"Do you really not remember anything further than three years? All you did was scavenge in a remote village?"
Madame asked as guards pushed open a set of heavy wooden doors, revealing a cozily lit space inside.
Wade shook his head. He truly couldn't recall anything.
The whole room smelled of medicinal herbs, tickling Wade's senses. At the center, there was a circular pool that looked like a mountain spring. Small waterfalls flowed out from the decorative statues depicting angel-like beings.
Wade's eyes gleamed as he guessed what was next to come.
Madame abruptly turned toward him and sized him up.
"Strip."
She commanded as she meticulously scanned Wade.
"Madame, forgive me for my rudeness."
Wade offered a bow and began to take off his armor and then his martial robe. Soon, a malnourished and scarred figure was revealed. The past few days weren't enough to offset the gruelling hardships of slavery.
He would need time to heal. Both in body and soul.
Madame once again checked him as she grabbed his hand.
"Your muscle and tendon connections are great, but there are too many impurities. I saw that you were having difficulties balancing with your left leg during the rite of passage.
Madame crouched down, her fingers traced Wade's quads. Then, she pressed a point right above his knee, making him grunt in pain.
"This wound is one of many that didn't heal properly. Looks like you will have to spend a few days in the spirit pool."
She stood up and washed her hands using the pool water.
"You didn't refine your body since childhood like those from cultivator families. You will first have to expel the filth before you can use breathing techniques to absorb qi."
Madame walked through the doors as they slowly closed behind her.
"Take your time. This concerns your future."
With a loud bang, the room was sealed.
Wade looked around, his gaze thoughtful as he submerged himself step by step.
"It is warm…"
He muttered, feeling comfort wash over his body. Yet, the pain didn't make him wait for long.
"Damn, cramps…all over the body…"
His figure twisted into unnatural shapes as he gritted his teeth to hold back screams.
"Why do I feel like a wet sponge getting all the juices squeezed out…"
Wade's breathing became labored. His blood vessels across his body writhed like snakes. At some point, he couldn't open his mouth, his jaw muscles became too stiff as his neck craned to the extreme.
'Ho-ly fu-ck!'
He began to lose his cool. This pain reminded him of his worst days on the battlefield. On second thought, the sensations surpassed those horrid experiences by many folds.
'Is this cleansing or torture?'
An unpleasant sound suddenly rang in his ears. With great difficulty he looked down at his lower body.
To Wade's horror, his shinbones…had snapped like broken twigs, only to heal back under a mysterious power.
A muffled roar was sealed in his throat. His eyes became bloodshot.
'Goddamn Madame!'
He would have screamed. Alas, his lips were tightly sealed.
Under his violent thrashing, the hellish seconds turned into minutes and the minutes flowed into hours. However, Wade had long lost track of time. His only thought was on not losing his consciousness.
'Must…persist!'
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pain slowly subsided.
Wade opened his eyes with great difficulty. His eyes were met with dense, putrid fog and black water that replaced the previously sparklingly clean pool.
The humming sounds gradually shook the room as the angelic statues shone with resplendent light.
Under great cleansing and suction forces, the impurities from both water and air were quickly removed, revealing the previously cozy pool.
"What an…experience…"
Wade seemed to have lost all strength and his body began to sink. A fear of drowning gripped his heart.
'Can't...move…'
However, a pair of delicate hands grabbed him by his shoulders, pulling him out.
It was Madame. She looked at Wade with an incredulous gaze, doubts appeared in her mind.
"That was quite something."
She chuckled and dragged Wade onto the cold tiled floor.
"Madame…"
Wade wanted to get up and greet her, but couldn't find any strength.
"Thank you…"
He at least hoped his outward gratitude would appease this unpredictable woman, but all he received was a snort.
"This spirit pool is special. You wouldn't die in it unless I commanded you to."
She gestured behind her as maidservants hurriedly entered the room and wiped Wade clean. Due to those young women being new to their job, they stole subtle glances at places, unable to contain their curiosity.
Wade weakly smiled at them.
'I guess I have a certain allure.'
———
It had been three days since cleansing.
It was early in the morning and Wade got out for a jog on the mountains. Small bags of sand were tied to his limbs and hung from his back, making him look a bit comical.
Beside him was Madame. With a single step she propelled herself for several meters and casually observed Wade, not even breaking a sweat.
"Pick up the speed. You are too slow."
Her stern voice forced Wade to overperform beyond his physical limitations. His calves hurt like hell, but he forced himself further.
'All this training is to adapt my body to its new state. Once my nervous system grasps everything, all my movements will be instinctual, just like in my old, haggard body.'
At times, Wade was forced to go uphill on rocky terrain with his hands. There were even times he was forced to roll up a hill, a task that put immense strain even on his newly cleansed body.
"Once today's rehab is done. The real cultivation will begin."
Madame's voice entered his ears amid his pants. Her voice sounded strangely encouraging.