the race and the added weight.
As the race began, the children set off individually, knowing that there were no friends or alliances in this test. Each one desired a rank that would bring them recognition and resources. The training ground had a 200m track, and they had to complete 30 laps. The first few laps seemed manageable, but after 10 laps, some children couldn't bear the strain and dropped out of the competition. The rest persevered, but by the 15th lap, fatigue had visibly taken its toll. Smiles vanished, and everyone focused on maintaining a steady pace. The 25th lap marked another wave of eliminations, with several kids crying as they were carried off the track by guards. Caleb and nine others, moving at a slow pace, pushed through their exhaustion, willing to give their very best.
"Final lap," a guard yelled, and Caleb looked ahead, noticing a boy with short dark hair leading the race and a girl not far behind, her golden blonde hair dancing in the wind. Caleb marvelled at their endurance, while also acknowledging the vast difference in starting points between himself and those from the wealthier clans who had received valuable resources from an early age. Determined, Caleb gritted his teeth and summoned every ounce of strength from his body. This final surge of strength propelled him to come in third place. Tobias and Arsher, unable to secure a top rank, hid in the crowd, consumed by humiliation, envy, and jealousy as they stared at Caleb, absent-minded at the finish line.
Observing Caleb's unusual behaviour, the captain gestured to the guards to attend to him. Two guards quickly stood by Caleb's side, creating a barrier between him and the crowd.
"Don't worry about Caleb. I believe he experienced enlightenment during the last lap. The award ceremony will begin once he wakes up. Use this opportunity to rest and regain your strength," a guard announced, ensuring Caleb's well-being.
It didn't take long for Caleb to regain control of his body. The extraordinary state of mind he had experienced had vanished. He realised that he had broken through to Unity, successfully transferring strength from every part of his body to one point.
"Caleb, you're awake," a guard said.
"Yes," Caleb responded, finally noticing the guards beside him. He also couldn't help but perceive the hate in the eyes of the other children. He saluted the guards to express his gratitude.
"Now that everyone is present, let's proceed with the top 10 rewards," the captain declared, his gaze never leaving Caleb, as if imprinting the image of the boy in his eyes. The captain praised each of the children, emphasising that their achievements were their own and that the resources provided by their clans or circumstances didn't matter. The top 10 would receive the best treatment the camp had to offer, including a private building with a faith gathering array, the best cultivation scriptures, and abundant resources. However, to maintain their privileged status, they would have to accept challenges from ranks lower than their own once a month.
Envy filled the crowd as they looked upon the top 10, particularly Caleb. His enlightenment during the competition was something they could somehow accept, but upon hearing about the plentiful rewards awaiting the top 10, their insides turned green with envy. Tobias, especially furious for narrowly missing a spot among the top 10, felt his anger intensify upon seeing Caleb standing proudly in third place.
The captain concluded by stating that the guards would deliver the rest of the rewards, and he made his exit from the training ground.
"Ten of you, come with me," a female guard approached, escorting the group to their new accommodations in a secluded area of the camp. She assigned each child to their designated house according to their rank, explaining the allocations. Caleb arrived in front of the wooden door of House 3, marvelling at its quality. Opening the door and stepping inside, he was left astounded by what he saw. Unbeknownst to him, the girl in House 2 and the boy in House 1 had observed his behaviour, labelling him as someone who had achieved his rank through luck. However, Caleb was oblivious to the impression he had left on the other two, and even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared. The house he now resided in had stone walls, a spacious layout with various furnishings, and an abundance of dense faith energy in the air that surprised him.
After calming down, Caleb took a refreshing shower to wash away the sweat from his body and helped himself to the fruits placed on the table. Next to the fruit bowl, he noticed a neatly arranged brown book. Intrigued, Caleb lifted the cover and began reading its contents. The book was titled "Numbers Scripture" and "Human Rank Faith Cultivation Scripture." Fascinated, Caleb sat on the ground and flipped through the pages, committing the information to memory. After reviewing everything he had read, he entered the cultivation room, where the array was connected. The room was filled with dense energy, creating a misty ambiance. Caleb sat on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to reflect on his experiences over the last six months.
He realised that he had already refined his mortal body twice and achieved the Unity stage by pushing his body beyond its limits. However, he understood that his body needed time to fully explore what Unity meant as he stabilised his breakthrough.
"Since I can't train body cultivation right now, I will focus on faith cultivation," he decided, contemplating his next steps.
Like every other child in the camp, Caleb had primarily focused on body cultivation. He had already built a solid foundation with the Exodus Scripture, but now he had the option to continue using it or switch to the Numbers Scripture he had just received.
Following the instructions in the new scripture, Caleb placed both palms facing upward and slightly bent his neck forward. He visualised a connection between the centre of his neck and his palms, imagining faith energy being absorbed into his body through this connection. With focused determination, Caleb cultivated, and soon he felt a strange cool sensation in his palms and neck, as if an unknown energy was entering his body. Undeterred, he maintained his focus on the visualisation.
The cool sensation persisted for about 30 minutes, and just as Caleb's body started adapting to the peculiar feeling, it suddenly intensified. The areas around his neck and palms began to heat up, accompanied by popping sounds indicating the unblocking of his meridians. Despite exhaustion, Caleb resisted the urge to rest, as the excitement of activating his minor meridians fueled his motivation. He noticed a sticky, smelly mucus covering his body, a result of the impurities expelled during his cultivation.
Caleb headed to the bathroom, taking another shower to cleanse himself. While in the shower, he compared the Numbers Scripture with the Exodus Scripture. Caleb recognized that the Exodus Scripture focused on a step-by-step approach to building a foundation and opening the meridians, whereas the Numbers Scripture began by opening all the meridians at once, putting a heavy demand on the cultivator's body.
After the refreshing shower, Caleb enjoyed a satisfying dinner before retiring to bed, ready to continue his cultivation journey in the days to come.