Chapter 11: The Extending Spear

  Leo practically skipped as he returned to the training area, the extending spear gripped firmly in his hand. Excitement coursed through him, warming his body from the inside out. The weapon felt right in his grasp, its weight perfectly balanced and its potential limitless.

  The open training ground stretched before him, empty and inviting under the midday sun. Leo positioned himself in the center, taking a deep breath as he oriented his stance the way he imagined a proper spearman would.

  This is going to be amazing. I have a cool spear to train with now instead of just sitting around meditating all day.

  He thrust the spear forward experimentally, the movement awkward and uncoordinated. Despite his clumsiness, the weapon responded perfectly to his physical command. Focusing his thoughts on extension, he watched with satisfaction as the shaft elongated smoothly, doubling its length in an instant.

  "Incredible," he whispered, retracting it back to its original size with another mental command.

  Leo attempted what he thought might be basic spear movements, stumbling through forward thrusts and defensive positions that he knew looked silly. Each motion felt foreign and mechanical, his body unfamiliar with the proper techniques.

  The spear's extraordinary lightness only highlighted his lack of skill. While the weightlessness allowed him to swing and maneuver it freely, his inexperience turned what should have been graceful movements into clumsy flailing.

  It's like having an oversized stick that does exactly what I want, even though I have no idea what I'm supposed to want it to do.

  A nearby tree became his unwitting practice target. Leo focused on a specific point on the trunk, then thrust forward while willing the spear to extend. The sharp tip struck exactly where he intended, leaving a small mark in the bark. He repeated the motion from different distances, testing the weapon's range and his own accuracy.

  Ten meters! That's the maximum extension, but it's more than enough for combat advantage.

  With each successful strike, Leo grew bolder. He attempted a spinning move he'd once seen in a martial arts film, extending the spear midway through the turn to strike another tree. The maneuver was clumsy. His foot caught on a root, sending him stumbling forward while the spear continued its extension, nearly impaling a bird that squawked in terror and flew away.

  "Sorry!" Leo called out to the retreating bird, feeling foolish.

  "He tried another complex move, attempting to perform a sweep with the fully extended spear. His depth perception failed him completely this time, unable to accurately gauge where the tip of the extended weapon would land. The spear's end traveled much further than his eyes could properly track, catching on a small shrub he hadn't even registered in his field of vision. The unexpected resistance abruptly halted his sweeping motion, sending him toppling sideways. He landed hard on his backside.

  Despite his fumbling attempts, Leo couldn't help but laugh. There was something liberating about being so terrible at something with such clear room for improvement. He picked himself up and tried again, focusing his thoughts more precisely on the spear's movements.

  Extend to half-length. Now!

  The spear responded instantly to his mental command, growing to precisely half its maximum extension. Leo grinned, pleased with the responsive control.

  Retract completely. Now extend fully, quickly!

  Again, the weapon obeyed his thoughts without delay, snapping to its full ten-meter length with impressive speed. The mental interface felt intuitive, responding not to words so much as intentions, as if the spear could read the images he formed in his mind.

  Leo continued practicing, his movements gradually becoming more coordinated through sheer repetition. He was still clumsy, often overextending himself or losing his footing, but the pure joy of discovery kept him going.

  "He thrust the spear forward and mentally wondered if the weapon could extend while curving. To his amazement, as he pictured the idea, the spear responded instantly, extending and bending along its length, creating an arc that would be impossible for a normal rigid spear.

  'This is incredible!' he exclaimed, his mind racing with possibilities. 'If it can curve forward, can it curve back too?'

  The moment the thought formed, the spear's extending tip began turning back toward him, curving in a dramatic hook shape. His eyes widened as he realized the sharp point was now arcing directly back at his face.

  'Cancel! Stop!' he shouted out loud, jerking backward. The spear halted its extension mere inches from his cheek, the metal tip gleaming dangerously close to his eye.

  His heart pounding, Leo carefully commanded the spear to retract and straighten. He let out a shaky breath once it returned to normal.

  "This weapon responds to every stray thought," he said quietly, his voice shaking slightly as he stared at the weapon with newfound respect. “I can’t be careless.”

  Leo placed the spear in his storage ring and reclined on the grass, letting the afternoon sun warm his face. His breathing gradually steadied as he gazed at the clouds drifting overhead, allowing his racing thoughts to settle like leaves after a breeze.

  So close to disaster, Leo thought, watching a bird soar across the clear sky. One wrong move and… I don’t want to even think about it.

  Stolen story; please report.

  He took another deep breath, feeling his muscles relax as the tension melted away. Despite the risks, determination kindled within him. I should resume training soon. I need to master this weapon if I want any chance at the Emperor's Cup. Just need to be more careful.

  After some time, Leo got up and resumed practicing. Slow and deliberate, he reminded himself, adjusting his stance before attempting the first thrust.

  Extend two meters, steady pace, he projected clearly, visualizing the exact movement he wanted. The spear responded perfectly, extending to precisely the length he'd specified.

  Despite his constant stumbling, Leo felt his control of the spear improving with each attempt. The mental commands became more refined as he practiced, allowing him to adjust the extension rate, length, and even the trajectory with increasing precision. He developed a pattern. First, establish stable footing first, then issue the command, then move, ensuring safety with each repetition.

  Sweat poured down his face as he continued practicing, but he barely noticed. Time slipped away as he lost himself in the rhythm of extension and retraction, thrust and withdraw, command and response. His movements remained unpolished, his stance barely adequate, but the connection with his weapon grew stronger with each passing minute.

  During a particularly ambitious maneuver, attempting to rapidly extend and retract the spear while pivoting, Leo completely lost his balance. The spear went one direction while he went another, ending with him sitting unceremoniously on the ground once more.

  "You look like a puppy trying to chase its own tail," a cheerful voice called out.

  Leo scrambled to his feet, embarrassment heating his face as he turned to find Aline standing at the edge of the training ground, her bright eyes dancing with amusement. Second Sister stood beside her, arms folded across her chest as she observed Leo's practice with analytical interest.

  "We just finished our training session," Second Sister explained, stepping forward. "Aline insisted we come see what you were doing when she spotted you from the hillside."

  Aline giggled, bouncing on her toes. "Where did you get that? Don’t tell me that Kae gave it to you."

  Leo straightened, trying to appear more composed than he felt. "Cute girls shouldn't be interested in dangerous weapons," he remarked with a teasing smile.

  "I am cute," Aline agreed without hesitation, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. " But I'm also quite dangerous when I'm not busy being adorable."

  Her playful demeanor shifted slightly, eyes focusing on the weapon in his hands. "You're using it wrong, by the way. Your movements are too slow and predictable."

  Leo frowned, momentarily defensive. "I just started learning today. Of course I'm not as good as someone with your experience."

  "Yes, Leo is new to cultivation weapons," Second Sister acknowledged. "But that's not the reason for his difficulty."

  Before Leo could respond, Aline stepped forward and reached for the spear. "May I?"

  Reluctantly, Leo handed over his new treasure. The moment the weapon touched Aline's hands, something changed. Her entire demeanor shifted, playfulness giving way to intense focus. She spun the spear with practiced familiarity that stunned Leo into silence.

  The weapon became a blur in her hands, extending and retracting in perfect harmony with her movements. She performed a series of maneuvers that made Leo's attempts look like a child playing with a stick. The spear seemed alive, responding to her commands with lightning speed, striking imaginary targets with pinpoint accuracy.

  After a brief but impressive demonstration, Aline returned the spear to Leo with a bright smile, her playful demeanor instantly restored. "See? Much better that way."

  Leo accepted the weapon, momentarily speechless. "How did you do that? Have you trained with spear techniques before?"

  "Of course not," Aline replied with a dismissive wave. "I use a spirit bow, remember?"

  She tapped the side of her head meaningfully. "You're thinking about this all wrong. To truly understand a weapon, it needs to become an extension of your body, not just something you hold."

  "Sixth Sister is correct," Second Sister added, her tone softening into teacher mode. "The connection between cultivator and weapon transcends mere physical control. Your thoughts should flow into the weapon without separation between intention and action."

  Leo looked down at the spear in his hands, furrowing his brow. "But I am using my thoughts to control it. That's how it extends and retracts."

  "That's exactly the problem," Second Sister explained. "You're 'controlling' it rather than becoming one with it. There should be no distinction between you and the weapon."

  "Think about how qi moves through your meridians during purification," she continued. "Do you consciously direct each particle? Or does it flow naturally once you set your intention?"

  Leo considered this. During his purification sessions, he had indeed noticed that trying too hard to control the qi often disrupted its flow. The best results came when he simply established an intention and allowed the energy to move on its own.

  "The weapon responds not just to conscious thought," Second Sister said, "but to intention and emotional state. This is a fundamental principle of cultivation."

  Aline bounced on her toes and grinned. "Don't look so worried! This is one of those things that's nearly impossible to teach with words. One day it'll just click while you're practicing, and suddenly the spear will feel like another limb." She giggled, making a swooshing motion with her hand. "Trust me, experience is the best teacher. It's something to look forward to, that magical moment when everything suddenly makes sense!"

  "Try integrating your purification exercises with your weapon training," she added. "Circulate qi while you practice, it helps make the weapon's responses more fluid."

  With those parting words, the two women turned to leave, Second Sister walking with measured grace while Aline practically danced alongside her, already chattering about something completely unrelated.

  Leo remained in the training ground, the spear held contemplatively in his hands. Their advice sounded reasonable in theory like everything people told him at the Academy, but implementing it seemed far more complicated. How exactly was he supposed to stop "controlling" the spear and start "becoming one" with it?

  Extension of self, not just a tool to be commanded. Sounds poetic, but what does that actually mean in practice?

  The frustrating thing was that despite his earlier stumbling and clumsiness, Leo had felt he was making real progress. Using his thoughts to control the spear had felt increasingly natural. His mental commands were becoming more precise, the weapon responding with greater accuracy each time. He'd been proud of how quickly he was improving.

  But now his understanding was shattered by the glimpse of what was truly achievable. Aline's demonstration had revealed a vast gulf between his mechanical control and true mastery.

  Aren't thoughts already the fastest way to control something? Leo wondered, frowning as he examined the spear. What could possibly be faster than thought?

  He attempted a few more moves, trying to be more mindful of his intentions rather than explicit commands, but found himself falling back into the same patterns. The spear responded to his thoughts as before, extending and retracting with mechanical precision, but lacking the fluid grace Aline had demonstrated.

  The memory of Aline wielding his spear with effortless grace continued to linger on in his mind. The way she had moved, the spear responding as if it were truly part of her... it had been beautiful. Mesmerizing. And she claimed she didn’t know anything about spears at all.

  Leo almost didn’t want to believe it, but he knew Aline was telling the truth despite her proclivity in teasing him.

  As the sun began its descent toward the western horizon, casting long shadows across the Academy grounds, Leo stored the spear in his ring with a sigh. Tomorrow was another day, and perhaps with rest, the cryptic advice would make more sense.