Watching A Protagonist "Train"
The maid was quick, and within minutes, she returned with Xue Bai's order.
While he ate, Xue Bai also got some weird gazes from the many Huo Clan members, but since most of them had seen him yesterday, none of them said anything.
This disappointed Xue Bai slightly, as he wanted to speak with some of the Huo Clan members, but it didn't bother him much.
There would be more chances to converse with them another time. So with a shrug, Xue Bai ignored their gazes and ate peacefully.
After finishing his breakfast, Xue Bai realized that he had nothing to do.
So with nothing on his schedule, he decided to go back to spectate Huo Long's training.
Currently, the two were acquaintances at most, so he thought that he should at least be near him to bring them closer.
After all, closeness breeds familiarity.
Leaving the cafeteria, Xue Bai made his way back to Huo Long's courtyard. And though he didn't know his way around the Huo Clan mansion, Huo Long's screams made a great guide.
And after following the screams for a few miles, Xue Bai returned to the courtyard again.
Calmly opening the door, Xue Bai once again entered the courtyard.
And like only a few hours ago, Xue Bai saw the same scene from earlier. Huo Long cowardly takes a blow from Huo Chen, then flies backward comically and screams out in pain.
It was a cookie-cutter process, with Huo Long constantly on the back foot, but once Xue Bai looked at it closely realized that not everything was the same. This time, Huo Long was doing noticeably better than before.
Earlier, Huo Long couldn't even dodge a single one of Huo Chen's spear strikes and would be sent back every exchange. It was miserable for Huo Long.
But now, while not many, every 2 or 3 exchanges, Huo Long would be able to dodge a strike from Huo Chen. Sometimes he would even manage to block some of Huo Chen's spear strikes.
Of course, the reason why Huo Long was even able to stand up to his uncle was that Huo Chen had completely suppressed his cultivation base.
Currently, the two were fighting using only spear skills, so it wasn't right for Huo Chen to use his Spiritual Qi as an advantage, especially since Huo Long didn't have any Spiritual Qi of his own.
So to practice Huo Long's skills, he had suppressed his cultivation base to the point where he wasn't very different than a mortal. And with Huo Long's talent, any man with eyes would be able to see Huo Long visibly improve.
Seeing this, Xue Bai couldn't help but let out a whistle of admiration.
"You consented to this?" Xue Bai asked Huo Ming as he walked over to him.
The man was still sitting on the reclining chair, but now his jug of wine was noticeably emptier than before.
And because of that, he had let down his guard and didn't notice Xue Bai's entrance.
So when he suddenly heard Xue Bai behind him, Huo Ming let out a startled cry.
Thankfully he was experienced and managed to quickly formulate a response.
"Xiao Long is talented, but our situation won't allow him to grow peacefully. So I will train him as hard as I can so he can face them head-on when he grows up. A drop of sweat during training is better than a drop of blood in battle." Huo Ming seriously said as he flushed the alcohol out of his system.
He had already embarrassed himself once. Getting drunk would only make him appear worse.
Xue Bai heard his words and nodded approvingly. Though what Huo Ming said was somewhat radical, Xue Bai still agreed with them.
Huo Long was a calamity attracter, and as his backing, the Huo Clan was the center of trouble.
In the game, besides the two Marquis families who were targeting the Huo Clan and wanted nothing more than to exterminate them, Huo Long would eventually anger the Duke clan that backed them.
This would then expose a massive Empire-wide conspiracy and dive the Southern Continent into a large-scale war, but that was far into the future.
For now, Huo Long hadn't even awakened his Martial Veins.
So Huo Ming throwing his son into spartan training at ten was the right choice.
Naturally, though, it wouldn't matter in the end. However, Xue Bai wouldn't say anything about the future of the timeline. So he merely grabbed a nearby chair and sat on it.
Then placing his chin in his palms, Xue Bai continued to watch the spar alongside Huo Ming with interest.
From what Xue Bai could see from the spar, though Huo Long's plot hadn't started yet, his talents were still here. And he was absorbing skills like a sponge from Huo Chen.
In the game, Huo Long's rise came from Feng Huang, his master, helping him restore his Martial Veins.
Through the method she used, Huo Long was able to not only heal his crippled Martial Veins but also advance them all the way to the low Heaven–grade.
Plus, when you add the martial and alchemy teaching from Feng Huang, who was once a cultivator in the late realms of the God Great Realm, his rise was inevitable.
However, something that Feng Huang always praised him for was his combat talent and his tenacity.
Huo Long could absorb skills mid-fight and adapt to what he was fighting against.
This was also the reason why Huo Long was known as a pain to fight in the game. He was able to not only evolve mid-battle, but he would get stronger during the fight as well.
How could anyone rationally deal with such an anomaly?
It was annoying and the reason why most people chose to befriend Huo Long rather than go against him.
And that's what he was currently doing against Huo Chen. When Xue Bai first walked in, Huo Long was only able to dodge 1 in every 2 or 3 attacks, but now in the short time of Xue Bai's conversation with Huo Ming, Huo Long was able to dodge half of Huo Chen's strikes.
Moreover, while he hadn't counterattacked yet, it wouldn't take long from what Xue Bai was seeing.
And seemingly being able to see that as well, Huo Chen stopped the duel.
"Nephew, you've done well for the first day. I have two things to say now. What would you like to hear first? Your good aspects or the bad." Huo Chen asked as he thrust his spear into the dirt.
After getting a break, Huo Long fell to the ground, exhausted. Then without care for his image, he started talking in deep breaths of air like he was a dog out in the sun.
Eventually, Huo Long regained some energy and got enough energy to respond.
"The bad Uncle Chen. I don't feel like I did very well enough to hear my good side. I didn't even get to launch an attack." Huo Long answered after a moment of thinking.
Huo Chen nodded at Huo Long's choice approvingly.
'Even though he's monstrously talented, he's still humble and wants to improve. So it seems that Huo Ming wasn't lying.'
Then with a calm expression, he explained Huo Long's bad aspects.
"You pay too much attention. Though it might be one of your talents, it can sometimes hurt you more than help you. You can see everything so clearly, that when I move my arm, you'll react before I even fully make a move. This can be advantageous if you manage to dodge an attack. But if I'm doing a feint, you'll be a sitting duck for my next attack." Huo Chen explained.
It was definitely a good tip, and Xue Bai would've also agreed with it if it were for any other person. However, to Huo Long, not only was it wrong, but it was also harmful.
As Huo Long became stronger, so would his dynamic vision. Eventually, his dynamic vision would evolve so much that not only would he even see through feints, but he would also be able to see through the flaws in a martial technique.
If Huo Long listened to this advice, it would cut off so much of his future potential.
Huo Long, of course, was ignorant of his future, so he just nodded simplicity and noted down the advice.
"Since you didn't think you deserved the good advice, I will not tell you today. When you think you deserve it, I will tell you then." After saying this, Huo Chen then picked up his spear and left the courtyard.
And though he left the courtyard elegantly, his mind was in chaos.
'That kid isn't just talented. He's a fucking monster! He grew like a weed in the spring. In the beginning, he couldn't even see my swing, but in the end, he could almost counterattack!'
Huo Chen, at this point, thought that his cousin underplayed Huo Long's talents just to embarrass him. This wasn't the first time his cousin had done something like this, and each time Huo Chen would stupidly fall for it each time.
And this time was the last straw. So, annoyed, he vowed to get back at his cousin before he left the Huo Clan.
After Huo Chen left, Xue Bai got up from his seat and walked over to Huo Long.
"Why do you use the spear? Your father used a sword, and swords are cooler too." Curiously asked.
Xue Bai was always curious why Huo Long used a spear. And since now was a perfect time to ask, he did.
Huo Long, not expecting such a simple question from Xue Bai, was dumbstruck and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
But after seeing an angry face from his father, he quickly composed himself.
"A spear is the true weapon for a general! And wish to make my family a Duke one day, and to accomplish that, becoming a general is the quickest way." Huo Long replied.
Xue Bai found the reason simple but also right. Using a spear would automatically give someone an advantage over your opponent if they were using a sword.
And since the sword was the most common weapon in the Baishen Plane, using a spear would give a cultivator an automatic advantage against most enemies without even seeing them.
However, instead of nodding blankly and leaving, Xue Bai continued to ask questions.
"But if Commander Huo hadn't decided to teach you, you'd have to learn the spear yourself. If you used the sword, your father could teach you anytime you wanted." Xue Bai counterargued.
Huo Long's confidence swayed for a moment after he heard Xue Bai's argument, but this only lasted for a second before he eventually regained it.
"Even so, I wish to use the spear!" Huo Long responded firmly,
A spear was the true weapon of a general!
Seeing that firm look reminded Xue Bai of Huo Long's many fan-favorite scenes in the game.
Personally speaking, Huo Long was his second favorite of the five protagonists. And seeing him up close gave Xue Bai a surreal feeling.
He had spent thousands of hours playing "Children of The Plane," and each of the protagonists gave him a special feeling. And the feeling Huo Long gave him was hope.
Huo Long had the harshest life of the five. While the rest of the protagonists were looked down upon at one point or had rough beginnings, they didn't spend their lives on the edge of a blade and had relatively smooth growth periods.
However, Huo Long was stuck as a cripple for a whole year and a half while he could only watch in anger as his enemies constantly attacked his family.
And yet even throughout all of that, he preserved and cultivated under his Master. Under all the threats that surrounded his family, under the worsening living conditions, and under the disdainful eyes of the entire Empire, Huo Long still powered through it all and ended up winning.
Sure, all of this might've only happened because of his plot armor or luck, but no matter what, Huo Long was a true man.
And the sheer tenacity and drive that he possessed were something to admire.
Anytime Xue Bai watched Huo Long, he gained hope. Hope that made him want to beat his ALS, hope that made him want to live longer, hope to truly live the life his parents wanted for him.
So once Xue Bai saw the man responsible for giving his miserable life a light to walk toward, he couldn't help but become slightly emotional.
On the other hand, while Xue Bai was on the verge of tearing up, Huo Long was confused.
The Young Duke asked him two odd questions and then went silent. And just as he was about to say something, the Young Duke suddenly gained a melancholy look on his face as if he had faced endless sadness.
'Did I say the wrong answer? Why does he look so sad?'
In his state of confusion, Huo Long had thought of dozens of questions, but he didn't dare ask any of them and only waited for Xue Bai to finish thinking.
Thankfully Xue Bai eventually came back to his senses.
"Oh, my bad, I was lost in thought." Xue Bai awkwardly said, "Well, anyway, it's your path to take. Who am I to make you change your ways? If you truly like the spear, you'll have to continue to use it forever. It's a hard weapon to use, Huo Long."
Then finished with what he wanted to say, Xue Bai gave the boy a pat on the shoulder before turning and leaving the courtyard.
However, just before he stepped out of the courtyard, Xue Bai remembered something and looked back at Huo Long.
"If you think the training with Commander Huo is good enough, you can follow us back to the Dukedom. It'll be great for your growth."
After finishing his sentence, Xue Bai left, leaving behind the shocked Father and Son.
'Step 1 complete! Now we just have to become closer friends.'
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