3 Chapter 3

"Very good, if your father had the level of determination which you have now when he was your age, he wouldn't be stuck at the 3rd warrior rank. You are on a very good track right now to surpass me before you are even half my age." Lance's teacher told him.

"As you know, I am only of the 4th rank myself, but if I had as many resources and chances that you will most likely have in the near future, I might have reached even higher heights such as the 5th warrior rank."

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"Now, since you have properly warmed up both your daily exercises for your footwork and have gotten used to the new sword I've given you to use, how about we have a little spar?" Lance's teacher asked him before standing up.

"Teacher Kong, don't you think that it would be impossible for me to take you on?" Lance hearing this recommendation from his teacher felt a cold shiver running down his spine. Even if Kong took it easy on him, it was very likely that he would be sent flying backwards even from a flick of his finger!

"If you are to become a feared and beloved leader in the future, you must realize that you must never cower in the face of danger. Those who are willing to push back against those who oppress them are the same individuals who have gone on to lead countless men and fellow experts."

"I will not be using a weapon, just do exactly what I have taught you and keep your heart and mind in check. As long as you are able to force me to take one step back, it would be equivalent to finally reaching the 1st rank as a warrior." Kong told Lance as he slowly walked towards him.

"Fine by me!" Lance shouted out before charging at Kong in a strange movement. It was almost as if he was riding invisible waves of energy as his movements became slippery, but directed towards his target. This was one of the footwork type techniques that Kong taught Lance how to use.

With one swing of his sword, Lance's blow met with Kong's left arm. What was strange in this moment, was that Kong chose to block Lance's strike with his bare hand, rather than using a piece of the armor which he was wearing.

Kong after arriving at the Sacred Ember clan in order to teach Lance, was gifted a rather decent set of armor. Since Kong had enough savings in order to take care of his family, what he made in wealth from serving in the military for so long, he lacked proper equipment.

The Sun Dynasty was known to loan both armor and weapons to those who served in the military depending on said individual's power rank. However, if one were to leave the military whether to retire or otherwise, the military would take back the armor and weapons they loaned to said soldier.

In some cases, if the individual earned a great reputation and contributed significantly to the Sun Dynasty during their service, even in retirement the military would normally allow said individuals to keep the armor and weapons. Unfortunately, this was only for those who have reached the 5th rank as a warrior.

In case a war broke out down the line to where retired military personnel had to go back into the military, it would be easier for the highest ranked individuals to still have these weapons and armor so that the military could spend the extra money elsewhere. This also allowed the Sun Dynasty to not fear any enemy invasion from within their borders.

Unlike warriors, mystics did not necessarily need any armor or other forms of equipment. In most cases, if a mystic was part of the military, they would be given many techniques for their element and would be in the back of a squad, far away from any danger that would hurt or kill them.

Some mystics liked to wear very light armor that had some form of resistant type runes embedded into it, but for the most part, it was always the warrior class who would be forced onto the front lines. This was a tradeoff that was accepted, because most mystics who served in the military, would be asked to serve a much longer term compared to the warriors.

It was rather rare, but if a mystic was willing to, they could also attempt to halt their training by using a demonic elemental core to build themselves a staff which could boost their overall combat potential. However, mystics usually chose not to go this route because if they found a demonic elemental core from a slain opponent, it was worth just selling them back to the empire in order to purchase other things they lacked but needed.

"Very good, but not good enough!" Kong shouted at Lance before he started to control his battle qi in his body. Although he was only giving off a 1st rank level of battle qi, it still caused Lance to sweat in the face of this before he realized he had no choice but to meet this battle qi with his own.

This would mark the first time that Kong used a small portion of his battle qi while sparing with Lance, and this caused him to carry a worried expression on his face as he tried to figure out what he needed to do next.

Being pressed back slightly, Lance still was able to stand up straight before charging at Kong once again while yelling and pushing out all of the battle qi in his body. But before he was able to get close enough to swing his blade once more towards him, Kong raised his hand and told Lance to stop.

Hearing his teacher, Lance halted his advancement, but it was still difficult for him to stop right away since he put the majority of his battle qi force into his footwork to try to gain an advantage against Kong. Taking deep breaths, Lance was finally able to calm his body down as Kong gestured for them to sit and relax now that the spar was over.