Chapter 161: Training (Part 1)

Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Training (Part 1)

And so, Sui Sui was forced to get up as soon as the sun rose. It wasn’t as though he particularly minded waking up at this hour, since he usually got up around the same time anyway. Still, there was a difference between waking up on his own and being dragged out of bed by someone else. The latter was certainly less pleasant.

After quickly washing his face to freshen up, Sui Sui returned to find Yizhou holding out a set of white clothes.

"Wear this for now."

Sui Sui accepted the clothes and examined them. They were another set belonging to Yizhou judging from the embroidered name, though judging by their smaller size, they had probably been worn by him when he was younger. Unlike his usual robes, this set was much lighter, with fewer layers and less fabric around the sleeves and legs, making it easier to move in. They also fit Sui Sui’s slender frame rather well.

After changing, Sui Sui stepped outside and found Yizhou already waiting for him. His long hair was tied neatly into a ponytail, and he wore his usual uniform. He was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, looking rather relaxed as he waited. However, the moment he noticed Sui Sui approaching, he straightened up.

"Took you long enough. Come, let me see how much you know."

Before Sui Sui could ask what he meant, Yizhou reached into his spatial storage and took out two wooden swords. He tossed one toward Sui Sui, who instinctively reached out and caught it in midair.

Sui Sui looked down at the wooden sword in his hand, then back at Yizhou. He barely had time to examine the weapon before noticing that his senior brother had already moved to the opposite side and assumed a fighting stance. His feet were positioned apart, one slightly ahead of the other, while his wooden sword was held ready in front of him. The sudden change in Yizhou’s demeanor made it clear that he was expecting them to begin immediately.

Sui Sui blinked.

Wah, starting already?

He hadn’t even had time to process what was happening!

Not knowing what else to do, Sui Sui hurriedly imitated Yizhou’s stance. Unfortunately, his movements were rather clumsy, and he wasn’t entirely sure whether he was holding the sword correctly. He glanced at Yizhou, hoping for a moment to adjust himself, but his senior brother showed no intention of waiting.

Before Sui Sui could even finish settling into position, Yizhou was already moving toward him.

Their sparring began almost immediately.

If it could even be called sparring.

Yizhou closed the distance between them in an instant, swinging his wooden sword toward Sui Sui without the slightest hesitation.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Sui Sui barely had time to react. He instinctively twisted his body to dodge, but his movements were too slow. The wooden blade still struck his left shoulder, making him flinch at the impact. "Ah!"

"Too slow," Yizhou remarked, lowering his sword slightly.

Hearing Yizhou call him slow only made Sui Sui more determined to prove himself. His brows furrowed, and he tightened his grip on the wooden sword before raising it and lunging forward, aiming a strike at Yizhou.

However, Yizhou reacted almost immediately. With a slight turn of his wrist, he brought his own wooden sword up and easily deflected the attack, almost sending Sui Sui’s blade off course, good thing he held it tightly.

"Too weak," Yizhou remarked, his tone as calm as ever.

Before Sui Sui could recover, Yizhou had already moved behind him, launching another attack from his blind spot. Sui Sui reacted on instinct, quickly shifting his feet in an attempt to dodge. However, his movements were too hurried, and he lost his balance for a moment, stumbling as he tried to steady himself.

"Wrong stance."

Yizhou’s voice came from behind him, sounding almost like a running commentary on every mistake Sui Sui made.

The two continued for some time, though calling it a sparring match would have been rather generous. It was mostly Yizhou attacking, dodging, and effortlessly countering while Sui Sui struggled to keep up. Every time he made a move, Yizhou seemed to find something wrong with it. His attacks were too weak, his reactions too slow, and even his attempts to dodge were apparently incorrect.

It was incredibly frustrating.

What made it worse was that Sui Sui could clearly see that Yizhou wasn’t using any spiritual energy at all. He wasn’t relying on cultivation to suppress him or making use of any special technique. Everything he did came from pure physical ability and martial arts skill.

Meanwhile, Sui Sui was already struggling to keep his wooden sword steady.

Was he really that bad?

The two continued sparring for a total of ten minutes, though it was hardly a fair match. By the end of it, Sui Sui was already sprawled on the ground, panting heavily. Sweat had soaked through his training clothes, and his chest rose and fell as he struggled to catch his breath. His arms felt heavy, and even holding the wooden sword had become an effort.

Yizhou, on the other hand, stood before him with his back straight and his breathing perfectly steady. He didn’t even look particularly tired. Instead, he gazed down at Sui Sui with a faint smile that, for some reason, looked exceptionally annoying.

"Junior Brother, are you really the Bai Family’s young master? Isn’t the Bai Family well known for producing martial artists? Have you seriously not learned even the most basic techniques?" Yizhou asked, his tone carrying an unmistakable hint of amusement.

Sui Sui could only roll his eyes and pout in annoyance. He wanted to argue, but after spending the last ten minutes being thoroughly beaten, he wasn’t exactly in a position to defend himself.

Hey, it wasn’t entirely his fault, okay?

In his previous life, Sui Sui had never been particularly athletic. With his heart condition, even something as simple as walking for too long could leave him exhausted, so strenuous physical activities had always been out of the question. He certainly hadn’t spent his childhood learning martial arts or practicing sword techniques.

As for this life, the original Bai Sui Sui hadn’t been particularly interested in martial arts either. Although his physical condition wasn’t as poor as it had been in Sui Sui’s previous life, he had never shown much enthusiasm for this kind of training.

His parents, meanwhile, had always been careful not to let him overexert himself. They knew that he couldn’t cultivate because of his blocked meridians and believed he wouldn’t enjoy the same long lifespan as other cultivators. Rather than forcing him to train like the other young masters, they chose to spoil him instead.

They had probably hoped to protect their precious son for as long as they could, keeping him safe and comfortable rather than making him endure the hardships of martial training. As a result, Sui Sui had grown up quite differently from the other young masters of cultivation families, most of whom had been taught the basics from an early age.

So, it really wasn’t his fault okay?! it wasn’t as though he could simply make up for years of missed training in a single morning.