I woke up early in the morning, excited and nervous at the same time. Today was the day I would start my sword training with Captain Zhou. I quickly got dressed and made my way to the training grounds. The sun was just beginning to rise, and the air was cool and fresh. As I walked, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and purpose. I was finally going to learn how to defend myself and f*ck those two.

When I arrived, Captain Zhou was already there, waiting for me. He greeted me with a nod and handed me a wooden sword. "Today we will start with the basics," he said. "We will focus on footwork and stance."

I nodded, trying to hide my excitement. I had never held a sword for fighting before, but I was eager to learn.

Captain Zhou began by showing me the proper stance. He demonstrated how to hold the sword, how to position my feet, and how to move my body. He made it look effortless, but when I tried to copy him, I stumbled and felt awkward.

"Don't worry," he said, "it takes time and practice to get it right."

After hours of footwork and stance practice, we moved on to the sword techniques. Captain Zhou demonstrated different strikes and blocks, and I practiced them over and over again. My arms felt heavy, and my body was starting to ache, but I kept going. I was determined to learn as much as I could.

As we continued, I started to feel more confident. My strikes became more fluid, and my blocks became more natural. Captain Zhou noticed my progress and gave me a nod of approval.

"You're doing well," he said. "But you still have a long way to go before reaching the Rock Breaking Stage".

"Rock Breaking Stage?" I asked.

"You don't know what Martial Art Stages are?" he asked.

"No" I'm just a traveler, I've never learned martial arts. If I knew martial arts, do I still need to be afraid of those two warriors? Obviously not.

"Are you a child? Even a 10 years old kid knows this... How are you still alive?" he wondered while looking at me with a shocked expression.

"Well.." I scratched my bald head and said "I travelled the world since I was a child and rob- I mean, got help from a lot of people along my way and hidi- working so I've never really been exposed to knowledge regarding martial arts."

Captain Zhou seemed to be thinking for a moment and sighed. "Sigh, I understand. You must've a pretty tough childhood. To travel the world since you were a child. How sad." He looked at me sympathetically and used his rather big hands to grab my shoulder as if to comfort me.

"Um?? Yeah. Yeah. I suffered a lot. Unimaginable suffering. As a child with no knowledge about the world. I've always been taken advantage of. Sometimes, due to my naivety, people always stole my belongings." I sighed looking at the sky with tears in my eyes. "Sometimes, forgiving the one who takes advantage of you is a reflection of your strength, not your weakness." I looked at Captain Zhou gently.

"Wonderful. Truly wonderful. To meet a kind and strong willed lad like you is a blessing from the heavens hahaha." Captain Zhou laughed.

"Anyway, what are we talking about again?" I asked.

"Oh, right. The martial art stages.."

Captain Zhou took a deep breath and continued. "The Martial Art Stages are a way of measuring a person's martial arts abilities. They consist of three main categories: Breaking Stages, Commanding Stages, and Ruling Stages. Each stage is stronger than the last."

I listened intently as Captain Zhou explained each stage.

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"The Breaking Stages are the first three stages," he said. "The Rock Breaking Stage, the Wall Breaking Stage, and the House Breaking Stage. These stages focus on the strength and power of a person's strikes. The Rock Breaking Stage allows a person to break rocks with their bare hands, the Wall Breaking Stage allows a person to break through walls, and the House Breaking Stage allows a person to destroy entire houses with their bare hands."

I gasped in amazement. How strong do you need to be to destroy rocks and houses?

Captain Zhou continued, "The Commanding Stages are the next three stages. They are the Village Commanding Stage, the Town Commanding Stage, and the City Commanding Stage. The people in later stages of Commanding Stages are considered as Evolved Species. It is because their bodies have been pushed to the limit and have been reconstructed which caused them to have the abilities to destroy a town or a city if they used all their strengths. Of course, no person will casually destroy towns and cities as the land is protected by the royalties. If someone destroyed their lands, it will be equivalent as offending them."

"And finally," he said, "the Ruling Stages. These are the final three stages: the Prince Stage, the King Stage, and the Emperor Stage. I don't know about their actual strengths but they are considered as demi-gods. Controlling elements at their will, using the stars to predict the future, and other mystical abilities that we can't even think of but one thing is for sure, they are strong, very strong." Captain Zhou said with longing in his eyes.

"Are there any higher stages?" I asked.

"I don't know. Maybe there is, maybe there is not." Captain Zhou shrugged. "All I know is that, it almost impossible to reach the Ruling Stages for common people like us. All we have to do is to try our best to reach our highest potential. Maybe someday, we will get as strong as them."

I nodded, knowing that this was just the beginning. There was so much more to learn, and I was eager to absorb everything. And if I get strong enough.. hehe I would finally be able to find the Anti-Hair Loss treasure of the legends.

"Captain Zhou, how strong are you then?" I inquired.

Captain Zhou smiled proudly and said "Village Commanding Stage. Pretty strong right?" he asked.

"Woah. Strong, really strong. Can you destroy walls?" I asked.

"Yeah"

"Houses?"

"Yeah"

"So are you a so-called Evolved Species?"

"No" he replied while shaking his head. "The reconstruction of body may only happen in Town Commanding Stage and above. I am not in that level yet."

"Anyway, let's stop this chit-chat and get back to training."

"Yes, sir!!!"

We continued for another 3 hours, and by the end of it, I was exhausted but exhilarated. I had learned so much in just one day, and I knew that I had a lot more to learn.

As we wrapped up the training, Captain Zhou said, "You did well today. Keep practicing and remember to focus on the basics. That's the foundation of all swordsmanship."

I thanked him and made my way back to my room. I felt like a new person, with a renewed sense of purpose and determination. To help those in need (which is mostly me) and to be a good person.

I woke up the next morning feeling more energized and motivated than ever before.

After a hearty breakfast, I made my way to the training grounds where Captain Zhou was waiting for me. He greeted me with a smile and we got straight to work. He showed me how to hold the sword correctly and how to move my feet in order to maintain balance and stability. We started with the most basic of moves - the piercing strike.

At first, I found it difficult to maintain the right posture while also making sure that my strike was strong and precise. However, Captain Zhou was patient and encouraging, and he kept correcting me until I got it right. Once I had mastered the piercing strike, we moved on to the swinging strike, which was a bit more complex. I struggled with it at first, but with practice and guidance, I started to get the hang of it.

Captain Zhou was an excellent teacher - he not only taught me the physical aspects of sword fighting but also the mental aspects. He taught me the importance of staying calm and focused, even in the heat of battle. He also taught me the value of perseverance and hard work. I felt like I was learning not just how to fight, but how to live a better life.

As the days went by, I could feel myself improving. My movements were becoming more fluid and my strikes were getting stronger. I was also becoming more confident in my abilities. Captain Zhou had been right - I did have a long way to go before reaching the Rock Breaking Stage, but I was getting closer with each passing day.

A week later, in Captain Zhou's training ground.

I stand there, a rock in front of me and Captain Zhou in my right side, his arms is crossed. This is a test. To determine if I reached the Rock Breaking Stage.

"Hit it" he said casually.

"HAH!!!" The sword struck the rock, creating a crack that slowly widened until the rock split apart.

I happily looked at Captain Zhou.

He smiled, then nodded.

"YOSHAAA Finally!!"

ROCK BREAKING STAGE

Lesson of the day: "A baby step means a walking adult. Such is the nature of life." by DaoMaster