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Chapter 7: The Path of the Dragon
[China]
"For the next 12 months, I will be training you non-stop. The only break you will get will be for a week... after every two months."
Xu Wenwu sipped from his steaming cup of herbal tea as if he hadn't just sentenced me to a year of physical and mental destruction.
Technically, he asked if it was acceptable.
But let's be real… he was stating the terms, not negotiating them.
As far as I knew from the old comics, dossiers, and whispers in black files, Xu Wenwu wasn't a man you argued with.
Immortal, cold, cunning. A warlord cloaked in the skin of a monk. He was the kind of man who didn't just walk through history—he carved it.
"You will be training your body to reach the peak of human condition... and later, surpass it with the aid of the medical arts."
No pills. No glowing elixirs. No spiritual dragons.
This wasn't some wuxia fantasy where you down a pill and ascend to godhood overnight.
Wenwu's approach was different. Scientific. Brutal. Precise.
He didn't use mystic rituals. He used medically-enhanced nerve rewiring, bone compression therapy, nerve acceleration, and deep cellular restructuring.
It wasn't about becoming a god. It was about redefining what a human body could endure.
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The Beginning
He leaned back in his chair, eyes focused and unreadable. "First, I will teach you how to meditate. You must learn to command your breath, still your mind, and discipline your soul. Only then will you be able to master your body."
I nodded, my expression respectful. "Understood."
He handed me a thin scroll—modern printout, but styled like old parchment.
"Your schedule."
I glanced down and immediately felt my stomach twist.
Wake Up – 3:30 AM
Hygiene & Cleanup – By 4:00 AM
Meditation – 4:00 AM to 6:00 AM
Flexibility & Breath Control (Yoga) – 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM
Martial Arts Combat Training – 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Short Meal & Recovery Window – 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Disguise & Stealth Training – 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Medical Studies & Practice – 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Final Conditioning & Review – 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Sleep – 9:00 PM to 3:30 AM
No movies. No breaks. No time to even think about the outside world.
I whistled softly. "That's... intense."
"Don't thank me," Wenwu said without looking at me. "Because this will be worse than torture."
He finally met my eyes. "And that's just the first level."
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Reforging the Human Form
"Once your body adapts to the martial discipline... I will break it again using medical science. We will tear muscle, reset bones, realign your nervous system."
I tried not to react, but I could feel the shiver working up my spine.
He continued. "You will feel like you are dying. But through pain, your body will rebuild itself. Stronger. Faster. Beyond human norms."
I chuckled nervously. "Maybe I should've just gone with the super-soldier serum."
He smirked.
"But once you complete the medical reforging, your body will evolve. You'll gain:
Skin resilient as ballistic fabric.
Endurance to survive hours underwater.
Strength capable of pulling a bulldozer.
Reflexes sharp enough to catch arrows mid-flight."
That shut me up.
Okay... screw the serum.
This was the real deal.
No injections. No magic. Just raw, terrifying discipline.
No wonder Shang-Chi could go toe-to-toe with gods in the comics.
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Oaths and Honor
He stood, adjusting his robes, his eyes still locked on me.
"As long as you follow my instructions," he said slowly, "you will reach heights no ordinary human can imagine."
I bowed my head with genuine respect.
"I will, teacher."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Not teacher," he corrected. "As long as you train under me... you will address me as Shifu."
I straightened up and gave him a small nod.
"Understood... Shifu."
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The training hadn't even started yet...
But I already felt like the version of me that walked into that room had died.
This was the birthplace of the new me.
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End of Chapter 7
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