The bombshell Ikasa had dropped yesterday had managed to spread the explosive news all over Sal city. It had even managed to penetrate into the inner city and attracted the attention of the residents.

After all, they deemed going to the Bazaar in the outer city beneath their station. But the City Hall’s grounds were where all of their major events were held. It was essentially their backyard! So how could they not be intrigued?

In the social gatherings of the wealthy, the topic of Ikasa’s manuals was brought up frequently. But only a few could believe the existence of such extraordinary manuals.

Most of the others put their trust in Master Jin Ping. After all, he had vouched with his reputation on the line that Ikasa’s manuals on the Prosperity street were fake.

While the citizens were in an uproar, the culprit who had caused the uproar was busy training with the kids.

Their Drill Sergeant was Xin Ruo. Ikasa had gifted her an exquisite cane which was perfect for training and taming notorious humans and horses. When he gifted the cane, he never thought he would be the first to be on the receiving end of it.

“Get up! It is not even the 43rd pushup!”

Xin Ruo yelled at Ikasa who was struggling to push himself up from the ground.

“*pant*… But I really…*pant*… At my limits.”

“Look at Luo Qiqi! She is younger than you and yet she is at her 79th pushup. How can you call yourself a man!”

Ikasa threw a nasty glance at the little devil. She responded by exaggerating the movements of push up while loudly calling out 80!

“You can’t compare cultivators and non-cultivators! She can easily do a hundred more pushups, I can’t!”

Xin Ruo paused for a second then she softened her stance.

“Give me ten more pushups and you can rest.”

Ikasa looked at Xin Ruo pleadingly. He didn’t have the strength to lift his arms much less the entire body.

*Swoosh Thwack*

The cane once again landed on his buttocks. Ikasa threw a resentful glance at the sniggering kids. His trembling arms did their best to push his body up.

Ikasa cursed as his body once again slumped on the ground.

‘Damn it! Whose brilliant idea was this again? Oh, it was mine. But I am sure those naughty kids egged me on!’

While Ikasa was catching a breather, another cane landed on his bum. His whole body was aching. So his bum was almost numb to any kind of pain.

He looked annoyedly at the cane in his vision.

‘Of all the gifts I could give, why did I give a cane? And how did sweet and nice Xin Ruo become such a devil as an instructor!’

Then he once again pushed his body against the ground.

‘Never! I am never coming to the training grounds with Xin Ruo again!’

After struggling for a few minutes, Ikasa finally completed 50 pushups. If it was just 50 pushups, he wouldn’t have suffered this badly. It was the exercise before that had drained him.

30 Laps around the training grounds! 50 Squats! 50 Sit-ups! 20 pull-ups. For Ikasa, who had not exercised in a long time, this was hell!

But it was not just his body that was aching. His ego had taken an even worse hit. Even before Xin Ruo and kids became cultivators, they were capable of this much and some more!

He resolved to absolve this embarrassment by training daily. Just not under her.

After Ikasa went inside, the kids continued to train their battle techniques under the watch of Xin Ruo. He watched from the door as she gracefully corrected the punching routines of the kids.

While he was resting, the caretaker brought a large spoonful of medicinal paste and warm milk. This medicinal paste was the handiwork of the sole Medicine Master of Sal City.

It was made from 64 different ingredients which consisted of herbs, rare earth metals, and even some parts of animals. Its taste was nothing to brag about but its effects were undeniable.

Medicine Master Hao attained his fame by using this particular mixture to help people cleanse their bodies and strengthen their bones. This paste increased the effects of energy circulation by 20%.

Anyone without sufficient clout in the city wouldn’t even be able to see Master Hao. And if they wanted the paste, it was impossible without paying a hefty premium.

Ikasa had spent a whopping sum of three thousand gold coins to purchase a large jar of this paste. That was thirty thousand silver! Three hundred thousand coppers!

And effects were indeed apparent. The kids were breaking through a level almost every week!

Hei Ying was the highest leveled one at stage 5 of Path Forging Realm. Pei Yuan and Luo Qiqi trailed behind her at stage 4. Yan Xiao and Chu Qing were at stage 3.

Xin Ruo had also crossed the hurdle of stage 3 and stepped into stage 4. Ikasa was gratified to know that all the money he spent was well worth it. Regardless of how beneficial the paste was for kids, it didn’t stop him from eating a spoonful of it.

He had hopes that he would somehow break through without help from the Printer.

As Ikasa was soaking in the hot bath, he could see kids trying to use their battle techniques. They were proficient in their actions but usage was sloppy.

Even Xin Ruo could only do so much to help improve their techniques. What was most important was they needed actual combat experience. Combat experience gained from fighting against wild beasts and other humans.

Ikasa and Xin Ruo were both useless on this front. If the kids faced some problem beyond their strength, they could die. Hence, they needed a safety net.

After mulling over this for a long, he thought of hiring a mercenary group for protection. But then again, their strengths would exceed Xin Ruo and the kids. If they turned hostile, things would go south quickly.

Left with no option, Ikasa arrived at a conclusion.

‘I guess I will have to ask for help from Father-in-Law.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep