Guo Ru stood amidst a field, feeling the cold breeze of autumn brush against his skin. There were two others who stood beside him, backs straight and eyes set forward. Guo Ru recognised them to be the miners who’d gotten stuck inside the Qi vein alongside him. They’d all volunteered to be here today.

Wooden spears, and some bows were on the ground in front of them, alongside a poorly made man from hay and sticks. He noted some boulders with giant gashes cut into them nearby as well, but he could not think of any use for them.

Ru set his eyes forwards at the boy who’d gathered them all here. Zhang, he recalled his name to be. A cultivator, one of the ones who’d arrived here a few months ago with the old alchemist lady. Guo Ru had been part of the celebration for the boy’s recovery as he became a cultivator again. He didn’t quite understand how that worked, or how one even became a cultivator again, but his father had attended, and asked him to go, and thus he had.

Things had begun changing since they had arrived, all the more so since the boy who’d saved his life, Lu Jie had arrived.

Guo Ru still did not know what to think of any of them, the cultivators, or the changes they brought. The sect had cut off protection with winter so close by, but his father had decided to place their trust in the cultivators, yet Guo Ru couldn’t help but think if they shouldn’t just return to the sect.

Afterall, what could a few rogue cultivators do?

The cultivator turned, a spear in his hand, with a cloth tied near the base of its blade on the shaft that fluttered in the wind. The boy turned to face the three of them, a commanding aura present around him that naturally made Ru pay more attention to him.

“Do you know why we’re here today?” Zhang asked, raising an eyebrow.

None of the other two miners replied, and after a few moments passed, Ru raised his hand.

“Yes, Ru?”

“To learn how to fight?” he tried, glancing at the other miners first. What else would they use all the wooden spears for?

Zhang shook his head. “You’re not wrong. But you’re not right either. We’re here to learn how to protect, first and foremost.”

Guo Ru looked at the boy with a blank look. “Is there a difference?” he asked.

“There’s a big difference,” Zhang said, tapping the butt of his spear against the ground. The grass around him pulsed outwards as a wave of something passed beneath the surface.

“To learn how to fight, you only need to be aware of yourself, and your enemy. The only goal you have is to kill,” Zhang said, glancing at all of them one at a time. “But to protect, you must be aware of your allies, your teammates, and your goal is to protect.”

Guo Ru nodded, though he was still unsure of the difference between the two.

“I know it’s hard to understand, but when you fight, knowing what you are aiming for is crucial. It’ll make more sense as you train,” Zhang said.

“Will we be fighting the demonic beasts ourselves?” one of the miners asked.

“You may have to. The sect has withdrawn its protection and thus, you will not have the wards and the cultivators to protect you this time around. We will fight too, and you won’t merely be left to fend by yourself, but you too must learn how to defend yourself, and protect those that cannot protect themselves,” Zhang said.

Guo Ru gulped, thinking of having to fight the beasts of the solstice. Would be even last a minute? These were demonic beasts that could tear through people like ants. What difference would a mortal’s resistance make?

“I see your apprehension. And if you wish to withdraw now, I will allow it,” Zhang said, looking at all of them once.

Guo Ru looked around, trying to see whether any of the other miners made a move. He stood frozen in spot, wondering if any of this was worth it, when Zhang spoke again.

“But I would ask you to think about your family. Your brothers, your sisters. Think about where they would go, and who they would rely on, if the beasts attacked, and there weren’t enough people to fight.”

His little sister Yin’s face came to Guo Ru’s mind. Her enthusiasm to help in any way she could, and put in effort in her own way. She’d gone to learn alchemy of all things, and Ru spotted her returning late in the night, looking dazed and exhausted. Could he truly be a coward now?

“I’ll fight,” he said, stepping forward. The other miners, looking at him, before they followed along as well.

“I will fight too.”

“We will fight.”

Zhang nodded, a pleased expression upon his face. “Very well, in that case, each of you pick up a spear.”

Guo Ru looked at the wooden weapon on the ground and picked it up. He was surprised by the lightness of the weapon, wood thought it may have been.

“What you are holding, is made from Qi-enforced wood. What that means is that this spear will not break easily, and can even cut, despite its wooden edge.”

Guo Ru swung the spear around a few times, feeling the weapon for himself.

Zhang walked up to him as he did, before grasping his hand, and Guo Ru looked at the boy in surprise.

“Hold it like this,” he said, adjusting his fingers to wrap tightly around the shaft, as he position both his hands above and below each other. The boy then raised his arms, bending them at an angle holding the weapon diagonally.

“Spears are a weapon meant to hunt. It is an ideal weapon against beasts, which is what our opponents are,” Zhang said, swinging his spear once. He stepped forward, thrusting his spear out towards Guo Ru. The boy froze in place, shutting his eyes close, as the weapon hovered inches from his temple.

“The spear has range, and it is simple to use. It’ll teach you how to get rid of poor habits before you move on to build the correct ones,” Zhang said, pulling back his spear.

“The first lesson, is to never close your eyes. Never flinch when an enemy makes a move, always keep your eyes on what your enemy is doing, and where they intend to attack,” Zhang said, stepping back.

“I will thrust this towards you three times. Do not flinch, and if you can, try and block my attack,” Zhang said, raising his spear.

Guo Ru stood, holding his spear awkwardly as Zhang moved towards him. “Just remember to keep your eyes open,” the boy said, before he rushed forward. The spear moved like a serpent striking upon its prey through the bushes. It was fast, and vicious, moving towards Guo Ru’s throat as if to shatter it.

The boy held his position, keeping his eyes open as the weapon stopped short of his skin by a hair’s width. Gulping he looked at Zhang, sweat dripping down his neck.

Zhang stepped back, and then nodded. This time, the spear swung diagonally, aiming for his shoulders. The attack was fast once again, but less so and Guo Ru had enough time to step back.

The spear stopped before it touched his shoulder, but he’d reacted! He had reacted to a cultivator’s attack!

In his elation, Guo Ru’s attention lapsed as the weapon swung. He had no time to see, only the sensation of something moving rustling against his skin, as an electrifying shock ran up his spine. He stumbled back, raising his spear to block the attack.

Zhang’s spear struck with a cracking noise as Ru’s spear flew across the field. The boy fell onto the ground, looking at the spear directed towards him.

“Good instincts. I was not going to stop that time. But you lost focus. Never lose focus, or you will die,” Zhang said, and Guo Ru nodded.

“Good, now I’ll teach you the stances,” Zhang said, offering a hand to Ru as he pulled the boy up.

Guo Ru panted, yet he felt a strange sensation of fulfilment. He nodded, looking at Zhang, before he bowed.

Zhang smiled, before he moved on to the other miners, repeating the same exercises. Guo Ru watched them try and adapt as the boy mixed up his strikes, coming up with feints and jabs where none of them would expect.

When he was done, the two miners were sweaty, their chest moving visibly within three strikes from the boy.

“Now that the lesson has been learned correctly, it is time to gain the ability to actually defend yourself,” Zhang said, standing in front of them.

“The key to using a weapon, is in understand how to move. It is, in many ways, like a dance, refined of any unnecessities, and reduced purely to that which shall hurt, or protect.”

Zhang said, as the boy took a stance. He held the spear with both hands, standing with his chest tilted slightly sideways. “There are many ways to hold a spear, but this is one of the most basic methods. The motion is simple, where you step ahead, and thrust your spear to attack. And step back, and let the enemy’s weapon glance off yours to deflect. Those are the only two options. Never try to hold or push using the edge, the spear is a weapon of dexterity, and not brute strength.”

Guo Ru nodded, before mimicking the stance Zhang had demonstrated for them. The boy walked up to him, pushing his ankles further, and adjusting his shoulders to correct his stance. Once done, he moved on to the other miners.

“Now practice that thrust as many times as you can. Once you cannot go anymore, we’ll learn how to deflect.”

“Is… that all?” Guo Ru asked, looking at Zhang.

“Practice is the only road to mastery. The more you practice, the more you will improve. And when honed to enough skill, this wooden blade can cut through even solid rock,” Zhang said, his eyes drifting towards the giant boulder cut through in sections. “Though I have not perfected it yet.”

Guo Ru’s jaw dropped as he stared. There was no way right? He did not believe even cultivators could cut rock with a wooden blade. Yet… the boy claimed to have done just that.

“Could… I see it?” Guo Ru asked.

“Well, it is not perfected yet, as I have mentioned. It is also not a technique I can teach you, since it requires Qi. Brother Jie had once mentioned to me of a blade that could cut through solid objects like rocks, or even metals, but would leave flesh unharmed. It was used for medicine in his hometown, to create moulds for broken bones and then cut them. The blade would vibrate at rapid speeds as it slashed through,” Zhang said, stepping up to a boulder, that rose up to his chest height.

“I had been thinking about it for a long time. And now that I could finally cultivate once more… I had been trying to perfect it. I do not have its full grasp just yet but… I have named this art, the Merciful Blade.”

Guo Ru watched with bated breath, as Zhang raised his spear. The weapon shivered in his hand, vibrating faster and faster before Guo Ru could not even see it moving, as the spear appeared to be completely still.

Zhang stood in front of the rock, eyes closed, as he took a long breath in. And then, with a powerful exhale, he struck.

The spear carved through the rock like water, travelling nearly all the way through before it stopped. Guo Ru stared at the cut, so precise and sharp the rock remained intact where it had been, despite being nearly split in half.

“Almost,” Zhang said, taking the spear out of the boulder.

Guo Ru continued to stare, his heart racing. Wasn’t… this boy supposed to be weak? He knew he had to cultivate all over from the start, and someone had told him he was even weaker than the tiny turtle that the kids loved to play with.

If… this was weak… then how powerful was everyone else?

Gulping, Guo Ru looked at Zhang, before he could not hold the question any longer. “I-is Lu Jie stronger than you?” he asked.

Zhang looked at him, before bursting out in laughter at the question. “Brother Jie may not look it, but he is far more powerful than me. The notion to compare us is… amusing. But, it is my oath to be his weapon, so I wish to one day catch up to him.”

Guo Ru’s heart began to race at the thought. Far stronger than Zhang? Though it had been months as they had lived together with these cultivators, Guo Ru had never had the chance to properly grasp the true depths of their monstrous strength.

If he could learn from masters like these, perhaps even he would be fight against the demonic beasts as well.

“I-I’ll work hard!” Guo Ru exclaimed, bowing his head. Raising his spear, he took the stance he’d been taught and began to swing.

He could not waste a chance like this. Not in a million years.