Hard cultivation

Haoyue had a full first week at the academy.

Every morning, Water Element classes were held in a large classroom on the east side of the main teaching building. Dozens of Water Element students sat together, listening to a level-six Water Element mage explain the basic principles of Water Element magic.

"The core of Water Element magic is 'softness.'" The mage drew a magic array on the blackboard. "But it can also be forceful in combat. It's the most versatile element of magic..."

Haoyue sat in a corner, listening attentively.

Fire Element class was in the afternoon. Fire Element mages generally had fiery tempers, and this teacher was no exception.

"Keep your mana output steady! Don't squeeze it out like toothpaste when you're constipated!"

Laughter filled the classroom.

Haoyue frowned inwardly. The violent nature of the Fire Element really didn't suit his personality. He considered himself a gentle person, but thanks to his supreme affinity, he gained a deep understanding from the lessons.

The Earth Element class in the evening was gentler by comparison. Earth Element mages were usually steady and taciturn, and this teacher's lessons leaned toward theory, covering the use of earth elements and conventional ways to employ them.

After the three classes, Haoyue had gained a great deal.

The academy's open classes covered the basics, but the basics often determined one's upper limit. The advantage of cultivating three elements at once was that he could understand the nature of magic from three different perspectives.

The real hardship came after class.

After the three classes each day, the other students either went to the dining hall or returned to their dorms to rest. Haoyue, however, had to hurry to the mountain behind the academy before dark.

There was a hidden clearing on the mountain, screened on all sides by bushes.

Haoyue took off his coat and began to warm up.

One hundred push-ups.

One hundred sit-ups.

One hundred squats.

Twenty laps of frog jumps.

Sweat streamed down his forehead and soaked the shirt underneath, and then he picked up a wooden sword and began practicing basic sword moves like slashes and thrusts.

His work experience in his previous life had taught him that his body was his capital. Without a strong physique, he couldn't form a battle qi seed at all, let alone cultivate the Tiger Pattern Secret Canon.

By the time he returned to the dorm, it was completely dark.

Kaluo was leaning against the doorway, cracking sunflower seeds. He jumped when he saw Haoyue come in drenched in sweat.

"Damn, did you fall in a river?"

"I did some exercise." Haoyue wiped off his sweat. "I also went to the dining hall and got some leftovers."

"You train like that every day?" Kaluo's eyes widened. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"I'm used to it."

Luo'en poked his head out of the room. "Bolei, do you have some grudge to settle? You're pushing yourself so hard."

"Poor children learn to fend for themselves early." Haoyue smiled. "You guys keep chatting. I'm going to take a bath."

Lei'en shook his head inside the room. The kid was only eight, younger than all three of them, yet he worked harder than any of them. Sometimes Lei'en even wondered if the child had been possessed by some demon.

Late that night, the dorm lights went out.

Haoyue then began to meditate and cultivate his spiritual power.

He calmed his mind and began to sense the elements, following the method the teacher had taught in class.

The air was filled with particles of magical elements invisible to the naked eye. Water Element spiritual energy was gentle and moist, Fire Element spiritual energy danced, and Earth Element spiritual energy was steady. The three magical elements intertwined like an invisible net.

The magical elements surged into his spiritual sea like living sprites, filling it in an instant and bringing him to the late stage of a level-one mage.

Haoyue sucked in a breath.

Is the affinity boost from the three elemental dragon souls really this terrifying?

It looks like, thanks to my three dragon souls, as long as I can cultivate my spiritual power to the corresponding level, my magic will fill up instantly. In other words, I only need to cultivate my spiritual power.

Next came cultivating the Tiger Pattern Secret Canon. "Draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into the body..."

He sat cross-legged and adjusted his breathing as described in the secret canon.

"Draw the energy into the body..."

Haoyue held both hands together in front of his lower abdomen and used his powerful spiritual power to capture a wisp of spiritual energy.

A sharp pain came from his lower abdomen.

The spiritual energy had entered his body.

But the next second, that wisp of spiritual energy rampaged through him like a wild horse. Wherever it passed, his meridians felt as though they were on fire.

"Cough-"

Haoyue's eyes snapped open, cold sweat covering his forehead.

Is this the legendary cleansing of the body and marrow?

For the next month, Haoyue battled spiritual energy every day.

Drawing energy into the body sounded simple, but doing it was like unclogging a drain with an iron wire.

The Tiger Pattern Secret Canon's cultivation method was different. He drew spiritual energy directly into his dantian, then sent the energy through every meridian like a whirlwind. After washing the meridians, it fed back into the dantian, strengthening it, and formed a Tiger Pattern Cyclone in the dantian like a small tornado. After that, he would get twice the result with half the effort.

At first, getting the spiritual energy into his dantian was quite easy, but once it entered his meridians, it automatically washed away the impurities in his body, and the process was unbearably painful. He had persisted for so long, from before he entered the academy until now, yet the cleansing still wasn't complete.

Every night, he bit down on a towel and endured the piercing pain.

Sometimes he woke in the middle of the night to find himself drenched in sweat, his sheets soaked through.

His roommates gradually noticed something was wrong.

"Bolei, you've been looking terrible lately." Lei'en frowned. "Are you sick?"

"I'm fine. Cultivation's just been too tiring."

"Do you want to see a physician?"

"No need." Haoyue waved a hand. "I'll be careful."

Kaluo came over and lowered his voice. "You're not secretly practicing some evil art, are you?"

"Get lost." Haoyue didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Luo'en looked at him thoughtfully but said nothing.

A month later.

That night, Haoyue was cultivating in the dorm as usual.

The moment the spiritual energy entered his body, he suddenly felt something inside him loosen.

A warm current spread from his dantian, slowly flowing through his limbs and bones before gradually returning to his dantian, where the cyclone grew stronger.

Although the Tiger Pattern Cyclone in his dantian was weak, it was definitely there.

Did it work?

Haoyue clenched his fist.

His strength had indeed increased considerably since he entered the academy. His battle qi cyclone had gone from loose to solid, and the energy flowing through his meridians was more abundant.

He wasn't far from becoming a level-two warrior, and when he broke through to level four in the future, he would be able to activate his Tiger-Striped Warrior form. It would give him an enormous boost and become his greatest trump card.

He took a deep breath and continued absorbing spiritual energy.

Outside the door came the sound of his roommates laughing as they played cards.

The corners of Haoyue's mouth lifted slightly.

Peaceful days like these are wonderful.