Recuperation

Li Xiao instructed Chen An for several hours.

Chen An's clothes were already soaked through with sweat, and blood blisters had formed on his palms, yet he gritted his teeth, uttered not a word, and kept going.

Li Xiao sat on the steps beneath the eaves, arms folded across his chest, watching silently.

He neither called for a stop nor urged him on.

On the road of cultivation, if talent fell short, one had to make up for it with sweat.

Since Chen An had chosen to take him as his master, he had to be able to endure this hardship.

"Enough," Li Xiao said, rising to his feet. "That's all for today. Go back and rest."

Chen An answered, bowed to Li Xiao, then turned and headed out of the courtyard.

The courtyard fell quiet.

Standing beneath the moonlight, Li Xiao lowered his head and looked at his hands.

The image of Guardian Chen blocking that fork for him surfaced in his mind once more.

Had Guardian Chen not stepped in, that strike would at least have punched a hole through him.

Li Xiao's brow furrowed slightly, and a trace of vigilance rose in his heart.

These past days, things had truly gone too smoothly for him.

Ever since entering the Three Origins Sect, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, Pills had flowed without end, he had few rivals among his peers, and he had slain more than one Fifth Turn Great Demon.

Without realizing it, he had developed a complacent heart.

He had thought that with trump cards in hand and methods at his disposal, he would be able to turn misfortune into fortune even when danger arose.

But Guardian Chen's death had dealt him a blow like a clap of thunder.

No matter how many