The five guardians traveled to an island close to Singapore the following morning. As soon as their feet touched the dust of the earth, they began a lengthy walk. They eventually came to a region devoid of trees after passing through thick bushes, quiet streams, and rocky slopes.

When they arrived, they threw their camping gear on the ground.

"I suppose Yung Fu was correct. This setting is appropriate for our training," Kuhn Lau commented as he took a deep breath, admiring the fresh aroma in the air.

"The air here is natural. Free of harmful substances.

"I told you I knew an island suitable to your likeness."

Viper rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Speak for yourselves. This environment is vile. Look at this, where is the glamor, the furniture, and a luxurious bath?"

"If I may, isn't this environment supposed to complement your kinetic abilities? After all, you are mother nature," stated Kuhn Lau.

"Even so, Kuhn Lau, mother nature detests what ruins her beauty."

"Yeah, I agree with Vanessa on this. This place sucks balls. Thumbs down. I mean, what am I supposed to eat, worms?" Inquired Pete

Ace then stepped forward and gloated.

"Well, unfortunately, this environment is important for your training. A warrior is not molded from a palace, my friend. No, not all; rather, he is made from the scorching heat of the desert. And this place encapsulates that. As for food, don't worry. Nature has provided plenty for us. You will eat real meat with pure protein. Freshly slaughtered! Isn't that exciting?"

He smacked him (Pete) on the shoulder blades, which caused him to stumble on his right knee.

"Ace?"

"Oops, I guess I didn't realize the full extent of my strength."

Ace then pulled him up to his feet while he dusted himself.

"Yeah, thanks a bunch Ace. For having my back, literally!"

"I agree with Ace. This place will help you with your training. Since there isn't much time left. Let's make use of what we have now," suggested Yung Fu

**********

A short while afterward, The Five Guardians divided into various forest areas. A short distance from the campsite, Yung Fu traveled to a river bank with Pete in tow. They quickly looked at the river's surface as soon as they arrived. However, Pete carried out this action under the influence of Yung Fu, but he broke his focus to glance at him.

"Tell me... what do you notice?" Inquired Yung Fu while Pete looked around in confusion.

"Me?!"

"Yes, you. Who else do you think I'm talking to?"

"Oh right, hehe," he chuckled and scratched his hair.

"Then look at the current flow and tell me what you see."

Pete looked at the river briefly, broke his gaze, and jumped straight to the gun.

"I just see a river."

Yung Fu inquired once more, daring not to break his gaze. There was a hint of petulance in the sound of his voice.

"Wrong. Look again and tell me what you see?"

He looked once more and replied to his inquiry, "I only see a river."

"If patience and concentration were a skill that you had, would you have realized that the answer I'm looking for is within the base of the river?"

His eyes narrowed with bafflement, "What?"

"Yes, if you pay attention to the flow of this river. You will see that it moves with tranquility. This represents a warrior who has cultivated their qi and has mastered themselves."

"Ohhh!" He replied dubiously.

The tone of his gesture already told Yung Fu that he did not know what he was talking about.

"Allow me to educate you, Peter. Qi is the energy flowing in all living and non-living things. Since we are all born with it, one must cultivate it to live a longer and healthier life. By doing this, the individual will find resistance against mental and health sicknesses."

Pete placed his index finger and thumb around his chin, "So besides getting healthy and stuff, how will this help me with my training? And what the fuck is cultivating your qi"

"Cultivating your qi means, strengthening its circulation around your body. Monks for instance cultivate their qi to help them grow stronger. They gain durability and additional strength.  Hence some are able to break bricks with their heads or mount hot coals without shoes.  Through your training, your qi will be greatly bred that you will reach heights you could never imagine."

Yung Fu turned toward Pete and continued, "Before you can reach such heights, I'm going first to teach you Kung Fu."

He was beyond excited, "Whoa dude, that is so sick I cannot wait to start training. Once I do, I'll become so powerful that no one will pick a fight with me. Including Nicholas, I'll whoop his ass and..."

He halted again, especially after realizing Yung Fu's countenance had contemptuously motioned. He gleamed a cold stare at Pete, his gaze admonishing him without him having to say a word.

"And I'll just keep quiet."

"That is your first flaw, Peter! Kung Fu is not about beating someone up. Rather It is about purity and elegance."

A short while later, Pete lowered his shoulders, expanded his feet within the space of his shoulders, and bent his knees at a thirty-degree angle. Then, with his back straight, he held his clenched hands out in front of him. His quads were burning with pain since he had been posing in that position for seventy seconds. He clenched his jaws as raindrops of sweat fell from the top of his head.

Then, as Yung Fu circled him, he kept looking at his physique. He had a bamboo stick at hand, and as soon as Pete's back fractured, he tapped his back with the stick.

"Your back isn't straight anymore; please straighten it immediately."

He grimaced at the thought of this suffering before ultimately straightening his back.

But after a few seconds, he began to fumble and raised his leg stance by barely seven more degrees. Yung Fu tapped his quadriceps with the stick once more.

"Go a little lower. Your posture is still not good."

"Ah, come on!"

Vexed by his murmurs, he touched his head and pushed him down.

"How much...how much... longer do I have to do this master Yung Fu."

"You have three more minutes."

"Ah, come on!"

"Silence! If you continue talking, you will lose concentration and break this posture."

After that exercise, Pete held onto a tree branch. His feet were a hundred cm away from the ground. Before he could begin with the pull-ups, Yung Fu instructed him on what to do next.

"Your goal this time around is to reach fifty pull-ups. Let's get started."

He propelled himself above the height of the branch. After that, he lowered himself, and with his muscles keeping him positioned in the air, he used more energy to drive himself upward.

While doing so, Yung Fu counted, "Two!"

After lowering himself from the second count, he propelled himself to the third count.

"Three!"

As a result, his biceps began to hurt. Fortunately, he delivered the fourth count while moving toward the fifth. Eventually, his muscles gave out, and he plummeted to the ground after letting go of the branch. Fortunately, Yung Fu knew why he acted that way; he only let him go because he was not accustomed to the hard grin.

Pete moved on to his next workout, which required him to perform fifty push-ups. Pete sat next to him, and Yung put his feet on his back as he bent his arms, lowering his posture and shortening himself by twenty cm. Then he launched himself up, making his first ascent.

"One!"

He gritted his teeth and lowered himself once more. After that, he propelled himself and made the second count.

"Two!"

He lowered himself again, but his pace decreased as his muscles staggered. He propelled himself for the third count.

"Two!"

His muscles gave out, and he fell flat on the floor.

"Come on, Pete, you've got forty-seven more push-ups!"

He exhaled heavily, "C'mon can't you give a guy a break? It's tough, Yung Fu!"

"Then how do you intend on giving Slicer a run for his money when you can't even do five push-ups."

He struck him with the stick once more.

"Aah!"

He got back to his position and continued.

Ace and Pete carried a load of logs during the sunset. Pete and Ace each hauled a burden weighing eighty kilograms, while Ace took a load weighing five hundred kilos.

When the two got to the campsite, they started hacking the logs into little pieces. Pete, though, was the only person struggling beside him. He picked up an axe and set the log atop a rock. He positioned his right foot in the middle of the wood and started sawing at the far end. He merely sliced through the edges instead of chopping it through the main section of the far end.

"No, no, that's not how you chop wood! Didn't you say that you know how to chop wood?! Here let me show you!"

He stood aside while Ace grabbed the handle of the axe. He struck it at the center and split it in half.

"There, that's how you do it. Try again!" He exhaled warily.

"Agh! This sucks!"

Ace placed another log on the rock and handed him the axe. He hammered through it forcefully while Yung Fu and Kuhn Lau watched afar.

"Tell me, Yung Fu, how does chopping wood play a role in Pete's training?"

Yung Fu turned to Kuhn Lau with a smile, "It may seem puzzling, but remember that Peter is vulnerable. This exercise is meant to strengthen his biceps. For the next upcoming days, we will focus on external exercises."

"Alright, this does make sense. But keep in mind; that you should not forget about internal exercises."

"Alas, my dear friend. I have not forgotten. I will entrust that exercise to you. After all, you once were a monk," Yung Fu said.

The following day, Pete dug a well with his hands; it wasn't deep enough, but it was the first step toward achieving his objective. He proceeded to cup the soil from the ground while Yung Fu meditated from the distance. He smuggled out another cup of dirt and looked down at his fingers. They were garnished in abrasions; his flesh started to flake off. For the remainder of the day, he continued this process.

Later that night, Viper gripped the back of his hand as the five Guardians sat around the campfire. His palms were severely cut up, with abrasions and sores. She then ran her finger across his palm, sending part of her qi into his bloodstream.

This was a healing component by curing his palms from all his grazes. At last, his skin was smooth once again.

"I've asked Vanessa to aid you. The purpose of this process is to help awaken your latent qi. However, do not get used to this because there will come a time when she will not do this. This will later influence your qi to be independent and heal your wounds instead," said Yung Fu.

"Yung Fu, why did you make me dig a well with my bare hands?"

"To strengthen your biceps and the tissue around your hands. At first, you will receive a lot of wounds and abrasions. However, these are some of the exercises that some Utopian warriors partake in as children to be groomed for the final output. That output would be to maneuver the Iron Fist of Unmei. But our focus, for now, is to strengthen your external tissues."

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