Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 276 - 15: Your Dream, My Everyday Life

January 13, 2018

Pain tolerance training is almost a routine for all cultivation sects and families. In any training related to actual combat, specific training for pain tolerance is indispensable. At its peak, those cultivators skilled in actual combat seem to have no sense of pain at all, fearlessly charging through barrages of bullets and storms of blades, entering and exiting without a thought, even when bloodied and limbless, appearing as if nothing had happened.

So-called Berserkers are nothing more than this.

However, in the eyes of truly battle-hardened warriors, this method is purely opportunistic. Blocking pain perception can certainly make one ferociously unmatched, but at its core, it is reckless, brash without foresight.

Pain is a self-protection mechanism perfected through long biological evolution. Humans rely on strong stimuli to distance themselves from risks promptly, preserving life—it's hardly dispensable. Losing the sense of pain means losing the most intuitive risk perception ability. Even when grievously injured and near death, people would squander their qi blood unknowingly, accelerating their demise, changing a chance into no chance. Moreover, many intuitions against danger are closely related to pain, like how insects sense an autumn breeze before it arrives, humans usually feel a sting at the back of the neck, or a slight tingling of the scalp. Without pain perception, such divine techniques will naturally vanish. At that time, even when great perils are approaching, the cultivator would remain oblivious, which is undoubtedly a loss rather than a gain.

If it's to foster those frontline cannon fodder, like fighting dogs or chickens, it's okay to help them eliminate pain so they can march to their deaths without hesitation. But at the level of family elites, to mimic the training methods of cannon fodder is to truly disregard oneself as human.

As the first in belligerence and skill among the Seven Great Noble Families, the Shen Family certainly wouldn't make such a mistake. On the contrary, the Shen Family first enhances their cultivators' sense of pain, making them highly sensitive to it, then uses even greater willpower to endure this multiplied pain.

This way, they neither lose the intuition against risks nor let pain impede the fluency of combat. Just that the strict requirements for the cultivators can be imagined.

Even members of the Shen Family found themselves a bit alarmed.

Taking advantage of Shen Herong leaving the training field to retrieve specialized training facilities from the equipment room, the young boys and girls in the field could finally speak softly.

"What's got into the instructor, suddenly imposing pain tolerance training... didn't we just have it last week? I feel the pressure hasn't fully alleviated yet."

"Yeah, logically it should happen once or twice a month at most, are we going to have it every week now? I hope not..."

"Definitely not. A weekly pain training would cause anyone but those perverts Feihong and Feihu to break down, it's probably because of those Li Family people, to give them a warning."

"Damn, but why drag us innocent bystanders into it, it's really a disaster for no reason!"

"It's probably to remind us that history must not be forgotten, the Shen Family and the Li Family can never reconcile."

As the discussions continued, Shen Herong suddenly returned to the training field with a sneer, like a ghost, giving everyone present a chill.

"It seems everyone is very enthusiastic, are you all looking forward to the upcoming training?"

In unison: "Yes, Instructor!"

"Very good! Thank these young Li Family members; thanks to their visit, I managed to borrow 50 sets of Phantom Limbs for you!"

Upon hearing Phantom Limb, many young members of the Shen Family felt their knees go weak!

Shen Herong then coldly said, "Fifty sets of Phantom Limbs, just right for about a hundred of you. Later, everyone draws lots to form 50 pairs for matched training."

Hearing matched training, someone couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Shen Herong immediately turned his gaze: "Did I hear someone sigh?"

"Instructor, I was howling in excitement!"

"Very good! Since you're motivated, later I'll increase the intensity by thirty percent to match your enthusiasm!"

"Yes, thank you, Instructor!"

At this moment, standing at the end of the queue, Shen Qingming couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer and asked Wang Jiu: "What's this all about?"

"I don't know." Wang Jiu replied, "It should be an innovation by Shen Family descendants themselves; the former Shen Family never had such training."

"Looks quite terrifying; even the Shen Family members are scared."

Wang Jiu said curiously, "Are they? I heard they were all howling in excitement."

"...How can you shamelessly claim to have an Intelligence Index of 9!?"

Getting no answer from Wang Jiu, Shen Qingming had to turn to ask others.

At this moment, the training field was filled with unfamiliar faces; Shen Qingming was resigned and had to nudge the bruised and swollen guy next to her, whose residence she had cunningly snatched.

"Sorry, I'd like to ask, what is Phantom Limb?"

The bruised lad looked incredulous at Shen Qingming, appearing pure and kind, like a noble lady, her delicate and radiant smile akin to the early spring sunlight melting the snow.

Instinctively, the boy touched the bruise on his cheek, the intense pain reminding him that it was precisely this smiling face that had tricked him into only showing seven or eight out of his full capabilities last night, before unexpectedly being approached and beaten into senselessness...

"You, what are you trying to do this time!?"

Shen Qingming, feeling helpless, slightly tilted her head, maintaining her smile: "I'm really curious about what the Phantom Limb is used for. Why do you all seem so frightened?"

The bruised-faced brother snorted coldly: "You'll find out soon enough. I hope you can still laugh then!"

Saying this, he thought for a moment and then, with a hint of malice, explained seriously: "But telling you a bit beforehand doesn't hurt. The so-called Phantom Limb is an Immortal Technique that grafts onto your muscle nerves, creating fake limbs, and then torture is applied to these illusory limbs. However, though they're illusory, the pain is genuine, and they're far more sensitive than real limbs after modification and grafting. So far, people of our Realm in the Shen Family Outer Courtyard have an average endurance level of 13-degree pain. For those in the late stages of the Cloud Surge Realm, they can endure up to 16 to 20 degrees."

Shen Qingming was surprised: "You guys even have levels for pain?"

"Hmph, the pain endurance training of the Shen Family Outer Courtyard is world-renowned; it's not an undeserved reputation. Our research in this area is meticulous and even ahead of Heaven-Reaching City. In Cyan Cloud City, you probably haven't even heard of it, have you?"

At this point, the bruised-faced brother added: "Moreover, this time it's a comparative training, meaning pain stimulation for pairs, competing against each other. Many people push beyond their limits, and the residual pain takes a week or two to subside. Heh, that period isn't easy to endure."

"I see, that's really interesting." Shen Qingming asked again, "What's the highest endurance level here?"

"Brother Shen Qing just made it through 25-degree pain last month, the strongest among our peers. Besides, Brother Feihong's record is 23 degrees, but he could seriously reach 24. Sadly, they're not here today; otherwise, you would be in for a treat."

"Oh, I see."

The bruised-faced brother, seeing Shen Qingming's nonchalant expression, said indignantly: "Do you know what 25-degree pain means? For women, childbirth or severe burns are only about 10 degrees. Pain beyond 15 degrees far exceeds the limit of normal physiological feedback. The intensity of 25-degree pain goes beyond your imagination! Can you imagine having every bone in your body broken while remaining extremely conscious?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingming couldn't help but gape.

After a long time, she softly said: "Well, I don't have to imagine..."

——

It took Shen Herong a while to set up 50 sets of Phantom Limbs.

Only after those who were late for the earlier gathering finished their penalty laps did Shen Herong, drenched in sweat, finish adjusting the last set of Phantom Limbs.

These pain training devices looked a bit like human head-sized balls connected to a fishing net. A tangled mess of over a hundred ropes bundled together, each rope ending in a small circular white patch.

During use, these patches are adhered to various acupuncture points on the body, connecting illusory limbs and applying torture. Each device can be used by two people at most, imposing pain up to 50 degrees—though such an extreme level is rarely needed.

Once the equipment was ready, everyone dispersed and found their allotted Phantom Limb Ball according to the draw results, skillfully and expressionlessly attaching the patches.

The few people from the Li Family mimicked them, laughing and joking while adhering the patches, attracting a round of cold chuckles.

Sure, smile while you can. Let's see how you laugh when the devices start!

In no time, Shen Herong, seeing everyone was prepared, silently activated the 50 sets of Phantom Limbs.

Instantly, nearly a hundred unified groans echoed through the training field.

The boys and girls soon sweat like rain, faces pale, enduring the intense pain from the Phantom Limbs.

Perhaps due to the Li Family's visit, today's difficulty level started much higher than usual, with even the lightest beginning at 8-degree pain, quickly advancing towards 9 degrees!

Some Shen Family disciples with less-developed cultivation and less stable Divine Sense only felt their newly grown limbs being shredded, causing dizziness.

But under no circumstance could they faint. In the Shen Family Outer Courtyard, fainting equated to forfeiting, even more disgraceful than surrendering with a raised hand!

With such a high starting point, everyone had no time to gradually adapt to the pain and soon found themselves out of their depth, unable to even reach 70% of their usual performance.

This left the Shen Family boys with only one hope.

That the Li Family people would collapse even faster, thus ending this torture sooner!

However…

——

It was unclear how much time passed when over fifty Shen Family boys, one after another, raised their hands in reluctant surrender, and finally, someone couldn't hold back.

"Instructor, there's something wrong with this equipment!"

A certain bruised-faced boy, unable to bear it any longer, sprang up, tearing off the patches, all snot and tears—at 10-degree pain, he felt his whole being was in disarray—and then, pointing at Shen Qingming, who was nearly asleep next to him, shouted loudly: "Look, the Phantom Limb has no effect on her at all!"