Shattered Lands: Book 8 of Painting the Mists by Laplante Patrick

Author:Laplante, Patrick [Laplante, Patrick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-04-24T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20: Impossible

In the Icy Heart Pavilion, thirty or so young women trained in the snow. Hong Xin and Bai Ling watched them from an alcove above the courtyard where they trained, with nothing but cold to keep them company. An icy stream flowed through their training area. Many of the women sat in its frigid waters, cultivating despite the ice that formed around their wet robes. Some of their skins were white, while others were blue. As they risked death with their brutal training regimen, experienced figures watched them secretly from the shadows, ready to dive in if any reached their limits.

“So very different,” Hong Xin murmured. “So very painful. I could hardly imagine cultivating in freezing water as a qi-condensation cultivator.”

Bai Ling nodded in agreement. When they’d started their training, they were foundation-establishment experts. Even at that level, they wouldn’t have dared do such a thing.

A blue-robed woman walked up beside them. It was Ling Fei, vice head of the Icy Heart Pavilion. She looked down at those in the courtyard indifferently. “This is only the most basic training area. The qi harvested from training in this environment gains a frigid quality, we’ve discovered, which complements the Icy Heart Sutra. There are also side benefits.”

“Such as?” Hong Xin asked.

“The process is painful,” Ling Fei answered. “And numbing. By shutting out the pain, denying its existence, or at least ignoring it, it is easier to learn the essence of a frozen heart. Our goal is for new trainees to reach the first level of the Icy Heart Sutra within one year. Most make it, if sufficiently talented.”

“That’s just as fast as in the Red Dust Pavilion,” Hong Xin said.

“It’s faster, actually,” said Headmistress Lan, who was also with them. “Just like you’ve modified the old training program, we’ve had to as well. You chose to promote a lax learning atmosphere, and only those driven can succeed. Those who aren’t are encouraged to leave.

“It’s the same here too. We’ve chosen a painful method of teaching, and those who do not wish to continue don’t have to. They can quit at any time. To succeed, one has to numb the pain and dull the heart. And unlike the Red Dust Pavilion, we don’t only want undesirables and naïve women with false hopes, women we entrap into servitude. Here, we just want the best. There are no servants here, just well-treated pavilion members.”

This second visit to the Icy Heart Pavilion, just a half day after they’d visited their own headquarters, was an eye-opening experience. They’d expected prisoners and torture. Instead, they saw painful dedication. “What of the members who insist on continuing?” Bai Ling asked.

“Our generosity is limited,” Headmistress Lan said. “Those who come from rich families can pay to stay as a visiting member, but only insofar as we have the capacity to accept them. That capacity is dwindling as we speak. Our priority is nurturing productive members.

“That being said, anyone who achieves the first level of the Icy Heart Sutra before foundation establishment becomes an outer member.

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