The second week brought a change. Alex's body, battered by the puppet, began to adapt. His arms, once scrawny, bulged with new muscle, his legs growing sturdy from dodging the puppet's relentless attacks. The recovery pills, infused with Shui Bing's chaotic water qi, not only healed but strengthened him, his body transforming into a muscular form that made disciples stare. Mei, tossing him a spirit apple during a break, whistled. "Chaos Boy's getting buff! You're gonna scare the puppet soon!" Fang nodded, splashing him playfully. "You're a walking spirit beast!" Alex, red-faced, muttered, "I just want to survive."
Shui Bing, inspecting his progress, was impressed. "Your body is catching up to your chaos," she said, her face cold but her eyes gleaming with pride. "Time to intensify your training." Alex's heart sank. "Intensify?" he squeaked, but she was already handing him a new scroll with a revised schedule—more herbs, hotter baths, and exercises that sounded like torture devices. "Fail, and I'll freeze you in a qi lake," she warned, but she slipped him a protective talisman, her warm heart clear.
The new schedule was hellish. Mornings began with grinding twice as many herbs—Starleaf, Moonpetal, Firethorn, and now Blazevine, which sparked if mishandled. Alex, predictably, spilled Blazevine, setting the pavilion ablaze again. "Not again!" he yelped, diving for a bucket. Shui Bing's water qi doused the flames, soaking him and the disciples watching. "Focus!" she snapped, but she rebuilt the grinding table, her eyes twinkling. Mei, munching a dumpling, laughed. "You're gonna burn the peak down, Chaos Boy!" Liang tossed him a spirit plum, muttering, "I'm never standing near you."
The exercises escalated—balancing on spinning qi disks while swinging a weighted sword, which Alex kept dropping, triggering mini-explosions that sent disciples scattering. "Again!" Shui Bing roared, her whip cracking. One day, he fell off the disk, rolling into a hidden cache of Jade Lotus flowers, their qi boosting his dantian to Stage 7. The disciples gaped, and Fang muttered, "I need to fall more." Mei smirked, tossing Alex a spirit candy. "You're a cheat code, Chaos Boy."
The medical baths were now vats of scalding, herb-filled sludge that smelled like burnt socks and stung like a thousand wasps. "Soak for three hours," Shui Bing ordered, her face icy. "Or I'll bury you in ice." Alex, red and sweating, groaned, "This is worse than the puppet!" But the baths pushed him to Stage 8, his muscles hardening further. During one soak, Jin Hao visited, his robes glowing with potion stains. "Brother, you're a boiled muscle god!" he laughed, tossing Alex a glowing elixir. They started a mock splashing contest, soaking the pavilion, until Shui Bing's whip cracked. "Focus!" she snapped, but she tossed Jin Hao a drying talisman, her warm heart evident.
Alex's exhaustion reached new heights. He cried until no tears remained, his body aching from the puppet's beatdowns and Shui Bing's relentless schedule. One night, he dreamed of the puppet chasing him with a giant wooden fist, smirking as it tossed him recovery pills. He woke shivering, clutching his blanket, muttering, "Why me?" But the nightmare spurred him on, his resolve hardening like his muscles.
The sect's disciples kept his spirits high. During a quiet evening, they held a bonfire on Righteous Peak, roasting spirit yams and sharing stories. Mei teased, "Your muscles are scarier than Shui Bing now!" Fang started a prank, hiding Alex's training sword, only for Alex to trip and find it in a qi-infused bush, earning cheers. Bao, munching candy, begged for puppet stories, and Alex recounted a humiliating headbutt, making everyone laugh. The peaceful night, with stars overhead and the scent of yams, made Alex feel like he belonged, despite the pain.
By month's end, Alex was a muscular wreck, his body transformed and his qi soaring at Stage 8. The puppet, still smirking, tossed him a final recovery pill. "Not bad," it rasped, its jade eyes glinting. Shui Bing, inspecting him, nodded. "Your chaos is becoming strength," she said, her voice stern but her eyes proud. She handed him a new sword manual, her warm heart clear. "Study this. Your righteous blade will cut the heavens."
Jin Hao, visiting from Medicine Valley, tossed Alex a glowing elixir. "Brother, you're a beast now! We'll shake the heavens together!" Alex, gripping the manual, nodded, his heart lighter despite the nightmares. With Shui Bing's guidance, Jin Hao's friendship, and the sect's chaotic embrace, he was ready to face the heavens' next prank, his muscles and resolve stronger than ever.
A month on Righteous Peak had turned Alex into a qi-soaked, herb-covered wreck, his body aching but stronger under the relentless training of Senior Sister Shui Bing, the youngest Valley Master of Flood Redemption Valley. Her strictness, backed by her terrifying Shui Clan background with rumored ties to the Immortal Realms, was matched by her subtle kindness—slipping Alex qi pills or rebuilding his training tools after his cursed bad luck destroyed them. His dantian, once a sluggish rock at Qi Condensation Stage 1, now hummed at Stage 6, his chaotic misfortunes yielding paradoxical rewards like hidden Spirit Stones and Jade Lotuses. But as Alex stood in the stone pavilion overlooking Righteous Peak's glowing jade cliffs, clutching his soggy bamboo basket of spirit turnips, he had no idea that Shui Bing was about to unleash a new level of insanity—training methods so random and hilarious that the entire sect would gather to watch like it was a blockbuster movie.
The morning sun bathed the peak in silver light, the air thick with righteous qi and the faint scent of scorched earth from past "training accidents." Alex's black hair was a sweaty mess, his green eyes bleary from exhaustion, and his rusty dagger dangled uselessly at his side. The Spirit Heart Crystal from the outer sect examination pulsed in his pocket, a reminder of his chaotic journey with Jin Hao, his rich-kid best friend whose dramatic flair had made them the "Chaos Duo." Nearby, disciples from other valleys—Thunder Salvation, Inferno Redemption, Blade Purity, Shadow Mercy, Boulder Sanctuary, Storm Harmony, and Medicine Valley—lounged under a jade tree, sharing qi-infused snacks and gossiping about Alex's latest disasters.
"Chaos Boy's still kicking?" Mei, the scarred outer disciple from Thunder Salvation Valley, called out, tossing Alex a spirit apple, her grin crinkling her scar. "Thought Shui Bing would've drowned you in one of her baths by now!" Liang, the lanky boy who envied Alex's examination luck, munched a spirit plum, muttering, "I'd rather face a Horned Razor Boar than her whip." Fang, a drenched disciple from Flood Redemption Valley, splashed Alex playfully with qi-infused water. "Heard you flooded the pavilion again! You're basically her second-in-command!"
Alex fumbled the apple, nearly tripping into a rune that sprayed harmless sparkles, drawing laughs from the crowd. "It's not a talent," he groaned, brushing turnip bits off his robe. "It's a curse." The disciples' teasing, mixed with their warmth, felt like a family gathering, a peaceful slice of normalcy amid his grueling training. They'd taken to calling the pavilion "Chaos Central," a hub where disciples swapped stories and snacks, drawn by Alex's knack for turning training into a spectacle.
The peaceful moment shattered when Shui Bing appeared, her silver robes shimmering like frost, her Nascent Soul Early Stage aura chilling the air. Her cold face could freeze a volcano, and the disciples scattered like startled sparrows, Mei whispering, "Good luck, Chaos Boy!" as Liang dropped his plum in panic. Shui Bing's eyes locked onto Alex, her voice sharp as a blade. "Your qi is progressing, but your body and spirit need refinement. Today, you'll train with methods from all seven valleys to forge your righteous chaos." Her lips twitched, a hint of chaotic mischief in her eyes. "The sect will watch. Don't embarrass me."
Alex's stomach dropped. "All seven valleys?" he squeaked, glancing at the disciples, who were already setting up qi-infused picnic blankets and glowing snacks, their eyes gleaming like they were at a theater. Mei grinned, tossing him a spirit candy. "This is gonna be better than a spirit beast circus!" Fang nodded, munching a dumpling. "Chaos Boy's about to put on a show!"
Shui Bing clapped, and the Valley Masters appeared, each radiating their unique brand of righteous madness. Senior Brother Lei Zheng from Thunder Salvation Valley crackled with lightning, his beard sparking. Huo Guang from Inferno Redemption Valley glowed with fiery qi, his red hair blazing. Jian Yi from Blade Purity Valley twirled a glowing sword, slicing the air dramatically. Gu Shan from Shadow Mercy Valley shimmered with illusory qi, smirking slyly. Shi Gang from Boulder Sanctuary Valley hefted a boulder, his muscles bulging. Feng Hua from Storm Harmony Valley floated on a gust of wind, her laughter like a melody. Shui Qing from Medicine Valley carried a bubbling cauldron, her serene smile hiding chaotic intent. Sect Leader Duan Renyi, grinning maniacally, hovered above, clearly thrilled but wary of Shui Bing's glare.