As the group continued their steady breathing, they channeled their ki with focused intent. Slowly, the damage to Amitesh's twenty-sixth meridian began to heal. At the same time, the Thunder Thorns members felt a noticeable surge of power rising within them.
After some time, the group slowly released each other's hands.
Amitesh's breathing grew heavy. He let out a long exhale.
"Whew… that was intense. Thanks for the training."
"Yeah, it's been a while," Kai replied, rolling his shoulders to loosen the stiffness.
Amitesh leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.
"So, I wanted to ask something. Is it true that you can open your meridians up to the tenth one with just ki… but after that, you need to eat cultivation grass?"
Kai paused, staring at him in disbelief.
"Don't tell me you didn't even know that much? Just how long have you been cultivating?"
"Ah… maybe three months now."
"Three months?" Kai's eyes widened. "Three months?! We started a whole year ago, and you're already surpassing us in just three months? Are you seriously telling the truth right now?"
"Wait, first calm down," Amitesh said quickly, raising both hands. "I'm only stronger than you guys in raw power right now. If we fought at equal levels, I'd probably be the one dying."
Kai crossed his arms, still looking skeptical, but a reluctant grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Raw power, huh? That's easy to say when you're the one healing twenty-six meridians like it's nothing. The rest of us are still grinding just to keep our foundations stable."
The other Thunder Thorns members exchanged glances, nodding in quiet agreement. Rex—muttered under his breath, "Monster…"
Amitesh rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling a bit awkward under their stares.
"Look, I'm not trying to brag. I just… woke up one day with this crazy talent, I guess. But I still have a ton to learn. That's why I'm asking about the cultivation grass. How does it even work after the tenth meridian?"
Kai exhaled sharply and leaned back against the training room wall.
"Simple. Up to the tenth, pure ki circulation is enough if your talent and willpower are decent. After that, the meridians get stubborn. They need external spiritual energy to force them open—cultivation grass is the cheapest and most common way. Swallow it, refine it, and it floods your channels with dense qi. Hurts like hell the first few times, though."
He paused, then added with a sharp look,
"But don't get cocky. Even with grass, most people stall out around the fifteenth or sixteenth. The real monsters push past twenty… and you're already knocking on twenty-six. If the any senior hear about this, they're either going to recruit you hard… or start watching you real close."
A heavy silence fell over the group for a moment. Amitesh could feel the shift in the air—the mix of awe, envy, and a faint trace of wariness.
"Well, don't worry about it," Amitesh said with a carefree shrug. "I don't care about any of that. I'm a free man."
"You're a bit too free," Kai muttered, shaking his head.
Amitesh's grin turned positively devilish. "If you say it like that… then I guess I have to drop the last bomb of the day."
The Thunder Thorns members' shoulders snapped tight like bowstrings. Rex's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Leon froze mid-stretch, one arm still raised awkwardly. Kai's face twisted in pure dread.
'Just what fresh hell is this guy about to unleash now?' Kai thought, already regretting every life choice that led him here.
Amitesh raised one finger with dramatic flair, his expression deadly serious.
"Tomorrow… all of you are coming with me to pick up cow dung. We're feeding the gobar gas plant."
Dead silence.
Then—
"WHAT?!" Rex yelped, jumping back so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet. His face scrunched up like he'd smelled the dung already. "Cow dung?! You mean actual… shit?! I thought we were going to hunt mushroom head or hard traning something!"
Leon's jaw dropped so low it nearly hit the floor. He pointed a trembling finger at Amitesh, voice cracking. "Bro… I just opened my meridians with you guys. My hands still smell like pure ki and glory. Now you want me to shove them into cow pies?! This is cultivation betrayal! I demand a refund on my talent!"
Kai stared blankly for two full seconds before clutching his head with both hands. "No. Nope. Absolutely not. I rolled my shoulders for this? I thought the 'bomb' was going to be some insane training regimen or a forbidden technique. Not… not manual labor in a damn barn! Do you even hear yourself? We're cultivators, not fertilizer farmers!"
Amitesh just leaned back, looking far too pleased with himself. "Hey, biogas is renewable energy. Very eco-friendly for cultivators. Plus, the plant runs on it—helps power the whole camp. Think of it as… community service with extra steps. And extra smell."
Rex gagged dramatically, waving his hands in front of his nose as if the stench had already arrived. "I'd rather fight a raging bull bare-handed than scoop poop! My reputation… my street cred… gone. Just gone."
Leon slumped against the wall, sliding down like his soul had left his body. "Three months. This monster cultivated for three months and now he's dragging us into the shit dimension. I knew he was broken, but this? This is next-level evil."
Kai pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering, "A free man, he says… Free to ruin our lives, apparently."
The room is filled with groans, fake retching sounds, and half-hearted threats of mutiny. Yet beneath the chaos, a few reluctant chuckles slipped out—because as ridiculous as it was, Amitesh's deadpan delivery made it impossible not to laugh.
Amitesh spread his arms wide, beaming.
"Come on, it'll be fun! Team bonding… with manure. Who's in?"
The collective answer came as one loud, pained groan.
---
The next morning, under a bright sun and the strong earthy smell of the village outskirts, Amitesh stood proudly beside a large wooden cart loaded with tools. He wore simple work clothes and a dangerously cheerful grin.
Beside him, the Thunder Thorns looked like they had been sentenced to the worst community service of their lives.
Rex held a shovel like it was radioactive, arms stretched as far from his body as humanly possible. "This is how my life ends. Not in a high-stakes mission or a breakthrough training session — in a pile of cow dung. My ancestors are definitely disowning me right now."
Leon had tied a cloth around his face like an amateur bandit mask and was poking a fresh patty with the tip of his stick as if it might bite him. "Why does it have to be so warm and steamy? I trained for a whole year to build mental toughness, not to fight nausea. Amitesh, you absolute traitor! I thought we were bros!"
Kai stood with his arms crossed, trying to look dignified, but the faint green tint on his face completely ruined it. He glared at the mountain of dung like it had personally insulted his entire bloodline. "I can't believe I let you drag us into this. Yesterday we were doing intense energy training and talking about pushing our limits. Today I'm one wrong scoop away from becoming a walking biohazard. My enhanced strength feels completely useless here."
Amitesh laughed heartily as he scooped another load into the cart with practiced ease. "Come on, guys! It's not that bad. Look at me — I'm doing great! This is honest work. Builds real character. Plus, the gobar gas plant powers half the camp. You're basically helping generate green energy for the people right now."
"Green energy that smells like pure regret," Rex grumbled. He gingerly lifted a shovelful, then immediately gagged and dropped half of it back on the ground. "Ack — it slipped! Why is it so sticky?! This stuff has better grip than my grip strength training!"
Leon whimpered as he tried to scrape some off his boot. "My new boots… they were fresh out of the box. Now they're cursed. Every step is going to squelch and remind me of my terrible decisions. If I ever gain superhuman endurance from this trauma, I'm blaming you forever."
Kai scooped reluctantly, then paused, staring at the dung on his shovel with haunted eyes. "You know what the worst part is? It's warm. Freshly warm. Like it's still… alive. I feel like I'm violating some kind of modern hygiene code. I'm filing an official complaint on you for this."
Amitesh wiped sweat from his brow, still beaming like he was on a fun team outing. "Who wants to race to fill the cart first?"
"Race?!" Rex and Leon shouted in unison, voices cracking with horror.
Kai dropped his shovel dramatically and pointed at Amitesh. "The only race I want is the one where I sprint far away from you and this demonic farm. Next time you say 'last bomb of the day,' I'm blocking your number before you finish the sentence."
After 3 hours.
The wooden cart was finally full, and the group looked like survivors of a war zone.
Amitesh stood by the water trough, cheerfully washing his hands and forearms. He shook them dry with a satisfied grin.
"You guys did a great job! You even handled the buffalo dung without too much drama. You should be proud, Rex!"
Rex was sprawled dramatically against the stone wall like a defeated soldier, one arm draped over his eyes. His clothes were stained, his hair a mess, and his usual cool attitude had completely vanished.
"I just want to die…" he moaned.
"Ancestors, I'm coming. Tell them I fought bravely… against warm buffalo shit."
"Don't cry so much," Amitesh laughed, splashing more water on his face. "Our ancestors used to do the same kind of farm work back in the day. This is traditional hands-on training!"
Rex cracked one eye open, glaring with pure betrayal. "Traditional?! My ancestors were probably building empires, not playing hide-and-seek with dung piles! I can still feel it between my fingers… even after washing three times!"
Kai sat nearby with his head buried in his hands, letting out a long, suffering sigh. "Three hours. Three whole hours of my life I'll never get back. Every time I think about strength training now, I'm going to smell regret and manure."
Leon was curled up on the ground in a fetal position, muttering to himself. "The stench… it's in my soul. I tried using hand sanitizer, perfume, everything. It just laughed at me. I think I heard it whisper 'welcome to the team' when I slipped. I'm never going to smell normal again."
Amitesh dried his hands on a clean towel, still grinning like he'd just finished a pleasant picnic.
"Come on, stop being so dramatic. Next time we'll even bring better gloves."
"Next time?!" the three shouted in unison, their voices cracking with horror.
Rex pushed himself up weakly, pointing a trembling finger at Amitesh. "There will be no next time! If you ever mention 'team bonding' and 'dung' in the same sentence again, I'm transferring to another team. I'd rather do a hundred intense gym sessions than this again."
Kai stood up slowly, his face pale. "You know what's worse? The buffalo kept staring at us the whole time like they were judging our terrible life choices."
Leon whimpered from the ground. "Don't remind me… I made eye contact. It felt like a spiritual contract. I think I'm spiritually married to the herd now."
Amitesh chuckled, slinging the clean towel over his shoulder.
"See? Character building at its finest. You guys are tougher now — in spirit, at least. Who knows, maybe all that extra endurance will help you in the next training drill."
Rex groaned louder. "If my next workout smells like this, I'm quitting the team forever."
The group's collective misery hung thick in the air, mixed with exhausted, reluctant laughter.
The buffalo was still watching them and it looked strangely… proud.
"Okay, you guys take your time cleaning yourselves up," Amitesh said cheerfully, wiping his hands one last time. "Till then, let me go feed my favorite one some grass."
Kai narrowed his eyes, instantly suspicious. "What favorite one?"
"Come with me."
The group exchanged tired glances but followed anyway — mostly out of morbid curiosity. As they walked across the farmyard, Amitesh suddenly stopped near a fenced section and let out a loud, enthusiastic whistle.
Several cows immediately turned their heads toward him.
He walked straight up to a small white calf with black spots and knelt down, beaming like he'd just spotted a celebrity.
"See? Isn't he the cutest? Look at that pink nose! So adorable, right?"
Kai's face twitched violently.
'Why…? Just why the hell did I decide to follow him?'
Rex leaned against the fence, looking equal parts exhausted and horrified. "Dude… we just spent three hours scooping buffalo shit, and now you're introducing us to your 'favorite' cow like it's a family pet? My hands still smell like death and my soul is crying. I don't have the emotional bandwidth for baby animal bonding right now."
Leon, still wearing his makeshift mask, peeked over Kai's shoulder and immediately recoiled. "Wait — that thing has a pink nose? It's staring at me like it knows what I did earlier. Like it remembers me slipping in the dung. I swear it's judging me harder than my fitness coach."
Amitesh ignored them completely, gently scratching behind the calf's ears as it nuzzled closer. "His name is Spotty. I named him last week. He's the friendliest one here. Come on, give him some grass — it's therapeutic!"
Kai pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering under his breath. "Therapeutic? The only therapy I need is a long shower and therapy therapy. I followed you because I thought you were going to show us something useful. Not… cow petting zoo hour."
Rex crossed his arms, trying to look tough but failing miserably as the calf let out a soft "moo" in his direction. "Great. Now even the cows are mocking us. First the buffalo stared at us like we were amateurs, now this little guy wants cuddles. My street cred is officially zero."
Leon took one step closer, then immediately stepped back when the calf licked its own nose. "Nope. Hard pass. That tongue has probably been everywhere. I'm not risking it. I already smell like a barn — I don't need to taste like one too."
Amitesh laughed, holding out a handful of fresh grass to the calf, who happily munched away. "You guys are so dramatic. Look at him! He's basically a therapy animal."
Kai stared at the scene in dead silence for a long moment, then turned to Rex and Leon with a haunted expression.
"Remind me never to follow this guy again. Ever."
Rex nodded slowly. "Agreed. Next time he says 'come with me,' I'm running in the opposite direction."
Leon whimpered, backing away slowly. "Too late. I think Spotty just made eye contact with me. I'm spiritually bonded to the herd now. Send help… and industrial-strength soap."
The calf let out another cheerful moo, completely oblivious to the mental breakdowns happening around it, while Amitesh continued feeding it with the biggest, most innocent smile on his face.
"Come on, Rex, stop complaining," Amitesh said, still happily feeding grass to the calf. "How would you feel if someone came and started scooping your poop? It's the same for the buffalo. Don't mind it — it's just a natural reaction."
The words hung in the air for half a second.
Then the explosion hit.
Rex's head snapped up so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash.
"EXCUSE ME?!" he shrieked, voice cracking like a thirteen-year-old. "Did you just compare me to a buffalo taking a dump?! Are you seriously telling me that if some random dude walked up with a shovel while I was mid-squat, I should just be chill about it?! 'Oh hey bro, natural reaction, keep scooping!'"
He clutched his chest dramatically, staggering backward. "My dignity just died. It took one look at this conversation and committed seppuku. I spent three hours elbow-deep in warm buffalo shit, and now you're giving me a philosophical lecture about empathy for the cows?!"
Kai, who had been trying to stay composed, completely lost it. He doubled over, hands on his knees, shoulders shaking with uncontrollable laughter mixed with pure horror.
"Oh my god… I can't breathe. Amitesh just went full cow-rights activist on us. 'Don't mind the scooping, it's natural!' Next you'll tell us we should apologize to the dung for disturbing it!"
Leon dropped to his knees in the dirt, pointing a trembling finger at Amitesh while fake-sobbing. "Bro… I have trauma now. Every time I go to the bathroom for the rest of my life, I'm going to hear your voice saying 'how would you feel if someone scooped your poop?' I'm ruined. Psychologically damaged. I need therapy, a priest, and maybe a witness protection program so the buffalo herd never finds me."
Rex wasn't done. He started pacing wildly, gesturing with both hands like a mad lawyer in court.
"Natural reaction?! NATURAL?! My natural reaction right now is to yeet this shovel into the next district and never speak to you again! I have standards, man! I lift weights, I train hard, I have a reputation — and you want me to sympathize with the buffalo's bathroom anxiety?! What's next? Group hug with the herd? 'Sorry for stealing your poop, bro, here's some grass as apology'?"
Amitesh blinked innocently, still petting the calf's pink nose. "See? You're overthinking it. Spotty doesn't hold grudges. He's already forgiven you."
"FORGIVEN ME?!" Rex wailed. "I don't want forgiveness from a cow! I want my life back! My hands smell like regret, my boots are cursed, and now I have existential dung trauma!"
Kai wiped tears from his eyes, still laughing helplessly. "This is the worst team bonding ever. Yesterday we were pushing our limits in training. Today we're debating poop etiquette with livestock. I'm filing a complaint. With HR. With the government. With God."
Leon crawled closer on all fours, looking up at Amitesh with dead eyes. "Just admit it. You brought us here to break us. This was your master plan all along — not cultivation, not training…
psychological warfare via buffalo butts."
Amitesh grinned wider, holding out more grass to the happily munching calf. cheerful "moo" .
Kai looked at the sky like he was praying for strength.
"I should have stayed in bed today."
Five hours later.
The three Thunder Thorns members finally stumbled back into their shared dorm room at the training facility, smelling faintly of soap, regret, and industrial-strength disinfectant. Kai and Rex immediately face-planted onto their beds like they had just survived a war.
Rex lay spread-eagle on his mattress, staring at the ceiling with dead eyes.
"I can't believe you made us pull that damn cart by threatening to throw dung at us…"
Amitesh walked in casually behind them, still looking annoyingly fresh. He poured himself a glass of water from the dispenser, completely unbothered.
"Sorry about that," he said with a shrug, "but you guys weren't listening. I had to motivate you somehow."
"You are the worst human being I could possibly imagine," Rex groaned, rolling over and burying his face in his pillow. His voice came out muffled. "I pulled a cart full of buffalo and cow shit like a medieval peasant because you said you'd yeet a handful at my head if I stopped. My arms are dead. My soul is dead. My will to live is on life support."
Kai, lying on the next bed, let out a long, painful wheeze.
"Motivate? You blackmailed us with bio-terrorism. I was ready to stage a full mutiny, but then you picked up that warm clump and smiled like a psychopath. Who does that? Who threatens their own teammates with cow crap?!"
Leon staggered in last, still scrubbing his hands raw with sanitizer. He collapsed onto the edge of his bed and pointed weakly at Amitesh.
"I voted for the cart. I actually voted. Because the alternative was you turning into a dung grenade launcher. I have never felt more betrayed in my entire life. My fitness tracker says I burned 800 calories today — all from pure trauma and manual labor. I'm suing for emotional damages."
Amitesh took a calm sip of water, leaning against the wall with that same innocent grin.
"Can I just ask one thing? Why are you three in my room?"
"Because you destroyed our base," Kai muttered into the pillow without lifting his head. His voice was muffled but dripping with accusation. "That cart-pulling torture session broke something in all of us. We're not leaving until the trauma fades."
Amitesh blinked. "This floor is completely empty. You can choose any other room on this level."
Rex slowly turned his head, one eye cracked open in pure betrayal. "We will see it later. Right now I just want to sleep and try to forget what happened to me today. My arms feel like they pulled a freight train full of regret. If I close my eyes and dream of warm buffalo dung one more time, I'm quitting the team."
Leon let out a dramatic whimper from the couch, hugging a cushion like it was emotional support.
"Yeah… no moving. My legs are on strike. They filed a formal complaint after the third lap around the farm. I can still feel the squelch in my soul. If I try to walk to another room, I might accidentally relive the entire day. Hard pass."
Kai rolled over with a groan, pointing a weak finger at Amitesh.
"Exactly. You turned us into human oxen today. The least you can do is let us crash here so we can haunt you in your sleep. Consider it payback. Every time you breathe, I want you to remember the look on my face when you threatened me with flying dung."
Amitesh chuckled and leaned against the doorframe, clearly enjoying their misery way too much.
"Wow. Dramatic much? It was just a little team-building exercise. You guys are acting like I made you fight a war."
"Little?!" Rex sat up halfway, eyes wide with horror. "You blackmailed us with bio-weapons! I pulled that cart while calculating escape routes in my head. I was one 'natural reaction' lecture away from faking my own death and moving to Antarctica."
Kai pulled the blanket over his head completely. "Just turn off the lights and let us die in peace. Tomorrow, if you even whisper the words 'gobar gas,' 'cart,' or 'favorite calf,' I'm calling emergency services and reporting you for psychological warfare."
Amitesh grinned, switching off the main lights but leaving a small lamp on.
"Fine, fine. Stay as long as you want."
Amitesh chuckled and raised his glass like he was making a toast. "Relax, guys. Tomorrow will be easier. Promise."
Then all three shouted at once: "LIAR!"
Rex just groaned in agreement, too exhausted to form words.
Rex hurled his pillow with the last of his strength. It flopped weakly halfway across the room. "If tomorrow involves anything with hooves, grass, or suspicious smells, I'm burning this entire floor down!"
Kai's muffled voice came from under the blanket. "Worst roommate ever. I should have known the moment you said 'free man.'"
Amitesh slowly put the mattress on the floor and lay down closing he's eyes as he fall in to deep slumber.
The purple screen appears before him.
[Danger is approcing the immediate action is recommended.]
No response..
[Wait are you actually sleeping wake up!!.]