After training with his friends for about an hour, Yunchang still didn’t feel satisfied. He headed into the forest to train alone, wanting to develop his own techniques to counter common forms of combat. He reasoned that if he were to become the best fighter in China, he’d have to counter every weapon: swords, bows, even rifles. He mused that every martial art has its weaknesses; no matter how skilled the practitioner, every attack creates an opening. So how could he exploit these openings in others, while leaving as few as possible in his own technique? To achieve this, his new style would need to be something entirely different—unpredictable, with moves that couldn’t be easily learned or countered.
In theory, this made sense, but in practice, it was nearly impossible. His skills were too poor for his senior friends to challenge him seriously, so he trained in the forest alone, hoping to sharpen his swordsmanship. For the next three weeks, he planned to continue this solitary training after his sessions with his friends and the rest of the battalion. He realized it would benefit him to have a more structured and scientific routine to maximize each of his physical attributes, so he approached his superiors to learn about their training methods. After some research, he concluded that a push-pull-legs split would be ideal for building strength while also refining his swordsmanship and enhancing his agility
In the first week, Yunchang’s training routine had its fair share of hard lessons.
Monday: Yunchang attempted to bench press a small log, but lacking the strength and proper technique, it ended up crashing down onto his face. Resigning to something simpler, he focused on bodyweight push-ups and managed a solid 100 reps in total.
Tuesday: He tried climbing a tree, grabbed a sturdy branch, and performed bodyweight pull-ups, hoping the branch wouldn’t snap. Surprisingly, he did well, completing several sets. After more than ten years of fending for himself since leaving home, he’d developed a decent level of upper body strength even before joining the army a week ago.
Wednesday: Learning from Monday’s mishap, he opted for a smaller log, using it for squats, lunges, and deadlifts. These felt manageable, and Yunchang realized he had more strength than he’d thought.
Thursday: Reality struck. His legs were so sore he could barely walk, let alone train in swordsmanship and agility as planned. His friends helped him avoid being late, as it would be embarrassing if the General were the last to arrive. While the men trained, he sat nearby, calling out commands from a list his superiors had provided. He added his own note to the page: “Never overtrain legs and never do cardio the day after leg day ever again.”
Friday and Saturday: Yunchang discovered that pairing swordsmanship with his push-and-pull training worked better. By leaving a few reps in the tank rather than pushing to failure, he could still swing his sword effectively, even after a tough workout.
In the second week, Yunchang noticed a sudden improvement in all his physical abilities. He could lift more weight, train for longer hours, move faster, strike more accurately and endure without tiring as quickly. He even borrowed chains from the army’s inventory to secure logs to his body, adding extra resistance and making his pull-ups more challenging. Reflecting on his first victory a couple of weeks prior, he recalled how unprepared they had been. Kang had been slow on his feet, and he himself wasn’t much better. With only a few horses available, only the leaders rode, leaving his men to run on foot. If there was one detail that made his victory feel less honorable in hindsight, it was that.
By the third week, Yunchang’s training had become rather dull and repetitive. He was improving, of course, but he felt a creeping boredom with the routine. Still, he pushed through, giving every session his all. At first, it was motivation that made him go, but now it was discipline that kept him going.
On the Monday of the fourth week, Yunchang decided to try something more advanced. Closing his eyes, he visualized the positions of nearby branches and threw his Steel Blade in a twisting arc that sliced through all of them in its path. The sword clattered to the ground, and he suddenly heard the sound of applause behind him. Turning around, he saw Han Yin watching him.
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“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“And what are you doing here?”
“I’m here to train.”
“Train, you say? What have you learned so far?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“Well, for one, I’m the Commander-in-chief. And two, you owe me, remember? So if I say something, you do it, no but.”
Yunchang wasn’t happy, but arguing with her would only waste his precious time and energy. He silently picked up his sword.
“Training alone like this, how do you expect to improve?”
“Earlier, I thought that I would just waste everyone’s time sparring with them since I wasn’t skilled enough. However, right now, you could say that there’s no one in the battalion skilled enough to spar with me.”
“A fast learner, are you? Then why don’t you train with someone more skilled?”
“Who?”
“Me.”
Han Yin drew her own sword. It had a black hilt and a blade scarred with numerous nicks and scratches. Yunchang squinted, suspecting she was putting on a show rather than showing real skill.
“You? I’m not fighting you.”
“Oh? Too afraid to hit a girl? For your information, I’ve killed foes who were way out of your league. I didn’t get where I am just by just being pretty you know”
Han Yin said this while casually stroking her blade, smirking slightly, causing Yunchang to break into a cold sweat.
“Alright, if you say so. You may be stronger than me, but that doesn’t mean I’m scared of you. Quite the opposite.”
“That’s the problem. You should be.”
Yunchang raised his sword, preparing for battle. Han Yin, however, stood relaxed, idly twirling her sword as if taunting him, which only fueled Yunchang’s frustration. He launched an aggressive series of strikes—first to the left, then to the right—but she blocked each one effortlessly.
“You’re too slow.”
Suddenly, a gust of wind brushed his face. Yunchang looked around and realized she’d vanished, which startled him for a moment. Regaining his composure, he closed his eyes and focused on the breeze. Sensing a powerful gust approaching, he raised his sword in defense and clashed with hers, catching her off guard. He retaliated with three swift strikes, slightly overwhelming her. But as soon as she steadied herself, she blocked his moves with ease, eventually using a technique that disarmed him, sending his sword flying to the ground.
“You’ve lost”
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to win, but at least I didn’t embarrass myself.”
Intrigued by his attitude, Han Yin thought, This guy—I'm clearly outclassing him, but he’s not the least bit angry. Why is he so unaffected by defeat?
“Pick up your sword. I’ll keep at this until you’re properly humbled.”
“Fine by me.”
And so, they continued sparring, from nine in the morning until two in the afternoon. During that time, Yunchang was thoroughly outmatched and struggled to keep up. His defensive techniques were poor, making it easy for her to dominate. However, every time she let her guard down, he would instinctively target her weak spots, forcing her into challenging counters. Though he never stood a chance against her, she couldn’t help but notice his vast potential—it was almost on par with someone else she knew.
“I’m done. Haven’t had lunch yet, anyway. Let’s call it a day.”
“Fine. Same time tomorrow?”
“We’ll see. If I feel like it, sure.”
“Sometimes I feel like you’re my boss instead of the other way around. And just so you know, if you keep acting so stubborn, no woman will ever marry you.”
“Perfect then. Getting involved with a woman like you sounds worse than begging on the streets of Shanghai, and trust me I’ve done one of them.”
Han Yin scoffed, then vanished into the forest with a leap. Yunchang just shrugged, then headed back to camp.