CG Chapter 24: Burning Resolve
"Not bad. Not bad at all." Tian Chang's words were seasoned with a hint of admiration, yet he chose to conceal the full extent of his pride, not wanting Tom's pride to get the better of him.
Tom responded humbly, "Thank you for the compliment; however, I only completed the First Ring, and I still have a long way to go. Let's begin the training of the Second Ring right away."
Tian Chang raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Are you sure you want to start right now? The sun is about to set."
"You were the one who said that I shouldn't care even if the heavens collapsed, were you not? It doesn't matter if it's night or day, as I want to master all the Rings quickly." Tom's determination rang clear in his voice.
Tian Chang looked at Tom with a fatigued look as he said, "Fine. Fine, you win. The Second Ring is 'The Hunter,' and its training demands that you break and mend the bones in your hands over and over again. This will go on until you increase your endurance to pain and have enough force to cause actual damage to your prey. But remember, you must ensure that your bones heal properly after each time you shatter them."
"And how would I heal the bones quickly so that it doesn't delay my progress?" Tom asked while hoping that Tian Chang had another of his miracle remedies in his sack.
Tian Chang tossed a wooden bottle over to Tom. As curiosity got the better of him, Tom opened it, and his eyes started to burn from the heat coming from the bottle. A red flame-like creamy substance that will scorch you by its heat if you merely look at it.
"What is this now?" asked Tom, intrigued.
"This is the Inferno Balm. It will ensure that your bones won't have any major damage from this training. However, it comes at a price, as you will need to suffer the searing pain of Inferno every time you use it. And when I say every time, I mean it since I am speaking from experience." Tian Chang warned, his voice tinged with the memories of his own training.
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Tom was aware of the challenges that lay ahead. The Second Ring, 'The Hunter,' would require that he face a tremendous amount of pain and suffering. He would need to push himself past his current limits by breaking and healing his bones repeatedly to build resilience and understanding of the Ring.
Tom looked at the inferno Balm bottle in his hand, steeling himself for the painful journey ahead. Tom understood that although this fiery Balm would be of great help in his training, it would be his tormentor throughout the trial.
Once he was done with that, Tom took the bottle and applied a large amount of the Balm on both of his hands.
As the first drop of the Balm reached Tom's hands, he felt a sense of hellish burning coursing through his veins to the rest of his body. He felt as if the skin on his hands was about to fall to pieces; however, as he gritted his teeth, he started to punch the tree with all he had. Each strike sent jolts of excruciating pain through his body, but he refused to yield.
His punches started out clumsy, with no sense of direction or any intent behind them. However, as time passed, Tom began to realize the mistakes he was making. He struck the tree again while correcting his previous errors.
"Strike on a linear path."
"Keep your stance steady while having bent knees for mobility."
"Move in a circular motion around your prey. Don't give it a chance to strike back."
Punch after punch, and day after day.
The days passed as Tom gave it his all on his training. Every morning, Tom would apply the Balm on his hands, and by night, he would wrap his hands with leaves from the Rainweath tree. The tree that he started with became covered with his crimson-dried blood. After he noticed that the tree was about to reach its limits, Tom decided to change for another one and another one after that.
Tom's determination and perseverance were unwavering. He knew that mastering "The Hunter," the Second Ring, would require him to endure pain, but he embraced the challenge wholeheartedly. His hands had become calloused, and yet, with each passing day, his strikes became more precise, more powerful, and filled with purpose.
Tian Chang watched from a distance, a mix of pride and urgency evident in his eyes. He had trained in the Second Ring personally and knew the pain that their practitioners needed to endure if they wanted to master it better than anyone else. After all, the Eight Predatory Rings weren't called 'Predatory' for nothing. These Eight Rings were just as ruthless, if not more ruthless, to their practitioner than to their victims.
A couple of weeks passed by, and Tom's understanding of The Second Ring deepened. He learned how to yield the highest amount of injury with the smallest force. He also elevated his once frail, soft bones to the next level. The once clumsy strikes now flowed seamlessly, guided by the experience accumulated over blood and sweat. The agony suffered by Tom through the weeks before was not in vain.
Under the starry sky rested Tom as he gazed at the heavens that laid above him. Tom's mind pondered about his future. He felt a strange mix of emotions enveloping him, a sense of loneliness mixed with both sadness and determination. This created a weird whirlpool inside Tom's heart.
'The Eight Predatory Rings' is a martial art of immense power, seemingly beyond the grasp of a simple hunter like Tian Chang, from this enigmatic 'Father' to the mysterious 'Mother' that possesses the miraculous ability to save half a village from the jaws of death. There is so much I have yet to understand. But I know that time will unveil the mysteries that surround me.
For now, my unwavering focus lies in mastering this martial art. I need power that belongs solely to me. After I master The Eight Predatory Rings, I am going to create a martial arts of my own."