Run! Carry Water!

Time rushed by, and just like that, more than half a year passed.

Ling Tian still ran three round trips every day, but now he no longer needed to stop and rest. After finishing his runs, he wasn't even out of breath. Not a trace of sweat showed on his handsome little face. Every gesture and movement now carried a heroic air, and he seemed perfectly in harmony with nature.

That day, just after Ling Tian finished his training, Ling Yun called out to him.

"Tian'er, I heard you've started running backward now."

A sly glint lurked in Ling Yun's eyes.

"Mm, that's right. It's easy to finish the run now." Ling Tian had no idea what was coming and replied readily.

"Mm, very good, very good!" Before Ling Tian could even break into a smile, Ling Yun changed tack. "Then starting tomorrow, you'll carry water up from the foot of the mountain. Three trips a day will do."

"Uh..." The smile that had yet to bloom on Ling Tian's face died on the spot.

"Don't spill even a drop." Ling Yun looked like an old fox whose scheme had succeeded.

"Fine, I know, Father. I really shouldn't get too cocky." Ling Tian muttered the last part under his breath. He didn't dare let Ling Yun hear, or who knew what else his father might demand.

"Looks like weeds have grown thick along both sides of the mountain path again. Carry water in one hand and use a knife to clear the weeds with the other," Ling Yun added, as if he'd just thought of it.

Ling Tian had just reached the doorway when he fell flat on his face. He scrambled back up and fled as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Hahaha..." A triumphant peal of laughter rang out after Ling Tian ran off.

"Ancient wisdom says, 'Don't show off, or you'll suffer for it.' The ancients really never lied." Ling Tian sighed.

The next day, Ling Tian ran up the mountain path carrying water. Either he spilled it, or he forgot to clear the weeds.

Ling Yun's requirement was that he clear one weed for every three steps. Ling Tian was constantly trying to do one thing at the expense of the other. Sometimes he spilled the water all over himself and ended up in a sorry state. Even his monkey and exotic-beast friends laughed at him, leaving him embarrassed and furious. But the moment he got distracted by his anger, he became even less able to carry the water and clear the weeds at the same time.

For a while, Ling Tian was in the foulest of moods. By the end of the day, he hadn't carried a single bucket of water up the mountain, but he'd run more than five round trips.

At dinner that night, Ling Tian wore a deeply aggrieved expression, which made Ling Yun laugh heartily. Ling Tian hurried through his meal and went to bed.

"Hmph, I refuse to believe I can't do it. I'll keep at it tomorrow." Ling Tian lay in bed, seething with defiance. A moment later, he was fast asleep. He'd been exhausted that day.

The next day, he spilled every last drop of water.

On the third day, half a bucket of water ended up all over Ling Tian.

A month later, Ling Tian could just barely manage not to spill a drop, but he still forgot to clear the weeds half the time.

Three months later, Ling Tian finally met Ling Yun's requirement to "carry water and clear weeds at the same time," but he could only complete one round trip a day.

Half a year later, Ling Tian's ability to split his focus had improved greatly. He could now complete two round trips a day.

A year later, Ling Tian could just barely meet all of Ling Yun's requirements.

"Ah, so Father was training my ability to do several things at once. In just two short years, my mental cultivation has clearly improved." That day, after finishing his tasks, Ling Tian suddenly understood Ling Yun's good intentions.

The path of cultivation would eventually require him to refine pills and forge artifacts, both of which tested his ability to control his mind. He would have to do many things at once; multitasking was the most basic skill.

"Mm, I'm still struggling a little. I should keep training for a while longer."

Now that he understood Ling Yun's good intentions, Ling Tian no longer resisted. He strove to carry out every task perfectly, trusted Ling Yun's various "schemes" even more, and learned to "take whatever came his way."

Just like that, Ling Tian carried water for another half a year. He could now fulfill Ling Yun's requirements perfectly, and even do so with ease, with plenty of strength to spare.

"I wonder what challenge Father will come up with next? And he said someone would bring me a cultivation manual. Why hasn't it arrived yet?" Ling Tian clearly hadn't forgotten Ling Yun's mysterious smile back then.

"I wonder what kind of cultivation manual it is. Father praised it so highly, so it must be pretty good. I can't wait to see it." Ling Tian was full of anticipation.

"Tian'er, come here." At the end of the old path, Ling Yun saw Ling Tian reach the summit and called out to him.

"Yes, Father. What is it?" Ling Tian hurried over and asked.

"Not bad, not bad. You've grown taller and become stronger and more agile. Your eyes are brighter, too." Ling Yun didn't answer the question. He looked at the handsome, upright Ling Tian with deep satisfaction.

Ling Tian was now thirteen. After three or four years of "training," he looked more spirited than ever, with an upright build and bright, clear eyes. He stood like a drawn sword, his presence faintly imposing.

"Starting today, I'm giving you a set of clothes to wear. From now on, wear them when you go up the mountain." Ling Yun waved his left hand, and a dark-colored shirt appeared out of thin air.

"Oh, got it." Ling Tian hurriedly took the clothes.

"Ah!"

The moment he took the clothes, Ling Tian cried out in surprise. His hand sank under the weight, and he hurriedly exerted himself to keep from falling. Even so, his body bent like a shrimp.

"This... This thing weighs at least twice as much as I do..." Ling Tian's voice trembled a little. Though his frame was slender and his body covered in muscle, he didn't look heavily muscled.

He weighed at least a hundred pounds, far more than you'd expect of a child just over ten. Didn't that mean the clothes weighed over two hundred pounds?

"Hehe, they're made of Black Iron, but we added 'soft steel,' so they're as soft and comfortable as silk. They're also very tough, and wear-resistant." Ling Yun wore a broad grin.

"Father, you're too cruel." Ling Tian rolled his eyes.

"That'll be easy for you. Hahaha!" Seeing Ling Tian struggle, Ling Yun laughed uproariously.

"All right, fine. Sigh!" Ling Tian could only accept it.

"You have to wear them to bed at night, too." Just as Ling Tian was about to head back and rest, Ling Yun added.

Ling Tian stumbled and could only smile wryly.

That night, Ling Tian slept in the "Black Iron Clothes." He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, and finally understood what it meant to writhe and turn in bed and lie awake all night.

The next morning, Ling Tian got up yawning, with dark circles under his eyes. The look he gave Ling Yun was full of "resentment." Ling Yun laughed heartily and pretended not to see. Humei's eyes were full of pity, but in the end, she said nothing and accepted Ling Yun's decision.

With no other choice, Ling Tian could only continue his "endless" training.

Time flew by, and another year passed.

Ling Tian was still being tormented on Qingyou Peak. He'd long since stopped wearing the "Black Iron Clothes"; now he wore a set of "Black Gold Cold Silkworm Clothes."

This set of clothes weighed more than three or four times as much as Ling Yun. That was over four hundred pounds. And that wasn't all: the clothes also radiated a biting chill that constantly seeped into Ling Tian's body.

At first, Ling Tian had nearly frozen stiff. A layer of frost formed on his eyebrows, and his teeth chattered so much he could barely speak. But by now, he'd long since grown used to the clothes, as if they were a part of his body.

Fourteen-year-old Ling Tian was already five feet seven inches tall. He looked even more dashing and spirited, as agile as a dragon. Some of the childishness had faded from his face; with his sword-shaped brows and starry eyes, he already showed signs of a young man destined to stand out.

"Tian'er, come here." One day, Ling Yun called Ling Tian over.

At those words, Ling Tian's expression immediately turned uneasy. For years, whenever Ling Yun called him like that, it meant there was always some new "scheme" in store. He'd developed an almost automatic reaction to the phrase.

"What kind of training are you putting me through this time, Father?" Though he felt uneasy, Ling Tian still came before Ling Yun. His expression was that of a man who'd decided to face the boiling water rather than fear it.

It was worth mentioning that when Ling Tian had just turned fourteen, Ling Yun had forbidden him from calling him "Father dear," saying he was already a grown-up and shouldn't act so spoiled. At the time, Ling Tian had been terrified, thinking Ling Yun had come up with some new way to "torture" him and wouldn't even let him act spoiled. In the end, it turned out he'd only frightened himself.

"Starting tomorrow, you don't have to run anymore. During the day, go out and play with your mother. At night, read on your own. I've prepared some books for you and put them in your bedroom." Ling Yun finished speaking and left before Ling Tian could say a word.