After dinner, the injured soaked their body in the tub with the tonic solution Ling Li had provided for two hours. The warm, herb-infused water soothed their tired muscles, preparing their bodies for the rigorous cultivation ahead. Once they finished, they gathered in the training hall, ready to start their cultivation under their coach’s guidance.
Shi Min spotted Lily hovering near the entrance, looking uncertain. "Lily, join us and learn how to cultivate your body," he called, his tone encouraging. Lily’s face lit up with relief and excitent as she quickly joined the group. She had been itching to participate, feeling left out as she watched the others.
Ren and Shun were already in deep ditation when Lily arrived. She settled beside them, recalling the instructions Shi Min had given earlier. As a martial arts enthusiast, she had so understanding of cultivation, but Shi Min’s guidance brought clarity to the process.
Within minutes of settling into her position, a faint white light began to emanate from Lily. Though invisible to the untrained eye, Shi Min, with his advanced cultivation, could see it clearly. ’Damn, my little sister has special abilities,’ he thought, excitent bubbling within him. The white light indicated her potential to summon wind and control light.
Not long after, Shun also started to emit a glow. His was a vibrant red, signaling his innate power to control fire. ’Woooow, Otako must have known Shun had this special ability,’ Shi Min mused. ’He’s like Mushu, damn.’
Pharsa observed Chatty with newfound respect. His usual carefree deanor had given way to intense focus. Seeing him so dedicated to his cultivation filled her with pride. She positioned herself nearby, ready to lend her energy to aid in his cultivation.
Shi Min’s attention shifted back to Lily as he felt a breeze picking up in the room. ’She can summon winds at this early stage; she must have been cultivating in secret,’ he thought with a smirk. Anticipating potential danger, Shi Min cast a protective do around Shun and Ren to shield them from Lily’s burgeoning power.
Concerned for his sister’s safety, Shi Min decided to find their mother. He found her ditating in front of Four Eyes, both surrounded by glowing auras, his mother’s golden light indicating mystic power and Four Eyes’ ominous black aura hinting at dark magic. ’What the hell!’ Shi Min uttered, stunned by the revelation. Black Magic could be terrifying if Four Eyes couldn’t refine and use it correctly.
Quickly returning to his apprentices, Shi Min quickened his step when he felt sothing amiss in his group. Lily was already making havoc; the wind in the room had grown stronger, nearly chaotic. Lily’s cultivation was progressing faster than expected, but stopping her now could cause irreversible damage. Shi Min strengthened the protective shield, hoping to contain the situation.
Mushu, alard by the unusual commotion, entered the room. He had been coaching Fatty and noticed the intense wind as soon as he approached. Seeing Lily at the center of the storm and Shi Min maintaining the shield, his jaw dropped in astonishnt. "Lily will be very powerful when she fully refines her cultivation," Mushu said, smiling.
"I know, right? Mushu, look at Shun," Shi Min pointed out. Mushu’s eyes widened as he saw Shun’s red glow. "Fuck! Isn’t it too early for him to be showing that?!"
"It seems we’ve discovered new geniuses," Shi Min replied.
"Are you going to reveal it to him? What about Lily? What do you plan for them?" Mushu asked.
"We usually don’t tell them at a very early stage. It could do them more harm than good if they are not ready. Their power might be more vital than their body, and they won’t be able to control it. "Shi Min explained, "As for Lily, we might need to inform her because she could actually summon the winds. She can hurt herself or others without her knowing."
Mushu silently nodded in agreent. "I’ll go back to Fatty; he had difficulty grasping the entire process."
Shi Min watched Mushu leave, then turned back to his group. After four intense hours of cultivation, everyone felt energized and accomplished. The coaches praised their apprentices for their dedication and progress.
On the following days, everyone goes to the camp for their training. They only have almost a week left before leaving for Amazon and still have much to learn while Ren trains Lily in her office.
Ling Li, Shi Min, and Mushu are now concurrently training with them. Their training includes orientation, climbing, drifting down from a cliff, familiarizing themselves with the three harnesses, learning the nine critical knots, and learning two harness systems.
Initially, thirty-four were in the group, but they lost six class C comrades during the training, leaving them twenty-eight. They divided the group into four, with seven mbers each; before they ended the day, they would spend at least three hours training in self-defense, assault, and attack in different forms.
During lectures, Mushu and Shi Min shared their insights, the dos and don’ts in the forest, and other precautions they might experience. Also, teaching them how to craft and improvise weapons in the forest, such as spears, axes, clubs, sling-shots, bows, and arrows, and making a poison arrow using poisonous berries and mushrooms and fire arrows. Different booby traps were introduced to the group. Even making improvised bombs was taught to them.
"Rember, water in the forest from creeks and streams contains parasites that will make you extrely ill. You have learned how to collect rainwater; utilizing it is up to you. The safest thing to do is to boil the water to drink.
If you see a cute yellow tree frog, don’t even think of going near it or touching it. That is a golden poison dart frog, and it is very deadly. Snakes are plentiful, from anacondas to coral snakes and cobras. Fire ants are widespread, together with scorpions and spiders. Cougars and jaguars are there.
Be careful with the rivers for piranha. Though these don’t usually attack when not hard, if you have wounds that may be bleeding, they will be attracted and would not think twice. Crocodiles and alligators could be just around the corner.
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