Haoming sheathed his sword, looking at his training partner. He was training with Nie Niran, a boy who was the same age and even the same size as him. When they trained together, they had a very similar style. They were both very fluid as they moved, almost as if they were dancing. Haoming was very good at using aerobatics to fight, while Niran stayed close to the ground.
Niran had short black hair, the sides of his head shaved. He had a very slender body with broad shoulders. On his neck was the tattoo of a bow and arrow, which symbolized his spiritual weapon.
When a cultivator turns 15, they are able to forge a spiritual weapon with some of their own spiritual energy. This weapon would answer to them and only them. Niran and Haoming had only just recently turned 15, so they had gone together to forge their weapons. Haoming forged a slender long sword made of the rare Olmec Blue Jade stone. It was extremely strong and sturdy, but also extremely heavy. Haoming had to use a lot of strength to wield his own sword. He gave his sword the name 'Gun Kai', which translates to "fuck off".
Niran forged his bow and arrows out of elm wood and volcanic glass. His weapon was as light as a feather, making it easy to carry on his back. He felt that it was easier to be more swift and stealthy if his weaponry was light. He had named his weapon 'Liu Xing' which means shooting star. The sword he wielded was an old one given to him by his grandparents.
"I'm going to try and break through your blocking," Haoming said, taking out a piece of paper and drawing out some quick calligraphy. He stuck it to Niran's chest to work as a protection charm against his own attack. This way, if Haoming did end up breaking through Niran's defense, Niran wouldn't get hurt. The clan was used to Haoming using this method, so no one feared it anymore.
"I'm not going to hold back," Niran told him as he stepped back a few paces. Haoming scoffed lightly at his words.
"You're not going to hold back?" Haoming asked him, shaking his head with a laugh. He placed his hand on Gun Kai's hilt, slowly taking it out of the sheath that he literally just put it back into. "I'm putting all my strength into this attack. Try your best to hold your ground. I don't think it's going to be easy for you to block it, Nie Niran."
"Haoming, you're underestimating my strength," Niran said, sounding slightly amused by his friend's words. "Remember, you're the one who has been training by my side these last few years. If anyone can speak for my strength, it's most definitely you."
"Well, you better hope you're strong," Haoming told him, rolling his eyes. "When we have to fight the Aoki Devil, you can't be weak. Unless you have a death wish."
"As if," Niran said with a slight smile, brandishing his sword and getting into a defensive pose. "Give me everything you got."
"Of course I will," Haoming said, jumping into the sky, practically flying a few feet above Niran's head. His agility and level of cultivation allowed him to jump higher than what most humans could. And because of his aerobatic training, he was really great at staying in the air.
He changed directions, barrelling down towards Niran like an arrow shooting from a bow. He brought Gun Kai down on him at full force, blue energy flying out with the strike. The blow effortlessly broke through Niran's defense, sending his sword flying.
Haoming lightly landed on the ground, bringing the sword back after Niran fell to the ground. He sheathed the sword with a cocky grin on his face. Even though he always seemed to beat his friend at these things, this one felt really good. He had felt the strength in Niran's block. Niran had channeled his spiritual energy into it, so it felt tougher than usual to break through.
"You're improving," Haoming told him. "Keep working on channeling your spiritual energy into your sword, and you could get even stronger."
"You had an extremely powerful strike," Niran admired as Haoming reached over to help him off the ground. Niran brushed his robes off, glancing around to see where his sword landed. "If you hadn't placed the protection charm on me, you probably would have knocked me out."
"You probably would have lost a limb," Haoming responded, causing Niran to nod his head. Haoming spotted Niran's sword, kicking it up with his boot and catching it easily in his hand. He then tossed it over to the other boy. "The sun is starting to set. We should go back to our homes. I know how your mom is about being home on time for dinner."
"She said that Nie Chang could stay out until the sun had completely set. And Xinxi jie went up to the mountains with the girls. Zhu Ziyang is leading them in a night hunt," Niran told him. Haoming pierced his lips and nodded his head at these words. Nie Chang was Niran's baby brother, and Xinxi was Niran's older sister. Ziyang was one of the older cultivators in the clan. He spent a lot of time training the youth.
"So then, are you coming over to my house?" Haoming asked, turning to walk towards the cabin he lived in with the Lin family. Niran nodded and placed his arm around Haoming's shoulders, walking side by side with him.
"Do you even have to ask that question?" Niran asked with a soft laugh. "I would love to hang out with you and Xinshan. Do you think Sichao ge is coming out this time?"
"Probably not," Haoming said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm pretty positive he's at home studying his old cultivation books."
"You're right," Niran said with a soft laugh. He smiled and looked forward as they walked. "Let's go keep Xinshan some company, then. I'm sure he and Sichao ended their training session a couple hours ago. So he's probably bored."
"Most likely."