Michael Bolton danced for a while, and when he saw Ethan Brooks coming out of the house, he immediately stopped, set his serpent spear aside, and said, “Andrew is awake! Did you sleep well last night?” Upon hearing this, Ethan Brooks walked up to Michael Bolton, cupped his hands, and said, “Yesterday, I really troubled the Third General!” After speaking, he recalled how drunk he had gotten the previous day and felt truly embarrassed, his face showing a bit of awkwardness. But Michael Bolton just laughed and said, “No worries! I was just about to send someone to call for Andrew when breakfast was ready! Since Andrew is awake, just wait a moment and we’ll eat together in a bit.”

Ethan Brooks replied, “I was actually planning to bid farewell to the General and take my leave. How could I trouble you further?” However, before he could finish, Michael Bolton interrupted him. “Why so polite, Andrew? It’s just a meal! Besides, now that Andrew has been promoted to assistant general, you don’t have to squeeze in with the common soldiers at the camp anymore. And since your residence hasn’t been arranged yet, why not stay here with me for a few days? I really like your company, and we can drink together more often!” After saying this, as if realizing how rare it was to find a drinking companion, he burst out laughing, leaving Ethan Brooks beside him with a wry smile. However, Ethan Brooks couldn’t refuse Michael Bolton’s kindness, so he simply said, “In that case, I’ll impose on you!”—thus agreeing.

“With nothing else to do, how about a sparring match between us, Andrew?” Michael Bolton stood there laughing for a while, then happened to glance at the weapon rack nearby and immediately came up with this idea. Besides his love for wine, Michael Bolton also enjoyed fighting with others, so how could he possibly let Ethan Brooks off today?

As for Ethan Brooks, the thought of sparring with Michael Bolton, a famous general of the Three Kingdoms era, meant he would surely learn a lot, so he happily nodded in agreement. As soon as Michael Bolton saw him nod, he ran over to the weapon rack and called out to Ethan Brooks, “Which weapon will Andrew use?” Even as he spoke, his hand was already reaching for the spear on the rack.

“I’ll use a spear!” Ethan Brooks replied with a smile. He had spent over a month with David Clark, learning only the use of the spear. David Clark hadn’t taught him any other weapons. However, Ethan Brooks remembered everything David Clark had taught him and practiced diligently, which was why David Clark regarded him so highly.

Michael Bolton just smiled when he heard this, but had already taken down the spear, turned around, and tossed it to Ethan Brooks, shouting, “Catch!” At the sound, Ethan Brooks reached out with his right hand, caught the spear, spun around, twirled the spear in a flourish, and assumed a ready stance. After tossing the spear to Ethan Brooks, Michael Bolton slowly walked back to the center, looked at Ethan Brooks’s stance, nodded to himself, and said, “You attack first!” His words were full of dominance, as if he didn’t take Ethan Brooks’s attack seriously at all.

But Ethan Brooks wasn’t offended, because he knew Michael Bolton had the right and the strength to be proud. So he focused all his attention, waited for the right moment, and with a flick of his spear, thrust three times in quick succession. Of these three thrusts, two were feints, and only the third was a real attack.

Seeing Ethan Brooks’s spear coming at him, Michael Bolton didn’t move his body, but swung his serpent spear to try to deflect the attack. As the weapons clashed, Ethan Brooks immediately twisted his spear and lifted it upward, causing Michael Bolton to feel as if his spear was out of his control, being pulled aside. He was secretly surprised, not understanding what technique Ethan Brooks was using.

Ethan Brooks, seeing that he had successfully swept aside Michael Bolton’s serpent spear, took advantage of the force from Michael Bolton’s block and swept his spear toward Michael Bolton’s waist like a whip. This series of moves was exactly the same as the technique he had used to capture Yu Jin the other day. Using finesse to redirect the opponent’s weapon is the principle of Taijiquan, well known in modern times—using the opponent’s force against them. However, although the principles of Taijiquan are common knowledge in later generations, at this time, the ancestors of the person who would create Taijiquan probably hadn’t even been born yet! Any martial arts theory Ethan Brooks knew, if brought to this era, would be considered a supreme martial principle that would drive people mad with excitement.

At this moment, Michael Bolton’s serpent spear had been flung aside by Ethan Brooks’s skillful move, leaving his waist wide open and about to be struck by the spear. Michael Bolton immediately summoned all his strength, forcibly pulled his serpent spear back, and slammed it into the ground with such force that there was a cracking sound as the stone slab beneath split apart. Just then, Ethan Brooks’s spear arrived, striking the serpent spear. The two weapons collided with a sound like two iron hammers crashing together.

Seeing his attack miss, Ethan Brooks quickly adjusted, using the recoil from the clash to launch another attack. He spun around, and after a full turn, thrust his spear again. This time, he gathered several bursts of strength, making the attack extremely fierce, with the tip of the spear faintly whistling through the air.

Seeing this thrust, Michael Bolton’s face actually showed a look of excitement, and he shouted, “Good one!” The shout was like a thunderclap out of nowhere, making Ethan Brooks’s ears ring. After shouting, Michael Bolton gripped his spear with both hands, stepped forward with his left foot, and swung his serpent spear diagonally, clearly intending to use brute force to parry Ethan Brooks’s attack.

Bang!