The Training

"Speed is the main element of the martial art we practice, every one of you who are born into the flame sect already has flame skills but your sword skills still need to be enhanced, do you understand me?" Huo Bingchen said, he stood in the middle of the training ground with over two hundred disciples gathering around him.

They were quite happy that Huo Bingchen was now a managerial guardian and he was in charge of training them today, compared to Huo Ying training Huo Bingchen training is less harsh and he is quite gentle with them, although they don't like the fact that he is always against Huo Ying whom they look up to as their idol.

"Yes, guardian" they all chorused and then they got into their training formation.

"Most of you here are not over the age of thirteen and you have not started any formal training yet, but I want to see how far you have gone with your personal training, pick a partner to spar with and you all should start sparring in pairs at the same time," Huo Bingchen said, they all picked their partners and then they faced each other in pairs.

"Start" Huo Bingchen commanded and then he went up to the high stand to oversee the combat. Except for the sect leader's family, the elders and the guardians, those who were born with the flame skills had no need to learn the whip skills, instead, they fought with swords just like the disciples from the other sects.

He watched as the disciples fought each other but he wasn't very satisfied with their performance, before the disciples were allowed to start training formally, they need to train on their own to keep themselves fit for the formal training but this set of disciples didn't seem very fit from the way they fought, after just thirty minutes of fighting their breaths were already unstable. He nodded his head in dissatisfaction.

Huo Ying and the other guardians walked past the training ground then they saw Huo Bingchen frowning as he watched the disciples fighting, He paced about the high stand as though he was thinking about what he needed to do about these disciples. Huo Ying stopped to watch him and the disciples for a while then she smiled at his furrowed eyebrows.

"Young mistress, why are you smiling," Huo Lian asked as she traced the young mistress gaze to Huo Bingchen then she gave Huo Ying a suspicious look. Huo Ying laughed and said "it has been long since I have seen that look on Huo Bingchen face, whenever he is not satisfied with something, he always knit his eyebrows together". The rest of them focused the gaze on Huo Ying to see what their young mistress was talking about, they smiled as they realized that she was right with her statement.

"You are right young mistress; he indeed has that look on his face." Huo Mei replied, she looked at him intensely. She felt that he looks like a completely different person when he is serious.

"I think madam did the right thing by making him a managerial guardian, he is very good at training and managing things, his only flaw is that he goes against you with each opportunity he gets, Huo Ying gave a nod in support of Huo Qiang statement, then they walked away but Huo Mei looked back at him when they had almost gone out of sight.

The sect leader's wife walked to the peak of the training ground and looked down to watch Huo Bingchen.

Although she seemed like she didn't like him very much his mother was her best friend and she died in the battle of ever night so to her Huo Bingchen is like her son, if his grandfather didn't make him go against Huo Ying she would have been closer to him than she was now.

She looked at him as he paced up and down the high stand while he shouted commands to the disciples with his eyebrow still furrowed, She smiled as she watched him, he looked just like his mother who was also a guardian for the sect leader when he was still young.

"You need to increase your speed, if your enemy is faster than you no matter how powerful or how skilful you are you will still lose, your speed will also help to enhance your flame skills" Huo Bingchen shouted out. The disciples started to move swiftly as he made the command, soon half of the disciples were already on the ground while the remaining were already panting and sweating while they stood facing the high stand.

"Those of you who are on the ground should move to the grassland and run twenty laps, if you can't even last long in a fight then there is no need for you to be a disciple, for you to become a disciple you need to be fit," Huo Bingchen said to the defeated disciples, they stood up from the ground with discontentment on their faces, they didn't know that it would be this hard to become a full disciple through formal training.

"Xiao Li" Huo Bingchen called out, Huo Li who is the leader of the elite disciples ran to where Huo Bingchen stood, she has always been called Xiao Li even though her name Is Huo Li because of her small stature, she is older than all Huo Ying and the guardians. At the age of seventeen she became the leader of the elite disciples but she is the younger than all the elite disciples.

"Huo Bingchen, now that you are a guardian you are my senior but don't call me small Li, I might be small but you know I can beat you to pulp," Xiao Li said as she pointed her index finger at Huo Bingchen, all the disciples laughed when they heard her threaten Huo Bingchen, she always had a cute look and he hair in a ponytail and this is why most people always let their guard down with her not knowing that she is very dangerous despite the fact that she looks very innocent, Huo Bingchen who was now intimidated by her raised his hand to show that he is surrendering to her.

"sister Xiao Li you don't have to be that fierce, I won't call you little Li anymore," Huo Bingchen said with a fake terrified look on his face, the sect leader's wife who was still watching the from the training ground peak smiled as she watched the drama going on between them but she decided not to intervene. Xiao Li is the disciple she personally trained so she inherited her feisty character and her daring attitude.

"You had better not call me that anymore you brat, what do you need me for" She said.

"These disciples have a serious problem with their fitness so I wanted to ask you to take them to the field to run twenty laps," Huo Bingchen said and dropped his hands.

"Are you kidding, isn't twenty laps to small, they should at least run fifty laps, as disciples of the flame sect, their fitness is very important" Huo Li said as she turned to face the disciples who were already alarmed at her suggestion.

"Don't bother Huo Li, twenty laps are enough for them since today is the first day of their formal training" Huo Bingchen said.

"Alright Guardian," Xiao Li said and bowed her head then she walked in front of the disciples as she led them out of the training ground, just as she was about to leave the training ground completely Huo Bingchen called her and said, " Xiao Li make sure you supervise them well".

All the disciples turned back to see what Huo Li reaction will be to Huo Bingchen, their eyes widened as they saw flame surround her whole body and her fists tightened. Huo Bingchen who had a mischievous smile on his face changed his expression when he saw her flaming in anger, she slowly turned back him then she started walking fast towards him.

The sect leader's wife knew that Huo Bingchen was trying to tease her but Huo Li anger was not to be underestimated, Huo Li plunged into the air with her fist surrounded by flames then she flew towards Huo Bingchen who froze as the flame on her fist reflected in his eyeball, he felt like he didn't have any more time to react so he shut his eyes and covered his face with his hands crossed in front of his face before she reached him.

He waited for a while but he didn't feel her hit then he opened his eyes he was surprised to see the sect leader's wife shielding him from her attack. Huo Li quickly withdrew her fist when she realized that the sect leader was shielding Huo Bingchen from her attack, all the disciples who were present at the scene were also frozen at a spot, they also felt that she moved too quickly that they couldn't even see her until the sect leader's wife stopped her.

Huo Bingchen quickly dropped his hands then they all cupped their fist and bowed their heads.

"Madam" the disciple and Huo Bingchen chorused while Huo Li called her master.

She smiled then she told them to be at ease, "Huo Li you need to control your temper, that hit could have seriously injured Bingchen. Moreover, he is now your senior so have respect for him" She said, Huo Li scoffed and then she held the sect leader's wife elbow, "master, they all keep calling me Xiao Li and I warned him not to call me that anymore but he won't listen" then she pouted her lips.

She smiled and turned to face Huo Bingchen then she said " Bingchen you shouldn't tease her like that, if I hadn't stop her you wouldn't have been able to dodge her attack, now apologize to her", Huo Bingchen smiled then he bowed his head and apologized to Huo Li, then Huo Li left the training ground with the disciples. The disciples all burst into laughter as they watched her leave then they stopped when Huo Bingchen glared at them,"what is so funny, continue the combat in pairs for two more hours without slacking".

"Bingchen let's take a walk together," she said as she walked on the stairs that lead to the high stand. Huo Bingchen ordered another disciple to oversee the new disciples then they walked away from the training ground.

"Bingchen do you feel that I have been treating you unfairly," she said as they entered the sect garden, Huo Bingchen knew that she must have been wanting to talk to him about that day and he was happy that she is finally letting it out.

"Madam, I don't think that way, others might not know it but I know that you have been very good to me" Bingchen replied, she smiled as they continued walking when she heard his reply.

"I am glad you think that way your mother was my best friend and she died because she was a guardian, during the ever night war she took a hit for your father from the sect leader of the flame sect and that was how she died, I decided that I would never make you a guardian," She said in a solemn tone.

"Then why did you make me guardian, I thought you were going to make me a protector guardian to appease your anger but I was shocked when you made me a managerial guardian," Bingchen said, he had never heard the story of how his mother died and now that he has already found out how she died, he felt angry that his mother was made a guardian.

"I know that you are angry that your mother was made a guardian but even though being a protector guardian means that you have to be ready to die if your master gets hurt in the flame sect, ever since Huo Ying grandfather became the sect leader, he changed that. He did not formally announce it just because he wanted the guardians to work harder. I know that you want to become the next sect leader but you can't be the next sect leader" she said with a serious face, then she stopped walking and she faced him.

"Why can't I become the next sect leader?" Huo Bingchen said as he looked into her eyes with an angry look.