The next day, training resumed with a new sense of urgency. Lianhua gathered the trainees, her expression serious. "Today, we face our first challenge," she announced, pacing before them like a general preparing her troops.
"What kind of challenge?" Alex asked, his heart racing. "Is it a bake-off? Because I'm in!"
Lianhua shook her head, a small smile breaking her stoic demeanor. "No bake-offs today, but a test of your skills. We will be practicing against the training dummies."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Training dummies? Are we just going to punch and kick them? Sounds easy enough!"
"They may look easy, but they are tougher than you think," Lianhua replied. "They are enchanted to fight back, and you must learn to anticipate their moves."
"Great! Now the dummies are going to fight back? What's next, an evil cake?" Alex joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Lianhua's smile faded slightly. "Focus, Alex. Remember, you're here to learn."
As the trainees lined up before the dummies, Alex felt a mix of excitement and dread. He squared off against a particularly menacing-looking dummy, which had a smirk painted on its wooden face.
"Alright, you overgrown toothpick, let's do this!" he shouted, feeling a rush of bravado.
He lunged forward, swinging his sword wildly. To his surprise, the dummy responded by swinging its arm, knocking Alex off balance.
"Whoa! Hey! Not cool!" he yelled, barely managing to stay upright.
The other trainees snickered, and Alex couldn't help but join in their laughter. He straightened, shaking off the embarrassment. "Okay, let's try that again."
This time, he focused on Lianhua's teachings, channeling his Qi—whatever that meant—and moving with more intention. As he approached the dummy again, he feigned a left jab and then quickly pivoted, landing a solid hit on the right side.
"Ha! Take that, you wooden menace!" he cheered, feeling a surge of confidence.
But the dummy, in retaliation, swung its arm once more, this time catching him in the ribs and sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Okay, I guess I deserved that," he muttered, groaning as he picked himself up. The laughter from his peers was mixed with encouragement, and Alex felt a camaraderie beginning to form among them.
"Get back up, Alex!" Wei shouted from a distance, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "You can't let a dummy win!"
"Thanks for the support, Wei!" Alex replied, rolling his eyes but smiling despite himself.
Determined, Alex charged the dummy again, this time focusing on his balance and the rhythm of his movements. He dodged the incoming strikes and landed a series of hits that made the dummy wobble, as if it were struggling to stay upright.
"There you go! That's the spirit!" Lianhua called out, her eyes shining with approval.
After a grueling session of hits and misses, Alex finally landed a solid blow that sent the dummy crashing to the ground with a satisfying thud. The other trainees erupted into cheers, and Alex couldn't help but bask in the moment.
"Not bad for a cookie-loving newbie!" Wei called, clapping him on the back.
"Hey, maybe I'm cut out for this after all!" Alex beamed, feeling a rush of pride.
As the sun set on another day of training, Alex realized he was starting to feel at home in this new world. The fears and doubts that had plagued him upon arrival began to dissipate, replaced by a sense of purpose and adventure.
And as he headed back to the makeshift camp for the evening, he couldn't shake the feeling that this journey would be far more than just a quest for cookies. He was beginning to find his place, and who knew what lay ahead in the Kingdom of Huanshan?