A group of five youths, three young males and two young females, walked silently toward the rising sun. Its warm light kissed their skin, unimpeded by clouds. The sky was clear today, and the sun shone freely upon the mortal world.
Despite the warmth, the breeze still carried the lingering chill of the moon, creating a perfect, refreshing sensation on their skin.
A few days had passed since Yuan and Haoran's return, and now, an important day had come. Just yesterday, a guard had visited them with a message: they were to report to the training ground the following morning.
Yuan had been surprised at first. According to the camp's schedule, they were not due to meet their teacher for another two days. But after thinking it through, he realized something.
The Young Talent Tournament was approaching.
Yuan had been well aware of that, but he had forgotten to consider the camp's perspective. In Yuan's mind, he had already envisioned himself entering the tournament, but naturally, the teacher wouldn't allow all six groups to participate. There had to be a selection process.
Realizing this, Yuan quickly informed the others in his group, and together they began analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the other teams. By the time morning came, they were prepared, just in case Yuan's guess was correct.
And so, they now walked toward the training ground, following the familiar stone path and enjoying the crisp morning breeze.
Yuan led the group, wearing his usual calm and confident smile, his gaze steady and clear. Yuxin, by contrast, was visibly nervous. Her steps were slightly shaky, but Haoran stayed by her side, speaking encouragingly.
"Don't worry, I'm here, so nothing will happen," he said with a bright grin. "Besides, the teacher's watching. This will probably be a simple spar, so relax."
Haoran's cheerful presence helped ease Yuxin's nerves. Tianyu, though not as gentle, offered a few bold words of support as well, which promptly earned him a teasing remark from Haoran.
The back and forth between them brought a few chuckles from Yuxin, while Meilan simply gave her a quiet "Don't worry" and said no more.
The mood among them was light, the air filled with quiet camaraderie. Yuan walked at the front, while Tianyu, Haoran, and Yuxin moved together behind him. Meilan followed just behind Yuxin.
Occasionally, Yuxin's face would flush from embarrassment at Haoran's words or brighten with laughter at his teasing jabs at Tianyu.
This light mood continued all the way until they arrived at the training ground, a flat, open field of grass. As they stepped onto it, the group fell silent. The air shifted subtly.
Yuan turned to Yuxin, offered her a reassuring smile, and gave her a small nod, a quiet promise that everything would be alright.
With one last sigh from Yuxin, the group continued walking toward the center of the training ground, where three other groups were already waiting.
All of them stood around idly, clearly anticipating the arrival of the remaining groups and of course, the teacher.
Not long after Yuan's group arrived, the final two groups also reached the training field. After exchanging a few brief nods, most of the youths simply settled into quiet anticipation. A few, bored of standing around, began chatting amongst themselves.
Group Six, in particular, was the first to actively approach another group and strike up a conversation.
"Brother, you're back! How was the Founder's Manor?"
"Hahaha, not too bad, brother. I meant to speak with you tomorrow, but since we're all here, say…"
Gradually, more and more of the youths began talking. Still, a few chose to remain silent. Yuan's group was among them. They stayed to themselves, quietly waiting for the teacher to arrive.
He came not long after.
By now, the sun had risen high in the sky; all the warm orange of dawn had long faded. They had waited since sunrise, and now daylight burned in its full strength.
The teacher emerged from the forest, walking along a path that lacked any stone paving. In one hand, he held his usual wine gourd and took a sip from it as he approached.
"Hehe," he chuckled softly and with that small laugh, every youth instantly fell silent. They all understood the signal.
Whenever the teacher had his wine with him, it meant one thing, he wanted to finish things quickly. On days when he didn't bring it, they could expect to stay out all day, completing whatever task was set before them. But when he drank, speed was the priority.
The teacher usually drank only a few days a week, a fact most of the students had forgotten, until now.
"Alright, lads," the teacher said in a serious, no nonsense tone. "Today, we're holding a small internal tournament for the Young Talent Tournament selection, only one group can enter the tournement and so, we'll make it quick and straightforward. Still, be careful with your attacks. No crippling injuries or serious wounds. Light injuries are allowed, but nothing permanent. Just follow the usual sparring rules."
"Alright, Group Two versus Group Five. Both groups, move to the center of the training ground. Everyone else, gather near me."
At first, the announcement caught many of the youths by surprise. Only a few, including those in Yuan's group, remained unfazed. Still, after a brief moment of hesitation, everyone obeyed the teacher's command.
They moved toward him, leaving only the members of Group Two and Group Five standing on the training field.
Group Five's five members were: Longyi Haodao, Longshou Jianhai, Longtui Yayang, Longbi Anbo, and Longwei Sanye.
Group Two's members were: Longyi Liangyu, Longshou Qimei, Longtui Lianhua, Longbi Can, and Longwei Yuexin.
With the rest of the students now standing back, the two active groups gathered and spoke quietly among themselves for about a minute. Then, they walked over to the wall where an assortment of wooden weapons was neatly arranged.
There were many types to choose from, but most opted for wooden swords. After selecting their weapons, both groups returned to the training field.
Once back, they took up formation. Most of them had chosen wooden swords, but Longyi Liangyu and Longwei Yuexin from Group Two wielded wooden spears. Their group quickly formed a tactical formation, Liangyu and Yuexin stood at the rear while the other three took the front, creating a balanced offense defense setup.
Group Five, by contrast, had a more straightforward approach. All five had chosen wooden swords and arranged themselves into two two man teams, with the last member, Haodao, remaining at the back to observe and assist wherever needed.
Seeing that both sides were ready, the teacher raised his hand. Instantly, the watching students quieted, their eyes following the subtle movement. The two groups on the field stared each other down, tense and ready.
After a few more moments of silence, the teacher dropped his hand and shouted, "Begin!"
With that single word, Group Five sprang into action, charging forward aggressively. But Group Two didn't meet them head on.
Instead, they held their formation, maintaining a steady balance between offense and defense.
Haodao, positioned at the rear of Group Five, didn't charge with the others. Instead, he stood still, carefully watching the opposing formation, looking for an opening, an opportunity to break Group Two's defenses.
And so, the first wooden strikes began to fall.
Jianhai and Yayang moved quickly to attack the left side, targeting Zhenhao directly. But just as they came within a meter of him, a spear suddenly thrust toward Yayang.
Anticipating the attack, Yayang swiftly dodged to the side, but Zhenhao was already swinging his sword at her.
Jianhai reacted instantly, intercepting the strike with his own sword to protect her.
As their swords clashed, Zhenhao smiled at Jianhai and said, "Hehe, Brother Hai, who would've thought we'd be the first to face each other? Was this teacher's doing?"
"Hehe," Jianhai chuckled, then replied with a bitter smile, "Take a guess."
"What guess? Either way, Brother Hai, today will be another loss for you! After all, I want to enter the Young Talent Tournament! So, say goodbye to the Young Talent Tournament!"
But before Jianhai could say anything, another spear came flying toward him. Jianhai took a step to the right to avoid it, opening up a perfect opportunity for Qimei, who was positioned in the middle, to strike at Yayang.
"Gotcha!" Qimei shouted.
Hearing this, Jianhai was surprised by Qimei's sudden attack. Zhenhao smiled and drew Jianhai away.
Qimei's sword came down and just as it struck Yayang, Haodao emerged from Yayang's shadow, but Qimei, entirely focused on Yayang and didn't notice him, until it was too late.
"Hmph." Haodao snorted coldly as he swung his sword at her, his strike landed cleanly.
Qimei gasped, she hadn't even seen him move, but though he hitted her body, it was a heartbeat too late, her own strike had already grazed Yayang.
"Yayang, Qimei, out!" the teacher shouted.
Both girls immediately stepped back and dropped to the ground, accepting their defeat. They knew they were out. But their exit came so quickly and unexpectedly that Group Two was momentarily stunned.
No one had expected Qimei to be taken out after just a few exchanges, it had happened far too suddenly.
With two teammates down, Liangyu now found himself facing Haodao directly.
"Care for a few rounds, Brother Haodao?" Liangyu said boldly, his tone filled with arrogance.
Haodao merely snorted and replied coldly, "Tch. With you? Not worth it."
With that, the clash between Haodao and Liangyu truly began. The two exchanged fierce blows, their weapons clashing repeatedly. It was a heated duel, but not far from them, things weren't looking great for Group Five.
Their remaining two members were struggling against Yuexin's spear attacks, followed up by sword strikes from Lianhua.
However, once Qimei was out of the match, the pressure eased. The battlefield returned to a tense balance, a stalemate.
The deadlock dragged on for a while, until Yuexin missed a beat. She was just a step too late to strike, and Anbo's wooden sword found its mark.
"Lianhua, out!" the teacher called.
Lianhua dropped to her knees, panting heavily. Her face and clothes were soaked in sweat, and though it wasn't a graceful sight for a young girl, no one paid it any mind.
Everyone's focus had shifted to Yuexin, now the last member of Group Two, facing both Anbo and Sanye alone.
"Hehe... Brothers, it looks like this little sister is all alone now," Yuexin said playfully, though her voice held a trace of weariness and exhaustion.
Her eyes were slightly glazed, her breathing heavy, and her sweat drenched robes clung tightly to her frame. She gave them a small, almost mischievous smile and took a step back. "I hope you'll show mercy on this little sister."
"Don't worry," Anbo replied with a smirk. "We'll be gentle… mostly."
Yuexin's expression darkened slightly, but her grip on her spear remained steady. And then, without another word said, Anbo and Sanye charged forward.