We arrive at the sparring ground, where a shelf holds all sorts of weapons: spears, katanas, swords, daggers, whips, and many other spiky weapons. My master briefly demonstrates how each weapon is used. I watch in awe. It's a whirlwind display of weaponry. Is there anything he doesn't know? I stare at my tiny hands, then back at him, brows furrowing.
"All those weapons look great and fancy, but I don't think these little hands can use them."
He returns the weapon he's holding back on the rack, rubs his temples, and takes a deep breath. A gust of wind swirls around him as he chants with hand signals and a bright light glows around him. He shrinks to my level — literally. He transforms into a three-year-old. Instead of his tall, regal, splendor figure, he's now a chubby, three-year-old boy. His stoic demeanor is no longer intimidating and looks adorable. I roll on the floor laughing. I can't take him seriously like this.
My mini-master approaches the weapon stand and picks up a dagger, its blade now comically the length of his entire face.
He swiftly demonstrates how to use the dagger. As he spins and flips, my jaw drops. He's still lethal, even as a three-year-old boy.
"This was pretty much the level I was at your age."
He twirls the dagger around his tiny hands. Then, he plants it in the ground, cracking the floor. I stop laughing. Okay, now he's just terrifying.
Before I can process this, footsteps echo behind him. The Crown Prince approaches us, eyes widening at the scene.
"Ling Yue, you found another munchkin friend!"
Long Fei turns around and faces the Crown Prince.
"Your Highness". His voice is squeakier than his usual deep voice.
The Crown Prince, recognizing his friend, quickly calls for one of the servants.
"Call an artist here now! This is monumental! I want him to paint the illustrious, fierce Master Long Fei as an adorable three-year-old munchkin."
Long Fei crouches, his tiny hands covering his chubby face, his ears reddening. Then he takes a deep breath, stands up, and struts to the weapon rack. He holds two spears, calling out to his royal friend.
"Your Highness, it's time we show Ling Yue how to use a three-year-old body. How about a spar?"
The Crown Prince still chuckling, catches his breath, and then nods. Long Fei tosses the spear over and the royal leaps and catches the spear in mid-air, flying to him. The two of them point their weapons at each other.
His Highness guffaws.
"I can't take you seriously in this form."
My mini-master raises his brow. He uses his spear as leverage as he bounces off and kicks at the royal who deflects it with his spear. The clash of weapons rings out. I'm watching two perfectly choreographed acrobats — one three-year-old, the other an adult — swinging and flipping around each other like a well-rehearsed dance.
Then the royal holds out his hand, and his tiny opponent swiftly back somersaults, planting the spear on the floor with a sharp crack. A servant appears, bowing.
"Your Highness, His Majesty has summoned you."
The Crown Prince clears his throat, wiping the sweat off his brow.
"I need to attend to my father. Carry on with your training." He sweeps his eyes around the sparring area. "Oh, and try not to destroy my property."
My mini-master turns to me.
"Well, now that you've seen how much a three-year-old body can do, are you ready to start?"
I nod reluctantly, gulping. I have a feeling this is going to be painful.
"You need to start with the basics first. Let's increase your physical power, agility, and speed. When you start sparring with me, your strategy should naturally increase. For the basics, do this warm-up every day. Watch closely."
He splits his leg on the side, touching the floor, then shifts his body forwards.
He stands and arches his back, hands and head touching the ground.
He gets back up and lifts one leg, all the way to his head, balancing. Then, he repeats with the other leg.
He gets on the floor and does a push-up with two arms. One arm push-up. Then two thumbs push-ups, hooks his arm behind his back for a one-thumb push-up.
He swings his legs up into a handstand and does a push-up of his body in a handstand position. With one arm behind his back, he does a one-arm push-up while suspending his legs upright.
"That's your warm-up for every day."
For Ocean's sake! I drag a hand down my face. He can't be serious...
"That should speed you up to the next level of evolution and build a good core foundation for your martial arts."
What in the world did I just witness? He expects me to do all that on my own in this puny weak body?!
I press two thumbs on the floor. Ouch!
I try to stand on one leg and fall on my butt. He seriously needs to learn the difference between training and torture.
***
Many full moons later, I can do the warm-ups through blood, sweat, and tears. Solely focusing on getting out of this puny body and back to the ocean. I no longer stumble when I walk. And this body is no longer a hindrance besides its size.
My master, back in his towering divine human guise, stands tall with his impassive chiseled features, holding a spear as the wind blows his hair. He digs the spear into the ground, drawing a tight circle around himself, then flips it upright.
"All you need to do is get me to cross over this circle. Use whatever tactics necessary, including your elemental powers."
Oh, this should be fun. I charge at him, punching and kicking, but he casually deflects every move with the shaft of his spear, without even shifting his body. Each attack hurts. So I float above him, shooting water tendrils at him as I circle, flying erratically. He twirls his spear like a whirlpool, deflecting my water tendrils.
An hour later, there's not a bead of sweat on him, and I'm panting my tiny heart out, sweating profusely. I stand there, catching my breath. He glances at me, extending his hand, palm upright, fingers curling back, gesturing me to attack him.
There has to be another way around this. I'm not getting anywhere by just charging. I reflect on all his deflections. He has never once attacked me back. Every move was painful from the brunt of my force, rebounding off his deflection. My mind reels and replays every single move that he deflects. Not once, has he hurt me. A devilish green spreads across my face. He can't hurt me.
I firm my legs, ready to charge. I dash directly behind him, stretching out my arms feigning to summon more water tendrils. I yell then put my arms by the side and only use my head to launch at his gut.
He turns around, eyes widen, he drops his spear and carefully holds my head, guiding it around him to change my trajectory, ensuring I don't injure my head. His body has slightly shifted over the line in the chaos.
"I see you've noticed. Your last move was a bit reckless but still effective nevertheless. Using your enemy's weakness against them is a good strategy."
"Yes! A win is a win. It doesn't matter how I get it." I beam with pride.
Then, Long Fei raises his hand above my head, eyes glowing. Then announces:
"Courage: Level 28
Elemental Power: Level 30
Physical Power: Level 30
Strategy: Level 28
Agility: Level 30
Speed: Level 30."
I clench my fists, trembling from exhaustion.
"For Ocean's sake! I thought I would max out all the levels. I was hoping to evolve after I beat you."
"You only made me shift my heel an inch. That's barely a win on the battlefield. But the fact that you made me shift the slightest has increased your strategy level. It looks like the martial arts training has paid off after all. Well done."
I fall on my butt, panting.
"Is it time for another artifact?"
A smile tugs at his lips as he nods.
Yes. Treasure Hunting. I love it! Finally, I'm going to evolve out of this puny form.