Chapter 51: Self-Teaching
The wind rustled through the forest.
Lin Xi silently strode towards the yellow wall, inhaling deeply.
After days of contemplation and rigorous practice, he had managed to defeat an opponent clad in "Rose" black armor without the aid of a bow and arrow. Yet, the impending terror of the direct spear formations ahead swiftly dampened his exhilaration.
Soon, he found himself once again standing at the entrance of the grand hall, where the spear formations were laid out. He took a moment to study the sheepskin scroll on the wall, filled with records left by former freshmen, using their accounts to galvanize himself against the fear of the spears piercing his body. Taking a deep breath, he charged into the vast, daunting hall once more.
"Buzz!"...
As on that fateful day, the unique, muffled sound of the mechanism whirring echoed, and the walls emitted a continuous vibrating sound akin to bowstrings being plucked. A series of dull black spears shot forth from square openings, thrusting violently towards Lin Xi as he navigated through.
His nerves were taut to the limit, and the short knife in his hand, more comfortable than a longsword, sliced through the air with lightning speed, clashing against the spears, creating sparks in the dimly lit hall.
"Crack!"
Suddenly, without any pause, Lin Xi's body jolted as a spear struck his left shoulder, causing him to involuntarily lurch to the left and stumble a step.
In that brief moment, two spears descended upon him, sending him crashing heavily to the ground, groaning in pain.
However, unlike the last time, he did not linger on the ground for long; he sprang back up and continued forward with his blade.
"Crack!"
Once more, a black spear struck Lin Xi, toppling him to the ground again.
After enduring this relentless barrage for over twenty times, Lin Xi, his body wracked with excruciating pain, found himself utterly depleted of strength to even shift his position. Sweat poured from his body like a stream beneath his thick black armor, and he felt akin to a fish drying upon parched earth under the blazing sun, weighed down by a heavy stone.
Just before losing consciousness, he glanced back towards the entrance and silently commanded himself to return.
All discomfort vanished in an instant, and Lin Xi found himself back at the entrance. Yet, faced with the empty, shadowy hall, memories of his recent ordeal sent a chill down his spine.
He had resolved yesterday that the ability to return once a day was a waste if left unused; it was far better to employ it for training.
To hone himself here daily and then use this ability to return to his starting point unscathed and refreshed… was undeniably impossible.
Though he lacked the prowess to detect any instructors hidden within the mountains, he was acutely aware that numerous instructors roamed this forest, observing and recording each student's performance.
The hall's floor, now riddled with pockmarked holes, starkly contrasted with its pristine state on his first visit, indicating that many students from the academy had ventured into this hall in recent days. Today, however, he had simply been fortunate enough to avoid an encounter… and the absence of spears embedded in the ground suggested that instructors were ever-present, managing the space.
Should he return now, he would appear to have merely strolled around the entrance without purpose… If he only circled back each day, any future records he broke would seem suspicious, undoubtedly prompting scrutiny.
His goal was clear: to shatter records and earn credits. After all, as someone hailing from the same place as Dean Zhang, it would be utterly embarrassing to fall short.
Thus, before meditating last night, he had resolved that his training here would be an all-out effort, pushing himself to the limits of suffering, embracing the challenge to test his boundaries. This would not only greatly benefit his martial skills but also bolster his willpower and meditative practice… Unlike other freshmen who might shy away from such grueling challenges, he would reap far greater rewards from this training. Upon completing this session, he would activate the "roulette" in his mind and return to his starting point once more.
While he exerted himself fully this time, he knew that in the terrifying formations, there could be no holding back. However, he aimed to avoid severe injury, stopping before he became too battered, thus allowing him to enter the hall for training again without requiring several days of recovery.
He had calculated this strategy well; at the very least, it afforded him double the training time within the hall compared to others.
Yet, now, standing unscathed at the entrance, memories of the brutal spears that had struck him and the agonizing sensations he had endured made him shiver involuntarily.
This truly was a unique form of self-torture, surpassing what others faced.
"How many such trials have you endured to achieve these results?" Lin Xi wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, gazing at the sheepskin scroll on the wall, muttering, "This can be considered true courage…"
After reviewing the records once more, Lin Xi inhaled deeply, like a gust of wind, and once again plunged into the vast yet terrifying dark hall.
"Buzz"...
Black spears shot forth from the wall openings once more.
"Clang!" "Clang!" "Clang!"…
Lin Xi dashed forward, deftly maneuvering his short knife to deflect the incoming spears.
Suddenly, a spear lunged towards his left shoulder. His body instinctively leaned forward, seemingly poised to evade the strike. Yet, for reasons unknown, a jolt of confusion struck him, causing a noticeable pause in his movements.
"Crack!"
The spear found its mark on his left shoulder, and soon after, two more spears thrust into him, sending him crashing to the ground once more.
Lin Xi emitted a pained groan, gasping for breath, yet his eyes sparkled with a fervent joy.
Just as the world is filled with countless unknowns and unpredictable changes, a person's thoughts and calculations can never encompass every possibility, and throughout one's life, unexpected surprises invariably arise.
The path he had taken this time mirrored his previous route precisely. He had initially intended to use his ability to retreat, effectively granting himself an additional training session here. However, he had not anticipated that while he had no recollection of the other spear strikes, the first one that had pierced him left a vivid impression, prompting his body to instinctively evade!
Thus, by retracing the same path, the positions of the spears would likely remain unchanged. Consequently, he had become his own mentor, discerning what adjustments and movements were necessary to avoid previously unavoidable strikes… This would allow him to evade spears he had once been unable to dodge, enabling swifter and farther progress!
Realizing the immense benefits he could gain, Lin Xi's spirits soared, his eyes shining brighter. Yet, he refrained from rushing to his feet, instead waiting until he was certain that the pain would not hinder his subsequent actions before leaping up and moving forward like a gust of wind!
"Crack!"
After an unknown number of steps, Lin Xi found himself struck down once more.
As he lay on the ground, gasping, he glanced back at the path he had traversed, inhaling the earthy scent, finding comfort in it.
From the entrance to where he had fallen was merely thirty steps, yet during his previous self-inflicted torment, he had only managed to cover a distance of over sixty steps within the hall.
Now, having only been knocked down for the second time, he had successfully avoided three spears that had previously struck him.
The agony wrought by the spears and the subsequent evasion felt etched into his very being, and he could sense a marked improvement in his agility since the first attempt.
It seemed that every evasive maneuver and every strike was executed with greater swiftness.
After a brief period of calm reflection, Lin Xi propelled himself forward once more.
…
In the dim, expansive hall, the sounds of black spears piercing the earth, the clash of his short knife against the spears, and the thud of his falls, along with his pained groans, echoed incessantly.
Just as Lin Xi sensed that continuing would render him incapable of entering the Trial Valley for the next few days, he found himself nearly a hundred steps from the hall's entrance, almost at its center.
"If time permits, perhaps I can gather some herbs mentioned by Teacher An…"
As Lin Xi sluggishly inched back towards the entrance, resembling a worm, he pondered whether the items on An Ke Yi's list would still be of assistance to him. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of astonished and delighted eyes were fixated upon him.
Lin Xi slowly "slithered" out of the stone hall, emerging beyond the yellow wall. With a crack, a hidden door sprang open within the wall, revealing a figure who had been observing him with astonished delight.
It was a young instructor clad in a slightly hunched black robe, adorned with a dark green lizard tattoo on his left cheek.
His movements were as swift and silent as a lizard in the night, as he meticulously returned each spear, deeply embedded in the earth, to the square openings in the surrounding walls. The wall emitted a dull sound akin to turning hinges as the spears were reinserted.
Subsequently, the young instructor dashed into the encroaching darkness of the night, effortlessly leaping over the yellow wall, racing towards the far end of the Trial Valley, before a towering cliff.
He did not pause, but instead sprinted with increased fervor, stepping onto the cliff face as he ascended towards the sky.
Midway up the cliff, several rudimentary caves housed only the most basic necessities for living, yet from these caves, one could glimpse a substantial portion of the Trial Valley's forest.
Seated within one of the caves was Luo Houyuan, an aged guardian of the academy, clad in a tattered black instructor's robe, eyes closed in meditation, with nothing but the vast sky before him.
At the moment the agile young instructor, resembling a black lizard, darted into the cave, Luo Houyuan opened his eyes and calmly regarded him, saying, "Li Wu, what brings you here?"
"Zhi Ge's chosen, Lin Xi, has entered the direct spear formation hall for the second time and has traversed nearly a hundred steps," Li Wu reported, bowing respectfully, devoid of any signs of exhaustion.
"Understood, do not concern yourself with him for now," Luo Houyuan nodded. His tone remained composed, yet within, a tempest brewed. The Qingluan Academy had long been home to many talented students over the past sixty years, but Lin Xi's progress was indeed remarkable enough to warrant Li Wu's astonishment and delight.
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