Big Wu patted my back. "Don't worry. Pain builds character."
The scholar ghost nodded. "Or kills you. One of the two." I wanted to cry.
After my rock-punching session of doom, I lay on the ground, staring at the sky, contemplating my life choices.
Big Wu leaned over me, grinning. "Hey, you survived." I barely wheezed.
The scholar ghost adjusted his glasses. "Your bones have likely suffered multiple microfractures. But don't worry, that's just part of the process."
I turned my head to glare at him. "Did I ask?"
The White Jade Beauty loomed over me. "You look pathetic."
I didn't even have the strength to argue. She tossed a small pill at me.
I blinked at it. "What's this?"
"A body-strengthening pill. I immediately threw it into my mouth.
BIG MISTAKE!. The second the pill dissolved, my entire body caught on fire.
Not literally, but it sure felt like it. I screamed so loudly, I thought my lungs were out already.
The scholar ghost nodded. "Ah, yes. Rapid cellular regeneration. That must be painful."
Big Wu howled with laughter. "This is the best training arc ever!"
I rolled on the ground, clutching my chest. But, the White Jade Beauty just watched.
No sympathy. No concern. Just judgment.
After what felt like eternity, the pain finally subsided. I sat up, drenched in sweat, panting like I had just fought a dragon.
The White Jade Beauty smirked. "Good. You're ready for the next step."
I blinked at her. "…Next step?"
She pointed to a massive waterfall in the distance. "You're going to meditate under that."
I stared at the raging death-trap waterfall, then back at her.
"You're joking." She wasn't joking.
Lesson Seven: Sitting Under a Waterfall and Questioning Life
Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting under the merciless waterfall, being beaten to death by nature.
My legs were crossed, my back was straight, my soul was leaving my body.
The White Jade Beauty sat nearby, drinking tea, looking far too comfortable while I suffered.
I shivered violently. "I-I-I can't f-f-feel my s-spine!" The other ghosts except Big Wu, and The Scroll Scholar, were gone.
Big Wu floated above me, eating imaginary fruits. "This is hilarious."
The scholar ghost scribbled in his notebook. "Waterfall training increases endurance, spiritual concentration, and pain tolerance. Fascinating." I wanted to cry.
Hours passed. My limbs went numb, my brain turned to mush, and my soul transcended reality.
Somewhere in my suffering, I had a revelation. Maybe this wasn't just torture.
Maybe this was training. Maybe, if I endured this, I would become stronger than ever.
I clenched my fists. No more whining. No more complaining.
I was Long Fei Jian....former Supreme Lord, future powerhouse, soon-to-be bone-breaker of the Four Realms.
I straightened my spine, gritted my teeth, and endured the waterfall like a true cultivator. The White Jade Beauty sipped her tea, smirking.
"Finally," she murmured. "He's getting serious."
Big Wu nodded. "Yeah, yeah. But if he passes out, can I draw on his face?"
The scholar ghost adjusted his glasses. "I'll allow it." I ignored them.
Because for the first time since my reincarnation, I wasn't just surviving. I was getting stronger.
I don't remember when I lost consciousness. One moment, I was getting pulverized by the waterfall, and the next, I woke up face down in the mud.
I groaned. My body felt like a broken jade statue...elegant, expensive, and utterly shattered.
The White Jade Beauty stood over me, sipping tea. "You lasted longer than I expected."
I wheezed slowly. "T-thanks?"
Big Wu floated beside me, grinning. "Bro, you looked like you were ascending to another realm. Thought you were about to become a spirit like me."
The scholar ghost adjusted his glasses. "His endurance has improved. His spiritual core is stabilizing."
I blinked up at them. Did I… actually get stronger?
I clenched my fists. My body hurt like hell, but beneath the pain, there was… something else. Power. Not a lot. I wasn't about to start slapping sect elders into next week.
Yet. But I could feel my spiritual energy flowing more smoothly, more controlled.
I sat up, shaking the mud from my hair.
"Alright," I said, cracking my neck. "What's next?"
Lesson Eight: How to Cultivate While Starving to Death
I had one moment of hope before the real suffering began.
The White Jade Beauty tossed a scroll at me. "Memorize this."
I unrolled it, and stared. Thousands of complex cultivation symbols filled the page.
"…You expect me to memorize all of this?"
She sipped her tea. "Yes."
I looked up at her. "In how long?"
"By tomorrow." Big Wu burst out laughing.
The scholar ghost scribbled in his notebook. "Cognitive overload training. This should be fascinating."
I resisted the urge to throw the scroll at someone's face.
"Fine," I muttered. "But I'll need food."
The White Jade Beauty smirked. "Oh, you won't be eating."
I stared at her. "…What."
She set her cup down. "Hunger cultivates discipline."
Big Wu gasped dramatically. "Wait...you mean he has to learn this entire thing while STARVING?"
The scholar ghost nodded. "Excellent training method." This was abuse.
I turned to Big Wu, my only possible ally. "You think this is fair?"
Big Wu shrugged. "I dunno, bro. I'm dead. I don't eat." I was going to die.
An Hour Later.....A.K.A. My Personal Hell
I sat cross-legged, starving, exhausted, and ready to punch someone.
The scroll sat in my lap, and I stared at the symbols until they blurred.
Big Wu floated beside me, upside down. "Need help?"
"Yes."
He grinned. "Too bad. I can't read." I was going to kill a ghost.
The White Jade Beauty sat nearby, calm as ever, watching me struggle.
I gritted my teeth. Fine. If she wanted me to memorize this nonsense, I'd do it.
And then? I was going to break some bones.
But first? I had to survive.
Hunger was supposed to "sharpen the mind." Bullshit.
My mind wasn't sharpened...it was hallucinating roasted duck. I squinted at the cultivation scroll, trying to focus. The words blurred into meat skewers.
Big Wu floated beside me, munching on nothing. "Man, food was great when I was alive."
I glared at him. "I hope you choke."
He grinned. "Can't. No throat." I hated him.
The White Jade Beauty tapped her fan against my head. "Focus."
I took a deep breath. I was a Supreme Lord once. I could handle a little hunger.
I stared at the scroll again. Nothing.
I tried visualizing the symbols as sword techniques.Still nothing.
My stomach growled loud enough to shake the trees.
Big Wu snickered. "I think your stomach just entered the Qi Condensation Realm."
I was going to commit murder, now.