Insufficient balance

  Dazzling sunlight woke me up, reminding me of how I used to dislike the sun when I was younger. It really feels like I've grown up. After washing up, I came outside and took a deep breath, feeling the freshness in the air, which also invigorated the light elements within me, making me feel especially spirited. Today, I'm setting off, leaving behind the familiar places I know.

  "Chang Gong, have you eaten breakfast?" Her mother's voice came from the kitchen.

  "Here I come." I now cherish the time spent with loved ones even more, and quickly ran back to the house. Everyone got up and sat around the dinner table.

  "Chang Gong, eat more, you won't be able to eat mom's cooking for a long time." Mom kindly picked up a chopstick and fed me.

  "Mom, you eat too, don't worry, I will definitely come back safely."

  "Seeing you like this, I don't know if it's a wise decision to let Long Gong go out and gain experience." Di Laoshi said humorously, as the meal came to an end amidst the thick atmosphere of familial affection.

  It's finally time to set off.

  "Be careful on your way." Mom's eyes turned red.

  "Dad: "Don't disappoint me." Dad's hands trembled."

  "Teacher Di: 'Don't forget the escape technique I taught you.'"

  I bid a reluctant farewell to them and embarked on my journey of learning and tempering.

  I left the village without looking back, leaving home behind, and the sorrow of parting still couldn't be dispelled from my heart. According to Teacher Di's arrangement, I was supposed to go to the Kingdom of Xiuda first to find his good friend, Principal Li Ke of the Knights' Academy in Xiuda, and then spend some time training there before going on to complete the task he had entrusted to me.

  I'm not in a hurry, I walked slowly along the way, admiring the beautiful scenery around me. It turns out that my motherland is so beautiful. What's with the misty water vapor ahead? I opened the map given by Teacher Di to take a look, and it turned out that I wasn't walking slowly at all. I've already arrived at Xining Lake, and after passing through one more province, I'll reach the border of Xiuda Kingdom. I remember Teacher Di saying that the scenery here is very beautiful, so I quickened my pace and marched towards Xining Lake.

  What a big lake! The horizon is invisible at a glance, the emerald green lake water is crystal clear and can see the fish swimming underwater, so beautiful. I squatted by the lake, scooped up the clear lake water and splashed it on my face, feeling so refreshing and comfortable. Now in summer, soaking in the icy lake water is really comfortable.

  I took off my shoes and soaked my feet in the water, savoring the wonderful scenery of the lake and mountains. Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound behind me, and when I turned around, I saw 7 people dressed in black walking towards me. They looked very agile, apparently they were skilled in martial arts. From their slender figures, it was clear that they were all women.

  I walked in and counted, there were nine people. On a hot day like this, they all wore cloaks that covered their entire bodies. One of them, who seemed to be the leader due to her tall stature, was surrounded by the others as if they were stars orbiting the moon. I couldn't help but take another glance at them, wondering what they looked like and why they had to cover themselves up with cloaks.

  I don't know if it was because my gaze was too piercing, but one of them noticed me. "Hey, you little brat, what are you staring at? Get lost quickly, we're going to rest here, or I'll dig out your eyes."

  Wow, so fierce! She's really a vicious woman. Originally, ladies need to rest, but as a gentleman, how can I just stand by? But after hearing him say that, I deliberately didn't leave. I ignored her and raised my head high, humming the folk tune from my hometown: "Sometimes in a hurry, socks are put on inside out, sometimes really want to wash dishes tomorrow, count me as too muddle-headed and a bit lazy, don't mind occasionally letting me be spoiled, how about that?" This song is often sung by Dad, called "Big Woman", probably because he's afraid of Mom. I've heard it so many times, I naturally learned it too.

  Seeing that I didn't react, the angry man who was yelling earlier stormed over to me, looking like he's going to be rude. Hmph, who's afraid of whom?

  The girl who spoke first said, "Yanzi, don't make trouble. Have you forgotten what my dad told you when we went out?" Her pleasant voice was so melodious that even the song of a skylark would pale in comparison, far surpassing my own hoarse voice. I wonder how she would sound if she sang, and I started to indulge in wild fancies.

  The girl who was called Xiangzi hummed heavily and said, "This time I'll spare you, hurry up and roll."

  I don't know if it was dissatisfaction with her words or wanting to hear the beautiful voice of that eldest young lady, I provocatively said: "This is your home, what's so great about it, what's the big deal. I'm not leaving."

  As expected, my wish came true. The girl who was in charge spoke again: "Tatsuko, teach him a lesson, but don't take his life."

  Sounds good, really good, why not say a few more words. Just as I was indulging in the sound, my troubles arrived. That girl named Lingzi might have been looking at me with disapproval for some time and upon hearing her master's orders, she immediately floated over, drew out the treasured sword from her waist and struck me on the head with a single slash.

  A gust of cold wind came towards me, I shivered with fear. It suddenly dawned on me: "Ah, it's a killer!" In an instant, I shifted and ran 10 meters away. What a close call! My hair seemed to have fallen out in a few strands, what a fast sword! "You're serious, huh?"

  "It turned out to be a magician, no wonder he was so shameless." I wore civilian clothes, so she knew I was a magician when she saw me using magic.

  Wow, don't magicians have any shame? I thought to myself. You can insult me all you want, but my teacher, friends, father, and mother are all magicians, so for their sake, I'll teach you a lesson too! "Element of light, my friend, gather into sharp arrowheads and annihilate the enemy before us!" An enhanced Light Arrow shot out from my hand.

  She seemed to be disgusted by the light arrow I shot, and with a wave of her hand, a pale silver light was emitted from the treasure sword, cutting off my light arrow in an instant. And immediately rushed towards me, warriors against mages must close the distance after all.

  Wow, this is the Heavenly Fighting Qi, I've only heard of it before, but now I'm actually seeing it, looks like I'll have to bring out some real skills. "Light element, my friend, transform into holy light." A large amount of white light burst forth from me, enveloping me in a defensive barrier, this is the high-level defense magic of the Light system - Holy Light. She charged into my Holy Light and seemed to be in great discomfort, quickly retreating back, her whole body trembling.

  "You, you're a Light System magician."