The next day, Su Yan returned to Teacher Lin's home at her instruction, the memory of yesterday's formal acceptance still fresh in his mind.
Pushing open the gate, he stepped inside to find Teacher Lin already waiting.
"Ah, there you are, Su Yan. Come, sit. We may be at this for a while."
Taking Teacher Lin up on the invitation, Su Yan sat across from her.
"What did you want to talk about, Teacher Lin?"
"Well, now that I am your master, I need to take a more active role in your training and growth than before." Her gaze settled on him, calm and assessing. "I already know you have been diligent with your Spirit Power cultivation. What I want to hear is how you have been handling the rest of your training."
Su Yan pondered for a moment before answering.
"I'll be honest, Teacher Lin, other than draining my Spirit Power each day and cultivating afterward, I haven't done much else. I know I've neglected my body refinement, but I was planning to start correcting that soon."
Teacher Lin's brows lifted slightly.
"Oh? And how were you planning to do that?"
Su Yan lowered his gaze for a moment.
"I was thinking of getting some weights and doing weighted runs. Maybe some lifting as well. I could also help the gardener more often. Last time I did, it was actually a fairly decent workout."
Teacher Lin fell silent for a few moments before speaking.
"While I applaud your willingness, I would not say that is the best way to go about it. Your plan neglects several things."
Su Yan looked confused.
"You see, while the things you mentioned can indeed help refine your body, they are not the most balanced approach." Teacher Lin raised a hand, counting the points off one by one.
"Lifting weights the way you are imagining it would likely work your arms and upper body more than the rest. Weighted running would strengthen your lower body, but repeated high-impact training like that could put too much strain on your joints if done over a long period, especially at your age."
She paused before continuing.
"They are legitimate ways to train, but they should not be the only things you do. That kind of impact can help toughen the body, so it is not without value, just not so soon. Helping old Feng, though, I can agree with. Just do not overdo it."
"I understand. I'll follow your guidance, Teacher Lin."
Teacher Lin smiled, seeing that he was taking her advice to heart.
"As for the training I would have you do, I think it best to start you with swimming."
"Swimming, Teacher Lin?"
"Yes, swimming. It may not look as harsh as weighted training, but it is demanding exercise all the same. It works nearly the entire body, yet places far less strain on a growing frame."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"We should begin with a lake and focus on distance. The water there will be calmer, and if you tire, it will be easier to turn back."
"Once you get used to that, we can move on to rivers with some current. That will demand more strength and make the training harder. Though I would stay away from fast-moving ones. I have seen even Spirit Masters dragged under before."
"So, I should just focus on swimming and helping old Feng for now?" Su Yan asked.
"For now, yes. Give it a few months. Once I have a better sense of how you are growing, we can make adjustments as needed."
"Can I still do some running?"
"Yes, in moderation. But no weights."
"Now that it's decided, I'll apply for leave from the academy for you. We'll aim for two to three times a week, and we'll travel out in the mornings. The lake should be safe, but you can never be too careful."
At that, Su Yan shivered slightly, old memories stirring.
"Ain't that the truth."
A thought suddenly struck Su Yan.
"Can Nihilister come along on those trips too? She's been here a while now. I'm sure she could use a bit more time outside instead of being cooped up."
Teacher Lin considered that for a moment. "Perhaps."
Su Yan glanced around. "Where is she, anyway?"
Teacher Lin sighed.
"Out walking again, I think. She's been doing that more often lately."
That made Su Yan pause.
Teacher Lin added, "Still, bringing her along on proper trips might not be a bad idea."
"We can talk to her about it when she gets back. Though with how much she goes out, I doubt she would say no."
"For now, let's refocus. There are still a few parts of your routine I want to pin down."
The discussion continued for quite a while after that, with Teacher Lin going over the finer details of his routine.
"That about covers everything I needed to discuss. I'll go write up the leave requests now. You can wait here until Nihilister comes back, Su Yan, or head home and wait until tomorrow if you're tired. We covered quite a lot today."
Su Yan rubbed the tiredness from his eyes.
"I'll wait. I can top up Nihilister's supplies while I'm here as well."
With that, Su Yan made his way to the storage room.
Stepping inside, he saw the crates Teacher Lin had set out for him to store the manifested Rapture scrap in, one for Husk-level pieces and one for Servant-class parts.
Walking closer, he could clearly see that the Servant-class box was nearly empty. By contrast, the Husk-level pile looked almost untouched.
Well, I guess I know which she prefers.
Squatting beside the Servant-class crate, Su Yan began manifesting parts.
A white outline appeared in his hand, then slowly grew more and more solid as Spirit Power filled it. Moments later, a Servant-class Rapture part rested in his palm.
The practice over these past months had paid off. He was growing steadily more adept at it.
Time passed as he continued adding parts to the box, until suddenly one attempt went wrong.
It was different from a normal failure, however. When a manifestation failed, he would still see the outline of the object before it dissipated into motes of light, taking the injected Spirit Power with it. This time, there was no outline. No drifting motes of light. Instead, he was met with a bright flash and a sudden weight settling into his hand.
Blinking away the spot in his vision, Su Yan stared at what he was holding. It was still a Servant-class Rapture part, but unlike the damaged yet clean ones he had been manifesting so far, this one was battered, broken, and caked in dirt. At the tip of the claw was a darkened smear of red.
Bringing it closer, he took a quick sniff. His nose crinkled.
Blood.