How were you supposed to adjust when you were already flat on the ground before you could even see your opponent move?
After several rounds, some soldiers began lasting half a breath longer before being knocked down.
A few more rounds passed, and some even managed to block before they fell.
Although Gui Mei's strength still brushed that block aside with ease, at least the soldier had seen the move.
Gui Mei paused, then gave a slight nod. The movement was so subtle that it would have gone almost unnoticed if the soldiers had not been watching him with their full attention.
But the soldier who had just attempted the block saw it. He froze for a moment, then broke into a broad grin.
Gui Mei gave him little time to celebrate, merely pointing to the next soldier.
The training continued in silence.
The soldiers charged forward in wave after wave, were knocked down in wave after wave, then climbed back up and joined the end of the line to await the next round.
Their progress was visible to the naked eye.
At first, they had not even had time to react. Later, they could complete a defensive move before hitting the ground. Eventually, some managed an effective counterattack the instant Gui Mei struck. Although those counterattacks never even brushed the hem of his robes, at least they had begun to try.
Gui Mei watched it all in silence, still saying nothing.
By evening, the sky had already darkened. Dusk came earlier in the Northern Frontier than elsewhere, and gray-white daylight leaked through gaps in the clouds, casting its last few faint streaks of light and shadow across the ground.
Training on the drill ground finally ended.
The soldiers dispersed in twos and threes. Some rubbed their aching shoulders, some