Destiny in Cinders

A few months after An Jing was acknowledged as the senior disciple, he and the other youths were plunged into Direlife Manor's formal training which extended beyond mere physical conditioning. They began teaching them martial and mental techniques.

Initiation into Grand Chen's martial way involved cultivating aura, but disciples had to overcome three hurdles prior to becoming an aura martialist.

The first hurdle was the mind—to meet peril with an iron will, and remain unblinking before the glint of steel. The next hurdle was the body—to draw from an endless well of vigor, striking a thousand times without a bead of sweat. The final hurdle was skill, which required honing a single technique until all moves transitioned seamlessly into one fluid motion, flowing without conscious thought. Only by uniting mind, body, and skill could one converge one's entire strength in a single strike and grasp aura.

With sufficient training, the physical hurdle was relatively easy to overcome. For the disciples of Direlife Manor who were handpicked from various regions for their exceptional aptitude, consistent progress all but guaranteed success.

Overcoming the mental hurdle required sparring with a partner. The goal was to achieve total calmness and focus—to neither flinch from an oncoming fist nor lose composure under intense pain.

Ever since An Jing's eleven-win streak, sparring had evolved into a daily routine on the training ground. Although none dared to challenge An Jing, the other four "meat-eaters" were challenged daily. The frequent shift in rankings that occurred every ten days quickly honed their abilities.

The final hurdle, skill, presented the greatest challenge and demanded rigorous practice and intuitive inspiration. It was through skill that one merged the mind and body to harness innate qi and transform that into aura.

An Jing's mastery of both body and mind allowed him to dominate the other disciples. Though his technique still lacked perfect integration, he remained leagues ahead in progress.

Overcoming the skill hurdle was less about physical skills and more about awareness of one's pressure points and internal structure. How could one possibly control innate qi and aura without first recognizing all eight extra meridians and heavenly nodes as well as comprehending the major organs? It was for this very reason that Direlife Manor instilled literacy in every disciple. Martial training must be paired with intellectual cultivation.

Direlife Manor taught a mental technique called Abyssedge Stake Aura Refining. Standing blindfolded on a stake, disciples simultaneously visualized a deep abyss and controlled their entire body, muscles and internal organs alike, into a state of perfect stillness, steadiness, calm, and fearlessness. Although it wasn't an advanced mental technique, it was superior to those passed down by families of martial tradition. It could nourish qi, focus the mind, and temper the body.

They were also taught Armorpierce Impetus, which was fundamentally a method for applying force. It was a high-level martial technique that astonished even An Jing. Or rather, it was a part of one, in particular, a specific section of a top orthodox technique dedicated to the release of power. The synergy of mind and muscle was crucial for success. Greater resolve and bravery meant unleashing a more devastating force. The technique granted the ability to pierce armor and break steel, and when fully mastered, it could even be used to break through aura.

Both Abyssedge Stake Aura Refining and Armorpierce Impetus fostered unwavering courage and determination, emphasizing a complete explosion of power in a single breath. This was an all-or-nothing approach, the way of life-and-death combat.

Combined with the suggestive name of Direlife Manor, An Jing deduced that the manor served as a training base for the assassins and deathsworn of some powerful faction or sect. Though he had inklings before, he was certain now.

For An Jing, Abyssedge Stake Aura Refining was incredibly simple. A year of living constantly on the razor's edge and several close encounters with death had perfectly sharpened his mind, allowing him to quickly master the technique.

In fact, mastering the mental technique came quickly to the rest of the disaster-affected children as well. The only ones who required instruction were a few slower disciples who couldn't yet read proficiently. It appeared this technique was specifically given to disaster survivors.

However, Armorpierce Impetus was far more difficult. An Jing made rapid progress, quickly becoming proficient enough to apply the technique with various weapons and unleash forty to fifty percent more force. Yet very few could match his pace, and the majority hadn't even managed to get started.

Being the senior disciple, An Jing readily offered his help to the other children whenever they faced problems. He drew from his own insights, offering advice on training, relieving fatigue, and martial techniques. His explanations were often more detailed than those of some lecturers.

With An Jing's guidance, Zhang Ying, Gu Yeqi, Cang Linzu, and the others quickly acquired the mental technique. Moreover, Cang Linzu and a few other highly talented children even managed to grasp the Armorpierce Impetus.

Although others failed to grasp the technique, they all gained some understanding and realized that An Jing hadn't lied or held anything back. By genuinely imparting his experience, he earned their heartfelt gratitude and trust.

After that, many children began confiding their worries in him. These were mostly the quiet sensitivities and emotional bruises common during adolescence as well as homesickness, longing for family, and feelings of complete insignificance. Despite feeling rather helpless, An Jing listened patiently, comforted them, and offered advice as a supportive older brother would. As a result, he garnered genuine respect from children across all dormitories, regardless of gender. They all began to view him as their elder brother.

It felt good to be respected and liked. Furthermore, guiding them demanded a deeper understanding of the subject matter. In the process of teaching, An Jing discovered that his learning relied heavily on talent and instinct. He was missing a solid grasp of the foundational principles behind the martial technique. Explaining the methods to his junior brothers and sisters forced him to review the key points himself. This allowed him to master the mental and martial techniques thoroughly, finally moving past proficiency.

However, it was during this period that Direlife Manor culled its first batch of unsuccessful disciples.

"A number of individuals were eliminated following the last two weeks of training as they failed to meet the manor's standards."

One morning, one of the physicians offered this explanation when faced with everyone's questions. The absence of thirty people was clearly felt, but not enough to cause a stir. Those eliminated were predominantly children lacking physical strength and displaying extremely slow progress in martial training. It was an outcome that was both logical and expected. Their dismissal came as no surprise and seemed perfectly normal.

An Jing felt no differently. Still, his keen observational skills led him to an unexpected and strange discovery. It wasn't exactly strange, but An Jing distinctly remembered hearing no carriages leave the manor on the day the children were eliminated.

Direlife Manor was situated deep within the mountains. Transport wagons delivered supplies once every few days, and anyone wishing to leave would almost certainly have used them. For several days surrounding the eliminations, no wagons entered or left the premises, yet the eliminated children were nowhere to be found. But it wasn't a cause for concern.

An Jing was initially skeptical of Direlife Manor, but the ample food and steady supply of meat he received firsthand changed his view. Compared to the chaos of the northern frontier, this place was practically paradise.

While the instructors and lecturers were strict, they were also quite kind to the children. An Jing got along well with the instructors who often brought the children snacks. Despite their stern demeanor, the instructors would nevertheless share personal training experiences with the children during breaks. So An Jing didn't dwell on the matter.

After all, they hadn't seen the five children they first met upon arrival either—the ones who had perhaps awakened their lifearcs. Direlife Manor was enormous, with many restricted areas. The five children probably lived elsewhere, and those eliminated were likely just waiting in other areas as well.

Two more weeks flew by without them noticing.