"Each valley will contribute a training method," Shui Bing announced, her voice echoing. "Alex, you'll complete them all. Fail, and I'll drown you in a qi lake for a month." Her eyes softened briefly, a flicker of warmth betraying her strict facade, as she handed him a protective talisman. The disciples cheered, setting up glowing lanterns and passing around fizzing qi tea, turning the pavilion into a movie theater for the "Chaos Boy Show."
Training Method 1: Thunder Salvation Valley's Lightning Leap
Lei Zheng stepped forward, his beard sparking like a storm. "Jump through these qi-charged hoops!" he roared, conjuring five glowing rings crackling with lightning. "Dodge the bolts, or get zapped!" Alex, already lightning-phobic from his curse, gulped. The disciples, munching spirit dumplings, leaned forward, Mei shouting, "Don't die, Chaos Boy!"
Alex leaped, his bad luck kicking in as he tripped mid-air, crashing into a hoop. A lightning bolt zapped him, sending him sprawling with smoking hair. The disciples howled with laughter, Liang choking on his tea. "He's toast!" Fang tossed Alex a spirit lotus, grinning. "You're a lightning magnet!" The puppet from Chapter 9, the Jade Shadow Puppet, appeared, smirking with its jade eyes and tossing Alex a recovery pill. "Eat," it rasped, its smugness infuriating. Alex, groaning, swallowed the pill, his bruises fading as he leaped again, dodging two hoops before tripping into the third, triggering a thunderclap that made disciples scatter. Lei Zheng laughed, clapping. "Chaotic, but spirited!" Alex's dantian stirred, his qi climbing slightly.
Training Method 2: Inferno Redemption Valley's Flame Dance
Huo Guang grinned, conjuring a ring of fire around Alex. "Dance through the flames!" he said, his red hair blazing. "Feel their righteous heat!" The disciples, now sipping qi tea, cheered like it was a festival. Mei tossed Alex a fire-resistant charm, smirking. "Don't burn the peak down!"
Alex, wary of fire after the cliff fiasco, stepped forward, only to trip on a rune, sending flames spiraling upward. He flailed, his robe catching fire, and dove into a nearby qi pond, soaking himself. The disciples roared, Fang spraying tea. "He's a walking torch!" Liang muttered, "I'd have died." Shui Bing's water qi doused the flames, her voice icy. "Focus!" But she tossed Alex a drying talisman, her warm heart clear. The puppet smirked, tossing another pill. "Eat." Alex, red-faced, danced again, his clumsy steps avoiding flames but triggering a hidden Spirit Stone in the ground. The crowd gasped, Mei shouting, "How does he do that?" His qi surged to Stage 7, his body hardening.
Training Method 3: Blade Purity Valley's Sword Song
Jian Yi stepped forward, his glowing sword slicing the air. "Sing a righteous song while parrying my strikes!" he said, tossing Alex a wooden sword. "Your voice channels qi!" The disciples, now munching glowing yams, leaned in, Bao giggling. "He's gonna sing off-key!"
Alex, tone-deaf, attempted a warbling chant, parrying Jian Yi's strikes. His bad luck made him trip, swinging wildly and knocking over a training dummy, which revealed a Jade Lotus. The disciples cheered, Liang muttering, "I need to trip more." Jian Yi laughed, deflecting Alex's clumsy strike. "Chaotic, but bold!" Shui Bing nodded, her eyes warm. The puppet tossed Alex a pill, smirking. "Eat." His qi stabilized, his muscles tightening.
Training Method 4: Shadow Mercy Valley's Illusion Dodge
Gu Shan shimmered, conjuring illusory beasts—a tiger, a dragon, a boar. "Dodge them!" he said, smirking. "Outwit the shadows!" The disciples, passing around spirit candy, hooted, Mei shouting, "Don't get eaten, Chaos Boy!"
Alex dodged, his bad luck triggering a real trap—a collapsing floor. He fell, landing in a pile of Spirit Glow Shrooms, their qi boosting his dantian. The crowd gasped, Fang tossing him a lotus. "He's a treasure magnet!" Gu Shan clapped, impressed. "Chaos is your wit!" The puppet's smirk widened, tossing another pill. "Eat." Alex's qi climbed, his body growing sturdier.
Training Method 5: Boulder Sanctuary Valley's Stone Toss
Shi Gang hefted a boulder, grinning. "Toss this qi-infused rock!" he said. "Feel its resolve!" The disciples, now on their second round of tea, cheered, Liang muttering, "He'll crush himself." Alex, struggling, tossed the boulder, only to trip and send it rolling into a rune, triggering a harmless earthquake. The disciples laughed, Mei tossing a candy. "Classic Chaos Boy!" Shi Gang roared approval, and the puppet tossed a pill, smirking. "Eat." Alex's muscles bulged further, his qi steady.
Training Method 6: Storm Harmony Valley's Wind Waltz
Feng Hua floated on a gust, her laughter melodic. "Waltz through my winds!" she said, conjuring a whirlwind. The disciples, munching yams, cheered, Bao shouting, "Don't fly away!" Alex, flailing, was swept up, crashing into a hidden Spirit Stone cache. The crowd gasped, Fang muttering, "Unbelievable." Feng Hua clapped, impressed. "Graceful chaos!" The puppet's pill came with a smirk. "Eat." Alex's qi surged to Stage 8.
Training Method 7: Medicine Valley's Elixir Endurance
Shui Qing appeared with a bubbling elixir. "Drink this and meditate!" she said, her serene smile hiding chaos. The disciples, now sharing dumplings, leaned in, Mei grinning. "Hope it doesn't explode!" Alex drank, the elixir burning his throat, and meditated, only to trip and spill it, triggering a qi burst that revealed a Jade Lotus. The crowd cheered, Liang muttering, "I give up." Shui Qing laughed, and the puppet tossed a pill, smirking. "Eat."
By month's end, Alex was exhausted, his body muscular and his qi at Stage 8. The disciples, treating the training like a movie, cheered his every disaster, their snacks and laughter creating a lively atmosphere. During a peaceful bonfire, Mei teased, "You're a buff Chaos Boy now!" Fang hid Alex's sword, only for him to trip and find it in a qi bush, earning cheers. Jin Hao, visiting from Medicine Valley, tossed Alex an elixir. "Brother, you're a beast! We'll shake the heavens!" Shui Bing, impressed, handed Alex a sword manual, her voice stern but eyes proud. "Your chaos is strength. Wield a righteous blade." Alex, aching but hopeful, nodded tired of living.