Plain rice, noodles and bread was for dinner. None of which was served with any kind of flavoring whatsoever.

Zack was about to ask for some soy sauce or something to make it just a little palatable but then he decided to just be grateful to his host “Thank you for the meal.” first impressions meant a lot, especially when it comes to potential Master-disciple relationships.

Sifu Lei Bao nodded approvingly and said “Buddhists like myself, train ourselves to let go of all things Earthly. Taste is but one of the many things that will hold a monk back from accomplishing this goal.”

'Damn that's hardcore' Zack didn’t agree with such a philosophy, but he still forced down the meal without complaint. But then he took out his sports drink and began to down it.

Lei Bao asked “What is that blue liquid you are consuming.”

”It’s a Gatorade, the makers put electrolytes and vitamins in it. So it’s better for a person than water.”

Lei Bao looked at him like he was stupid “Water cannot be improved.”

Zack then hurriedly finished it and put the plastic bottle back into his pack.

After they finished eating the monk asked “Why are you here?”

Fair question, Zack answered “I rejoined Akmadouric’s army because I am curious about the multiverse. And this is where I’m told that I will become stronger. Besides, it’s not everyday that a person gets the opportunity to learn from a real live Shaolin monk.”

“If you become stronger is entirely up to you. The greater amount of effort you put in, the greater the results will become. Since you are sweaty and tired, we will start with meditation.”

Zack sat cross legged in what he knew to be the lotus position.

The Chinese monk raised a quizzical eyebrow for a moment then spoke in a very relaxing voice “Close your eyes. Count to ten, and then count backwards from ten. Repeat until a peace settles into your mind.”

For Zack it took him about three seconds to count to ten and then back again.

After what felt like a very long time, the monk spoke again “Now clear your mind of all thoughts.”

‘How is a person even supposed to do that when on average they have 47 thoughts per minute. I have considerably more.’

They sat in silence for several minutes more, until Zack started tapping his fingers like he was doing his keyboard APM exercises.

Sifu Lei Bao blew air out of his nostrils in clear frustration “Never in all my two hundred years have I met someone so distracted.”

Zack couldn’t believe what he had just heard “Over two hundred years old? How is that even possible?” he looked at the recently revived two hundred year old man in a twenty year old’s body.

Sifu replied “With a combination of stillness and motion.”

Zack thought ‘What a pretty way to say nothing’ but then he caught himself ‘No. He did it with his life style choices and I will soon get to see what those are first hand.’

The Caucasian pro gamer said “I always thought that meditation was some kind of…empowering kind of exercise.”

“Freeing oneself is a type of empowerment. Or more accurately, it is the path to enlightenment.”

“The thing is that I like having thoughts in my head. Freeing myself from the thoughts I have seems counterproductive.”

“I have spent a fifth of my life in meditation. But what would I know? You’re clearly the expert.”

Zack’s brow scrunched ‘Did this monk just use sarcasm on me?’

Sifu Lei Bao shifted from his cross legged position and put two feet on the ground, then with a twisting motion he rose without taking a step “Since you are the worst student of meditation that I have ever met, we will start with Tong Zi Gong. Once mastered, these forms will allow a person to regain the youthfulness and purity of a child. This is why it is also known as the childish exercises.”

Zack watched the monk effortlessly bend over and put his head on his knees, then start to do the martial arts forms that he was familiar with from watching kung fu movies but the Sifu’s limberness was on a level that put hollywood actors to shame. At one point during the routine his back bent backwards into an ‘n’ shape with his palms touching his heels.

Then the monk stopped suddenly and stood straight “These are the beginning forms that you must attempt.”

Zack frowned slightly but nodded “Okay.” and began stretching to the best of his ability.

After some time Sifu Lei Bao said “It is getting late, help the other student boil some water and then bathe your body with the wash clothes. I must go now, my own training cannot be put off any longer.” he walked to the flame lantern and with a quick tap on the glass with his finger, the light went out. Leaving the glass unbroken. Then left the room and closed the wooden door behind him.

Zack cocked his head to the side “Is that some kind of touch on and off flame lantern?”

Hroyd’s disembodied head appeared in front of him “No you idiot! Did you not just see the way that man manipulated the Spiritual Ether within him to go through the glass and blow out the flame? Potentially he could use such a technique as an attack to bypass an opponent’s muscles and strike directly into their internal organs.”

Zack said “As far as abilities go, it’s still pretty low tier by comparison of some of the stuff in Akmadouric’s army. It’s not something I myself am going to be investing in.”

Akma appeared “That man hasn’t spent a single favor point, aside from the debt he has from being revived. He is one hundred percent human.”

“What?” Dumbfounded Zack looked at the lantern for a moment more, then remembered that he had to wash himself.

He went outside and found the other student in front of a metal pot of boiling water with an electrical burner underneath it.

With a tired look in his eyes the dark skinned twenty year old said “I suppose you’re new and I’m supposed to get you situated aren’t I?” he had African or maybe South American features, but his only clothing was a white loin cloth.

Above his head was the name

Jerome Oliveira Initiate Low-tierman

“Ya, just arrived two hours ago.”

“I’m going to warn you right now, this is going to be more rigorous than anything you have ever done.”

“That’s what I signed up for.”

Jerome dipped a wash cloth into the boiling water and pulled it out, letting it steam for a moment before he bathed himself with it “I had the same attitude when I first came here, but after just three weeks I'm wearing down hard.”

“It can’t be that bad.”

Jerome said “Sifu Lei Bao does nothing but train and meditate. Meditate and train. Repeat everyday.” he wiped his arm off with the cloth and dipped it back into the pot of steaming water “Oh, you’re going to want to exchange your clothes with the ones inside that bin in your room. You should find the instructions on how to put them on quite easily.”

Zack went to his room and stuffed his pack into the bin Jerome had been talking about. He then took out a white loin cloth but ignored the light orange clothes for the moment and went back outside.

Jerome was nowhere to be seen but came out from behind the wooden barrier after a minute ”When you need to clean something more personal, that will give you privacy.” then tossed the wash cloth into an empty basket before starting to leave ”Last week I told myself that I could still keep going, but now I’m not so sure. Honestly, I’m thinking about quitting.”

Jerome opened the door to the temple and found Sifu to be standing there “You may not think that you have what it takes to climb a mountain, but if you continually overcome the next foot, then you will find yourself at the peak.”

The Brazilian bowed his head and said “Yes Sifu.” then went inside.

Sifu Lei Bao then began to wash himself in the same way “We use hot towels in order to train our bodies to become soft and flexible. Increasing it’s range of movement to it’s highest point.”

They both finished cleaning themselves at the same time.

Zack was about to go to bed but then Sifu Lei Bao asked “Would you like to do a light stretching exercise before we rest?” then motioned to two pairs poles that were sticking out of the wall.

”Sure, why not.”

Lei Bao then hopped on top of the poles and did a perfect split, his hands clasped together in prayer and inner thighs resting on the poles.

Zack nearly cried in pain as he made his attempt ‘How can the human body even bend like that!?’

Zack started the next day carrying two buckets of water up the mountain. As a good student he did as he was told and alternated his arms positions in the way he had been instructed to. Arms fully extended so they were perpendicular to the ground and curled in order to strengthen both biceps and shoulders. Moving made the exercise so much more difficult. Zack could literally feel his muscles tearing.

Followed by beans for breakfast and an immediate Tong Zi Gong session afterward, once the students had completed the childish exercises, they squatted in horse stance on top of their small mountain. Zack observed the scenery of the rocky hills, the forest and the sea. He needed something to occupy his mind and memorizing every detail of such a view fit the bill.

After two hours of the horse stance exercise they had to cook lunch.

Sifu Lei Bao finished his small bowl of rice quickly, so that he could speak while his two students ate “There are 72 secret arts of the Shaolin. You have seen my practice the diamond finger and saw me demonstrate the one finger of Chan meditation on the lantern. This…Akma creature tells me that in the future, these skills are going to become very beneficial to you Zack.”

Zack thought about how Akma wanted him to use the Eidolan Symbiosis skill to grow Hroyd’s claws. Having a finger capable of putting holes in a tree would make the transformation process much less painful “So what training do I need to do?”

Jerome looked over at Zack expectantly as Sifu Lei Bao said “In the north western hallway, you will find a wooden board with nails in it. You must pull them out with your thumb, forefinger and middle finger.”

After years of typing on a keyboard, Zack’s hands were nearly as soft as a baby’s and the shock from the severity of the task was evident on his face “Yes Sifu. It will be done before dinner.”

“No it won’t, but that’s okay. Your goal is not to complete the task, but to progress.”

After they finished the meal and cleaned up, Zack went to his task of pulling out nails. Within minutes the tips of his fingers bled and he hadn’t even managed to get the first one up. He tried using his left hand and somehow managed to get the first one up just as the fingers on his left started bleeding as well. He really didn’t want to pull out the next nail with six of his fingers feeling a dull burning sensation. So he practiced what he knew about Tong Zi Gong until the sun began to set.

At dinner Zack asked “So when do we learn Kung fu?”

Jerome is the one who answered “When our bodies are strong and flexible. Our sense of balance is finely tuned and minds are in the proper state.”

Sifu Lei Bao took a drink of water and said “You will begin tomorrow Jerome.”

The Brazilian blinked in surprise and said “Thank you Sifu” then bowed his head

“I deserve very little gratitude, it is you who have earned it.”

The rest of the evening passed in much the same way as the night before.

After bathing, Zack was stretching his legs in an attempt at a split when SIfu entered the backyard just to tell him “It takes a year to master pulling out nails, three years to master the diamond finger and fifteen years to master the one finger of Chan meditation.” then left.

Zack thought thought about that for another hour. Fifteen years of daily training for a real live Chi attack, even at the level of intensity of a Shaolin monk. Then he hopped down off the innocuous looking torture device and took a single step, his body realizing it’s exhaustion all at once and fell to the ground. He took deep breaths as he lay on the ground for several minutes before crawling from the yard to his bed.