Cold winds cut through the training field as morning dawned, and his skin stung with the chill. His sore and blistered fingers quivered a little as he gripped the staff, but his body screamed for rest, and he found a determination stronger than the pain.
From the edge of the field, Gerald leaned against a post with his arms crossed, and his voice was sharp. "You have one more chance today, Bai. If you're going to fail, at least make it interesting."
"Fail? Not going to happen," Bai Cheng said quietly, but he still had doubts. He walked toward the practice dummy, and the broken pieces from past failures were still scattered on the ground.
This time, however, he did not rush to move. Bai Cheng stuck his staff to the ground and shut his eyes. He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air and continued thinking of Mei Feng's words to him:
"It isn't in strength. But in precision. Just feel the rhythm. Then, let it flow for you."
He adjusted his grip a little and felt the staff feel lighter and easier to carry. When Bai Cheng opened his eyes, he saw the weak point of the dummy, the elbow joint of the stiff frame. "All right," he whispered to himself, his heart racing. Stop overthinking. Just move." He moved forward in one smooth motion, sliding his feet over the ground so softly, silently. His staff shot forward, not by raw strength but with intent.
CRACK!
The elbow joint split apart easily, and the dummy's arm fell with a metallic sound. Bai Cheng froze for a moment as he watched what happened. "Yes!" His happy shout went across the field, and he couldn't help but pump his fist.
Gerald stepped over, clapping slowly, a look of feigned approval on his face. "Well, look at you. It took you long enough to think better. But don't celebrate yet. Hitting one still dummy won't help you in the exams."
Bai Cheng smiled slyly, spinning the staff gently. "Let me guess. Do you have something harder?
"You're getting it." Gerald pointed to another part of the field. Three advanced dummies were there, their arms and legs already moving in steady patterns. "Meet your new friends. These fight back."
The Final Test
Bai Cheng watched the dummies warily as they seemed to spring to life, swinging mechanical limbs with an unsettling kind of precision. Behind him Gerald's voice boomed, "Now here's the plan. Hit their joints before they hit you. And don't cry over it if you leave in a few bruised parts."
The first dummy lunged forward, its arm sweeping for Bai Cheng's head. He ducked low; the wind from the blow rustled his hair. Twisting his grip, Bai Cheng swung upward in a controlled arc for the wrist joint.
CRACK!
The first dummy's arm dangled limply.
But there was no time to gloat. The second dummy was closing in, and its attacks were quicker and less predictable. Bai Cheng blocked many strikes, each hit of his staff against metal sounding like a war drum.
"Think smarter, Bai!" Gerald shouted. "They are faster than you—are using their speed!"
Bai Cheng parried another attack and glanced lightning-fast toward the knees. He caught that slight lag as the dummy was switching the weight for the strike.
"There!"
Giving the illusion of falling, Bai Cheng stepped aside for the dummy to overextend. In the little opening, he pierced the knee joint with the precision of a surgeon. The leg buckled and brought the dummy crashing down onto the floor.
"Two down!" Bai Cheng panted, sweat dripping from his forehead. The last dummy moved forward, its movements somehow in sync, the hits endless. Bai Cheng turned and moved, barely evading each hit. His mind was racing for an opening. Then he had an idea.
Bai Cheng stood his staff to his back and vaulted the dummy's spread arms. Falling, he kicked a small piece of wood, loose on a broken dummy, into the path. That would slow them down just a little - enough for Bai Cheng to step forward and slam his staff into the shoulder joint of the dummy.
It let out a spitting sound before going quiet again.
Lessons in Victory
Gerald approached, applauding slowly, with an odd look of approval. "Not bad. You have a little strategist in you after all."
Bai Cheng smiled, though he was exhausted. His chest heaved. "Guess I'm not just a dumb brute, huh?
Don't let it make you arrogant," Gerald warned, the smile fading from his lips. "This technique is not about fancy moves or smart tricks. In a real fight, being unsure will get you killed. If you break someone's bones, you need to be ready for what happens next."
Bai Cheng's expression turned serious as he tightened his grip on the staff. "I'll use it when it matters. Nothing less."
A far, muffled thunder echoed as the dark sky rained. With their body throbbing from the wetting of his body by the raindrops, Bai Cheng stood upright and felt in himself the sweetness of victory.
For the first time, he didn't feel like the cursed outsider. He felt like a warrior in the making. And as he glanced at the field littered with broken dummies, a spark of determination ignited in his eyes.
"Ready for round two tomorrow?" Bai Cheng asked, glancing at Gerald with a grin.
Gerald chuckled. "You've got guts, kid. Let's see if you've got the skill to match."