Grueling Training

Outside the cell, heat radiated through the air. Though it was not true flames burning his body, it was scorching—scorching enough that Meng Qi felt his skin blazing as if seared by fire. Sweat poured endlessly from his forehead, ran down his face, passed the corners of his mouth, and joined the streams of sweat flowing down his upper body.

His head swam and throbbed. Meng Qi barely managed to steady himself and maintain the qi circulation route for the first stage of the Golden Bell Shield. He was especially grateful for the Iron Cloth Shirt foundation he had laid; otherwise, his skin would certainly have been "scalded," and the severe loss of moisture would have made it impossible to endure.

This was countless times more terrifying than a sauna!

His Internal Energy continued circulating. Meng Qi felt as though his muscles were slowly "melting" and constantly "reassembling," working from within and without alongside the Golden Bell Shield's "transformation" of his body.

His Dantian, too, began to condense anew.

Steam rose from his sweat, blurring Meng Qi's vision until the scene before him seemed to sway—this was the part of each Golden Bell Shield stage meant to train the eyes. Of course, for the first stage, he only needed to keep his eyes open in this environment for the time of ten breaths.

Torment and suffering unlike anything he had ever known made Meng Qi glance instinctively into the cage, as though pleading for the Fire Cuckoo to move farther inside, away from him, and lower the temperature here by even a little.

The Fire Cuckoo, covered in crimson feathers, seemed to sense Meng Qi's gaze. Its eyes opened a fraction, and it shuffled one step toward him. The heat immediately grew even fiercer!

You damned bird! Meng Qi cursed inwardly. He did not dare look at the Fire Cuckoo again, afraid it would move closer to him once more.

After ten breaths, Meng Qi closed his eyes and tried his best to forget the torment of the heat, the discomfort in his skin and muscles, and everything around him, immersing his whole being in the cultivation of the Golden Bell Shield.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of "Amitabha Buddha" reached Meng Qi's ears, coinciding precisely with the interval after he completed one circulation.

"Master." The moment Meng Qi opened his eyes, he saw Xuan Bei standing before him.

Xuan Bei gave a faint nod. "That is enough. Today's training ends here. That you endured for a full day is beyond even my expectations."

"A day?" Meng Qi asked hoarsely, his Inner heart filled with astonishment. He had actually held out for an entire day?

At the same time, he ended his breathing adjustment and slowly rose to his feet. Pain wracked his entire body, and his legs were weak; he desperately wanted to find somewhere cool, lie down, and sleep.

A trace of a smile appeared on Xuan Bei's usually melancholy face. "I originally thought you could endure at most two hours, yet you persisted for a full five. Your perseverance is commendable. You are not as flighty and impetuous as you appear."

Sometimes I'm just making merry amid bitterness to ease my mood. I understand everything in my heart... Meng Qi silently argued for himself. But as soon as he took a step, he nearly collapsed. It was simply too hot, too dizzying, too exhausting.

Xuan Bei swept his Sleeve Robe, and wind rose from nowhere, steadily supporting Meng Qi and keeping him from falling as it carried him beyond the range of the Fire Cuckoo's cell.

Coolness washed over him, and Meng Qi's mind instantly cleared. He immediately felt as though he had come back to life!

"But do not force yourself too hard, or you may injure your body. Five hours is enough." Xuan Bei walked ahead as he casually said to Meng Qi, "At this rate, you should be able to complete the first stage of the Golden Bell Shield in half a month. The first three stages combined will not take more than three months."

Three months... Meng Qi frowned. He had no idea how long it would be before the next reincarnation mission arrived. If he had a year or so, there would naturally be no cause for concern. But if it was like last time, with only one month, then he would at most complete the second stage of the Golden Bell Shield, with no substantial improvement.

At least the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle could save his life!

That was all Meng Qi could think. The Golden Bell Shield was a divine art with a powerful foundation and slow progress. Under normal cultivation, the first three stages would take at least a year. Even with his Minor Qi Accumulation foundation, it would probably take six or seven months. Now that he could complete it within three months, what was there to complain about?

They spoke no more along the way. Meng Qi dragged his weak, powerless body back to the small courtyard where Xuan Bei lived, headed straight for the water vat, picked up a wooden ladle, and drank two full ladles before easing his dehydration.

Upon entering the Zen Room, Meng Qi saw Zhenhui meditating cross-legged. A smile rested on his face as he concentrated wholeheartedly, and he actually possessed a hint of Zen Intent.

Could this fellow really be suited to cultivating the "Nian Hua Finger"? Meng Qi blanked out for a moment, then found a Lingzhi Qi Replenishing Pill and swallowed it. He sat down cross-legged afterward, regulating his body and replenishing his inner breath.

At dinner, Meng Qi unleashed the strongest "combat power" of his life. The amount he ate surprised even himself.

Yet after eating and drinking his fill, Meng Qi, who had undergone a whole day of grueling training, was utterly exhausted. All he wanted was to lie dead on the communal bed—Shaolin revered ascetic cultivation. Even the private small courtyard of an Elder like Xuan Bei was no different in substance from the Servant Courtyard or Warrior Monk Institute. If not for secrecy and the convenience of his own cultivation, he probably would not even have had a separate courtyard.

"Senior Brother, I'm going back to meditate." Zhenhui eagerly called out to Meng Qi, then darted straight back into the Zen Room, showing not the slightest resistance toward cultivation.

Seeing this, Meng Qi sighed, turned, and stepped into the courtyard. He found a Monastic Blade and, beneath the cold moonlight, began practicing the Blood Saber Technique.

I cannot slack off! Who knows when the reincarnation mission will begin!

The Blood Saber Technique placed great emphasis on footwork and the angles of its attacks. It followed the principle of being seen before one moment and suddenly behind the next; only thus could the saber technique become incomparably strange, each slash cutting out from an unimaginable position. This complemented Meng Qi's Hundred Changes of Divine Travel perfectly, and practicing them together allowed each to enhance the other.

After practicing several sets of saber forms, the exhausted Meng Qi stopped, gulping down breaths as he planned to rest for a while.

At this moment, from the corner of his eye, he saw Xuan Bei standing at the door of the Zen Room. He did not know how long Xuan Bei had been there.

"Master." Meng Qi hurriedly pressed his palms together.

Xuan Bei nodded. A rare expression of satisfaction appeared on his face. "Very good."

With that, he turned and entered his own Zen Room.

Meng Qi secretly felt pleased with himself. After regulating his breath for a moment, he continued practicing his saber technique.

Day after day, Meng Qi repeated his routine between the Fire Cuckoo's cell and Xuan Bei's small courtyard. He only felt the Golden Bell Shield circulating ever more smoothly, while strange changes gradually emerged in his body. On the thirteenth day, he successfully completed the first stage.

That day, Meng Qi sat cross-legged before the Fire Cuckoo's cell. Few beads of sweat remained on his body's surface, reflecting a faint golden hue.

The high temperature remained, but Meng Qi's discomfort had eased considerably. His head no longer swam, his skin no longer felt as if it were burning, and his body had become much more peaceful as well.

Suddenly, a layer of gold emerged from Meng Qi's Dantian, accompanied by what seemed to be a faint sound.

After the sound faded, the gold receded. Meng Qi opened his eyes and moved his neck with satisfaction.

On the twenty-ninth day, the second stage of the Golden Bell Shield was complete! His Dantian had been fully condensed anew!

Xuan Bei seemed to have been guarding this place all along, never leaving. Seeing this, he gave a slight nod. "Not bad. Tomorrow, you will begin training in the third stage."

"Master, will the third stage still be here?" Meng Qi stood up and asked with concern.

By now, the drained feeling after each training session had improved considerably. At least he was no longer so weak that he would fall while walking.

"Outside the cell ahead." Xuan Bei indicated it with his eyes.

Meng Qi followed his gaze and discovered that it was the very cell he had noticed before, Filled with cold air, with a layer of ice crystals covering the ground.

It had been "heat" before, and now it was "cold"?

Xuan Bei slowly said, "Imprisoned inside is the 'Cold Turtle.' You are to use the icy aura it gives off to cultivate the third stage."

"Yes, Master." Meng Qi surveyed the cell and saw an enormous turtle carrying a pale-blue shell. Snowflakes drifted within, ice crystals carpeted the ground, forming a stark contrast with the Fire Cuckoo's cell just one wall away.

After returning to the small courtyard, Xuan Bei handed the token to Meng Qi. "You should be familiar with the route after going back and forth every day. From now on, go cultivate on your own. Once you have mastered the third stage, report back to me."

Meng Qi nodded in assent. Over the past month, whenever he cultivated, Master had stood guard beside him, costing him quite a bit of time. Now that Meng Qi had mastered the second stage of the Golden Bell Shield and was familiar with the environment there, it was time for him to stand on his own two feet.

The next day, Meng Qi held the token and smoothly entered the Sarira Pagoda, arriving at the place on the first floor where the "Cold Turtle" was imprisoned.

The moment he stepped inside, Meng Qi felt a bone-piercing chill, colder than every winter he had ever lived through, as though even his marrow were about to freeze.

As usual, he bared his upper body, sat cross-legged while shivering, and circulated the third-stage Golden Bell Shield mental art to ward off the cold.

This time, Meng Qi did not look at the "Cold Turtle" and "ask" it to move farther inside, lest the opposite result occur.

Yet as he cultivated, Meng Qi felt increasingly cold, as though he had practiced the third-stage mental art for nothing.

When he opened his eyes and looked over, he discovered that at some unknown point, the Cold Turtle had silently moved close to the iron bars.

This damned monster! Meng Qi cursed inwardly, grinding his teeth.

"Haha, foolish human, didn't you know this dead turtle holds grudges more than anything? It merely flooded a city, yet it has been locked up here for decades. How could it possibly look kindly upon you humans?" A clamorous voice came from across the way.

Meng Qi happened to be tempering his eyes. Through the cold air, he saw a small bird sprawled against its cage.

It was exceptionally ugly, with a round, ball-like body and two tiny wings covered in black feathers. It had no bird's beak on its head, only a fish-like mouth.

"What are you looking at? I never change my name while walking, nor my surname while sitting—my Daoist title is Chuiyizi, and I am a descendant of the Kunpeng Clan!" The little bird hopped about as it spoke. "You must be wondering why I didn't speak to you these past few days. Would a proud Kunpeng like me casually speak to humans?"

Meng Qi ignored it, closed his eyes, and continued cultivating with single-minded focus.

"Tsk, Little Monk, what use is cultivating with that dead turtle's cold air? You still have to find a frost chi! Haha, when the time comes, you'll freeze into icy scraps—dead beyond dead..." The little bird, Chuiyizi, had absolutely no awareness that Meng Qi was cultivating and kept chattering on.

"Your pose is so ugly. You humans really don't have a shred of taste..." It picked apart Meng Qi from head to toe, talking for a full hour.

"Little Monk, what use is practicing a turtle-shell art like the Golden Bell Shield? Let me out instead, and I naturally have benefits for you..."

Meng Qi felt the noise pouring into his ears, making his heart restless and his mind agitated. He wanted to leap up and find something to stuff into this fellow's mouth. It was simply too noisy, too talkative! Didn't it know cultivation required peace and quiet?

"Speaking of benefits, my Kunpeng Clan has carried on its inheritance for who knows how many tens of thousands of years. My grandfather's grandfather's grandfather once..." The little bird's interest was thoroughly roused. Starting with the tales of its grandfather's grandfather's grandfather, it looked as though it would not finish even in three months!

After completing one circulation, Meng Qi abruptly rose, intending to stuff Chuiyizi's mouth shut. Yet the little bird was exceptionally alert. The instant Meng Qi stood, it flew backward into the depths of its cell and smugly said, "Did you think I couldn't tell when you finished one circulation?"

"Haha, just obediently listen to me talk!"