—–

“It seems you’ve surpassed my own expectations once more,” the Heavenly Demon admitted as he carried us outside the pit. At least he did that, or I would have eaten his head off for being such an inconsiderate piece of shit.

“Is that so? And did you have to make the trial so ruthless and hard? You sure lack empathy even for your disciple…” I sighed. “You piece of shit of a master…” I didn’t even hold back with my words.

The Heavenly Demon only laughed before leaving me on top of the palace’s rooftop with everyone else. “I apologize, Anna, but I simply don’t know any other methods for training than the most ruthless ones,” he said. “You told me to teach you my techniques, to show you how I became stronger. There was no moment of peaceful meditation for me; there was no moment of simply sitting down and eating pills; there was no moment where I enjoyed some tea with a friend; there was no moment when I competed for rewards inside a sect with friendly rivals; and there was not a moment where I contemplated the Dao in silence and peace.”

Right, I guess he never experienced any of such things.

What was I expecting?

I guess it’s only my fault that I am being treated like this. I asked him to train me.

“I lived a life of running from one place to another, to fighting to the death every day, to gnashing my beak and endure the most agonizing of pains, all to get stronger on my own way. The only way a person as untalented as me could, through fighting, killing, pillaging, and running away,” he said. “Some of us are born talented, with money, with strong backers; others, like me, are barely born with anything, and whatever they had is taken away from them. We struggle every moment, every day, every hour.”

“Well, not so much now, don’t you? Once you reached the pinnacle.” I muttered.

“Hah! I suppose I did earn myself some rest, and that only made me contemplate more what my life has been, and honestly, despite how much I hated everything, I feel proud of myself, of my struggles and my suffering,” he smiled. “It feels like the strength I possess is well earned; it is something that truly belongs to me. Have you ever felt that way before, my disciple?”

“I…”

A power that truly belongs to me? The System was gifted to me out of nowhere, and every Skill or Item I’ve acquired was something I took away from somewhere else one way or another.

Was there something I truly earned through gnashing my teeth, crying blood, and feeling my entire body being torn to pieces?

I guess in some way, every skill and item I got was obtained through some level of effort, of varying degrees.

But is this the same effort that he went through?

No, it isn’t.

I can’t even compare to my master’s struggles and suffering—a long life of battling to reach the peak.

In comparison, I’m nothing but a spoiled brat that has an overprotective brother that has fed her everything she could ever ask for.

A golden finger system that assists me in everything.

Constellations that throw money at me for eating pancakes…

It feels frustrating.

I also want to have such struggles; I also want to temper myself.

I don’t want to be like the Heavenly Demon, but I…

I want to struggle and obtain a power of my own.

And recently, I’ve been slowly getting the gist of it.

Myriad Self Arts…

A power that truly belongs to me.

“I can’t say I have gone through the same things as you, Master… In fact, although I’ve had my struggles, my fights, I’ve put effort into getting most of the abilities and items I have…” I sighed. “I simply can’t compare to your own achievements. I could have never been able to obtain all the strength you did from scratch; I am nothing but a spoiled girl.”

“Hah… You have an honest heart; to say such a thing about yourself, it seems you’ve gone through a small self-introspection, is it not, my disciple?” he wondered. “Don’t worry, I was already guessing that you weren’t even comparable to my greatness!”

“Ugh…”

“However.”

He quickly stopped walking, looking back at me into my eyes.

“Unlike me, you seem to have a greater purpose. You’re not fighting for yourself, not even for your own survival,” he said. “You’re more like her; yes, you remind me of her, the Heavenly Empress. You’re a person that carries the weight of a great responsibility, someone that would do anything and obtain anything to save and protect those she loves.”

“I guess so; I am growing stronger, fighting, and all. For them, and for my world,” I nodded. “I want to protect them all.”

“Yet unlike her, you’re willing to do anything too; you are even willing to learn from a demon like me,” he laughed. “You’re a strange one, my disciple. But your strength and your talent are genuine; despite all the powers you’ve been gifted, you didn’t waste them away like all those bastards I’ve met, talented geniuses that thought they were good enough and that they could trample over anything and anybody. You were gifted strength, abilities, and opportunities, but you did not waste them; you further refined them as much as you could; you used them smartly to survive and protect others; and you keep suing them to strive forward with utmost efficiency. You’re what some would call a Monster. A genius, talented, gifted, and hard-working person is bound to become unparalleled across heaven and earth.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Thanks, I guess…” I smiled slightly. “Well, I’m hungry now and… Yeah, Ying Shen has been unconscious for a while. I’ve healed him as much as possible, but he still looks half-dead…”

“Hah! Well, he worked hard, so he deserves some rest. I shall heal his body with some acupuncture; the young assassin deserves some reward…” The Heavenly Demon sighed. “For now, let’s have a meal and then rest; tomorrow will be another day of hard work.”

“Alright.”

I guess I’ve been insulting him way too much without a true justification. Maybe I’ve been just salty; he’s not as considerate as other people I’ve met, but the Heavenly Demon is still genuinely trying to help me.

I was the one that got myself into this situation, and I was the one that asked him to train me, and I won’t back down now. I will walk through the hellish, agonizing trainings, and I won’t stop until I complete them.

There’s one week and a half left in here, and I’ll make every day worth its time.

Ding!

[Congratulations! You have Completed the {Optional Challenge Quest}: {Complete the Trial of the Heavenly Demon}!]

[Rank: S+++]

[Despite how arduous and excruciatingly painful this training was, you’ve gone and done it! Congratulations and well done!]

[You’ve managed to seal all your abilities except the only martial arts gifted by your master, and you’ve learned a greater insight into your personal strength.]

[Your efforts were vast; you shouldn’t lower yourself down because other people’s efforts are greater; everyone’s efforts will be different, but what matters is that you’ve done your best.]

[Grab your rewards, and rest; well done!]

[Completion Rewards]: [10.000 Plot Points] [Black Heaven Ki Pearl Fragment (S+++ Rank)] x1 [White Heaven Ki Pearl Fragment (S+++ Rank)] x1 [Ki Restoration Potion (S Rank)] x1 [Ki Enhancing Pill (S Rank)] x1 [Skill Level Elixir (S Rank)] x1]

Ah, seeing this, it feels like the System is trying to cheer me up?

And seeing these rewards only makes me feel even more shameless compared to true hard workers like the Heavenly Demon.

But yeah, I should also take into consideration some of those words.

Anyways, these rewards are pretty generous for what can be resumed to just beating a bunch of monsters.

I got the pearls again… Or not? They’re fragments now, huh…

I checked their description, and it said that once I gather three fragments of each, I can create a full pearl.

Alright, I suppose this is purposely made, so I do the quest a lot.

And seeing how ruthless my master is, that’s definitely happening.

“Alright… Let’s do this.”

“Looks like you’ve gathered some resolve, good. I don’t like when you whine and cry all the time.”

[“Honestly, same. Just get this over with, Anna!”]

Sepa and Gram giving their amazing advice as always; they’re such sweethearts.

“Hah…”

I didn’t even respond to their words, carrying the tired Ying Shen to his bedroom and then having dinner with my master, where we talked more about my developing techniques.

He said he was amazed by them, pointing out that I could already “combine” the seals, something he took several years into performing himself.

The power of Regret was strong—yeah, very powerful—but it drained my energy and my… Mentality a lot. It made me feel super depressed afterwards!

These powers were amazingly strong; I could manifest elemental powers, punch super hard, and everything, but they sure were painful to use.

To think this has been the Heavenly Demon’s only weapon this entire time only makes me… admire him even more.

But they’re a weapon, a powerful weapon that doesn’t rely on any Skill or Item, just my own power, something I inherited from him.

I have to take advantage of it and become stronger; even if it hurts a bit, I must steel my mind and become capable of controlling my own emotions like he does.

Once I can achieve that level of control, activating the seals will never make me lose my shit.

I think…

“Hah… I’m so sleepy… At least I got you guys with me,” I yawned. “Hmm, Snow, you’re so fluffy as always~”

“Waan!” Snow happily let me rub my face on his big belly.

After doing that, I instantly fell asleep.

And the next day came rather quickly. Another morning, another hellish training. This time it wasn’t the same “pit full of monsters” challenge; no, this time it seemed more horrible.

“You’ll have to walk barefoot over burning wood!” he said. “While doing so, carry ten thousand tons of black steel to the top of that mountain and throw it down into the volcano. As you do this, channel your Frenzy Seal, so you can dull the pain, but if you lose your mind and let the things you’re carrying slip away, you’re going to get kicked off.”

“Seriously?”

I knew he was a piece of shit.

He’s doing this because he’s enjoying it!

…

Wait, wait, no, I don’t have to think like that!

Burning my foot is the least of my worries; pain and suffering don’t matter.

As long as I get stronger, as long as I can help my friends and save Earth.

I would even chop my entire body into pieces a million times.

“{Third Seal: Frenzy}!”

FLASH!

The Seal activated as my body was permeated by an Aura of crimson red Ki. My senses felt dulled out as my mentality started to deteriorate.

I felt furious, angry, and frustrated all at the same time.

I wanted to end everything and the world with me!

Fuck this!

I’ll kill that damn crow bastard and get the fuck out of here, so-

…

No, I can’t let it take over me.

“Focus, focus, focus…”

I started walking over the burning ground, my feet soles instantly beginning to be roasted. I felt the pain, but it didn’t make me scream because Frenzy was already taking over my senses.

“Temper your body! Temper your mind!”

The Heavenly Demon kept cheering for me, giving me words of advice as I slowly moved up the mountain.

In the way, Martial Beasts of all kinds appeared; it was my duty to fight them without walking out of the path and dropping what I was carrying.

A terribly hard endeavor, and no friends or familiars allowed this time either.

I felt like at any moment I would drop the things and I would fall down the mountain.

Yet barely, by the skin of my teeth, I was managing.

“Hahh… Ugh…! Argh…”

I was groaning in pain and anger as I climbed further and further. The path suddenly became completely vertical; I had to climb, burning my hands, face, and everything in the process.

Yet I kept moving, climbing.

“Keep moving; you’re almost there! Don’t give up; temper your body, temper your mind!”

Temper your body.

Temper your mind!

Don’t give up.

You’re almost there.

I can do this!

FLUOSH!

Suddenly, I felt the quality and power of Frenzy changing.

Like a wild, untamed beast, it suddenly became much calmer without taking away its abilities.

This is not a negative emotion anymore.

This is…

Temperance!

“AAAARGH!”

I roared with all my spirit, climbing and lifting my burning body up to the summit of the mountain and dropping all the black steel into the volcano.

SPLASH!

The burning lava bubbled, melting them instantly.

“I-I did it.”

Before I could do anything else, I passed out, falling into the boiling lava in front of me.

—–

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep