Upon arriving at the inn, I immediately went to my room to cultivate as usual. I sat in a lotus position and closed my eyes. Something was subtly different this time—an inexplicable feeling that the energy was flowing more intensely, like an uncontrolled river pulsing through my veins. Alternating waves of heat and cold coursed through my arms, legs, and spine, as if my body were simultaneously being torn apart and stitched back together. Each vein spread out, visible as faint blue lines glowing in the dimness of the room. Suddenly, all the pain converged into raw power; my muscles contracted involuntarily and, on impulse, I let out a roar that made the very bed tremble. When silence returned, I thought "But what was that?!?" I had broken through—something I never expected, especially before Jina. I clearly recalled that my Qi had increased significantly since that connection with the trees of Zher a few weeks ago.
I stood up still a bit dazed, but noticed that the weights I carried felt much lighter, as if I wasn't even using them at all.
KNOCK KNOCK.
— "Boy, what happened? Why are you screaming?" asked a concerned voice.
— "Sorry, Miss Ruthia, it won't happen again!" I replied, embarrassed.
— "It better not, frankly, you can't scare others like that," Ruthia replied in a harsh tone as she closed the door to my room.
I then decided to examine my body again and noticed something incredible: I felt faster and stronger, as if my muscles had acquired a new power. I thought: "So this is the feeling of breaking through... It's impressive. Now I feel like I can face larger groups of slimes."
The next morning, I went to the training field and found Jina and Gareth. Jina gave me a suspicious look, as if she were searching for something different in me.
— "Is everything okay, Jina?" I asked, trying to hide the doubt on my face.
— "You... you're different. Dad, do you know what it is?" Jina asked, her tone filled with curiosity.
At that moment, Mr. Gareth also turned, surprised, and said — "Congratulations, boy. I hadn't noticed you had broken through."
— "EHHH?!? He broke through? To the 2nd level? When?" Jina exclaimed, surprised.
— "Last night, while I was cultivating," I replied with a restrained smile.
— "That's not fair!" Jina complained, pouting in dissatisfaction.
— "Now you'll have to work hard not to fall behind the boy," he added.
— "I'll break through too, just watch. Humph," said Jina as she began her warm-up.
Gareth shook his head at Jina's antics and turned back to me — "I believe those weights are lighter for you now, right? I'll get new weights."
Soon I was equipped with the new weights, now totaling 50 kilos—10 kilos on each limb. Without wasting time, I started running. My endurance had improved; by the end of the warm-up, I wasn't out of breath and already felt ready to begin training.
Initially, the training would be about defense, but Mr. Gareth decided to diversify the exercises and taught me new footwork movements.
— "Boy, you're going to learn the deflection counterattack. I'll be your training partner. I'll attack you from the side, and your goal is to identify which side I'll strike from, use the spear to deflect my blow downward, and then spin your body to use the momentum and thrust in my direction."
— "Yes, sir!" I replied firmly.
After going over the instructions with Jina, Gareth quickly joined me to begin the training. Mr. Gareth kept a neutral stance while locking eyes with me, giving no indication of where he would strike from. I soon noticed a subtle movement in his leg, signaling that the blow would come from my left side, and quickly positioned my spear, successfully defending against the attack. However, I couldn't redirect Mr. Gareth's spear.
We continued training for a while, and finally, I managed to deflect the spear downward. Without hesitation, I began a rotation and launched a thrust, adjusting the force to avoid injuring him.
— "Very good, boy. That's the move. Now let's repeat it a few times."
Hours passed until we changed the training to an exercise that involved deceiving the enemy by altering the attack angle during execution.
— "This strike is a feint to surprise unsuspecting enemies. You'll initially perform a thrust or side strike, but at the last moment, you'll switch hands. For example, if you start the thrust with your right hand, you should quickly shift the grip to your left and perform a side strike. It's a rather difficult move and requires good footwork, but it's extremely effective against those slimy little creatures. Allow me to demonstrate."
Then, Mr. Gareth took his spear and assumed a high guard. As he began his movement, he reversed the guard, preparing for a thrust by holding the base with his dominant arm. In the middle of the movement, using the strength of his dominant arm, he switched grip and delivered a side strike with his non-dominant hand. The movement was so fast it was hard to follow, typical of a 3rd level in Qi Gathering. For the first time, he demonstrated this technique personally, and the complexity of the move became evident. I learned that only practice leads to perfection, and I was determined to master this technique, as Mr. Gareth claimed it was very effective against slimes.
I firmly held my spear, positioned myself in high guard, and executed the first part: switching from high to low guard during the thrust. Everything went almost perfectly, as I had already practiced similar movements. However, the second part, the grip switch in the middle of the thrust, betrayed me: I mistimed it and my spear flew out of my hands.
Jina, who was training at a distance, wasted no time and took the opportunity to tease:
— "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, what was that, Ishida? Who was the invisible enemy you needed to hit?" she laughed, pointing at me.
My face burned with embarrassment. I knew it was just teasing, but dropping my weapon due to a failed move was humiliating. Even Mr. Gareth seemed to stifle laughter—his teeth gleamed beneath his imposing mustache.
Without losing focus, I recovered my spear and, ignoring Jina's laughter, continued practicing until nightfall. It wasn't the only time the spear slipped from my hands, and Jina tried to tease me a few more times; however, she soon gave up when she realized I was ignoring her. I was determined to master that technique, and even with the mistakes and jokes, I kept going.
— "Very well, that's enough for today! You both did very well. Now, go rest," announced Mr. Gareth.
I bid farewell to both and returned to the inn, eager for the next day's hunt. I wanted to test my new performance against the slimes, imagining the battles that would come with each new training.