THE SYSTEM IS NOT MINE

Golden Eagle City had not forgotten the war.

Even months after the truce was declared, the city still carried its scars.

The soldiers who had returned alive did not celebrate, some drank themselves into silence, some stared endlessly into the distance, some wept when night came.

The taverns were always full of people grieving for loved ones.

In a crowded restaurant near the eastern market, several men sat around a rough wooden table.

Wine cups clinked softly.

“Did you hear?” one man said. “They say Commander Chen Yu burned half the enemy grain.”

Another man snorted.

“Chen Yu? Don’t be foolish.”

He leaned closer.

“It was a mysterious senior that did it" he replied back.

The others nodded.

“That’s what the soldiers who were with Chen Yu on that mission said.”

“That senior wiped out the camp to protect them”

One man rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“…But what if the mysterious senior wasn’t protecting everyone?”

The table went quiet.

“What do you mean?”

The man tapped his cup slowly.

“What if he was protecting only Chen Yu?”

The others exchanged glances.

Silence stretched between them.

Finally one of them muttered,

“…Then Chen Yu might not even know.”

The idea lingered in the air like smoke.

Meanwhile, Inside the military training grounds of Golden Eagle City, thousands of soldiers stood in formation beneath the morning sun.

A tree was at the centre of the ground.

Commander Leo walked slowly across the field as the soldiers looked at him with a stiffened back.

He was a battlefield commander who had survived more wars than most men had seen for years.

Then Leo stopped in front of Chen Yu.

“Chen Yu.” Leo said.

“Yes, Commander.”Chen Yu straightened.

Leo studied him for a moment.

“There is something I do not understand.”

His voice was calm.

“You have six spiritual lines.”

"Six..."

Several soldiers nearby turned their heads slightly, some muttered.

Leo continued.

“And yet your cultivation is only at Spiritual Qi Foundation first layer.”

His eyes narrowed.

“it does not make sense, it is… unusually low.”

Leo stared at Chen Yu.

Chen Yu looked back at Leo in his eyes.." I won't slack off anymore"

"Good" Leo brought his hands to Chen Yu's soldiers

"I have great hope from you" Leo said.

Leo had investigated Chen Yu and his past, he is quite aware of what happened in the sect from Chen Yu came from.

" Now" Leo walked to the tree at the centre and plucked a branch from it.

Leo raised the branch and pointed at Chen Yu, and soldiers behind him.

"Let's begin the training, and during the training, none you must use the cultivation, neither I will do" Leo said.

His eyes swept across the unit.

“Chen Yu, prove it to me", The branch moved and arrived in front of Chen Yu instantly.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Chen Yu's cheeks pained and moved sideways as the red mark of the branch left on them.

"Too slow.", Leo lowered the branch calmly.

Chen Yu forced himself upright as Leo looked at him.

His gaze swept across the soldiers.

“If this were the battlefield…” Leo stopped in the middle as a fist arrived at his face.

Leo caught the fist easily and looked at Chen Yu " That was surprising"

"But still slow"

Chen Yu struggled to pull his hand back from Leo's grip.

"Again if this would have been a battlefield, you would have been dead" Leo released Chen Yu's hand.

" And the same is all for you" Leo over the crowd, he put the branch on his shoulder.

"Time to start the training" Leo moved.

The soldiers took a step back but Leo arrived at them.

Puch.

Puch.

Puch.

None could dodge the branch that looked more dangerous than any sword.

The hands, the feet, cheeks, the neck every part of the soldiers turned red and several soldiers collapsed after only two strikes.

Leo beat Chen Yu up again, he lasted a little longer but still collapsed.

And when Leo arrived at Yan, Yan looked calmly at Leo.

Yan took a step back, tried to dodge but the branch was faster, it arrived to his cheek, Yan tried to duck but was slower.

The stick hit his cheek.

Yan immediately moved his hand and pushed the stick aside, and a slap.

He collapsed to the ground just like others..but his cheek contained the red mark from his own slap.

Leo did not notice anything out of the ordinary and then he continued towards the rest of the soldiers.

The next day, the training changed.

Rows of archers stood at the edge of the field.

Each held arrows with wooden tips, they were made of wood but still sharper.

"Come one, don't be pussy" Leo said while looking at a soldier who refused to come forward.

"I..."

The soldier wanted to say something, but from the back, someone pushed him.

He was pushed forward, before he could even recover his footing.

The arrows arrived, his pupils widened, he tried to dodge, but several hit him, he was injured right away.

Two soldiers arrived and carried away the injured soldier and bandaged him and gave him light brown colored liquid to drink.

“ Next ” Leo said calmly.

The next soldier stepped forward, he seemed to be prepared.

The first arrow arrived at his left hand, he moved sides, and dodged it.

The second arrived at the right leg, he moved it up, barely dodged and then the third came, it hit him directly on head.

"Next"

Chen Yu arrived and looked at the archers.

The arrows arrived, Chen ducked and dodged the first, but the second hit his right leg, and third hit left hand, and then he fell to the ground.

The soldiers arrived and carried him away as well.

"Next"

The training continued, then Yan stepped up.

The arrows arrived, Yan dodged the first one..and some understanding came into his mind.

The second aimed at his shoulder, Yan moved and dodged, the third aimed at his left leg, the arrow hit his leg but immediately broke into two pieces.

Leo's eyes narrowed.

Then he looked at the archers "Why was this one too weak ? "

The archers looked at each other.

Meanwhile Yan bowed " I have lost" and stepped aside immediately.

The archer who fired that arrow looked at his other arrows, he examined them , pressed them and bit them.

"General, I think that one was defective, the rest are fine" he said.

Leo nodded.

"Next"

The training continued.

Some other day, Leo sat on a chair and had the warm tea while he looked at one of the Han Defu soldiers.

Five men surrounded him, and he was being beaten here and there.

"Learn to dodge, don't be a tank" Leo shouted.

"Yes, General" The soldier replied.

The soldier raised his arms, tried to block and tried to dodge but fists rained from every side and within moments the moments he collapsed.

The next soldier lasted longer.

But he fell too.

When Chen Yu's turn arrived, he was beaten to pulp as well.

And when it was Yan's turn, before he could even be surrounded by people.

"My stomach hurts" Yan collapsed with stomach pain.

The training continued.

Day after day, the bruises became normal, pain became routine, Yan somehow continued to pretend to be weak and avoided training.

The soldiers slowly learned to move faster and reacted earlier.

Six months passed.

On the final day,

Leo stood before the unit again holding the wooden branch.

“Chen Yu.” Leo called out.

Chen Yu stepped forward, then Leo moved immediately.

The branch arrived at Chen Yu's cheek, but it did not hit him.

When Chen Yu moved, his fist was faster, it arrived at Leo's face again.

Leo tilted the head and barely dodged, the branch moved again.

Chen Yu caught it with his hand.

“Chen Yu, you have improved" Leo said.

"Next" Leo said.

Yan stepped forward calmly.

"Ha...ha ..ha .The slacker is here."

"We will have a very good show" The soldiers around, laughed.

"So you up for beatings?" Leo said and attacked immediately.

The stick cut through the air, Yan moved slightly and dodged it

Leo's eyes narrowed.

"Fluke! that must be the fluke" one of the soldiers shouted.

The branch moved again, it aimed at Yan's eyes, Yan bent his head little and dodged.

Leo increased his speed, the branch moved much faster.

It aimed at the hand, Yan turned sideways and dodged.

Leo struck again, Yan moved again and the branch passed through empty air.

Several soldiers nearby stiffened and no one dared to laugh again.

"You were hiding" Leo’s eyes sharpened.

The branch moved towards the head, towards the legs, towards the hand.

Yan dodged most, although he was hit by some eventually.

The training ground fell silent.

Then Leo stopped.

For a moment he studied Yan carefully, and said "try dodging this"

Then something unusual happened, a faint gust of wind appeared around the branch.

It arrived at Yan much faster.

Yan stepped aside but still stuck him, the stick broke.

Leo stopped completely and looked at Yan, "You almost dodged that"

Hearing Leo's words, the soldiers stared in shock, then he looked at Yan and asked, "what's your name?"

"My name is Yan" Yan replied calmly.

“You’re good.” Leo nodded slowly.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Very good.”

The training ground remained completely silent and at this point a parcel was on their way to Yan.