Chapter 20 - Harsh Training

Lin Xue strikes towards Azreal, aiming at his right shoulder with her blade. Just before her sword breaks through his skin, Azreal manages to dip his shoulder forward. With his head lowered, he infuses his Qi into his lower legs, giving him a burst of speed, catching Lin Xue off guard and bringing his blade to meet her sword arm. Lin Xue's sword flies out of her hand, a victorious smile appearing on his face. "Finally! I've beaten her!" Azreal's thoughts of happiness last but a moment, as Lin Xue's face contorts and her eyes grow darker, consuming what little light is left in Azreal's face. "That was very good, Azreal, smart to rush me when I overextended. But all this means is that you are now ready for me to start using my own Qi," Lin Xue's voice brims with battlelust and desire to fight."Do we hav–" Azreal's words of surrender quickly cut off by a head kick connecting with the back of his head, just behind the ear. "Argh!" screams Azreal, as he feels a weight far stronger than he could've imagined forcing his head towards the stone flooring of the training area."Pay attention, Azreal, or you may not survive the night," says Lin Xue, her voice terrorising Azreal from within the darkness. "I'll give you a second to stand before I come again." Azreal, placing two arms onto the ground, turns to the location of the voice. "Than–" Attempting to thank Lin Xue, Azreal does not feel her approaching from behind, a swift kick into his rib cage sends him skidding across the floor before slamming into a wooden training dummy."Do not listen to what your enemy is saying; you have to focus, Azreal. The only thing you should be concerned about is what you are planning to do and your survival. No matter how strong the plan, it will always fail before the might of the strong. And right now, you are one of the weakest disciples, in the weakest heaven. You may have talent, once in a lifetime talent, which I have yet to see apart from your speed of cultivation, but others who have been in this Sect longer than you, work harder than you, will have the same talents. There is no supreme talent in this world," sneers Lin Xue.'Did I say something wrong? Why did she become so angry?' Azreal's inner monologue once again causes him to lose focus on his target, while using the training dummy to help him stand."Rely only on yourself, and those that you would entrust your entire life to. Even those who claim to be on your team, have your back, will betray you. There are only a few people whom you can entrust within this world, and I'd say even less in the Sect. The world is a ladder, Azreal, do you want to climb it, or do you want to be a rung for those who will use you for their own gains?" shouts Lin Xue.Azreal, who has just stood up, leaning against the training dummy, searches for Lin Xue's location. However, realising that she has snuffed the torches and now hides in the darkness, panic begins to set in. Pushing himself off the training dummy, Azreal takes a few steady steps back towards the middle of this isolated training area. "Senior Sister Xue, if I cannot see you, how could I possibly fight you?"The only response felt is the sharp side of her blade cutting Azreal's bicep. "Do not complain, learn, Azreal. You have an incredibly high potential, but why would I give you the way to beat me? This is for your benefit. When you go out on your first mission, tomorrow morning, do you think a group of bandits or a monster will give you as much time as I have? You think too highly of yourself; you are but an ant. Tonight, I will begin the forging of your body and mind. When you reach untold heights, I will be proud to have taught you the basics, and I can trust you to fight beside me. However, if you can't even last tonight, then I will have no choice but to kill you and dispose of you before you waste mine or the Master's time," Lin Xue's voice pierces into his heart, her words sharper than her sword.Azreal feels goosebumps across his back and arms, his breathing haggard, already running low on energy from the previous few hours of sparring. Now, he is being pushed further, with no chance to cultivate and bring in internal energy. He begins to realise how dire this situation is turning. 'What can I do?' Azreal begins to scream internally, the only saving grace from his imminent demise being his body's skill, minor regeneration."You are taking too long…" says Lin Xue. A second later, her sword moving impossibly fast, appears out of the darkness, cutting his left arm bicep, drops of blood now dripping onto the floor. 'Wait, is this it? Will my body be able to hang on, this amount of pain compared to the lifetime of agony in the real world is nothing?' A plan begins to form, Azreal's bright crystal blue eyes becoming ever so slightly colder.'It is that feeling again, like Azreal has become more than he was just a moment ago, a beast within him seems to awaken when his current mind is pushed to the depths.' A wicked grin stains Lin Xue's face, unmissable even in the complete darkness of night. 'I will find out what you have hidden in there, Azreal. I see the monster, the same that resides in me, an undying need to fight and an aura soaked in blood. The Master may not feel it, but she is a warm soul. I know a part of you is in me, Azreal, show it to me!' Lin Xue's frantic mind races with thoughts of finding someone who can understand her.For the next five minutes, the only sounds that could be heard from the isolated training grounds are the sound of a sword slicing through flesh, blood splattering across stone, and grunts of agony. "You are lasting much longer than expected. I am a little happy; I did not expect your determination to be this strong," admiration is clear in Lin Xue's voice. "This is nothing. I experienced much worse in my youth, constant pain and agony, for years on end. If something like this broke me now, when I have the chance to see a better world, I would end it myself first," shouts Azreal into the darkness.Another hour passes before the sounds of fighting begin to stop. After twenty minutes, Azreal's grunts of pain stop, yet he is still standing, staring into the darkness in whichever direction a sound was made or the strike originated from.No response comes from Azreal, his mind blank from the pain, the only reason he is still standing is due to his desire for the sun to rise and prove he is not weak. His once crystal eyes, now a shade of decaying blue, stare into the distance, a small mutter is all Azreal can muster, "I have not given up yet. Where are you, Lin Xue?"In the depths of darkness, Lin Xue stands, shaking hands and exhausted yet utterly entranced. 'How has he not passed out or died? I have expanded my Qi. If I were to continue, I could drain myself dry and fall unconscious. Something I cannot show to a junior, especially one like Azreal.' Lin Xue's mind is full of disbelief and fascination; she has never seen someone take such a beating, willingly, and then taunt their opponent. 'I was right! I found him; he knows what it is like to be crushed and forced to stand,' her cries of happiness resound in her mind.With her Qi running extremely low, she retracts her ability, Total Eclipse. This ability allows her to encompass a small area, increasing in size as the darkness level of a room increases. Due to her affinity and cultivation techniques, she can blend into the darkness, becoming one with the night and allowing her to fight at her full power against a blinded opponent. Once night arrives and she deploys this technique, Lin Xue had yet to lose, before now. Falling to her knees, Lin Xue stares into Azreal's eyes, confusion and concern clear in his eyes, which have returned to a brilliant crystal blue, as the torches once snuffed, reignite in flame.'Why is Lin Xue on the floor? Is she okay? Did she overdo it?' Azreal, failing to draw anger towards his Senior Sister Xue, who was only doing her best for him, oblivious to her true intentions and new fascination. Azreal's face now brims with concern, causing Lin Xue to let out a tired laugh. "Are you seriously worried about me? Have you seen yourself?"Azreal's robes, torn to shreds, his body has become more open wounds than undamaged skin, dried blood pooling around his feet and crusting around his wounds from earlier in the night. His complexion is pale as a ghost, his once beautiful body now lain with damage and caked in blood; most would be repulsed by this image. Lin Xue, on the other hand, finds herself only more attracted.'That is a real man, not a coward from these "cultivation families"; he will rise in this disgusting world, and that is something worth grabbing onto,' Lin Xue's eyes glint with admiration.Forcing herself to stand up and move over to Azreal, before putting her hand onto Azreal's shoulder and bringing her face close to his, "Are you aware that you were only supposed to last a few minutes under my Total Eclipse?" says Lin Xue, leaning in closer, whispering into Azreal's tear, "If you keep performing like that, then you and I will have a bright future. I feel so alive when your eyes become darker and that darkness within you awakens. Truly thrilling, and for your extra hard work today, I leave you with this."Azreal, surprised by her sudden action, fails to react in time before he feels her lips give him a kiss on the cheek. His eyes go wide and cheeks burn, as he looks into her eyes, an unknown feeling begins to bloom in the heart of the boy who wished to become a man.His intense stare sends a tinge of excitement across Lin Xue's body, her cheeks immediately flushing with embarrassment with her actions and his powerful gaze. Seemingly recovering a small portion of her Qi, she uses it to access her spatial ring and hands Azreal a red and green pill. "Take this and cultivate to circulate the energy across your body, it should heal your wounds. I hope next time you can continue to impress me," teased Lin Xue.She props herself up and begins to walk away. As she takes a few steps then turns to look back at Azreal, "There is a small bath that I use just behind the treeline. Ensure you use it before you come to the headquarters; I left a change of outer disciple robes in there. See you in an hour," her teasing grin caused Azreal to feel embarrassed. 'Why did she kiss my cheek? She just spent the last few hours cutting me to shreds and beating the crap out of me!' Azreal's confusion, stemming from being inexperienced with women.Azreal, holding a unique pill concocted into two distinct halves, one red and the other green, swirling together in a dance of colours yet never blending, activates his Celestial Gaze, investigating the pill in his hand."Woah, this is an amazing pill; this wouldn't be cheap, yet she gave it to me? Did she have regrets about hurting my body so badly?" Azreal muses.'Thank you, system. I will watch out for any more odd behaviour, yet she is my Senior Sister; I do not think she would hurt me for no reason. Maybe we just don't know why yet?'A sound of a woman huffing could be heard in the deepest recess of Azreal's mind. Thinking he was going crazy, Azreal consumes the pill and begins to circulate the energies around his body. After fifteen minutes, his minor regeneration, bolstered by the Twin Harmony pill, makes Azreal feel back to full strength. After regaining his strength, Azreal walks towards the bathhouse, planning to quickly wash himself before getting to the headquarters early.