5 Drawing the Sword

As Jiang Chen made the move he tried his best to draw the sword fastest way. But the moment sword came out of scabbard it fell off from Jiang Chen's hand. Jiang Chen was puzzled seeing the sword on the ground, the sword weighed 800pounds it was heavy but it was very much in his limits. But it slipped from his hands the moment it came out of the scabbard. Jiang Chen silently took the sword from the ground and sheathed it again.

He continued it again and it repeated again it fell on the ground after coming out of the scabbard. It repeated for few more times and finally, he was able to hold the sword after it came out of the scabbard but it fell down after a moment. Jiang Chen couldn't help but smile thinking he thought it was easy to practice weapons. Only now did he understand when he touched it.

It was not that big deal to draw the sword from the scabbard, he had done it a lot of times previously in the store. But drawing the sword at a moment to take action it was a different level. He has to consider a lot of things for it. He should be in sync with the sword for that to happen he should know his sword completely and should be making subtle changes in the amount of pressure he is applying and when to withdraw the extra pressure he applied. He shouldn't be using too much force either as it will just affect the speed of drawing sword. Then comes the tip of the sword. Only after failing a hundred times did Jiang Chen realize how naive his thinking was. He had not yet started practicing any attacking moves yet he could not hold the sword properly. Now there was no resistance for the sword and he was calm but still, he couldn't draw it properly then how different would it be when he really have to take action.

Jiang Chen calmed his mind and once again prepared to make a move. His failure was only encouraging him more and more and with each failure, he was understanding his sword more. He repeated the process again and again. He succeeded in drawing sword properly after many attempts he even lost count of how many attempts he made but he wasn't that impressed with the success he was more happy with repeated failures that taught him than that momentary success.

He was not just trying to learn how to draw a sword but to engrave it to his very bones.

By the time he made his first successful draw it was already daybreak Jiang Chen sheathed his sword and looked at himself he was fully covered in sweat and his clothes were stinking with the smell. Jiang Chen bathed himself in the pond and cleaned his clothes and wore a fresh set of clothes. Then he burned the campfire and roasted the preserved meat from supplies. While the meat was being cooked here minced what he learned that day and his last successful draw. Even though the draw was successful but he remembered that it lacked something. It would be a story for the next day.

He finished his dinner and felt that his appetite has increased, it has something to do with the intense training he went through. He had drawn his sword more than ten thousand times that day.

After thinking for a while Jiang Chen sat in the lotus position and started cultivating his Dragon Star Pagoda technique. For some reason, he felt that he was able to absorb heavenly energy more easily today. He was able to simultaneously absorb the heavenly energy and same time move it to his muscles for absorbing them.

He knows it was a lengthy process. Even though body tempering is not considered in cultivator ranks it was one of the longest periods. The average time a person spent on the body tempering stage was five years and least was around three years. Body tempering stage was their first preface for cultivation it is in this stage they learn how to absorb heavenly energy and about their cultivation technique. There were Alchemist pills which helped in increasing the absorption of heavenly energy and eased the process but Jiang Chen is not in possession of any such pills even his aunt didn't give him any.

Jiang Chen could make a wild guess that all the people who took the test along with them would have already stepped into the second stage.

Jiang Chen kept that stray thoughts aside slowly started reinforcing his chest muscles according to the instruction it was as he expected as in bone tempering stage the pain is unbearable in the first contact but it slowly subsides after the process is repeated.

Jiang Chen didn't know whether others also absorbed heavenly energy in form of strands or not but he could make a guess that the body tempering stage has limit of 108000 strands and he could store more energy only after breaking through to Martial Disciple stage. As he was cultivating all his weapons were lying on his lap. He only felt them more familiar with the increase in time.

Next day Jiang Chen continued practicing drawing the sword again. The process this day seemed more streamlined as he already stepped into doors of success on his first ten attempts he succeeded in six of his attempts. From then on he never dropped the sword even once. He continued the drawing of sword again and again and it repeated for several days.

After almost a month Jiang Chen as he drew his sword could feel that he has improved a lot in this month, now his sword never leaves his hands and he can draw the sword in a blink not even a moment. He could draw the sword and sheath it again in a blink and it felt like a natural for him as he was just raising his arm. He could also draw the sword with his left arm or even both arms simultaneously in a moments notice. According to manual he has reached small perfection a few days ago and was nearing great perfection in drawing the swords.

Jiang Chen drew his sword over 60000 thousand times in a day. He believed when he can reach 90000 times he would reach great perfection.

Jiang Chen decided to go for bow and arrow this time. He took both his bows in each of his hands and slowly compared them. Both the bows looked identical to each other but he knows there is a vast difference in both of them in everything. Even though their weighed same Jiang Chen knew he would not be able to draw the 7 attributed bow.

Jiang Chen tried to make an attempt and as he expected he couldn't even move to draw it a little forget about fully.

Jiang Chen then slowly took other on in his arms and withdraw the string not nooking any arrow he was surprised he could not even draw this bow to full length but just to arm's length.

Jiang Chen then looking at the manual checked on what he has to do. Well, he has nothing to do just draw the bow to maximum and keep it that way for a full day.

Jiang Chen from the experience of drawing the sword that it is definitely not as simple as it says. But he was now more interested in how he is going to fail because he has more to learn from failure than with success and all the failure is acceptable only hear. Jiang Chen as instructed drew the bow to the maximum he can and held it in the same position as instructed in the manual. Normally beginners would be using normal training bows but Aunt Ming has particularly stressed on him to use only these weapons even this wooden bow is the mid mortal weapon and he was not sure about the other one.

After holding for thirty breath Jiang Chen could not hold back any longer as his muscles ached and unknowingly released the bow. He just smiled as he understands how difficult it was to hold the bow in drawn position. After relaxing for a few moments Jiang Chen again started to draw the bow this time he was prepared to what is coming at him. This process continued for numerous cycles Jiang Chen was slowly able to increase the time he was able to hold the bow in drawn position. By the end of the week he was able to draw the bow to its maximum but could not hold back for longer but he was satisfied with it. He has to draw the bow to maximum length only then would he be able to comprehend what he is lacking. Now he could draw the bow fully and be able to hold it for few breaths. Then he started trying various grips making minute changes in each position checking every flaw he can make. After a few trials he was able to make an ideal grip and technique for himself in the process he was able to sense bow without seeing it. In the process of checking his own flaws, Jiang Chen subconsciously entered a particular state where he could sense his bow as an extension of himself he could make out at what position the bow is without even looking at it as he knows about his very own arms. This was not just for his bow but he could make out about his other weapons too.

After another couple of weeks Jiang Chen could hold his bow in fully drawn position for the full day easily he won't even feel the strain of drawing the bow for half a day.

It has been three months since he came to the valley and he has reached great perfection in drawing the swords and was closing to reach grand perfection in the first step of drawing the bow.

His cultivation already reached the 2nd stage of body refinement and now all his body muscles are baptized with heavenly energy and now he can even draw the second bow fully but can not hold it for long but it was a great improvement compared to before.

After one more week, Jiang Chen reached grand perfection in drawing the bow and he was prepared to next step looking the arrows but Jiang Chen withheld his wish and to the third weapon. Of all the weapons his spears are heaviest weighing over 2000 pounds. The first step in his spear training was to hold a heavy rock on the spearhead. Unlike before Jiang Chen was sure this is already very very tough. He has to balance a heavy rock on the tip of the spear even the thought himself made him shiver. But Jiang Chen continued to train as if trying to climb the biggest mountain.

Almost a year and a half passed after his Aunt Ming left him in the valley he has already reached great perfection in all the starting moves. He also learned second moves in all and was trying to reach great perfection in his agility skill. He has reached the 4th stage of boundary refinement all his bones, muscles, blood and skin were completely baptized now he is in the critical step of baptizing his various vital organs it was making steady progress.

In this period of time, Jiang Chen learned few more secrets about his Dragon Star Pagoda technique and learned about its enhance effects particularly at night time.At night time he could sense and absorb heavenly energy more easily than at day time more than twice the speed.

With a thud, Jiang Chen collapsed on the ground making a huge war cry. He has reached grand perfection in second movement skill.

In all the skills first and second moves were for building the foundation they take the longest time now that Jiang Chen completed it not his path would be little easier than before.

From now on he would be using the training dummies prepared by his aunt.