Ball of Nothing

With the introduction of delicious food and a more balanced diet, the number of patients that Zero had to see became fewer by the days. Truen still wasn't back but he sent word that he finally met the elusive master crafter. Dorgon Flintstock wasn't willing to return so easily and Truen explained that there might be delays for his return. The old dwarf wasn't being forthright with his requests so the archer had to slowly pry it from his mouth in a polite manner.

Zero was pleased that everyone was growing healthier by the day. The dwarves weren't overly thin now and a healthy glow could be seen from even the princess who was Zero's most diligent student. When the princess wasn't cultivating, she would be found reading up on books and consulting a tutor. Princess Dorothy also followed the diet strictly and no longer trained in magic.

Zero looked at the princess and wondered if he should increase the intensity of the diet regime now that the princess could move around without looking like she was going to faint. The dwarven princess had gained back weight to a healthy scale and Zero took a look at the girl. As a princess, Dorothy never had the opportunity of doing many physical activities. This wouldn't do. The girl was often tired after a day at the desk and Zero knew that despite his hour of qi-gong exercise in the morning, it wouldn't be enough for the girl. Qi-gong was merely a basic movement to get the qi moving for cultivation. It did nothing to increase stamina or build toned muscles. For that, physical training was required.

"Princess," he called out to her once the cultivation session ended.

"Yes, teacher?"

Zero smiled. "You're getting better at this. Do you want to move to the next step of your training? Although it has nothing to do with soul cultivation, it will help to make you healthier and hopefully stronger. Don't worry, you're not going to be all buff and muscular. It's something that will give you a slightly different image from what you have now."

Princess Dorothy raised her brows. "Different?"

Zero smiled and walked with the princess to the hallway where they kept pictures of royalty. They stopped in front of a familiar lady and the princess smiled. "That's my mother," she said.

Zero nodded. "Your mother is a warrior. She was a little stocky as a dwarven warrior but I think with cultivation as your base, you wouldn't need to worry about becoming bulky. Besides, what I intend to teach you is the training that elven archers go through. It will help you become more energetic. Lately, you feel lethargic after spending time studying at the desk right?"

It was true. Zero was very observant and the dwarven princess couldn't refute it. Waking up before dawn and getting to bed only after midnight meant that she had only less than six hours of sleep. While she tried her best to adapt to the routine, it was slowly wearing her out.

"So you've noticed..." she smiled shyly.

Zero nodded. "It's normal for mortals to not be able to keep up with the routines of cultivators. Your bodies don't repair as quickly as cultivators can. At the late stages of cultivation, cultivators do not need to eat or secrets to survive. Just absorbing life energy from the surroundings will be enough for them and they do not need sleep for months. Any injury can be recovered in a matter of minutes and cut off limbs could be regrown with time. That is the true power of cultivation but only for those who persist. You're only starting to cultivate so while you will be healthier than most people and live longer, you will still experience fatigue if you overdo it."

They didn't say anything else and continued to look at the portrait of Queen Demora. It took a while but the princess finally made up her mind. Now, her aim wasn't just to become a great beauty but to become a princess worthy of her status. She didn't always want to be known as that spoiled princess that everyone adored. If she was going to vie for Fae King Vivian's heart, she had to be someone who was capable of matching him in every aspect from beauty, strength to intelligence.

"I've made up my mind," the princess declared and looked at her teacher firmly. "Please teach me everything I need to become someone as great as my mother. I will work hard to surpass her and bring pride to Rocket Mountain as the only princess."

Seeing that the princess had matured a lot over the two weeks. Zero decided to help her out a little more. He liked how the princess was unlike her father and took after her mother more. One Princess Dorothy understood how shallow her views about the world was, she started to make plans to better herself. She no longer emphasized the importance of the physical and material qualities and started filling up the emptiness in her head instead. At the same time, the princess looked at what she could do for her people and offered to help Zero in his clinic as part of her hands-on practical training. Zero admired her for that. She might be young but she wasn't foolish. Zero understood now what it felt like to be proud of his student.

"Well said," he praised her. "Tomorrow after your qi-gong and cultivation practice, I want you to meet me in the courtyard. Seeing as you have no experience at all, we shall start with the basics but I will not go easy on you. You might find yourself aching all over with some bruises the next day but I will teach you how to meditate to heal them while cultivating. Braise yourself, by the time my brother returns you will become a great beauty both inside and out."

"Yes, ma'am! Should I get the maids to prepare pants instead of dresses tomorrow?"

Zero nodded. "That would be for the best. The diet regime is going well for now but I will be changing it a little tomorrow to fit the new intensity. Don't be surprised if you see anything unusual in your meals."

The princess smiled. Her teacher might behave stern and fierce on the outside but after getting to know her, the dwarven princess knew better that it was just a facade to deter anyone from taking advantage of the kind heart Zero had. While she didn't know everything about her teacher's past, Princess Dorothy was certain that Zero must not have had an easy life. It was admirable to know that she had gotten this far with her brother and even when Zero was no longer her teacher, the princess wanted to still become Zero's pillar of strength to repay back what Zero has done for her and Rocket Mountain.