The next morning, the blazing sun rose into the sky and illuminated the lands as far as the human eye could see. It pierced through the thick clouds and gleamed onto Sai’s encampment, waking them up from their deep slumber. Birds chirped in the cloud-filled sky and swooped down, perching themselves down on almost every tent other than Sai’s. This strange obscurity wasn’t noticed by anyone other than the person in question, Sai himself. However, such a sight could be considered a normal occurrence to him, so he simply shrugged it off.

Ever since he could remember, animals both large and small would steer clear from him. Whether it was due to fear or disgust, even Sai didn’t have the faintest of clues, but nonetheless, he had long been unfazed by this strange aspect. He walked over to a nearby bin and rinsed his mouth, face, and hair before adorning a basic looking hanfu robe. After this, he glanced at the busy soldiers picking up and packing the encampment.

It didn’t take long for the veterans to finish readying themselves and prop their bodies onto their warhorses. The camp utensils rested on top of the pack horses in the back while the cavalrymen led the group at the forefront. Sai and the young girl moved in between the pack horses and the warriors upfront, safely in the middle.

The maiden turned toward Sai with a strange look in her eyes; she had witnessed him playing with the flute last night and reassessed her judgment of him. In the Rahvin kingdom, no matter who it was, most of the citizens felt it strange for women to be on the battlefield. Her master had long taught her this fact, so after some thought, she gradually began to forgive Sai.

“My name Rui Xiu,” she said while turning toward Sai, “I may have over-exaggerated a little bit earlier, I apologize."

Sai scrutinized Rui Xiu, "I too was out of line. There are many fierce warriors and archers that happen to be women in history, so it is only right you are given a fair chance in battle as well, " he responded with a short and courteous apology.

Sai paused as he observed her cold facade, "would you allow me to refer to you as just Rui?" He asked with a sincere smile.

Rui froze for a moment before quickly regaining her calm. “Yes, that is fine as long as I can call you Sai.”

Sai nodded and reached into his satchel, pulling out one of his thicker books. “Then, as to commemorate our friendship, I will give you one of the books I have already finished.”

Rui hesitated for a single second before resolutely grabbing onto the book and stashing it inside of the satchel hanging from her white steed. She then thanked Sai and began trodding in the opposite direction of him. Let alone friends, she had barely any interaction with fellow peers, so she needed some time to digest this new “friendship”

On the other hand, Sai felt that a friendship held little to basically no meaning at all, so he didn’t care much for her distant attitude. Instead, he simply continued to follow the cavalrymen ahead of him. He wanted to get his coming-of-age ceremony over with as quickly as possible so that he could return to the estate.

As such, the group continued their travels without any hiccups on the road. They rested at night and moved during the day for a total of seven days until finally, the massive walls on the Gao border presented themselves. The walls appeared to be capable of toppling mountains and withstanding tsunamis, further accentuating the strength of The Great Rahvin. No enemies dared to underestimate the protectorates, not even the powerful Arabians and Abbasid Caliphate.

Sai and the group of cavalrymen immediately picked up their speed at the sight of the towering walls. They galloped down the stone-paved path and stopped at the extensive gate, where an innumerable amount of warriors lined up. Standing in front of the army was an exceedingly tall and armored man. His profound aura emanated from his body and caused the surroundings to tremble in its wake. Protectorate General Wang Fuu, one of the most powerful and ruthless great generals in the Central Plains.

The cavalrymen at Sai’s side all bowed down with the utmost of respect, including Sai himself. “Zhuge Sai pays his respects to Lord Protectorate General!”

Wang Fuu glanced at Sai and a hint of pity appeared in the depths of his eyes, only to disappear in the next second. He acknowledged the small groups courtesy and waved his sand, signaling for them to be at ease. “Welcome to the Gao border, we have been expecting you for some time,” he said, gesturing toward the left side of the gate, “there, a group of other scions have been waiting for your arrival.”

As Wang Fuu spoke to here, he scrutinized the lady behind Sai, “as for you, go join the other ladies in their “special” training,” he continued with a voice full of disdain.

Rui clenched her fists and nodded solemnly, quickly walking to the location where Wang Fuu had pointed toward. It was a group of fellow women cultivators, and judging by their expressions, they were both bitter and annoyed as well.

After she left, Wang Fuu led Sai to where his fellow peers were waiting for him. The young men were standing in a circle around a relatively dense bucket of weapons. Swords, spears, shields, and all other sorts of iron weapons were placed inside the bin. Wang Fuu clapped and clutched the bucket with his right hand, “the first part of your training is familiarizing yourself with a weapon of choice, choose wisely.”

The young men vigorously nodded their heads and promptly began to scour through the available weapons. Most prominent amongst this group was a young man of around seventeen. His silver-white hair fluttered about in the wind and garnered the attention of most everyone present. Such a rich and unique color couldn’t be seen anywhere in the Central Plains, let alone on the Gao border. But, after their initial shock, the energetic boys lost interest and focused on their selection.

Sai, on the other hand, was more interested in the silver-haired boy, it wasn’t every day that you met someone who shared an exotic hair color. His gaze lingered on the man’s angular facial structure and handsome features for a moment before returning back to the bucket full of weapons. He rubbed his hairless chin and squinted his eyes in contemplation, deliberating about which weapon to choose.

Other than inheritance and cultivation, Sai had never really thought much about his future path in life. Weapons, of all things, had never even crossed his mind before this ceremony, so even though he thought about it on his journey, he was still indecisive. The spear was effective for warfare and counter-attacking against cavalry, while the bow was excellent for Auxiliary and long-range support. In addition to these popular weapons, the shield was perfect for defensive fighters and the sword was the best choice for all-around soldiers.

Thinking to here, Sai stepped forward and grasped one of the swords at the very bottom of the bin. It was both longer and thinner than its counterparts, exuding a level of beauty that the other weapons simply could not compare to. The other young men couldn’t help but look at Sai in a new light as he selected this weapon — gazes of absolute ridicule. Everyone here knew that the longer the blade, the more brittle and easier to break.

Even Wang Fuu frowned at Sai’s weapon of choice, but for an entirely different reason than the ignorant fools in front of him. He nodded in approval at the sight of Sai’s lack of reaction to the ridicule, while also gratified at his selection. A sword did not make a man, it was the other way around. As long as you choose what felt right, you made the correct decision.

Clap! Wang Fuu slapped his hands together and called the group of five or so teens to stand in front of him. They varied greatly in both height and appearance, but they all held onto their weapon of choice. One man had chosen a bow, while another choose a spear. As for Sai, the white-haired man, and the other boy, they all choose the emperor of iron weapons — the sword.

Wang Fuu nodded at this sight and proceeded to call over five of his soldiers. They stood in front of each respective scion and cracked their thick knuckles. “Each of these experienced warriors will be your personal trainers for the next two weeks,” Wang Fuu explained, “they will guide you in the way of your chosen weapon and temper your bodies. Treat them with the utmost of respect and remember one thing, your powerful families have no say in the Gao protectorate!”

A few of the young men gulped down a mouthful of saliva as they gazed worriedly at the burly men in front of them. They adorned metallic armor and their killing intent seemed to pierce their very soul. Once Wang Fuu had walked away, they even began to chuckle and stretch their limbs, further escalating the fear the young men felt. The only two who remained unperturbed were both Sai and the silver-haired man, each with a different reason. Sai still ignorantly believed that his grandfather’s reputation with cause the warrior to hold back, while the silver-haired boy had long prepared for such treatment.

“Begin!”

With a roar, the training session officially began. Sai lost interest in the other four participants and inspected his main opponent. He was a tad bit taller than the others and looked to possess even higher cultivation as well. The profound sense that radiated from him was on a whole other level. Yet, Sai didn’t pay this much mind and leisurely lifted his light blade, pointing it at him.

“So, what will you teach me firs-”

Before Sai could even finish his question, the silent combatant exploded forward with incomprehensible speed. He appeared just a few inches away from Sai’s smiling face within a millisecond, his fist flying into the Young Master’s abdomen before he could even react.

Boom! Sai’s stomach convulsed as he shot back like an arrow released from a taut bowstring. His back crashed into the stone wall behind him, wafting up a plume of dust and shaking the very ground they stood on. The other men, even the silver-haired boy, looked on in shock at the small hole where Sai currently laid.

“The first matter I will educate you on is rather simple,” the armored man talked while walking toward the collapsed Sai, “humility and respect!”

Sai coughed up a mouthful of blood and shakily stood to his feet, looking at his armored combatant in an entirely new light. “I must say, you are the first person to have thoroughly stunned me,” he said with a strange glimmer within his piercing yellow eyes, still shocked from the pain he currently felt.

But, before Sai could continue his monologue, the armored man once again punched him in matter of a split second. His body streaked across the ground like a skipping rock, dirtying his clean robes and blemishless skin. Even he, who was renowned for remaining calm and collected, couldn’t help but twitch in anger. The pain was nearly unbearable for someone who had never been hurt before.

“How annoying,” Sai muttered while once again rising to his feet. He clenched his blade with both of his hands and pointed it toward his opponent; he would no longer be careless!

In contrast, the soldier finally smiled. At first, he thought that this arrogant young master in front of him would be worthless, but his naive assumption had been proven to be inaccurate. The fact that Sai could still stand after two of his attacks had already proved his worth.

“Now that you’re prepared, let’s begin the real training!”