Liam had filled in Rin and the others about the body strengthening and bone forging techniques, carefully leaving out any mention of the system and how he'd actually acquired the information. When they asked how he came to know about it, he lied through his teeth.
"I heard someone talking about it when I went to ask around," he said, keeping his expression neutral. They seemed to buy it, or at least they didn't press him further.
Liam was ready to start his new training routine. The first item on the list was meditation, something he had always struggled with. That was something Liam just couldn't do, that was stopping his yapping.
He sat cross-legged on the cold floor and tried to clear his mind while focusing on his breath.
'This is ridiculous,' he thought to himself as his mind wandered for the hundredth time. 'How the hell am I supposed to think about nothing?'
He shifted uncomfortably, trying to force his thoughts to quiet down. He was frustrated.
Rin, who was sitting beside him, noticed his struggle. "You're trying too hard," she said softly. "Meditation isn't about forcing your mind to be quiet. It's about acknowledging your thoughts and letting them go."
Liam sighed. "Easier said than done."
Rin smiled. "Here, try this. Focus on your breath. When a thought comes, acknowledge it, then let it go and bring your focus back to your breath."
Liam nodded and decided to give it a shot. He focused on his breath, feeling the cool air entering his nostrils and the warm air leaving his mouth.
Whenever a thought popped into his head, he acknowledged it briefly before letting it go and bringing his focus back to his breath.
'I wonder what Lin Xueya looks like under that outfit. Bet she's got some—' He caught himself and acknowledged the thought before letting it go.
Another thought surfaced. 'What if all those missing people from the dungeons became monsters? Maybe they're all—' He accepted his thought.
It was slow going, but gradually, his mind began to quiet down. He still had thoughts, but they didn't consume him like before. He was able to acknowledge them and let them go, bringing his focus back to his breath each time.
[Iron Skin Meditation: 5 minutes completed.]
[Bone Meditation: 5 minutes completed.]
'Holy shit!' Liam rejoiced, 'I actually managed to meditate.'
Rin, who had been meditating beside him, opened her eyes and smiled. "See, you're getting the hang of it."
Liam grinned. "Yeah, yeah, but it was only five minutes."
Rin laughed. "Five minutes is better than nothing. Besides, practice makes perfect. You'll get better with time."
After a short break, Liam dove into his mid-morning exercises. The others took longer breaks, but Liam only paused long enough to catch his breath. He started with basic calisthenics—push-ups, squats, and lunges—feeling the burn in his muscles with each rep.
[Basic Calisthenics: 30 minutes completed.]
'Keep pushing,' he muttered to himself and gritted his teeth as he forced out another set of push-ups.
Rin and the others joined him shortly after.. They followed his lead, matching his pace as best they could.
[You're actually keeping up. Impressive.]
'Shut up and let me focus.'
After calisthenics, Liam moved to dynamic stretching. That wasn't a new thing for Liam. He trained himself daily in the real world, too.
[Dynamic Stretching: 20 minutes completed.]
'Alright, that's enough for now,' Liam thought, wiping the sweat from his brow. 'On to the next.'
Liam took another short break before launching into his afternoon training. He started with carrying weight, lifting heavy rocks and logs across the training ground. His muscles screamed in protest, but he pushed through.
Although Liam was used to such training in the real world, his body in the dream world was different. It was small and younger.
[Weighted Carries: 45 minutes completed.]
'Come on, you can do this,' he muttered to himself, breathing ragged gasps.
The others struggled to keep up to Liam, their faces flushed with exertion. But they didn't give up. They were spurred on by Liam's relentless pace.
[You're setting a good example. Keep it up.]
'Thanks, but I don't need your approval.'
Next, Liam moved on to weighted strikes.
He pounded his fists, elbows, and knees against a sturdy tree trunk. Each strike sent shockwaves through his bones, but he welcomed the pain, knowing it would make him stronger.
[Weighted Strikes: 30 minutes completed.]
'That's enough for now,' Liam thought, shaking out his arms and legs. 'Time for a quick break.'
As the sun began to set, Liam started his evening activities. He set off on a long-distance run, his feet pounding the dirt as he circled the training ground. His lungs burned, but he pushed through, focused on building his stamina.
[Long-Distance Running: 60 minutes completed.]
'Just a little further,'
The others followed him, or at least they tried to.
After the run, Liam transitioned into yoga poses, holding each position until his muscles quivered with exertion.
[Yoga Poses: 30 minutes completed.]
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Liam started his nighttime routine. He ended his day with bone healing meditation, focusing on accelerating his body's recovery. However, as he tried to meditate, he felt nothing happening. His body still ached, and his fatigue remained.
[Bone Healing Meditation failed. Insufficient internal energy.]
'What the hell?!'
[You don't have enough internal energy to perform the meditation. Buy a Tier 1 HP potion to recover.]
'No,' Liam muttered, shaking his head. 'I want to learn to do this naturally.'
[In that case, you need to replenish your internal energy. Buy a Qi Pill.]
Liam sighed and opened the XP store, searching for the Qi Pill. To his surprise, it was no longer locked.
Qi Pill:
Description: A low-rank pill that replenishes a small amount of internal energy. Effectiveness varies based on the cultivator's constitution.
Cost: 300 XP
'Alright, let's give this a shot,' Liam thought, selecting the Qi Pill and confirming the purchase.
[Purchase successful. Qi Pill added to your inventory.]
Liam checked his remaining XP. He had 1000 XP left after the purchase.
He selected the Qi Pill from the inventory and it appeared in his hands. He looked at it and raised his brows, thinking, 'Why does it have to be shit-colored?'
He let out a sigh and swallowed it, feeling a warm sensation spread through his body as his internal energy began to replenish.
'Let's see if this works.'
He closed his eyes and started the bone healing meditation again. This time, he could feel the technique working. His aches and pain slowly faded away as time passed.
[Bone Healing Meditation: 15 minutes completed.]
'Well, that's day one down. Time to do it all again tomorrow. I wonder how long it will take me to complete this quest.'