“Well,” Shao began, “that sounds a lot better than spending weeks out here punching a mountain. Does everything in cultivation take so much effort?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Shen Jian said with a smile. “Though, there’s almost always a shortcut. Pills or sacred tools can significantly speed up the process.”

“Okay, so what do I have to do?”

“Just take the stance and use Crashing Star again.”

Once again, Shao moved his body into the initial position of Crashing Star of the Southern Heavens. He took a deep breath and moved his body to punch the stone wall. Just as Shao began his strike, Shen Jian jerked forward at a speed Shao couldn’t possibly perceive.

Shen Jian’s body blurred toward Shao’s back, and a terrible pain shot through it as many of the muscles in his upper body spasmed. Shao vaguely felt a single finger brush against his back diagonally before running down his arm that was in the process of striking the stone wall, though the finger moved at such a high speed that Shao barely felt it. An instant later, the sensation was replaced by a shooting pain that caused his body to move uncontrollably.

Shao’s spasming muscles forced his fist to smash into the rock. Though he thought his initial attack was at full power, the pain caused him to strike at a much greater force. He realized that he was subconsciously limiting much of the power available in his body.

Fist slammed into rock at an impossible speed. A massive crash filled the air, and a crack appeared in the stone face where Shao struck it. The crack reached all the way from the ground to the top of the stone wall above.

“Gah!” Shao shouted in pain as the ground beneath his feet began to shake and the small mountain began to rumble loudly. He looked up and saw a gargantuan portion of rock detach from the mountain and begin to fall toward him in an avalanche of stone.

Shen Jian casually jumped away from the wall of collapsing stone. Shao took a moment to recover from the pain coursing through his body and the overextended stance his unexpectedly-strong punch put him in. The massive slab of stone was almost upon him when he jumped backward as hard as he could. Shao escaped from under the collapsing section of the mountain half a second before it slammed into the ground.

The speed of Shao’s retreat caused him to spin uncontrollably through the air. He struck the ground at an unexpected angle, making him tumble end-over-end several times before his momentum was finally halted when he struck a tree.

Momentarily dazed by the events of the past several seconds, Shao slowly raised himself to a seated position with his back to the tree. Though he expected to be in great pain, Shao was surprised to find that he hadn’t broken anything. He gingerly clenched the hand that struck the stone wall and found that it didn’t hurt beyond a dull ache.

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“Well done,” Shen Jian said as Shao rose to his feet.

“What was that!” Shao demanded as he marched up to Shen Jian with an accusing finger pointed forward.

“That’s how Crashing Star is supposed to be used. I just shot some lightning into your muscles to have you experience it first-hand.”

“Half the mountain collapsed! We could have both been buried in the rubble!”

“Well, I usually teach this lesson to three-stars. I didn’t realize you’d hit the mountain with that much force. Either way, I knew you could get away.”

“But…” Shao began to say, but he was cut off by Shen Jian.

“Before you forget the feeling, use Crashing Star again.”

“You cultivators are all psychopaths,” Shao mumbled quietly, but he still moved his body into the initial position of Crashing Star of the Southern Heavens. He paused for a moment to remember the hysterical strength that the lightning granted his muscles last time he threw the punch.

With as much strength as he could muster, Shao threw his fist forward in a powerful straight punch. Though the strike was stronger than a normal full-power punch, it was still not as powerful as the strike that shattered the mountain.

“Again!” Shen Jian shouted.

Shao threw another punch. The attack strained his arm and shoulder, but it was stronger than the previous punch.

“Again!”

Pain shot through Shao’s arm and back as his fist shot forward at an impossible speed. As he punched with enough force to shatter a mountain, Shao let out a shout fueled by pain and triumph.

“There it is! You got it!” Shen Jian shouted. “You learn fast, Yang Shao. I usually have to zap the student several times before they are able to use Crashing Star at full power.”

Shao fell to one knee as a strange exhaustion filled his body. He hadn’t felt so tired for more than a decade. He could have done a thousand push-ups or spent several hours jogging without getting that tired.

“As expected, your stamina sucks,” Shen Jian muttered. “It makes sense. Bluecrest Village isn’t exactly the place for stamina training.”

“I’ve learned your damn technique. Now what?”

“So impatient. Most cultivators would kill to hear a lecture from a venerated elder of the Shigong Temple.”

“You’re an elder? You don’t exactly look… well… old.”

“Despite how I look, I’m one hundred and fifty-two years old.”

“Right. I forgot that cultivators age slowly.”

“Regarding your training, all you have to do now is throw Crashing Star punches until you collapse from exhaustion every day.”

“That’s all, huh?” Shao asked sarcastically. “I have a profession, you know. If I don’t fish, I don’t eat. Not all of us can afford to spend every waking moment training.”

Shen Jian pinched the bridge of his nose in the first visible clue that he was running out of patience. “How do you not understand this yet? You’re the only cultivator who lives in a village of mortals! All you have to do is declare Bluecrest Village to be under your protection and ask for a ten-percent tithe in return. It’s what they want, trust me.”