Zach was now 9 years old and his dad deciced that he was old enough to start his body cultivation. In those 7 years Zach got himself friends, a boy Arnold and a girl Jess, it was as new for him as the fact he had parents so he was very happy.
Zach had pitch black hair, deep green eyes with a tint of fluorescence almost imperceptible, Arnold had curly blonde hair, blue eyes, a pale skin and was a bit shorter than Zach as for Jess she had silver wavy hair, charming brown eyes and a beatiful fair skin.
They played together everyday, they would play hide and seek and speak to each other about things and others. Zach was a bit bored by their conversation as he already knew a lot of thing and with his 2 lives he already lived 37 years but he enjoyed spending time with his two friends.
They eventually decided to start cultivating all together. They dreamed to be at the apex of the world and roaming it unrestrained, without any bond, they dreamed to be the 3 most powerful cultivator of Hestis.
Ultimately they agreed that they will be trained by each father one week after another until they learnt all of what they could.
Arnold's father was the strongest of them, he was a low grade hero and worked as an instructor for the kingdom's elite soldiers, then it was Zach's father and finally Jess' father who was a low grade captain. They had agreeded on what each will teach them.
Arnold's father would teach them about weapon mastery as he had great experience with numerous weapon and mastered a few of them, Aldrich would teach them how to hone their body the most efficiently and finally Jess' father would impart them reflexes and body control with an intense training in which he would fight against them nonstop.
They would start their training the day after tomorrow and they will start with Arnold's father training. They were very impatient and shivered in excitement to embark on the road of cultivation.
"It's my dad that will start our training, he mastered the sword, saber and battle axe, do you know what weapon you will try tomorrow ?" Arnold asked them
"I think I will start with the bow" Jess answered him after she pondered on what weapon she wanted to start training with.
"I will go on with the scythe, and for you Arnold what weapon will you try ?" Zach replied, he thought that with the destiny of being death itself the scythe might be the weapon that was the most adapted for him. He never try to wield any weapon so he was like a blank sheet, he didn't have any preference.
"I will go on with twin short swords, but Zach the scythe ? It's very unusual, are you sure you want to learn how to master this weapon ?" Arnold exclaimed as he was very surprised and found Zach's decision a bit odd, Jess nodded her head finding Zach's choice strange too.
"Don't worry, I think it's the right choice, with it I will be able to surprise my enemies" He reassured him. He was indeed rigth it was the best choice but he didn't know it yet.
"If you say so, I will trust you." Arnold said with a tinge of doubt and worry still apparent in his eyes.
Like that they continued to play and talk to each other until their training started. Eventually the day came and they gathered at Arnold's house early in the morning.
"Okay kids go pick your weapon." Arnold's father said, it was obviously wooden weapons because they were beginner and kids, as for Jess's bow it was a true but the tip of the arrows were replaced by a cotton ball. But even if they were made of wood, some heavy wood was used in some part to be the most true to real ones.
"An interresting and uncommun choice ..." Arnold's father mumbled when he saw Zach pick a scythe.
"Take 10 minutes to familarize yourselves with your weapon, after that all of you shall go against me and do your utmost to hit me with your weapon." He explained calmly.
At first Zach was destabilized in wielding the scythe but after 10 minutes he got along its length and balance but he had still some trouble with the weapon itself and not with its use, in its use he didn't have any experience and was a total newbie. Arnold's father was not yet sure of what level of talent Zach displayed in wielding the scythe, he could get make a better judgement after their spar.
After 10 minutes Jess was at ease with her bow, in fact she was a real genius, after only 10 minutes she already hit the bull eyes with every arrow she shot, this stunned Arnold's father because he knew that it was a talent only seen once in a century.
As for Arnold, in fact, he was already at ease with his twin short swords because his father had already initiated him to them 2 years ago, a decision that his mother took furiously and blamed heavily her husband.
She was against her husband's decision because even if strength was something mandatory she wanted her little boy to be away from the world of cultivator for as much time as it was possible.
He was a talented boy in the twin short swords handling but his father knew that he was only a bit above average.
"Come here kids, time's up, I will wield a wooden sword, your goal is to hit me with your weapon, keep in head that I will replicate, so beware because my hit shall inflict you some light to medium pain." Arnold's father announced.
They nodded their head, they had made a strategy about this spar, they were ready even if they doubted about their success.
"Let's go" exclaimed Arnold's father.
At the moment they heard him say that Jess, Arnold and Zach positioned themselves ; Jess placed herself at the rear and started to shoot on Arnold's father, while she shot him Zach and Arnold went on one side each. Arnold slashed at the left side of his father while Zach slashed at his right leg.
Arnold's father took a step back and dodged his son's slash, he jumped in the air parried the arrow with his wooden sword, while he was in the air he grabbed Zach's scythe and pulled him and gave him a heavy blow, so heavy that Zach fell down and fainted.
He then disarmed his son and swept him down, Arnold was in so much pain that he could not get up. Arnold's father finally dashed before Jess, as she was putting another arrow in her bow, and put his wooden sword against her throat.
They were defeated, it only took about 5 seconds to Arnlod's father to destoy each of them. They could see that he didn't try very hard to beat them like that and they were a bit depressed about that.
"Your formation was a good attempt to hit me but you haven't mastered enough your weapon to hope succeeding." Arnold's father said while looking down at Arnold and Zach who were lying on the ground unconscious for one and writhing in pain for the other.
For the whole week day after day they sparred against Arnold's father and day after day the got beaten into a pulp.
Even if day after day thanks to his advice they got better and better and at the end of the week their improvements was obvious to Arnold's father.