David Miller felt a surge of warmth in his chest upon hearing the words “fighting side by side,” and he patted William Carter on the shoulder, saying, “We brothers will advance and retreat together. Surely we can be accepted into one of the Six Sects, master powerful spells, and make our lives better and better!”

David Miller was simple by nature, and as a man from the Southern Song era, his thoughts were straightforward—he said whatever came to mind, which made William Carter feel a bit embarrassed inside. Although he also regarded David Miller as a friend, being a modern person, he was much more indifferent to the idea of always sticking together and had never thought about how long he would live with this big fellow. After returning to David Miller’s home, William Carter found a sturdy stick and a thin rope, and firmly tied his short sword to it. After swinging it a few times, he found it very handy indeed.

Thinking of the hunt tomorrow and having heard about Uncle Li’s family’s tragedy, William Carter was in no mood for a long talk with David Miller, so he went to bed early. When dawn was just breaking, William Carter woke up and heard David Miller practicing with his spear in front of the wooden house, so he put on his clothes and went outside. The thick iron spear seemed as light as a reed in the hands of this mighty man—sometimes flashing like thunder, sometimes as fierce as splitting Mount Hua. William Carter couldn’t help but praise him inwardly.

After finishing a round of spear practice, David Miller wiped his sweat and, having already noticed William Carter come out, laughed heartily: “The Yue Family Spear was personally taught by the Marshal. My skills are lacking and I’m far from mastering it, so don’t laugh at me, brother!”

William Carter also laughed and said, “Stone, your spear technique is so sharp that I bet you’re invincible on the battlefield. How can you say you haven’t mastered it? Watching you practice makes me eager to learn. I won’t be afraid of fierce monsters in the future.”

David Miller chuckled, “I was actually planning to wait a few days, let you get the basic footwork down before teaching you the spear’s killing moves. But this Wind Continent is very dangerous—having another skill means another hope in danger. Since you’re so eager, I’ll start teaching you today. But remember, don’t aim too high. Even after learning the spear techniques, you must work hard on your basic footwork. Don’t neglect the foundational skills.”

William Carter responded loudly. David Miller was a true friend and wouldn’t hold anything back when teaching spear techniques. With a serious expression, he swung his arms, and the heavy iron spear rose from the ground like a venomous dragon. With a flick, he spun out a spear flower the size of a bowl, and began teaching William Carter the spear techniques.

David Miller had spent seven or eight years in the Yue Family Army, charging into battle countless times, and had mastered a solid set of spear techniques, carrying a chilling aura of the battlefield. Although he was just a low-ranking soldier and not as skilled as the commanding generals, he could still take on a hundred men and had killed many Jin soldiers. He deliberately slowed down so William Carter could see clearly, but each move still stirred up a strong wind—even from several steps away, one could feel the astonishing power of the spear.

After running around the Xici Grasslands all day yesterday, William Carter woke up feeling completely refreshed, as the mysterious energy within him circulated through his chest and abdomen, washing away all fatigue. In high spirits, he grabbed his own spear and began learning each move.

David Miller was very patient in his teaching. This set of spear techniques had thirty-six forms in total, created by Yue Fei by combining dozens of spear styles, specifically for battlefield combat. There was not a single wasted move—every one was a fierce killing strike. William Carter was naturally smart and quick to learn. After David Miller demonstrated two or three times, he could perform the entire set from start to finish without a single mistake.

Seeing how quickly William Carter learned, David Miller was very pleased, but still reminded him: “It’s better to master one move than to know a thousand! In martial arts, every move and stance must be honed through years of practice. No matter how talented you are, you can’t become a master overnight. Learning a few magical sword techniques and instantly becoming a peerless expert—that only happens in wuxia novels. Pick the moves that suit you best and focus on one or two. Once you’ve mastered them, then practice the others. If you go through this whole set every day, it’ll just be good exercise.”

William Carter asked curiously, “Stone, aren’t you from the Southern Song era? How do you know about things like wuxia novels?”

David Miller stammered, “During the Republic era... there were already books by Huanzhu Louzhu circulating, and many read them in the underworld.”

Chapter 9: Diligent Practice

William Carter thus settled down in Xici Town.

A small town like this was worlds apart from the modern cities he had lived in before. Lacking all kinds of facilities, he found it very hard to get used to. Any expectations he once had for life in the Heavenly Court, left over from his time in the underworld, were worn away by the obvious ancient style and the kind of dull, monotonous life that could only be found in the most remote rural areas.

The only thing he still looked forward to were the legends of immortals on Wind Continent. William Carter longed for the day he could cultivate powerful magic and quickly change his current life. With immortal arts, he could create treasures to replace electric lights, flush toilets, whirlpool bathtubs, air conditioners, and microwaves. As for things modern people couldn’t live without, like TV and the internet, he had completely given up hope.

Because of this, William Carter not only trained every day with the Yue Family spear he learned from David Miller, but also diligently practiced the flying stone technique he had figured out himself, gradually taming the mysterious energy within him that people on Wind Continent called immortal power.