"This is incredibly cool, I want to try it now."

"Wait a moment. First learn how to throw a spear properly before you use your sigils."

Cenn gathered all the training spears he could find on the grounds and began throwing them at the bags, starting at a distance of 15 feet and gradually moving farther and farther away. Hog helped him learn the throwing technique and watched him practice.

After an hour and nearly a hundred throws, Cenn's right arm fell off. But now every throw he made from forty feet away hit the target.

"That is enough. Now use the Sigil. But first find the balance point of the spear."

Cenn carefully placed the spear on the edge of his palm, as his mentor had shown him before. When he finally found the point, he used the sigil.

"Wind Enchant!"

The qi in his body swirled, channeled through his hand and into the spear. It took him a few seconds to channel the energy into the desired point. Finally, it was ready.

A grip.

A swing.

A throw.

The spear flew out of his hands, but at the last moment he couldn't activate the sigil.

The spear slammed into the bag, and the impact triggered the sigil.

A powerful gust of wind blew from the spear towards the bag, ripping it out of the bag and flying towards Cenn. When the spear failed to reach the boy five feet away, it fell to the ground.

"Eh, this is harder than it looked."

Cenn looked frustratedly at his mentor, waiting for a clue from him.

"You were hoping to activate the sigil at the last moment before throwing it?"

"Yes."

Cenn scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Even I would have trouble doing that, let alone a brat like you. Try it the other way around. Activate the sigil before you throw the spear. But use your qi to hold it back. Then the sigil will activate the moment you release the spear."

"Wow, that's ingenious. How did you think of that?"

The fat man burst into good-natured laughter.

"Ahahhh, dummy, you overestimate my abilities. This technique has been used in the military for centuries. And I learned it when I was a soldier myself."

The fat man picked up one of the training spears from the ground and threw it to the boy.

"Try again."

Cenn caught the spear and immediately looked for its balance point.

After that, he used the Sigil of Wind. This time, it was much easier to focus the power of the sigil on the right spot.

Just as the Fatty had taught him, Cenn activated the Sigil, but with the qi remaining in his body, he prevented the Sigil from releasing its power.

A sweep.

Throw.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

As the spear flew out of his hand, a powerful gust of wind picked it up and carried it towards the sandbags. With tremendous speed, the spear pierced them and fell through, flying a few more feet.

"I did it! I did it! Woohoo!"

Cenn jumped into the air several times for joy. After he calmed down a bit, he ran over to the yearling.

"Thanks Uncle Hog, this is the coolest move I know. I can't wait to use it in battle."

"Hey, don't do that, boy. If you kill someone in this damn tournament, I'm not going to stir up your shit."

The smile fell from Cenn's face.

"Shit, I didn't think about that. Sorry uncle, I'm not going to kill anyone, it's just that move would look really cool in the arena."

"I understand, you're itching to show off in front of the whole town. But you better not use that move unnecessarily."

"Okay."

Cenn was upset that he wouldn't be able to use the new move in the tournament. But Hog's argument was convincing. The last thing Cenn wanted was to accidentally kill someone.

"When the rain cycle is over, I'll go hunting in the northern plains; if you want, I'll talk to Velin about letting you come with me. You'll have plenty of opportunities to practice throwing there."

"Are you serious? Of course I want to. I'm so tired of sitting around the manor all day."

Cenn was excited about the idea of going hunting. It had been one of his wishes for a long time.

"I know you're lonely here, but Velin is too worried about you, so he keeps you by his side."

"Hey, I'm not a child anymore. I'm a cultivator with two seals, and I can kick any bandit's ass."

"Huh. For your age, you're not bad at fighting. But it's not the bandits he's afraid of. It's that you're too trusting and innocent. There are things in this world that are much scarier than wild beasts and bandits, believe me".

"I'm not stupid, Uncle Hog. Don't think any man can fool me. But if I stay in the manor, I'll soon go mad. So please take me hunting with you."

"Okay, I promise I'll talk to Velin about it when the time comes. But on one condition. You have to win the next battle. Deal?"

"Hey, isn't that too hard a condition? What if I get an opponent who's too strong?"

"Not my problem. Agree or not, it's up to you." The fat man smiled mischievously.

"All right, it's a deal. I'll do what I can, but don't forget your promise."

"I won't forget, don't worry. And since you've already used up all your qi, we can finish today's training."

"I agree, a few more throws and my arm will fall off."

"I hope you can recover in time for tomorrow's match. It would be a shame if you lose because we overdid it with today's practice."

"Don't worry, I'll be as good as new tomorrow."

"I'm sure you will. But you'll need a proper meal to regain your strength. I'll take the equipment to the barn. You go to the kitchen and get something to eat. And get some pickled plums and a pot of wine for me."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

Cenn took a quick step toward the manor's main kitchen. It was a separate building that also served as a storehouse and a pickle workshop.

After a few minutes he reached the building. Surprisingly, there were no lights on and the doors were closed. Walking up to the main passage, Cenn knocked a few times. He heard a noise behind the door and soon it opened.

A middle-aged woman with an oil lamp in her hand looked at Cenn unhappily. It was the warehouse manager Miss Copen.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Good evening, Manager Copen. I wanted to take some food, a pot of wine and pickled plums."

"Isn't that too much to ask, boy? Anyway, the kitchen is out of order now, so I have nothing to give you. Come back in the morning."

The woman tried to close the door, but Cenn grabbed the handle and stopped her.

"But Uncle Hog sent me. The wine and the plums are for him. He'll be angry if I come back empty-handed."

Miss Copen hesitated for a moment. But suddenly it was as if she had been splashed with cold water. And she screamed.

"You little bastard, you think I'm a fool! Hiding behind the name of Master Dovor?! Just admit that you were sent by that old crook Innodeus?"

Cenn was confused by such statement. He tried to excuse himself from such foolish accusations.

"I am telling the truth. Uncle was helping me prepare for tomorrow's battle, so we skipped dinner."

But his answer only made her angrier.

"Silence! Do you think I don't know that the entire family and servants are celebrating the young master's victory at the Orist family's mansion right now? I'm sure Master Dovor is there as well. Only a trash like you and a stinking old man would not be invited to a family celebration."

With that she slammed the door in front of Cenn.