Chapter 37: Warmup

'Cut yourself on the arm, I want to test my new ability,' Ling suggested happily.

'Okay,' he agreed, eager to test it as well.

He pulled out his rank 3 sword and made a small cut on his palm. The slight pain was quickly overshadowed by the golden necklace around his neck shining and sending golden Qi rushing through his body, reaching his palm almost instantly. The cut began healing rapidly, and within seconds, there wasn't even a mark visible.

"Wow, amazing," he exclaimed out loud. The Fate Qi not only healed his injury but also washed away his fatigue, leaving him feeling rejuvenated.

'Not only does it heal injuries, but it also nourishes your body and eliminates fatigue. With me around, you'll never get tired,' Ling said proudly.

'Doesn't it use your Spirit Qi? I don't want to be forced to search for the next Fate Fragment too soon,' he expressed his concern, knowing how weak he still was and how dangerous the hunt for the next fragment could be.

'Don't worry. With this upgrade, we should have about a year before you need to find the next Fragment. Also, with the help of this crystal, I can gather Spirit Essence and create Spirit Qi on my own. My space is almost endless now, so I can function like a Storage Artifact. Am I not awesome?' she praised herself.

'Another deadline? You're going to kill me, I swear,' Xuefeng complained, recalling how close he had come to death the last time.

'Don't complain, you get the benefits too,' she reminded him.

'Okay, I'm going to start training now. Oh, can you remove this kiss mark on my neck? Wuying noticed it earlier, but I managed to make her forget. If she sees it again, she'll definitely ask questions.'

'I don't think it qualifies as an injury,' Ling laughed, leaving Xuefeng speechless.

'Come on, don't joke with me, it's a life and death situation,' he begged desperately.

'It's not a big problem. Just use your Spirit Qi to accelerate the regeneration of your blood vessels there. You can fix it in a few seconds. Don't ask me to waste my precious Fate Qi on trivial things like that,' she complained.

'Wait, I can do that?' He followed her instructions, and indeed, it solved the problem. He checked his reflection in the wardrobe mirror and saw that the kiss mark was gone.

"You learn something new every day," he laughed at himself, realizing he could have figured out the solution on his own.

'Better tell me what Spirit Art you want next. I remembered quite a few Movement and Defensive Spirit Arts after my upgrade, so I can create a good one for you,' Ling said, giving him two options before he got busy. She had already made his clone art and sword art. It was time for the next one.

'I guess I need a Movement Spirit Art. I want to connect my Sword Art with some cool movements to increase its strength,' Xuefeng replied.

She didn't respond, but he knew she had already started working on it. He decided to finally begin his training. Changing into lighter clothes, he left his room. The sight that greeted him made his heart freeze. He saw Princess Shan and Wuying laughing and talking by the pond he had destroyed yesterday.

'They fought like mortal enemies yesterday, but now they act like best friends forever?' He pinched his arm, unable to believe what he was seeing. They noticed him and approached.

"What were you talking about?" he asked curiously.

"We were just planning your training. Princess Shan wanted to join in teaching you, and I agreed," Wuying explained joyfully. Her mood had improved dramatically after their morning encounter.

"Yeah, I might as well help if I'm staying here for a while. Won't you be happier if two beauties train with you?" Princess Shan asked, winking at him.

"Yeah…" he replied, still dazed and unable to understand the sudden change.

"Let's go to the Training Grounds. I don't want you to destroy anything in our courtyard. There shouldn't be many people there anyway," Wuying proposed.

"Okay, let's go then," Xuefeng agreed.

They moved together and left the courtyard. As they walked, the ladies discussed skincare routines, a topic that left Xuefeng bemused.

"I don't understand women," he thought, deciding to stop worrying unnecessarily. To him, women's minds were unfathomable.

At the Training Grounds, they saw few people, likely still engaged in their daily assignments. Unlike him, not everyone in the clan could focus solely on practice; they had to complete clan missions to earn spirit stones.

"We should start with a warmup. We'll run a few laps around the field," Wuying decided on their first exercise.

Hearing that, Xuefeng sighed with relief. If that was all, then he had worried unnecessarily. He thought she would try to exhaust him to death. Before he could get too comfortable, she threw two pairs of bracelets at him.

"What are those?" he asked, confused.

"Wear them on your wrists and ankles while you run. It will help strengthen your muscles," she smiled kindly.

"Oh, thanks. You're so nice," he said, touched by her lovely smile, and put them on without suspecting anything. Instantly, he regretted his decision.

When he placed all four on, they tightened, and their weight increased beyond his limits. He had to use his Spirit Qi to support himself, or he would have collapsed.

"Devil…" he whispered to himself as his trust was shattered.

"Did you say something?" Wuying smiled as if nothing had happened.

"No, no. How much do they weigh? I didn't hear you earlier," he asked, trying to force a smile.

"Oh, only about half a ton altogether. Is it too much for you?" Princess Shan tilted her head playfully.

"Damn it, I knew I couldn't trust them. They must have planned this," Xuefeng thought, crying internally.

"No, I'm fine. We can start," he said, straightening his back.

The ladies exchanged a look and began running. Their movements, accentuated by their graceful figures, encouraged him to follow despite the burden.

After several laps, clan members started gathering to watch from afar, enjoying the sight of the two pretty girls running.

Ling had to help him three times with her Fate Qi to relieve pain and exhaustion before they finished. Wuying was surprised he could still stand after so many laps; most Shadow Guard members would have collapsed.

She touched a bracelet on his wrist, and they all became lighter. He instantly felt relief.

"Aren't you going to take them off?" he asked, seeing her only lowering the weight.

"Well, I decided you should keep them on for the whole training if you like them so much. It shouldn't disturb you during practice," she said, not giving him a chance to protest and dragging him towards the wooden puppets.