Training (2)
A long chapter(pls help me correct mistakes)because I didn't uploaded yesterday… Thank you.
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Chapter 35 — Training (2)
Third Underground Level: Body Training Room.
My physical training has been stagnating for a while now. I couldn't feel any painful stimuli to my body when I performed conventional exercises.
I was unsatisfied by the slow and steady growth of my greatest asset, so it was not strange I looked into strange ideas.
—Like the springlock suit.
A suit that encapsulated my whole body from head to toe. It was created out of the heaviest compressed alloys, compressed springs, and tight locks.
After I wore the sleek metal suit, and tightened the small springs and locks until I felt like I was being crushed, I immediately felt the painful cries of my muscles as the slightest movement required extreme effort.
Every muscle fibers. The strong muscles, the weak muscles, and the unused muscles—were being utterly worked to the extreme.
"This pain is what I'm after…."
I immediately began performing simple exercises.
The improvements were clear as each movement caused my muscles to burn as they moved in confrontation with the compressed metal alloys, compressed springs, and tight locks.
This type of training was also a form of torture used in the past.
It was excruciatingly painful to even move a single finger.
But I felt alive from the burning sensations that consumed my body.
This kind of torture was what I wanted.
A way for me to get stronger.
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I wore the metal suit everyday except for eating, sleeping, and showering. When I went outside as usual, I never removed the suit even when I met countless scrutinizing gazes.
The others from the workshop only curiously asked about the suit. Tang Wulin was even inspired by my training in the form of torture.
At the library, Na'er was also just interested in the suit.
After curiously asking me, I replied with the same answer.
Na'er was also training now. The reason was because there were people who bullied her for being a bookworm. Her beautiful appearance also attracted jealousy from girls. There were also boys who tried to take her forcefully under the spell of love.
Tang Wulin was always protecting her, but she eventually grew sick and exhausted from constantly being harassed.
The spark seemed to start when I saved from a group of older boys who were harassing her.
Na'er wasn't afraid to fight them because she had seen something more terrifying than them.
She didn't want to become a princess that always needed protection.
Na'er now disliked acting as a trouble for her family.
And she hated to appear so weak to the boy who strangely was able to make her heart beat so fast and warm.
Even if she lacked martial soul and soul power, Na'er started to train her body and combat skills with Tang Wulin.
At the same time, she held a faint belief of also awakening them.
Na'er wanted to follow the boy who was so near yet always drifting farther and farther from her.
She felt her martial soul and soul power were just slumbering within her.
An outcome perhaps born from her lost memories.
At any rate, it was evident that she held a high physical talent within her as she was able to progress faster than most spirit masters.
In the end, Na'er was now able to confidently defend herself with her trained body and combat skills.
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Time slowly flowed.
I periodically tightened the compressed springs and tight locks into a new level as my body quickly adjusted to them.
The most troublesome part of the metal suit were the springs and locks. They forced me to use every fiber of my body to just move in normal ways. All of my major and minor muscles were adapting perfectly, but for the muscle fibers that were neglected because there weren't ways to train them effectively—they were now trained intensely just to become as strong as the other muscles.
I knew my entire muscular system was transformed into extremely powerful pink muscles, but it was inevitable for differences to appear between the pink muscles that were trained frequently and the strands of pink muscle fibers that were left unused.
Now there were no longer useless or weak muscles.
Not anymore.
I always performed various workouts using gym equipment to adjust and train with the metal suit.
After learning about various training manuals, medical knowledge, and biological science, I've already developed physical workouts that would target every single pink muscle fiber of my body.
This also included using the soul treadmill to train my cardiovascular system for further stamina and endurance. I did it while operating my Steel Breathing Method as usual.
I wore more weights while running on the treadmill, which I set to a high level to suit my current standards.
A level where a normal person would already fly out like a rocket if they stepped on it.
This was not only the body training I did with the metal suit on.
I even wore the suit while working on my secondary jobs. Along with flute playing, I was able to develop my hands and fingers into steel extremities that acted as sharp spears.
Moreover, they also became very precise to the point I could move them however I wanted.
I further developed my arms, especially my fist and fingers by constantly striking them into an extremely durable raw metal, causing my bones to crack, my muscles and skin tear away, and my nerves being damaged before being regenerated with my powerful regeneration speed to grow as tough and strong as a hammer and blade.
Not only the arms, I also sometimes did the same thing to my legs by kicking at the metal repeatedly.
This type of hellish training was to strengthen Steel Hardening.
This technique not only stems from my spiritual power, but also from my own physical body.
If the material is originally weak, then the steel it formed would naturally be weak as well.
This training that turns my entire arms into deadly weapon was also suitable for my killing boxing that was evolving as I gradually incorporated everything within me into it.
A killing style that involves using my whole body.
Not only the use of fists, it also included knife hand and claws to use my advantages of steel fingers and sharp nails.
If I formed my hand into something like a knife or claws, my attacks were able to exert more terrifying piercing power similar to a sharp spear.
It was also suitable for redirecting attacks.
And I also tried using some kicking moves, but I preferred to use them to support my attacks by sweeping with my legs to destroy balance.
To experiment with those, the battle puppet was a perfect punching bag.
Prototype Battle Puppet #2.
Destroyed.
Prototype Battle Puppet #3.
Destroyed.
Prototype Battle Puppet #4.
Destroyed.
Prototype Battle Puppet #5.
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Prototype Battle Puppet #20.
Destroyed.
Every version update of the battle puppet was progressively growing more complicated than before.
It became more powerful, durable, and agile as it was equipped with a much more powerful soul battery.
There was also supporting equipment like the thrusters attached to the back and limbs for greater speed and power. And speaking of limbs, there are now two pairs of arms added to it.
As for weapons, there were now soul blades and soul cannons. It was even inputted with the information of my killer boxing, but it could only last for several minutes against me without the enhancement of spirit heart.
Despite such results, the developing and researching team was burning with heightened passion with each puppet I destroyed.
They already knew in advance the weak puppets they made wouldn't be able to scratch me.
These results were already expected from the powerful savior and hidden boss of Red Rose.
In fact, they thought they were extremely fortunate to just work so close to me
I made the greatest contribution from destroying the Lobster Famillia. Due to this reason, Red Rose were able to take various things from them like mechas and soul weapons.
They were also able to acquire lots of information and knowledge from the craftsmen working under Lobster Famillia.
This was why a lot of craftsmen from Red Rose were able to learn and progress so much.
Including them.
Red Rose even took in the unfortunate people who were caught and kidnapped by Lobster Famillia, but no longer have a place to stay.
Most of them were even sold as slaves or organ farms to the Lobster Famillia.
Those people were now undergoing rehabilitation under Red Rose. After that, they decided to receive strict lessons to become educated to work under Red Rose.
All of them were resolved to succeed and contribute to Red Rose who helped them without hesitation.
This was also to repay Vlad who saved them.
It was already guessed that Vlad was the mysterious boss behind Red Rose.
That's why they joined Red Rose to continue helping other people who were like them.
A vast majority from Red Rose worshiped Vlad.
There were many reasons.
And one of them was my blood.
I once thought it was just a waste to donate money to institutions that researched incurable diseases and deadly illnesses, when my blood itself served as the perfect solution.
My purple blood held the ability of being impervious to diseases and illnesses that afflicted ordinary people.
Which caused me to decide it would be better to entrust my money and blood to Red Rose.
Compared to others, I trusted Red Rose more.
Red Rose created a new standard by creating charity to make orphanages, feeding programs, educational programs, job programs, medical programs, and other things.
Since Red Rose already had a good image, the public thought of it as something good.
As for the Medical Guild, I gave them my blood so they could develop medicines from it.
The Medical Guild, which was not working great as other guilds, quickly treated my blood as if it was a divine elixir handed by God.
Soon enough, the Medical Guild gradually rose to the path of turning into a top pharmaceutical institution for ordinary people and spirit masters.
After researching my blood, they were able to devise many types of drugs and medicines that changed the world of medicine.
Vlad's Elixirs.
The brand name of their medicines.
And the most high sought product was the Lifespan Extending Serum.
After it, the Medical Guild was also able to create drugs to cure various incurable illnesses and diseases, not stopping to produce more by researching more about the drugs they made.
They also made some popular drugs like Beautifying Serum, Anti-Aging Serum, Healing Serum, Brain Boosting Serum, and Enhanced Libido Drugs.
As employees of Red Rose, the workers were able to receive benefits from the medicines devised from my blood that made them safe from various illnesses and diseases.
Moreover, if they worked hard enough, they could also obtain the Life Extending Drugs born from my blood.
It caused my status to be elevated to the peak.
After all, such simple blood was able to bring so much fortune.
Vlad is God.
Some workers praying for luck.
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I trained at the fourth underground level everyday.
The difficulty of the trial turned into nightmarish level of torture while using the metal suit.
It was impossible to even clear the simply simple level one.
Yet I still chose to wear the suit even when it restricted my movements by a lot.
The suit was useful for body control. It required me to efficiently exert more delicate control over my entire body just to avoid the obstacles.
As I got used used to moving with the metal suit on, I started to wear blindfold that blocked my sight.
And when something you've always taken for granted like sight is blocked, the discomfort was the hardest thing to overcome.
However, the discomfort couldn't compare to the pain of having to tear my eyes countless times.
The only problem was the loss of acquiring visual information.
My sight being blocked closed the means to get external information. Even if my senses had improved greatly from various nourishing factors, I still needed to adjust my other senses to use them as effectively as my sight.
The swinging obstacles were the proper method to adjust them.
As a result, I was always pushed to the limit with only four senses.
The restricted movements also made it even more difficult, making me push my reaction speed, flexibility, footworks, sixth sense, and body controls to their best capabilities.
I gradually started to make improvements as my body adapted after constantly being beaten to the point my steel bones were no longer damaged by the swinging iron objects of level two.
As I continuously practiced everyday, I started to effectively use my senses as naturally as my sight. Even my sixth sense was working well with them.
All senses were striving to work together to perfectly fill each other's gap with their unique capability.
I didn't only practice with my senses and reaction speed. I also applied their uses through actual combat by fighting against the Lobster Famillia.
My battles were always against several people and a few powerful mechas, while I relied on my powerful body that still wore the metal suit.
I didn't worry as the spirit heart pumped soul blood that enhanced my body to the point the metal suit was easy to move around.
The activation of the enhanced circulatory system also caused the metal suit to develop a dense network of crimson lines all over its surface. Along with Steel Hardening, I was extremely sturdy like a soul tank.
As I fought against the mechas, the pilots would only see my fists forming into flowing strings of black reddish light that rapidly smashed into their metallic body like bullets that flew with shrill musical notes.
The mechas were left helpless as they couldn't react from my powerful fists that destroyed their mechas. The forces even penetrated to destroy the weak internal body of the mechas.
Moreover, I wielded my left hand into a knife and right hand into claws that slashed their limbs before piercing deeply into the cockpits.
And when a group rapidly fired soul guns and soul cannons from behind me, I didn't worry as my senses were already able to detect their movements.
I was able to effortlessly avoid them even with closed eyes, allowing me to redirect and combine some of them back to the enemies.
And with a boom, they exploded from their combined attacks.
Those mechas were the perfect subjects to practice with my spirit heart with my killer boxing style and senses.
Yet even they failed to withstand my pure enhanced brute force.
When the enemies were simply too many, I consumed ten rage auras to unleash Fist Of Rage to destroy them all at once.
The Lobster Famillia was now almost destroyed by me. There were only remnants that were now hiding fearfully from Vlad and the Dojo Guild of Red Rose.
Their fear made sense.
I knew my ferocity increased as I sharpened my fangs by training to use every arsenal I had.
From my senses, my killer boxing, and other things.
I even explored and experimented more about torture methods.
To inflict the most pain to the beasts who killed and defiled my family.
I have so many things to do that there isn't time to master most of them.
If only I had other me to work…
As for my senses, I thought they were quite decent now.
As the cursed blood of bards flowed inside me, it was natural for my ears to be sensitive to sounds. I was able to accurately differentiate sounds from my surroundings, allowing me to hear and detect the sounds of movement.
Also one of the reasons I was able to easily learn music and flute.
My sense of touch learned to use the wind to feel the sensation of movement, allowing me to sense movements and feel vibrations through the air to help me track or locate movements.
My sense of smell also learned to pick up subtle scents and track their locations with terrifying accuracy like a hound. It even allowed me to pick up the smell of movement.
At first, I failed several times until my nose grew sensitive enough to determine where things were from the scents carried by the air.
Now I could smell a thread that seemed to be the smell of movement.
As for my sense of taste, I was able to taste various characteristics through various things like energies, the air, and others, allowing me to pick up the taste of movement.
After practicing them enough, I started to use my sight alongside them. After not using them for a long time, I was able to realize things I couldn't before.
The sight of movement. They became far more vivid and clear to me. If I focused enough, it was as if I was observing those movements in slow motion.
The sight of movement, the touch of movement, the sound of movement, the smell of movement, and the taste of movement—All of them were now opening a new world of external information movement to my being.
And before I realized, the five senses and sixth senses were working together so effectively to the point my entire perception underwent transformation.
—Extrasensory Perception.
My perception of the world changed upon combining the five senses and sixth sense into a whole.
I was now able to recognise things that were hidden before.
When I tried to use my Extrasensory Perception against Lobster Famillia, I was able to fight effectively while being able to determine every minute and subtle movements that were occurring real time around me.
I had no blind spot.
Since I was seeing the world of movements.
This would normally be difficult to process with an ordinary brain. Perhaps only powerful spirit masters could process such a world of movement.
However, I was able to analyze and process everything due to my adaptive processing ability.
It must be noted that my brain was transformed optimizely with pink muscles to perform efficiently. My metallic nervous system was also much more advanced than ordinary human nerves, so they were able to handle everything easily and efficiently.
As a result, I was able to process the world of movement at a fast rate.
But it was still taxing for me to continuously activate.
With my enhanced perception, I was now able to complete level 1 and level 2 despite my body still being restricted by the metal suit.
I then started to train my spiritual sense with my enhanced perception to the point I was able to receive more information from the world of movement. This was also another good way to train my spiritual power.
Now avoiding the obstacles turned easy as if I was able to foresaw the path they were gonna take. I was able to sense everything around me in advance, so I lacked blind spots to get scared.
My enhanced perception worked so perfectly with my metallic nervous system that I was able to respond a lot faster from the information that the senses received and delivered to them.
The area around me had already turned into my own combat field.
To others eyes, it might be seen that I'm able to move ahead of them as soon as they also take their move.
That was if I focused enough and they entered my combat field.
Not only that, I was able to better handle my body and control my skills better with enhanced perception.
(Extrasensory Perception or Enhanced Perception is different from World of Movement. In a sense, it is an active ability from it.)
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Aside from senses training, I also went to the deep seafloor to train under the intense water pressure. Along with the springs and locks constricting my body, I felt my body being slowly tempered.
After my body adjusted to the new environment, I started to perform underwater shadow boxing, which combines anaerobic exercise with water resistances and water pressure, to improve my muscular and cardiovascular functions.
The water star was able to help me breathe underwater for a long period, but I chose to restrict it. I instead forced my lungs to improve its air capacity and absorption efficiency. I also wanted to improve the overall efficiency of how my body used oxygen and energy in the first place, so my body could adapt to various conditions even faster.
At the same time, I started to operate the Steel Breathing Method to control my breathings in a slow and controlled manner to help with the adjustment.
It was similar to the Turtle Breathing Method
The training process was slow and steady as I performed shadow boxing while underwater.
As a result, I burned the oxygen in my body much faster—but even if I ran out of water, I chose to not refill my lungs with new oxygen and continued shadow boxing to break my limit.
This kind of torture was suffocatingly painful and straining to both of my body and mind, as I had to always force myself to not swim to the surface for oxygen, while also moving my body against the metal suit, the water pressure, and water resistance until I felt I was really close to dying.
It was a deadly training experience that caused the feeling of constantly drowning everyday.
After a long time of training underwater everyday, the air capacity and absorption efficiency of my lungs eventually reached an impressive level. I could also tell the countless cells that built my body were now using oxygen and energy more efficiently and effectively just like I intended, making it so that I could breathe without oxygen for a long period of time even without the water star. As a result, I felt my stamina and endurance reaching a new level if I stacked the water star.
Conversely, It was also possible to continuously attack with bursts of extreme power and speed without needing to stop to breathe.
It worked well with my evolving killer boxing, so I incorporated it.
Coupled with my treadmill marathon, I felt my Steel Breathing Method was now tied intricately to my instincts.
After using it repeatedly everyday for a long time now with various strenuous activities, I was now able to completely replace my normal breathing pattern with the habitual pattern of Steel Breathing Method.
In simple words, I was now constantly operating the Steel Breathing Method without even needing to pay attention to using it.
I gave it a new term: Constant Steel Breathing Pattern.
After replacing it with the normal breathing pattern of humans, I was now able to apply it to everything I did.
Unlike the regular breathing pattern of humans, the Constant Steel Breathing Pattern always guides my body to enter the most optimal yet relaxed state, allowing me to perform at my best capabilities at any time.
As such, it brought my mind constant clarity and quick mental processing speed, as well as heightened concentration and focus, resulting in my spiritual power growing more precise and concentrated than before.
The temporary muscle activity boost that brought increased strength and stamina also turned permanently.
The same thing happened to my presence that became thinner and fainter than before.
The Constant Steel Breathing always controlled my breathings in a smooth, relaxed, and steady manner, allowing me to constantly efficiently use and conserve my stamina, as well as helped to thin my presence.
In fact, It was what I used to conceal my presence when I fought back then without Nature Concealment.
It even slightly constantly sharpened my overall senses and improved the control over my entire body.
There was also a hidden slow effect, wherein my body and mind was slowly being refined at a slow pace.
After reaching the constant state, I was now able to coat both of my entire arms with Steel Hardening.
Steel Hardening was also the only fast training method for my spiritual power since it involved constantly controlling parts of my body in a precise and exhausting manner.
However, it was painful since there were many times I messed up which turned my body into a bloody mess.
If I didn't possess an insane body and powerful regeneration, I would have already died long ago.
Yet it wasn't necessarily good as I had to experience dying countless times due to repeated trial and error.
I was always knocking on the door of death with Steel Hardening.
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I needed to continue strengthening my purple blood.
Which is why I've read alchemy books long ago.
Now I'm constantly experimenting inside my alchemy lab to create powerful poisons and medicines.
There were also people from the Medical Guild helping me out.
Although there were painful powerful explosions occurring due to chemical reactions, I shielded my assistants from the explosion and absorbed the poisonous miasma.
As such, the assistants had high confidence when they were with me.
Perhaps because they held a firm faith directed at me.
After various failed experiments, we were able to eventually create a liquid substance that acted as chaotic poison while also acting as berserk medicine.
After I absorbed it and endured the excruciating pain it brought, I felt my purple blood undergoing some visible changes.
The poison property became more vicious and very potent. Its various traits like being acid also became even more lethal and corrosive.
As for the medicinal property, I felt an increase in my virility and regeneration speed.
However, they weren't the major effects from absorbing the liquid substance.
After absorbing it, the chaotic poison and berserk medicine actually painfully refined and strengthened my organs and blood vessels, allowing me to exert more powerful forces without damaging them.
And coupled with the fact that my organs and blood vessels within my body were being nourished by the Elemental Stars and Life-Death Wheel, I knew my organs and blood vessels were very tough compared to the majority of spirit masters with higher ranks than me.
Now I can perfectly exert my extremely powerful strength without hurting myself in the process.
It was a well-known knowledge that presence of soft internal organs instinctively limited the overall forces that could be released to avoid heavily damaging the internal body.
It was especially true for my blood vessels that needed to deal with my extremely high-quality purple blood that was extremely tenacious, had powerful vitality, and filled with raging energy of very rich lifeforce energy.
They would have long bursted if my blood vessels remained weak.
The further refined blood vessels would also reflect on my enhanced circulatory system when the spirit heart is activated.
If I add my extremely tough body, enhanced circulatory system, and Steel Hardening, I was practically tougher than most spirit masters from the defense system.
Aside from alchemy, I still forged sometimes since I still planned on creating a special weapon.
But my forging time became less since I prioritised my training.
And as for my cultivation…
I unleashed my spirit heart.
After constantly trying to refine my spirit heart to create super dense and high-quality soul blood, I've managed to reach Negative Soul Rank 10 with extremely compressed soul blood surging through my enhanced circulatory system like a mighty blood dragon.
My soul blood was so dense and powerful that its mighty gushing sounds could be clearly heard from outside.
At the same time, It caused the air around me to shake visibly from the intense soul blood fluctuations I was releasing to the point there was a blood red humanoid-shaped projection that hovered silently behind me.
The human projection formed from soul blood clouds resembled my silhouette.
And like me, there was the same powerful beating sound resounding powerfully from its chest.
The heartbeat resounded so loud and powerful that it struck fear to those who heard it, causing their sympathetic nervous system to go haywire as their heartbeat would speed up from fear.
Their bodies would also go instinctively stiff and frozen as if they met death. Their flight or fight reactions were forcefully overwritten with freeze.
As for how I know?
The dead people from the Lobster Famillia showed me.
The Elemental Stars have also grown larger than when it first started.
In fact, the water star has already matured from my constant underwater training with all of its effects improving by several notches.
And since the first was the water star, it didn't break the balance that much.
As for the rest, I could feel they were quite close to maturing.
Three years have now already passed since I arrived at Glorybound City.
And I now reached Negative Soul Rank 10.
The sign to absorb my first ever spirit soul and soul ring.
I've already prepared enough for this moment.
At the same time, I could feel my Extrasensory Perception telling me my revenge was gradually nearing…
It was then—
Someone rang the doorbell.
After opening the door, I saw the unknown visitor was Na'er.
"Hey…"
And with an indescribable sorrowful expression.
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Almost 5k+ words which basically enough to make me cough blood and have splitting headache.
Ah, I think I forgot some to train, but I forgot and can't remember.
Also, my head really hurt. This might be an info dump, but I don't like to explain his training montage too long since it would take many chapters.
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