The house guard’s training ground was much larger than it looked from a distance. Up close, he could see that it was divided into different sections, and the far end of it housed many dormitory-style buildings — barracks — where all the houseguards lived.
He also spotted a few fortified buildings which he supposed were the armory, likely brimming with emergency weapons, gears, and other essential supplies. It was always guarded by a few veteran guards clad in heavy armor. Their gaze screamed danger, and he only witnessed a few senior guards permitted to enter the armory.
Recently, Alaric learned that the opposite end of the estate housed the Knight Quarters, where all the Honor-bound vassals serving the lord lived. Some of them lived with their families and had separate rooms and cottages. They were minor nobles — a few of them without titles or lands.
They also maintained their own training grounds, which were adjacent to the estate grounds. The Knight’s training ground was not visible from his bedroom. He decided to explore the Knight’s training grounds later.
Focusing his attention back to the massive training area, Alaric surveyed the layout of the area and gauged the function of each section. The entire area was surrounded by an oval-shaped dirt track. and he spotted a few guards sprinting and competing in races.
It was the perfect place for doing endurance runs, sprint races, and chase drills.
Towards the corner of the yard, he noticed a weapons rack filled with wooden practice swords and wooden polearms for spear and sword drills. Another rack included real steel swords for the experienced guards, along with wooden and iron-clad shields for shield exercises.
A large circular arena filled with sand and packed dirt lay at the heart of the training yard. It was the sparring area. Even now, he observed two guards grappling unarmed, each trying to get an edge over the other.
This area is perfect for sparring matches.
Rows of dummy targets — scarecrow-style effigies crafted from straw — lined the sword swing zone. This was the area that was visible from his bedroom. He saw a plethora of guards honing their sword swings for speed, power, and precision.
A few of the guards that looked formidable aimed for the weak points of the dummies, such as the neck, gaps in the armor, and joints on the dummy frame.
After inspecting the sword swing zone for a while, he turned his attention towards the strength training area. It housed an array of heavy equipment, including stones and wooden logs that the guards could lift, drag, shove, and hurl to build their physical power. Two groups of guards were currently engaged in a rope-pulling contest, probably to build their grip strength.
A set of battering rams lay nearby, used for practicing door breaches.
The final section of the area was dedicated to bodyweight workouts. It was a general fitness zone for physical conditioning and endurance training. He saw many guards engaged in doing push-ups, squats, sit-ups, pull-ups, and planks. Some of them leaped onto boxes in a series of explosive jumps, while others navigated across logs and wooden beams to sharpen their balance.
A thick rope dangled from the branch of a large tree. It is probably used for rope-climbing exercises.
The sparring area was filled with the sounds of clashing wooden swords, the grunts of effort, and the pungent mix of dirt, sweat, and iron. The shouts of senior sergeants and corporals barking instructions at the junior guards echoed through the air. All of them were busy either drilling their combat forms, sparring with a partner, or honing their physical conditioning and strength.
It was exactly as he had envisioned. A smile spread across Alaric’s face. It has everything I need, for now.
Alaric approached the general fitness area to start his physical training in earnest. The guards who were currently engaged in doing their own exercises didn’t even notice him. However, a few guards who were resting in between their exercise sets glanced his way with surprise. One guard even jabbed a finger in his direction and snickered.
Alaric chuckled. Let them think I’ve gone mad or whatever. He ignored the amusing stares of the guards currently training in the area and settled in a space tucked away in the far corner. He began stretching his limbs, warming up the untrained muscles of this new body. He cycled through a series of arm raises, hip circles, high knees, and leg swings.
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After about ten minutes of pre-workout stretches, he started doing push-ups. He matched each push with a powerful exhale and inhaled deeply before pushing his body against the ground once more. His chest burned and sweat beaded on his forehead. His ears flushed hot and red.
Alaric pushed on, ignoring his racing heart.
He was pleased to note that he could now do 8 push-ups continuously after recovering from his illness. Granted, it was still not that impressive, perhaps, even for a 7-year-old boy, but he was okay with it for now. When he reached his final rep, he gripped his willpower striving to do just one more. His arms ached, his heart thrummed wildly, and his lungs seized.
His throat became dry and constricted. Cannot give up now. This is the real test.
Ignoring all his bodily sensations, Alaric pushed against the ground with all his might for one last time — completing his 9th rep. Once done, he collapsed onto the ground and turned his face to the bright sky, eyes closed, inhaling long, deep breaths to calm down his racing heart. He felt satisfied. The first step to mastering his chakras was to purify them, and that required him to push beyond his limits.
Each of the seven chakras was tied to different aspects of your cultivation. The root chakra was connected to the physical body. Naturally, it required a highly fit body that was strong, powerful, and flexible. That meant exercising, proper nutrition, and sufficient sleep.
However, there was another crucial element—the mastery of austerity.
In a sense, it was a path of continuous improvement where one must push beyond their limits and challenge oneself continuously — no matter how tough it feels. If your limit is 10 push-ups, strive to do just one more. If you naturally wake up at 7 am, push yourself to wake up at 6:50 am. If you get angry easily, try to restrain your outburst. If you can focus on a thought for just 5 seconds, strive to hold to a single thought for 6 seconds.
Whatever it is that you can do easily, make it harder.
This helps to develop extreme control over the willpower, emotions, body, and mind. More importantly, it helps to purify the chakras and prepares a cultivator for activating them. Alaric eliminated his rumination. Thinking about chakras will not get him anywhere unless he is able to purify them first.
Resting for a brief few minutes, Alaric continued his physical training session. He lost track of time, focusing intensely on completing his training goal for the day. He powered through 2 sets of push-ups followed by 15 squats. His body remained inflexible. As a result, he was unable to execute sit-ups with proper form.
It hurt his core and upper back to complete even 10 reps with improper form.
With the exhaustion seeping into his bones, he was able to complete a 10-sec plank. When he came to his senses, he noticed the guards engaged in their own activities. Only the guard captain paid some attention to him from a distance. For some reason, Alaric sensed the guard captain didn’t want others to feel like he was paying any attention to him. It was amusing.
After resting for 15 minutes, he strode towards the sprinting ground for a brief run. It took him approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds to complete a lap around the 400-meter track. By now, he was practically out of breath.
Alaric slumped onto the ground and eyed the thick rope dangling from the tree branch. He released a sigh. Not today. It would be too much. Climbing the rope would require much more grip strength than I currently possess. Alaric pondered over how to improve his grip strength and improve his back muscles.
He spotted a few soldiers hanging on to sturdy tree branches and others hoisting themselves up on wooden support beams inside an indoor area for pull-ups.
He shook his head. Alaric had no delusions about his ability to perform even a single pull-up in his current form. However, that wasn’t the main issue. The tree branches and wooden beams were beyond his reach, even if he tried to jump. He’d need someone’s help to grab hold of them.
Who would help me? For now, he decided to ignore those worries. It was time to head back.
***
Captain Farrow POV -
When Captain Farrow noticed Alaric stride into the guard’s training area for the first time, he wasn’t surprised. He kind of expected him to arrive sooner or later, considering how he was always glued to the window every morning, observing the trainee guards’ practice. If you didn’t have an interest in mastering sword techniques or engaging in physical activities, in general, you’d get bored easily.
Yet, the bastard didn’t leave the opportunity to watch the guards practice for even a single day.
He sneakily tracked Alaric from a distance. Naturally, the kid was struggling, his form rough and unpolished. He chuckled. How could he learn without an instructor? Imitating the guards will only get you so far. He reckoned the kid would try to request a guard to teach him the forms and train him. He furrowed his brows at that thought.
Captain Farrow decided to ignore the Aalric for now. I’ll handle him when that time comes. After all, he is not disturbing anybody yet. It was surprising. Although the kid’s form was clumsy, it felt like he was doing the exercises with purpose. He took rests in between sets and tried to maintain his distance from others.
He didn’t look scared at all with all the guards shouting and engaged in sparring battles. In fact, it almost looked like he didn’t want to be disturbed by anybody else.
Tony and Nappo openly mocked the bastard from a distance. I’ll have to reprimand them later. Bastard or not, if the lord comes to know of it, he won’t like it. Surprisingly, the bastard paid them no attention. Farrow even spotted a smile on his face. Once he was engaged in the exercise, the sheer determination in his eyes was perfectly clear. He was completely focused on his own training. A child of seven with such an amazing focus was rare.
Captain Farrow shook his head. Hmmph. He’s no match for my Rowan. He’ll quit by the end of the week.