Chương 7: "Something deep in the structure of his being had fractured"

Ch 7: "Something deep in the structure of his being had fractured" Shuo's eyes glinted.

"Let me explain something, Tie Zhen. Cultivation is balance. The spirit and the body must be tempered together.

"Meditation tempers the spirit, as it draws in qi, but your body?" Shuo tapped Zhen's chest with a gnarled finger.

"It needs to adapt to handle that power. For most cultivators, this happens gradually as they open their spirit gates over the course of years. Their masters give them pills, herbs, and more. The body strengthens at a reasonable pace." Zhen nodded, seeing the logic.

"Your situation is different." Shuo pointed at Zhen.

"With your Eye of Xiezhi, you'll crack open spirit gates faster than any normal cultivator. Your body won't keep up. And that will kill you." The casual way Shuo mentioned his death made Zhen's mouth go dry.

"So what's the solution?" Shuo turned and pointed toward the waterfall that thundered down at the edge of the clearing.

"We actively temper your physical form. You'll stand under that water while meditating to hammer out the impurities in your system. Its force will forge your body into something stronger." Zhen stared at the crashing torrent. The waterfall wasn't particularly tall, but what it lacked in height, it made up for in raw power. White foam churned where it pounded the surface of the pool.

"That's insane." He backed up a step.

"If I stand under that, I'll be turned to paste." Shuo rolled his eyes.

"Stop it. You're being a baby again. It's not that bad."

"Not that bad? I've hit myself with a hammer in the past. That hurt enough. Standing under that will be like being smashed into an anvil by tens of hammers all at once. It'll be much worse."

"Don't exaggerate." Shuo waved dismissively.

"You'll get a few bruises. Maybe a couple of broken ribs if you're particularly weak. The pain's worth it, if not critical, for your survival." Zhen crossed his arms.

"Fine. I'll try. But I'm getting straight back out if I have to."

"Fair enough." There was something like amusement in Shuo's voice that Zhen didn't like at all. With a deep sigh, Zhen began removing his outer clothes. The night air was cool against his skin as he stripped off his robe. He started to undo his belt when Shuo raised a hand.

"Take your hammers with you." Zhen stopped, baffled.

"My hammers? They'll rust."

"Just do it," Shuo said, exasperation clear in his voice.

"There will be plenty of time to dry and oil them later." Confusion mixed in with growing apprehension as Zhen adjusted his belt to ensure his blacksmith hammers were secure. They felt heavy against his thighs. The frigid water sent a shock through Zhen as he stepped in. He gritted his teeth, and waded forward through the waist-high pool. It was an odd experience as his steps sank into the soft silt at the bottom, slowing his progress.

The uncomfortable feeling wasn't helped by the hammers at his belt tugging him downward. Even from a distance, as he approached the waterfall, droplets of spray stung his face, and the roar filled his ears. Zhen took a deep breath and stepped toward the curtain of rushing water, wondering what purpose his hammers could possibly serve in this mad exercise. Shuo moved alongside him, casually walking atop the water's surface. His feet didn't even dimple the surface.

"Can you teach me that?" Zhen gestured at Shuo's dry feet.

"When you're ready." The old man's voice carried over the waterfall's roar.

"At the rate you're progressing, that will be a decade or two from now, perhaps." As they approached the halfway point, Zhen caught a movement from the corner of his eye. The large boulder in the middle of the lake shuddered. At first, he thought it was just water spray playing tricks on his eyes, but then it moved again. The boulder rose, water cascading off its surface as sheets of moss tore away to reveal a shell of dark, weathered basalt, etched with natural runes.

Four enormous feet stretched downward, and a serpentine neck extended upward. A turtle the size of his forge turned its ancient head toward him, its eyes glowing with intelligence. Zhen spun around, heart hammering in his chest. He turned and lunged toward the shore.

"Yes," Shuo's voice was infuriatingly casual, "I suppose I should have mentioned that qi-dense spots like this tend to have spirit beasts claim them as their territory. Looks like a Mountain-Crushing Lake Turtle." Zhen put in more effort, but the shore remained painfully distant.

"If you want to use the waterfall to temper your body," Shuo called after him.

"You'll have to prove yourself worthy." The water behind Zhen surged as the massive creature fully roused itself.

"I don't care!" Zhen yelled, splashing desperately through the shallows.

"I'm not getting anywhere near…" Water exploded before him as the giant turtle cut him off with impossible speed. Its leg blocked the moon for an instant before it crashed into him. The blow was more than physical and Zhen felt something punch deep into his body even as he was launched backward. He tumbled through the water until he found himself gasping in the middle of the lake. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Ow, that must have hurt," Shuo called from where he was now perched comfortably on a rock near shore.

"Told you he's territorial. Bet you're glad I told you to bring those hammers. Were you thinking of using them at all?" Even though Zhen didn't want to give Shuo the satisfaction of being right, his hands moved to the hammers at his waist. Fine. If the beast wanted a fight, he would give it a fight. He drew both hammers, feeling their comfortingly familiar weight in his hands. The turtle circled, its movements fluid despite its enormous bulk. Zhen charged, swinging a hammer at the creature's exposed neck.

The turtle dipped underwater, somehow vanishing completely even though Zhen could have sworn that there wasn't enough water for it to totally submerge. Something brushed his legs, then surfaced behind him. Another leg slap sent him sprawling across the water's surface.

"Too slow!" Shuo called out.

"Spirit beasts aren't like normal animals!" Zhen pushed himself up, spitting out lake water. The beast was unbelievably fast for something its size. He tried again, feinting left before darting right toward the shore. The turtle matched his movement and casually cut him off. Zhen swung both hammers with all his strength against the creature's shell. The impact jarred his arms to the bone, but the shell remained unmarked.

The turtle's head swiveled toward him, ancient eyes regarding him almost curiously before a leg lashed out again. This time, Zhen managed to partially dodge, taking only a glancing blow that still sent him staggering back. He struck the turtle's leathery skin where its leg met its body. The hammer connected solidly, but the beast barely reacted. Instead, it spun with startling speed and knocked him backward with another heavy slap. Zhen struggled to his feet again, breathing hard. His ribs ached.

Each impact felt like he had been hit by a cart but also by something that reverberated inside him beyond the physical.

"It's using qi," he muttered to himself as he saw the glow around the turtle's legs. The turtle was strong, but the qi explained the immense power behind each blow. He activated his Eye of Xiezhi. The shell's patterns resolved themselves into a network of reinforced plates and junctions. Weak points existed, but they were out of reach toward the top of the dome-like shell. When the turtle dipped its head to charge, Zhen spotted potential vulnerabilities near its eyes and jaw, but they were still incredibly tough.

Even if he could reach them, his hammers and his current strength wouldn't be enough. Then his Eye revealed something. A thin crack ran along the lower edge of the shell. It might have be old damage that had never properly healed, but wherever it had come from, it was an opportunity. Without hesitating, Zhen charged, water splashing around his thighs as he focused qi into his arm. The hammer connected at exactly the right spot, and a small piece of shell broke off as something soft yielded beneath the blow.

The turtle reared back, with a roar halfway between a trumpet and a squeal. Zhen could have sworn that it sounded more indignant than pained as its eyes narrowed. Zhen responded with a roar of his own, but his victory was short-lived. A massive leg swept him off his feet and launched him through the air.

"This is ridiculous," Zhen gasped, ducking another swipe only to be caught by a blow from the turtle's head that sent him tumbling through the water. His body screamed with pain, but he pushed himself up once more. The turtle regarded him, head tilted slightly, as if impressed by his persistence.

"I won't give up," Zhen muttered, raising his hammers again despite the trembling in his arms. But in the back of his mind, the fear that he couldn't defeat this creature was building. Zhen glanced over at Shuo, who had somehow procured an apple and was taking leisurely bites as he observed the fight. His eyes held academic interest, and it was clear no help would come from that quarter.

"Enjoying the show?" Zhen called out between gasps. Shuo shrugged.

"Not really. I've rarely seen worse. Your footwork is particularly poor." The turtle charged again. This time Zhen forced himself to breathe. The world around him shifted, and the water droplets hung in the air a fraction longer, and the turtle's movements slowed. His newly opened Qihai spirit gate had enhanced his senses, and now he needed to take advantage of it. He sidestepped and landed a solid blow to the beast's neck. The turtle barely flinched, but Zhen felt a surge of pride. He was adapting.

Another leg swept toward him. Zhen ducked under it, but fatigue slowed him. The edge caught his shoulder with a qi-infused blow that spun him around. Pain flared across his back. He continued to dodge, but as his exhaustion grew, he took increasing numbers of blows.

"Do you ever listen?" Shuo's voice was exasperated as he called over.

"What did I tell you about using Elementary Pulse when you were moving?" Zhen dodged another attack, as he frantically tried to force his breathing into the pattern the meditation technique demanded while keeping track of the massive creature. The first attempt failed when his rhythm broke as he ducked a snapping beak. The second ended with a leg slap that sent him rolling through the shallows. The blow was a hidden mercy that left him hidden behind a rock.

In a moment of respite, Zhen managed three complete breaths in the proper sequence and qi surged through him. It wasn't enough to restore him fully, but enough to keep fighting.

"There you go," Shuo called.

"Easy. Now get on with it." Despite this small victory, the battle continued to turn against him. Each exchange left new bruises on his body. His arms grew leaden and the blows from his hammers were weaker with every swing. Blood mingled with lake water, running warm down his face from a cut above his eye.

"I'm not going to quit," he growled, spitting blood into the water.

"Course not," Shuo called.

"Baseless confidence in the face of certain death. That's the spirit." The turtle circled him, its eyes glowing with an ancient patience. It could outlast him, and they both knew it. Zhen needed to end this. He gathered what little qi remained in his system and pushed it through his body. Exhaustion and pain receded as determination replaced them for one last try. Zhen charged through the water, pushing against its resistance with everything he had. The turtle watched him approach, his eyes narrowing.

As Zhen reached striking distance, he leaped upward, hammers raised high above his head, moonlight gleaming off the metal. The turtle moved with startling speed. It reared up out of the water, its massive form towering above him. With a twist of its ancient body, it delivered a devastating blow with its shell. The turtle spun and struck him with the full weight of its armored side. The impact was catastrophic. Something cracked inside him. Several somethings.

He knew the sharp, localized pain from broken ribs, but this wasn't that. This was more fundamental. Something deep in the structure of his being had fractured. But before he could process the sensation, he was sailing through the air. He crashed into the shallows with a sickening crunch, his hammers flying from his grip. Water splashed around him as he rolled to a stop, and the world spun as he tried to focus his eyes. Heavy footfalls approached.

Zhen looked up through bleary eyes as the turtle came to stand over him, its massive form blotting out the moonlight. The beast's head lowered, and its beak parted. It was so close that Zhen could smell the ancient waters and moss of its breath. He tried to move, but his body refused. The turtle's beak opened wider, its sharp edges gleaming as it advanced.