Obviously, yesterday he had lied about being sick to Josh, because you can't just go around telling people about something they see as fiction something only found in stories. They would think you've gone insane. So he used the best cover-up, and also thanks to his mom who had covered the whole situation earlier.
He spent Saturday and Sunday learning and memorizing martial skills and techniques. He was able to memorize over 50 martial art skills and techniques, which seemingly surprised him, and he could remember every detail of each skill and technique. Master Zhong later told him it was because of the crystal's power within him, so his brain was enhanced. He also said that after he improved his martial arts skills and techniques, he would then be able to use a weapon.
On Sunday, he was able to cultivate to the third stage in the Nascent Realm. Then Master Zhong said he would start his combat practice the next day, which was Monday. Master Zhong also taught him that he had to condense his inner spirit energy to strengthen his body during combat, and also the use of soul power to strengthen attacks, whether in hand-to-hand combat or during the use of weapons.
Robert stood in the center of a field in the middle of a forest as he was about to start practicing the skills he learned in combat mode, because Master Zhong had told him he would be fighting against puppets made with soul power. As Robert stood, he could smell the floral scent from the nearby flowers and feel the morning breeze. He stood beside Lin Zhong, who was floating in mid-air as usual.
"Master Zhong, I was wondering if you can fix the damages done if we destroy the field," Robert asked him in a skeptical manner. Then Lin Zhong laughed a bit, which surprised Robert.
"You are too naïve, boy. On your first day of combat training and already thinking of trashing the surroundings and your opponents? Well, never underestimate your opponent, even if it's just a puppet," Master Zhong warned him.
"It can't be that hard to fight a common puppet, will it?" Robert said confidently, while Lin Zhong just shook his head in pity.
Then Lin Zhong summoned a puppet fused with soul power. It resembled a human. The puppet stood on the other side of the yard as if it wasn't going to attack.
Huh, so you are not gonna make the first move? Then I will make the first attack, Robert thought confidently, sure he could win. He began to condense his inner spirit energy to strengthen his body, then stood in an attack stance and used a skill called Agility Boost Technique, which allows the cultivator to move faster than an ordinary person. Robert moved so fast
Robert dashed forward and got in close range to strike down the puppet.
"Flame death fists!"
His fists were covered in flames, and he sent his fist flying toward the puppet's face, thinking he could win. He hadn't infused the attack with soul power. His fist was really close to the puppet's face thinking he was going to win then the puppet dodged with an astonishing speed, which left Robert dumbfounded. He missed the strike, then he immediately turned around to strike at the puppet again, but the puppet used its speed to dodge once more and then kicked Robert in the face really hard, sending him crashing into a nearby tree with great force. Robert crashed into the tree hard with a loud bang.
One would say from that kind of hit that the person would probably be dead, but Robert managed to stand on his feet. Blood was at the side of his mouth, and he wiped it off.
'Shit, how could this thing be so fast and agile? That attack would have killed an ordinary person, but I'm not an ordinary human anymore. I need to infuse my soul power now, or…'
Before he could infuse his soul power, the puppet leaped into mid-air and rushed down with a drop kick. Robert saw it.
"Shit, it's a drop kick!"
He dodged quickly to the side with his speed, and the puppet landed with the attack on the empty spot where Robert had been earlier. The attack was so intense that the spot was obliterated, and dust clouds filled the air. Then Robert went into defense mode as the puppet wouldn't give him a break to infuse his soul power. The puppet dashed at him with a punch. Robert quickly used the Frozen Arts Defense Skill he had learned and created a thick ice wall around him, but the puppet destroyed the defense with one hit. The destruction of the defense and the impact from the hit sent him flying to the ground.
Robert staggered to his feet, sweaty and messed up. Then he saw some red dots coming through the dust-filled air, they were fireballs.
"Oh shit, fireballs!"
Robert immediately began dodging the fireballs as they landed and exploded. He couldn't believe his eyes. Then he leaped into the air to dodge a fireball, and the puppet appeared above him. Before he could react, it was too late. The puppet gave him a devastating kick, which sent him crashing to the ground. The attack rendered Robert unable to continue fighting, thus losing to the puppet. Lin Zhong ended the training and unsummoned the puppet, which began to fade away. Then he moved to where Robert lay flat.
Robert stared at the beautiful sky as bright white clouds painted the bright blue sky.
"I can't believe I lost to a puppet. Looks like Master Zhong was not lying when he said not to underestimate the puppet. I wasn't even able to gain the upper hand, and I foolishly didn't infuse my soul power to fight," Robert lamented to himself.
"Well, looks like you got beaten up pretty badly on your first day of training. As I told you before, never underestimate your opponent, and always infuse your soul power before you fight. Always study your enemy's attack and movement in order to use the right skill and attack," Lin Zhong told him as he healed Robert. Robert quickly got up on his feet and felt much more energetic.
"Ah, this feels much better. And I will be trying harder next time and never underestimate my opponent," Robert said as he accepted defeat, while Lin Zhong fixed up the yard.
For the next ten days, Robert kept losing to the puppet, and this pissed him off so much that he searched for a good skill and saw one called Clairvoyance, which allows you to see through your opponent's attacks and movements, helps see hidden dangers, and also aids very much in the treatment of a person so you can quickly locate the illness.
"This skill sounds best. Now I need to cultivate and also train myself tonight," Robert thought.
That night, Robert began to cultivate and successfully broke through to the third stage of the Spirit Refining Realm. Then, when everyone had gone to bed, Robert snuck out into the yard to begin training on his own. He tried very hard in his training by using his inner spirit energy to strengthen every part of his body. With every stance and footwork he took, a drop of sweat fell from him. With every punch he threw, he perfected each skill. He trained for hours till daybreak, sweating profusely, but all this increased his stamina and agility.
Upon seeing the rising sun, Robert ended his training and brought out ten spirit stones from a small box and a pill called Gulin Pill, which increases one's cultivation drastically. Then he sat down cross-legged, placed the Dou Chi crystal close to his side, and began to cultivate. Around him were craters made from his intensive training the night before.
Lin Zhong appeared and saw the sight of Robert cultivating as his body glowed with a faint golden light. He immediately figured out that Robert was responsible for the mess. Then with a loud bang was heard as Robert had a breakthrough into the fifth stage of the Nascent Realm, thanks to the Gulin Pill and spirit stones. Lin Zhong was in utter disbelief at how fast Robert's cultivation was progressing.
Robert opened his eyes and got up on his feet, clenching his fist and then releasing it, feeling much stronger than before.
"Finally, I have broken through into the fifth stage of the Nascent Realm, and I feel much stronger," Robert said to himself, then turned to Lin Zhong, whom he hadn't noticed.
"Oh, greetings, Master Zhong," he bowed, and Lin Zhong answered his greetings.
"Well, congratulations on your breakthrough. But look at the mess you made to the yard, I will have to fix that," Lin Zhong said, fixing the yard up.
Later that day, Robert went into training again with the puppet. This time, everything was going to be different. It was just like last time, but as Robert stood, he condensed his inner spirit energy and quickly infused his soul power. His aura could be seen, and it was blue in color. This time he didn't attack first; instead, he took a defensive stance and looked straight at his opponent, the puppet. Everywhere was silent as no one attacked, and soon the puppet could not hold back any longer and attacked first.
It headed for Robert at full speed. Then Robert activated Clairvoyance, and his eyes glowed. He could see through all his surroundings and even the puppet; he saw soul power flowing in the puppet's body. Then he focused his sight on the puppet's movements and finally saw through its attack. The puppet threw a punch at Robert's face, but he dodged quickly and leaped into mid-air to evade. He looked back at the puppet, who had missed its attack, and then Robert pointed his hand toward the puppet and released a large flame ball, which shocked the puppet. The puppet tried to dodge, but as the attack landed, it exploded with great force and sent the puppet flying backward. But it immediately got back on its feet and dashed toward Robert.
Robert took a defensive stance and crossed both his hands in an X in front of him. The puppet landed a powerful punch, and dust filled the air, but on seeing Robert was still okay, the puppet was shocked. Robert hadn't even flinched a bit and was still standing in the same spot. Robert had already used a technique called Steel Body to make his body strong as steel. Then Robert looked at the puppet with a serious look and a cold demeanor. The puppet stepped a few meters backward, but in a flash, Robert appeared in front of the puppet and gave it an uppercut, sending the puppet flying into the air.
Robert instantly appeared above the puppet in mid-air and gave it a drop kick, concentrating his soul power into his foot. He sent the puppet flying to the ground with incredible force. The puppet landed on the ground with a loud bang, struggling to stand on its feet as it was badly wounded. Robert appeared in front of it again, grabbed the puppet by the head, and slammed it hard into the ground, rendering it unable to move. Then Robert smashed the head of the puppet with his foot with great force.
He won the battle and let out a sigh of relief.
"Success is the sum of all small efforts, and where there is no struggle, there is no success," Robert said as he finally won a sweet victory against the puppet. Then Lin Zhong clapped.
"Well done, Robert. You just passed the first stage of your combat training, and I'm really impressed by your improvement. So get ready for more tough training," Lin Zhong told him with a smirk.
But Robert was unwavering and had the determination to improve more and defeat all the puppets in the training.