One year

Days went by, and Adam trained without fail. Each day, he increased his training time until it reached a point where he practically only trained, ate, and slept.

Without realizing it, a year had passed since Selene and Adam first met.

Adam woke up in a soft bed, just as he had done every day for the past year.

"Good morning, Master" said Adam, knowing that Selene always waited for him when he woke up since she didn't need to sleep due to her high cultivation level.

"Good morning" replied Selene as she pulled food out of thin air.

Adam began devouring the food, as usual, until there was nothing left. He was still a bottomless pit.

"Today, I'll do it, I'm sure of it" said Adam, referring to the training. He had made significant progress during this time.

His body had continued to develop, and with his intense physical training, he now had an athletic build. His rapid growth gave him the appearance of a twelve-year-old boy. His white hair, which kept growing non-stop, along with his angelic face and calm demeanor, made it seem like he would have many admirers in the future.

"You said that the last twenty times" Selene teased, though she knew he was close to achieving it.

Wasting no time, Selene teleported them quickly to the training field after they finished eating.

"Remember, you need to last an hour on the rope" Selene reminded him.

"Yes, I'm ready."

Once Selene placed Adam on the rope, he quickly regained his balance and even began moving with ease.

"Tsk! You love to show off" Selene clicked her tongue.

Adam smiled playfully at her comment, never losing focus.

Time passed, and it almost seemed like Adam was being held by some invisible thread. He walked back and forth across the rope without worry and even squatted down, an action that earned him a scolding from Selene, who thought he wasn't taking it seriously.

An hour passed...

"I did it!" Adam celebrated excitedly.

"Humph! Don't celebrate too soon; you still have one more test to pass" said Selene, dampening Adam's enthusiasm.

The final test was the most challenging for him since Selene added that he had to run three miles in under 25 minutes, something that would be a challenge even for a normal person, let alone someone blind.

Adam was ready. As soon as he was guided to the test area, he launched himself forward.

He had traveled this path countless times over the past year. Now he was much more aware of his body's position at all times and had drastically improved his coordination. He felt this ability would be useful even if he ever regained his sight.

Adam kept a fast and steady pace, taking this test much more seriously than the previous one.

Finally, he reached the finish line and collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

"Did I... did I make it?" Adam asked, his breathing ragged.

"You finished in 23 minutes, so yes, you did it" said Selene with a smile, seeing how hard Adam had worked over the past year.

"What's next?" Adam asked, brimming with curiosity.

"It's time for you to learn how to defend yourself" Selene replied.

"I've been studying your condition over the past year, and I think I've found the key to helping you fight."

Adam couldn't believe it was possible to face someone healthy, even after all the training he had undergone.

"The key will be your ability to absorb energy" Selene explained."As you know, everything is filled with energy, or qi, and any movement causes that energy to shift. For example, if you throw a punch, by moving your arm, you will displace the energy in its trajectory, causing it to fluctuate around it. While this may go unnoticed by others, it doesn't have to be the case for you."

"From now on, what you'll do is fight against me, trying to "see" my movements through the environment" Selene concluded.

Adam listened to Selene's words and couldn't help but think about how it hadn't occurred to him before.

"But you're too strong for me. How am I supposed to defeat you?" Adam expressed his doubt.

"I'll seal my cultivation, of course. Besides, I don't expect you to defeat me. If you manage to dodge three of my strikes in a single session, I'll consider you ready to fend for yourself" Selene said, dispelling his doubts.

"Alright, when do we start?" Adam asked excitedly, as learning how to fight was something he never thought he would do in this lifetime.

"Tomorrow. Today, you've earned a small break. I'll prepare a medicinal bath for you" Selene replied.

Once everything was ready, Adam submerged himself in the tub and bathed for half an hour while meditating. Hardly any impurities came out of his skin during these baths anymore, a sign that his body was reaching an optimal state.

When he finished bathing, the two of them sat in the middle of a clearing with a view of the starry sky.

They had been doing this for the past few months, and it was a moment they both enjoyed. Although Adam couldn't appreciate the scenery, he liked the feeling of the gentle breeze on his face, as well as the conversations with Selene, who had become by far the person closest to him.

"Once I gain the ability to cultivate, what will happen to us?" Adam broke the silence.

Selene hadn't expected the question, and silence reigned for a few seconds.

"I don't know" Selene admitted, a little embarrassed for not having thought that far ahead.

"I don't know what I'll do once I can cultivate. I mean, I don't have any goals" Adam said, opening up to Selene.

Yes, revenge was something he planned to seek, but after that? Only emptiness remained.

"I'm sure you'll meet wonderful people you'll want to protect with all your strength and for whom you'll never stop pushing yourself" Selene responded confidently.

"Yes, I'm sure I will" Adam said, with a hidden meaning.

Selene didn't seem to notice this and continued:

"Besides, you shouldn't think that far ahead. You still have to finish your training. Or do you think I'm that weak?" she said, trying to lighten the mood.

Adam joked:

"Tsk! You're talking to the future strongest cultivator. Watch your words, or I'll spank you once I'm stronger than you."

"Humph! We'll see if tomorrow you dare talk to your master like that" Selene retorted.

"I-it was a joke..." Adam stammered, paling as he thought he might have gone too far.

Selene couldn't help but laugh at his expression.

"Pufff!" she tried to hold back but couldn't stop herself.

"The master is a bully" Adam said, turning his face away from where Selene was sitting.

They continued joking and chatting for a few hours until Adam fell asleep.

Selene, on the other hand, remained deep in thought about Adam's words.

'What will happen after, hmm?' she wondered silently.