6. HELLISH TRAINING PART 2.

*WHAM!*. Move faster. You're too slow. *BASH!*.Dodge when you know you can't defend. *SLAP!* That's a very bad posture. SLAM! Your enemy will kill you easily if you aren't fast enough". The days were practically always the same when going through the torture Alexander called training. Wake up, go for training, come back with bruise marks. Although I told my mother I was alright, she'd never listen. It was all the same for two weeks. I could hear my mother shouting at my father, trying to convince him to stop me from training and getting hurt. My father was always unwavering, he never showed it, but I knew he had deep faith in me. Unlike my mother who was afraid that her young boy would no longer come back in one piece but in a coffin chopped into several pieces, my father secretly gave me encouragement and his approval." You're on your way to become a great cultivator, you must persevere at all cost. I won't push you any further, from now on the decision is your's ". Looking at my father, I could see the pleasure in his eyes. They were faint but I could tell that he felt like crying. Not that I could blame him, my father experienced the worst part of the cultivation journey. Surviving countless wars without much food or even any useful techniques, being treated like filth due to his bloodline, and worst of all he has a family to take care of. He was rarely at home, sometimes taking midnight shifts in order to feed my mother and I. I saw him humiliated not so long ago either, who knows how much he had suffered even before I was born. I guess this life isn't so nice after all.

"So, what are we going to work on today, more martial arts and techniques or just battle till I get bruised again". I say with my usual uncaring tone. However, Alexander, with his aloof expression just giggles." Oh, you're going to love this one, you won't practice with me but with other guards instead. let's see how far you've gotten". " Let's just get it over with". I say again with an uncaring tone but deep down I'm determined. I've never faced a guard before, I don't know their strength. But after all that training, I should be able to know how to handle it on my own.

As we enter the training field for the guard, they all salute Alexander looking at me with mocking eyes but even at their intense gazes, I don't flinch. I'll only battle one of them to prove how much my training has progressed.

"Everyone listen up! This boy is my current apprentice, and I am looking for an opponent worthy to duel with him". Alexander says but the whole crowd bursts out laughing. "Do you plan on us killing the child, you would've just told us this was death sentence". One of the guards said almost jerking his eyes out." Do you really expect a child to win against us, with all due respect captain, what do you take us for?". Another guard said while exploding into a loud laugh. What they're saying doesn't really affect me, they're all just a bunch of drunkards underestimating a child who isn't a royal. My eyes are fixed somewhere else ,

on my father who is on the side lines. He nods and then smirks at me, he has witnessed the harsh training Alexander has given me when we were training in an open field, and he knows how hard it has to have been. 'He believes in me' that thought continues to pop up in my head. With that, I steel my resolve.

" Enough"Alexander says as his irises shine red and blue respectively. " Evan, get your ass out here and spar with my disciple Xiantian , let's see if you haven't just been drinking all this while". Alexander's stare becomes even more intense, too much that I lose my balance and fall to my knees. It only makes the guards laugh even harder, but they try their best to contain it due to Alexander's piercing gaze.

A burly Middle aged man steps forward, he's big and quite buff. I wield my twin sabers, preparing my stance, while the guards just picks a metallic pole and allows it rest on his shoulder stretching his two fingers out, gesturing me to attack. Not paying too much attention to him, I dash forward. We trade blows, I slash my blades whenever there's an opening but he blocks them by simply spinning the pole in his arm. It's hard to dodge the pole and counterattack, but due to his huge size, he's quite slow, I'm able to maneuver him and land attacks at the same. He looked frustrated, and the laughter of the crowd only made him angrier.

Gripping the pole tightly, he strikes forward hoping to bash my head to the ground. But I'm already behind him, in hope to not kill him, I slash my blades forward leaving two long cuts on his torso. He groans in pain, but the crowd isn't laughing. They're amazed at my speed and agility. Even my father looks stunned at the flexibility of my blades movement. The guard becomes agitated, he won't allow himself to be utterly disgraced by a mere child who hasn't even started actual cultivation yet. Something about his aura changes, he tries to remain focus as his eyes start to glow dark brown. Alexander flinches from his uncaring stance, noticing what is happening. His warning gaze lands on my back and tries to force me to forfeit, but I won't, I've already worked this far to remove the weakness and limits this little body has on me. I won't be defeated by a supposed cultivator who is half drunk and barely has suitable techniques.

The guard prepares his stance, ready to lunge forward. I cross my blades waiting for his arrival. The fellow guards aren't laughing anymore, they're not even mocking their comrade. They're studying our battle eagerly, awaiting a winner. The guard smirks and chuckles,"You aren't gonna block this attack with such a simple stance kid". But I never planned on it. He lunges forward scraping the dust off the ground below his feet. It seems to land on Alexander, but it doesn't. It oddly diverts from him crashing on the wall behind him. One of the abilities he's yet to show me. Before the guard reaches me, I swiftly move to his side slashing at it with one of my katanas. He groans in pain but reacts quickly by crashing his metallic pole at his side, however, he hits nothing but thin air as I've already ducked slashing at his heels. He loses balance landing on his heels, but manages to bash the center of my stomach with his stick making me crash on the wall nearby. I spit blood, but I stand on my feet ready to finish what Alexander started. "You son of...." the guard let's out, but he is unable to finish since

my blade is only a few meters away from his face. He dodges right in the nick of time exhaling deeply by the thought of almost losing his life to a child. His worry is cut short as I'm already behind him, holding the two sheaths of my sword, I bash his head hitting him directly in the temples. He crashes on the ground, slamming his face into the mud, he's unconscious. I won, even though with bruises and internal injuries as always, I was still able to defeat him. I stand proudly looking at the other guards as my silky curly black hair falls on my face sticking in to it due to all the sweat. The other guards are speechless looking at me with amazement. My stance doesn't last long as I lose my balance, crashing to the ground. A healer is already rushing towards us, but she tends to the guard first. He needs it more than me anyway.

A single line comes out of Alexander's mouth."Quite impressive, but there were still so many flaws in your attack pattern".