Training (part I)

Within the city lord's mansion, on the north side of the city lord's personal guards quarter, there is a huge training ground. By this time in the morning, this place used to be full with guards training and sparring against one another. However, for some reason, there are only three people inside the training ground today. A young boy around the age of five, and two middle aged men around their thirties.

"Wei." My father looked at me, then pointed at the middle-aged man with the black armor in front of me.

" This is Commander Tian, the number one swordsman throughout the whole Red Cloud city as well the other two big cities. From now on, he will teach you the way of sword." Said, my father. He whispered something mysteriously into commander Tian's left ears and left, leaving me by myself with the commander.

" Commander Tian, my father said you would teach me swordsmanship, then where is your sword," I said to the man in front of me with a doubtful voice.

After I told my father I broke through the 2nd rank warrior, he was so happy that he was laughing like a maniac while we were having breakfast this morning. I thought he was going to teach some cool magical spells besides the fireball crap, instead, he called his most trusted subordinates to teach me the way of swords. This man in front of me is considered as the 3rd most powerful warrior throughout Red Cloud city. Aside from my father and the Patriarch of the Li family, commander Tian was unrivaled in Red Cloud city. He was the personal bodyguard of my father, also the chief instructor of the Red Cloud city army and the city's Lord personal guards. He was frighteningly powerful and can win against any other people on the same level as himself and even slightly above him, only a 7th rank middle stage expert can restrain him. Not only he was a powerful swordsman, it is said that he trained and refined his body so much that even his limbs have already become as hard as steel. However, to reach that level where your body is even sharper than a regular weapon or steel isn't that easy. Not only it will take great willpower, it also a take talent as well. Usually, warriors used their battle qi to cloak their body with it while fighting, but commander Tian used it to refined his internal organs, bones and hardened his body with it, it is a very painful process. Not only it is dangerous, your battle qi will diminish as well while you are refining your body with it. Because it is kind of hard for a warrior to breakthrough the next level, they prefer not to refine their body with their battle qi which will cause a decrease of it by doing that, also it will take some time to increase it again. Not that their body isn't refined by their battle qi, but it isn't done thoroughly.

" Swordsmanship?' Commander Tian gives a hollow laugh then look at my body with dissatisfaction.

"With this weak body of yours you want to learn swordsmanship, you aren't ready yet." Said commander Tian

I was kinda disappointed when I heard that, I came here to learn swordsmanship from the man, but he said that I am not qualified yet, then when will I be.? also, since when a swordsman needs to have strong bodies.

" First you need to train your body, your footwork, flexibility, and agility. After completing these training, then you will be ready for sword training." Said commander Tian with a serious tone.

" Ok, can we start now," I said bluntly without any hesitation. Despite my dissatisfaction, I didn't dare to voice any complaint. Aslo , I wanted to train my body before, I was just too lazy to take the initiative myself.

A hint of amazement can be seen on commander Tian's face. He thought that I was going to give up when he mentioned body training. What kind of kid would want to go through such hardship? Rather than feeling down, I looked more enthusiastic than him.

Commander Tian was looking at me as a faint smiling expression appears on his face.

" I'm very curious, why a kid like you instead of enjoying your care free child life, is so eager to get stronger."

" You don't have to answer that, I am sure you have your reason." Said commander Tian

" Go get changed and meet me outside the entrance of the mansion." Said commander Tian while walking towards the exit door of the training ground. I immediately followed him and went to my room in order to change into a more appropriate training clothe.

............….

Outside the entrance of the city lord's mansion, commander Tian dressed in black training clothes, is standing with his hands behind his back. I stood next to him, also in a black training clothes as they were the training uniforms used by the city lord's personal guards.

" First, I am going to ask you to run from this entrance to Red Cloud city gate, the come back here again."

I was a little shocked, I didn't think he was going to make me run that far on the first day of training. You have to understand, the city lord's mansion is located on top of small hill, and the distance between the city lord's mansion and the Red Cloud city gate is about three hours on foot. Moreover, returning is much harder than going down. This is not the kind of exercise a five years old child should do, even if he is a 2nd rank warrior.

However, no matter how shocked and surprised I was, I decided to obey commander Tian's order and start to run from the city lord's mansion entrance to Red Cloud city gate.

As I started to run, commander Tian followed me while running in a relax manner like this was nothing for him. From the looks of it, it seems like he has been doing this kind of exercise for a long time as his whole body become one with the wind. You can't even hear his footsteps as if his feet never touch the ground when he runs.

If it weren't for the fact that I used to train my body when I was a kid which gives me a good endurance, and my body is far stronger than children with the same age as me, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to run that far.

It took me less time to arrive at the Red Cloud City gate than returning to the mansion because of the small hill. I was breathing heavily as I was going up the small hill. However, for some reason, every time I reached my limits, I felt like my body is swallowing the battle qi within my qi sea like a sponge and nourish my internal organs and muscles. The most surprising thing was, the Cubic circuit patterns within my brain shine brightly and absorbed the surrounding energy to replace the energy lost within my qi sea. Also, my body is getting stronger and stronger which is why I was able to persist.

"I'm done," I said to commander Tian when I arrived in front of the entrance of the city lord's mansion.

" Now let's go inside the training ground again." Said commander Tian in a relax manner like he wasn't running with me the whole time. He didn't even sweat while my body was dripping sweat like a waterfall.

Inside the training ground, I stood In front of Commander Tian while he lecturing me.

" You must have felt it right, most warriors don't realize that the more one refined and strengthen his body, the more stamina and physical strength they will have. Even if your battle qi will diminish a little, your qi Sea will enlarge a little which will allow you to absorb more battle qi. Most of them only know to fight by cloaking their body with battle qi. They forgot to train their muscles and internal organs and the advantages of it."

" From now on, you'll do the same exercise we did this morning every day until your body started to reject your battle qi supplement as if it were full." Said Commander Tian with a cunning smile on his face.

Like this, I stated to harsh training. After a week of running downward and upward from my house the city gate vice versa, my body got to use it, and I became more relaxed when running. The next day, commander Tian attached some heavy objects on my legs and made run the same way again. It was pretty hard at the beginning, but it becomes normal after a few days . It was like I didn't have any heavy objects attached to me while running as I kept the same pace when I didn't have them on.

Every time I broke through my body limit, commander Tian add more objects, sometimes on top of my back, my legs , my waist, and even my arms. After a month of brutal training, my body slowed down the absorption of my battle qi.

Inside the training ground , I stood in front of Commander Tian while breathing heavily. I was short of breath, and even found it painful to breath.

" Because you are still too young, your body can't absorb too much battle qi to refine your organs and muscles. Let's stop this training now, tomorrow we will work on your footsteps." Said commander Tian While patting my head as a way to said that he is proud of my accomplishments.

" Go take good rest, we'll start tomorrow at the same time." Said commander Tian he left leaving the exhausting me inside the training ground with my body filed with heavy from top to bottoms such armor, heavy metal boots etc.