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Han’s fists slowly clenched.Golden light seeped from his knuckles, growing brighter as the energy wrapped around his hands like burning silk.It was the visible manifestation of the Supreme Life-Force Art. He exhaled sharply, and with a roar that sent chills down everyone's spine, he charged at Barry.He led with a crushing punch aimed directly at Barry’s chest. The air crackled in its wake.Barry did not meet force with force. He shifted his weight half a step to the side, turning his body just enough for the punch to whistle past his ribs. At the same time, his palm snapped out, striking Han’s forearm.Han snarled, then he spun his leg in a sweeping kick of golden energy aimed at Barry’s legs.But Barry stepped cleanly over the sweeping kick as if he had already seen it coming.Han snarled and pressed harder, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks, his golden fists flashing like lightning. The courtyard roared with the sound of his attacks, each one capable of shattering a bou
The sparring duel
Towards the end of the sixth month, Barry was summoned to the central courtyard at dawn, to stand before the assembled clan. Every disciple, every elder, and Grandmaster Wei himself stood in a wide, circle around the flagstones.Wei stepped forward, his aged face filled with pride as he faced Barry. "Barry Sullivan," he began. "Six months ago, you arrived on this island as a common man with a raw talent. Today, you stand before us having achieved the impossible."A brief pause ensued. Then he went on. "You have mastered in half a year what many of us spend lifetimes pursuing. You have surpassed my expectations. Congratulations."Barry bowed deeply, his fist pressed to his palm. "Grandmaster," he said calmly. "I owe you everything. Thank you for guiding me to my full potential."Wei nodded, a faint smile touching his lips. "The gratitude is mutual. You have inherited all my knowledge and the deepest secrets of the Supreme Life-Force Art. When my time ends, take over as Grandmaster. T
Master of the supreme life-force art
Barry stood at the edge of the trench, the heat from the coals warping the air before him. He looked down at his bare feet, then at the long path of hot coals. He swallowed a lump down his throat. "I can do this," he said, steadying his breath. "I know I can do this."He lifted his right foot and placed it squarely onto the bed of embers.A searing, immediate pain exploded from his sole. It felt like molten metal eating away on his skin. He gasped and jerked his entire leg back as if pulled by a string. He stumbled backward, staring at the red blistering skin on the bottom of his foot. A cold wave of doubt flooded him. This was madness. He wasn't built for this. The fire would consume his flesh. Unfortunately for Barry, Wei offered him no sympathy.“Again,” Wei snapped.Barry's jaw clenched as he tried to push the doubt aside. He stepped forward again, this time forcing his foot down and attempting to walk on the coals.The result was worse than before. The burn was just as fi
The second and third training
Barry was immediately prompted to the next stage of his training. The next day after he had struck down the tree with his fist, Wei brought Barry toward the eastern ridge of the island. There, a narrow mountain path spiraled upward like a scar carved into the stone. At its base lay stacks of thick wooden logs.Each log was cut from ironwood trees that were dense and brutally heavy.“You have passed the first training,” Wei said calmly. “Now comes your endurance training.”He gestured again. “You will carry logs from the base of the hill to the summit. One at a time. There are five hundred logs lying in wait for you. Ensure you clear them all.”Barry studied the hill closely.The slope was very steep and uneven. Even seasoned disciples struggled to carry a single log halfway up before collapsing.But he nodded all the same. “I understand. I'll do it.”That very night, Barry lifted the first log onto his shoulders.The weight slammed into him like a mountain. His knees bent instantly,
No one laughed
From that day forward, Barry trained like a man possessed.Dawn no longer mattered to him. Even nightfall no longer existed. From his perspective, the world shrank until there was only him and the tree.He punched. Again. And again. And again.His fists kept slamming into the bark until his hands bled. He'd wrap his hands when the skin split open to stop the bleeding. When the cloth soaked through with blood, he tore more from his robe. When there was nothing left to tear, he used leaves and vines.But Barry never stopped.Before he knew it, he began to forget his meals. Sleep became an afterthought. His body screamed for rest, but Barry ignored it stubbornly. His mind was centered on one purpose—falling the tree with his fist. That was all that mattered to him.Meanwhile, Han and his followers never missed a chance to mock him. Every evening, as they returned from structured training, they passed by Barry’s spot simply to take shots at him. “He’s still punching that thing?”“Look
Han
The sun crawled slowly across the sky as Barry stood before the next thick tree.Again. And again. And again.His fist slammed into the bark, sending a dull thud through the forest. Pain exploded up his arm, vibrating into his bones. He hissed sharply through clenched teeth but did not stop.By midmorning, his knuckles were raw. By noon, blood stained the bark where he struck it. The tree, however, stood unmoved.Barry staggered back, breathing hard, sweat soaking through his white robe. He leaned against a rock, lowering himself to the ground.So this is how they break you, he thought.He drank water, wrapped his hands in cloth torn from his sleeves, and sat quietly for a few minutes, eyes closed, regulating his breath.Then he stood up.And returned to punching.Soon, time lost meaning to Barry. The sound of fists against bark blended with the rustling wind. When his arms trembled too badly to continue, he rested. When the pain dulled into a deep, burning ache, he stood again.Th
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