Chapter 24: Chapter 24
Hearing such an assessment from Morris, Ron’s heart tightened, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Will this affect my upcoming training plan?”
“What do you think! That was completely reckless!”
Morris’s expression was unfriendly. He glared fiercely at Ron for a long while before finally speaking slowly: “Go sprint laps around the training ground. Keep running until I tell you to stop!”
“Yes, thank you, Instructor.”
Ron understood that this was both Morris’s punishment for him and the remedy he was offering. Although he didn’t yet understand why, he simply needed to follow orders.
He set down the longsword in his hand and was about to start running when Morris grabbed him. The man pointed at the sword on the ground and said to Ron:
“Bring your sword!”
Then he turned to look at the other four members of the Blood and Fire Squad. “And the rest of you, remember this too! From now on, whether you’re eating, drinking, or going to the latrine, keep your swords on you at all times!”
“Yes, Instructor!”
Ron and Justin and the others acknowledged in unison. Then Ron alone embarked on his “campaign.” After completing one full lap at full speed, he happened to see Justin and the others drinking their Ignition Potions together.
Huff, huff!
The west training ground of the Sis Territory wasn’t particularly large, consisting of only three fields. A full lap around the training ground was at most about a kilometer. But Ron was not yet a Transcendent, merely an ordinary person who had partially surpassed his limits.
After sprinting like this, just one lap left him gasping for breath. The longsword he had initially held in a reverse grip in his right hand had also drooped down, hanging as though he were simply carrying it by the handle.
But Morris hadn’t said stop, and Ron naturally couldn’t disobey his order.
As for easing up a bit, running a bit slower, such thoughts flashed through his mind when his breathing nearly reached its limit. But Ron’s actions at this moment were not solely because of Morris’s command.
They were more for his own sake.
He wasn’t truly a child. Inside, he was already a mature adult with fully formed thoughts. Children slacked off because they lacked a clear understanding of the future, but adults didn’t.
At least when adults were given a second chance, engaging in endeavors tied to their destiny, they would never slack off. They would give everything they had to change things.
Just as Ron was doing now.
A child might only see Morris’s order as punishment, but Ron knew that this was actually an opportunity Morris was giving him. If he missed it, perhaps it wouldn’t affect his ultimate achievements in the future.
But at least for now, he absolutely refused to let himself miss it. Perhaps it was ultimately only “perhaps.”
As a transmigrator, what right did he have not to give it his all!
With these thoughts, Ron silently steeled his resolve in his heart. Unless he died, he would not slack off. He was betting that Morris wouldn’t just let him die.
This had nothing to do with whether he was in his true form or not. Even as a vessel, he still possessed the body’s full sensory perception, including the intense discomfort that came with approaching one’s limits.
This was his most genuine thought!
Even if his true form were here in person, it wouldn’t change!
…
Halfway through the second lap, Ron’s vision had already begun to darken. But by this point, he couldn’t spare even a single stray thought. He now had only one idea in his head, which was:
Forward!
And in places Ron couldn’t notice, his body’s overdrive operation had caused the Life Energy that had previously only become active during the Sword Stance state to inexplicably grow active once more.
If Ron still had the presence of mind to notice this and think about it, he probably wouldn’t have found it hard to guess that this was the most primal state of body refinement known to the Sis Territory!
It was upon this foundation that newer, more efficient, and more targeted methods like the Sword Stance had been developed.
Having Ron temporarily learn the Sword Stances beyond the First was impractical, so Morris had chosen the path of primal body refinement for him instead.
Through this continuous process of reaching his limits, surpassing them, reaching new limits again, and surpassing those new limits, the Life Energy within Ron’s body began to actively participate in his life processes.
Although it was consumed far more slowly than when maintaining the First Sword Stance, Ron’s entire body was in motion right now. His internal organs, especially his heart and lungs, and all of his limbs were in a constantly escalating state of extremes.
This meant that while Ron’s local consumption rate of Life Energy was nowhere near as fast as during the First Sword Stance, the overall total consumption was no less than what the First Sword Stance had demanded, and might even exceed it.
…
He didn’t know how much time had passed before Ron’s consciousness began to blur. By then, he could no longer clearly remember what he was doing, and was simply continuing to sprint on pure bodily instinct.
And his sprinting speed by this point had long since slowed to a crawl compared to the start. Yet he still persevered, refusing to give up, refusing to cut corners.
“Stop!”
Hearing that command, before Ron’s consciousness could even register it, his body had already responded: complete loss of strength, and the next moment he was about to crumple to the ground.
But four powerful hands caught and supported him. It was Justin and the others.
“Ron, how are you?”
The same words, ones Justin had already said more than once today. But this time, he was especially earnest. It was also the first time he felt a glimmer of genuine respect for this neighbor who, in his memory, had been somewhat self-deprecating and somewhat timid.
In this moment, it was as if he were meeting this neighbor anew. No, he should be called a companion, a comrade-in-arms!
“He’s just temporarily depleted. His current condition is actually much better than yours. It’s just a waste of a vial of Ignition Potion. Sigh, this kid!”
Morris also seemed to have changed his opinion of Ron somewhat. His tone when speaking had undergone a noticeable shift compared to before.
…
About ten minutes later, Ron’s consciousness began to return. Then he felt extremely thirsty, and subconsciously murmured:
“Water,”
“Get him water!”
After that voice, Ron felt something wet and cold against his lips. He instinctively began to swallow. The ice-cold water hitting his mouth sent a jolt through him, and his vision grew clearer.
Then he saw Justin crouching in front of him, feeding him water. He softly said his thanks, and his eyes began scanning the surroundings. Once he spotted a familiar figure, he struggled to sit up:
“Instructor, I’ve completed your order!”
“Sit for now!”
Morris waved his hand, signaling Ron not to rush to his feet, then spoke slowly. “Ignition Potion, when combined with the Ice Breathing Technique, allows an ordinary person to obtain Life Energy far exceeding their own limits.
“Do you really think the combination of the two is that simple? That an apprentice who just received the inheritance could pull it off perfectly? Or do you think the five vials of Ignition Potion issued to a Formal Knight for an entire month could be fully utilized by you in a single night?
“Every time I think about that vial of Ignition Potion you wasted last night, my heart aches right now!”
“I,” Ron wanted to say something but didn’t know what to say.
“Previously, your body was brimming with Life Energy, making it unsuitable to take more Ignition Potion. But taking Ignition Potion is tied to the training plan, so I had to find a way to deplete the Life Energy within you. Now hurry up and eat something. Too much time has been wasted on you today. I hope your performance going forward won’t disappoint me!”
Morris walked away after finishing, leaving Justin and the others to explain the next training item to Ron, which was also arguably the most important training item of the day, known as:
The 【Fire Concealment Method】.