I woke to the sound of birds chirping outside my window and Rocky's unmistakable rumbling snores from one of the many gardens in the Wei compound.

"Good morning, Master," Azure's familiar voice echoed in my mind. "How are you feeling?"

"Ready," I replied, sitting up and beginning my morning stretches.

"Are you going to go over the details again, Master?"

"Knowledge is power," I replied as I recalled Wei Lin's briefing from two days ago.

Wei Lin had been true to his word about gathering intelligence – he'd shown up at my door barely an hour after I had woken up, practically vibrating with information.

Chen Wu practiced the Stone Mountain Heart Method, an Earth-rank technique that focused on stability and overwhelming force. It wasn't flashy like some of the higher-ranked methods, but it was extremely effective, especially at the Qi Condensation realm where most cultivators were still learning to control their power.

"The method has three main aspects," Wei Lin had explained, pacing back and forth in my room while referring to a stack of notes. "First, it reinforces the body with earth-attributed qi, making the user extremely durable. Second, it allows them to draw strength from the ground itself, increasing their power the longer they maintain contact. And third, it gives them limited control over stone and earth – nothing fancy like some Earth-element techniques, but enough to be dangerous in close combat."

He'd gone on to detail Chen Wu's typical fighting style: "He likes to start defensive, letting his opponent wear themselves out against his stone-reinforced body. Once they start showing signs of fatigue, he switches to overwhelming offense. It's particularly effective against younger disciples who tend to go all-out from the beginning."

The specifics had been impressive. Chen Wu preferred to lead with his left foot when attacking. He had a slight tendency to overextend on his third strike in any combination. His earth-control abilities had a range of roughly twenty meters. He could maintain his stone reinforcement for approximately thirty minutes before his qi reserves started to strain.

"How did you get all this information?" I'd asked, somewhat amazed by the level of detail.

Wei Lin had just smiled. "Father has Chen Wu test all potential recruits for our security forces. I've been watching those matches since I was old enough to understand cultivation. And..." he'd added with a slight smirk, "having access to the family records helps."

With that knowledge at hand, I spent a good portion of the past two days developing various strategies, but I knew better than to get too attached to any single plan. Flexibility was key, especially against an opponent who specialized in defense.

A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. "Brother Ke Yin!" Liu Chen's excited voice called out. "Are you awake? Rocky wants to show you something before breakfast!"

I opened the door to find Liu Chen practically bouncing with enthusiasm, his previous wariness completely forgotten after two days of being spoiled by Wei Ting's mothering. His robes were new – clearly a gift from Wei Lin's mother – and much better suited to a young cultivator than his old worn ones or even the ones we bought for him.

"Rocky's been practicing!" he announced proudly. "Come see!"

I followed him out to the garden where Rocky stood amid what looked like it had once been a very orderly rock garden. The stone giant was carefully arranging boulders in what appeared to be...

"Is that supposed to be a face?"

"It's art!" Liu Chen declared. "Rocky's been learning from watching the gardeners arrange the rocks. See? That's supposed to be you!"

I tilted my head, studying the rough arrangement of stones. If I squinted and used a lot of imagination, I supposed the vertical rock in the center could be a nose...

"It's very... creative."

Rocky made a pleased rumbling sound, carefully adjusting a small pebble that apparently represented an eyebrow.

"Ah, I see you're admiring Rocky's artistic endeavors." Wei Guang's amused voice came from behind us. “Mother's quite taken with his... unique aesthetic vision. Though Father nearly had a stroke when he saw what happened to his imported spirit stone arrangement."

"Rocky put them back!" Liu Chen said quickly. "Mostly. We only had to replace three of them. And Auntie Wei said it gives the garden character!"

Wei Guang laughed. "That she did. Though I suspect she just enjoys how it bothers Father. Come on, breakfast is ready, and Mother insisted everyone eat together this morning."

The Wei family's dining room was already bustling when we arrived. Wei Ting was fussing over Lin Mei, who had apparently spent the past two days completely reorganizing the family's herb garden. Wei Ye sat at the head of the table, somehow managing to read reports while simultaneously having what looked like three separate business conversations via transmission jade.

As I walked to my seat, I felt a strange feeling wash over me. It had been a month since I'd last seen them – at least from my perspective in the Two Suns world – though here, barely any time had passed.

They hadn't changed, how could they? But I had lived through an entire month of experiences, faced death and worse, learned secrets about my cultivation that I still hadn't fully processed.

The cognitive dissonance was... unsettling.

Wei Lin caught my eye as I sat down, raising an eyebrow in silent question. I nodded slightly to indicate that I was okay and that I was ready as I was going to be.

"Everyone eat up!" Wei Ting announced, somehow managing to add more food to Liu Chen's already full plate. "Especially you, Ke Yin. You'll need your strength today."

"Thank you, Aunty." I accepted a bowl of congee that shimmered slightly with spiritual energy.

"Rocky said the stone arrangement is supposed to be a portrait of Brother Ke Yin," Liu Chen announced to the table at large, causing Wei Guang to choke slightly on his tea.

"Did he now?" Wei Ye looked up from his reports with raised eyebrows. "And here I thought it was meant to be an abstract representation of market fluctuations in the spirit stone trade."

"Dear," Wei Ting scolded, though her eyes twinkled with amusement, "you know very well Rocky has been working hard these past few days."

"Of course, of course." Wei Ye waved a hand dismissively. "Far be it from me to criticize a stone giant's creative vision. Though perhaps next time he could express himself with slightly less expensive materials?"

"Father," Wei Lin interjected smoothly, "about the wind essence..."

"Ah yes." Wei Ye's expression grew more serious. "The duel will be held at midday. That should give everyone time to finish their morning business." He glanced at me. "Unless you'd prefer to get it over with sooner?"

I shook my head, taking another bite of the qi-infused congee. "It’s fine."

"Good, good." Wei Ye returned to his reports, though I noticed his eyes weren't actually moving across the pages anymore. He was watching me, analyzing every movement I made.

"About the duel," Wei Guang leaned forward slightly. "I've been reviewing the records of Chen Wu's previous matches. His win rate against fourth-stage cultivators is..." he paused significantly.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"One hundred percent," I finished for him. "Wei Lin already told me."

What followed after that was a tense silence as Wei Ye slowly lowered his teacup, fixing his younger son with a penetrating stare.

"Did he now?" Wei Ye's voice was carefully controlled. "And exactly how did you access those records, Lin'er?"

Wei Lin met his father's gaze. "The same way you taught me to gather information on business competitors, Father. Through thorough research, careful observation, and..." he smiled slightly, "strategic use of available resources."

For a moment, Wei Ye maintained his stern expression. Then the corner of his mouth twitched. "I see." He picked up his teacup again, but not before I caught the flash of pride in his eyes. "And I suppose you also shared your analysis of Chen Wu's fighting style?"

"Of course," Wei Lin replied. "It seemed like relevant information for an important business transaction."

Wei Ye actually chuckled at that. "Using my own teachings about proper preparation against me? Well played, son." He shook his head, turning back to me. "Though I should point out that those weren't just random fourth-stage cultivators. Some of them were genuine prodigies from prestigious families."

"Good thing I'm just a tailor's son then," I replied mildly, taking another spoonful of congee. "Less pressure."

Wei Guang stared at me for a moment, then burst out laughing. "I like you," he declared. "You remind me of Lin'er when he was younger – before he got obsessed with business."

"I was never that calm," Wei Lin protested.

The rest of breakfast passed in a blur of conversation. Wei Ting kept insisting everyone eat more, while Liu Chen entertained us with stories about Rocky's latest adventures.

Apparently, the stone giant had developed a particular fondness for arranging pebbles in spiral patterns when he thought no one was watching.

"He's very artistic," Lin Mei agreed diplomatically. "Though perhaps we could redirect his talents toward something less... structurally integral to the garden?"

"Oh! And I've been teaching him to write characters!" Liu Chen announced proudly. He turned toward the open doors, where Rocky was sitting cross-legged on the ground, munching on a particular large stone for breakfast.

"Rocky! Show them what we practiced!"

We all watched as Rocky carefully used one massive finger to scratch something into the earth of the garden. Wei Ye's eye twitched slightly at the deep grooves being carved into his manicured lawn.

"That's... very good," Wei Ting said encouragingly, squinting at the marks. "Is it supposed to be 'tree'?"

"It's 'friend'!" Liu Chen beamed. "See? This part here is the person, and this is... um..." he tilted his head. "Well, it was 'friend' yesterday."

"Fascinating," Wei Ye muttered, making a note in his ledger that probably involved replacing more garden tiles.

***

After breakfast, I made my way to the private training ground behind my guest room. Not to practice – I'd prepared enough over the past two days, and pushing myself now would only leave me tired for the actual fight.

Instead, I settled onto a meditation mat in the shade of a gnarled old tree, letting my mind settle into calm focus.

An hour after I had closed my eyes, I heard the distinctive sound of stone grinding against stone, followed by much lighter footsteps.

"Brother Ke Yin!" Liu Chen called out. "Are you doing that sleeping-while-sitting thing that cultivators do?"

Done meditating, I opened my eyes to find Liu Chen peering at me curiously, Rocky looming behind him like a particularly interested mountain.

"It's called meditation," I explained, unable to help smiling at his description. "It helps cultivators focus their qi and calm their minds. You should try it sometime."

"Really?” Liu Chen's eyes lit up. “Can you teach us? Rocky too?"

I glanced at the stone giant, who had somehow managed to arrange himself into a rough approximation of my meditation pose, despite being made entirely of rock.

"Well... I suppose the principles would apply to any kind of qi cultivation..."

The next thirty minutes was spent trying to teach meditation basics to an excitable eleven-year-old and his fifteen-foot-tall stone friend. Liu Chen couldn't seem to sit still for more than thirty seconds at a time, while Rocky's attempts at controlled breathing sounded like small avalanches.

"I don't get it," Liu Chen complained after his fifth failed attempt to maintain the proper posture. "How do you just... sit there? And think about nothing?"

"You don't think about nothing," I explained patiently. "You focus on the flow of qi through your body, or in your case breathing..."

"That's boring though!" He flopped backwards onto the grass before changing the subject. "I played with Chen Wu yesterday, he seems nice. For someone who's supposed to beat you up."

"Liu Chen!" Lin Mei's voice came from behind Rocky as she entered the training ground. "That's not... I mean, it's a formal duel, not..."

"But that's what Father said," Wei Lin appeared beside her, grinning. "Just with more elegant phrasing about 'testing resolve' and 'valuable learning experiences.'"

I had to laugh at his impression of Wei Ye's merchant-speak. "Your father does have a way with words."

Time passed quickly as we talked, my friends doing their best to keep the atmosphere light despite the upcoming duel.

Finally, Wei Ye himself appeared at the courtyard entrance.

"It's time," he announced simply. "Are you still certain about this, young man?"

I nodded, standing up and straightening my robes. The black gloves felt comfortable now, natural.

We walked as a group to the training ground. The rest of the family was already there – Wei Ting looking worried but supportive, Wei Guang maintaining his usual amused expression though his eyes were sharp.

The training ground itself was impressive – a large open space surrounded by stone pillars carved with protective formations. The ground was natural stone, specially treated to withstand cultivation battles while providing excellent qi conductivity. Perfect for Chen Wu's earth-based techniques.

Chen Wu stood at one end of the field, his usual plain robes replaced with proper fighting attire. His qi was calm and controlled, betraying no nervousness or aggression.

As I took my position opposite him, he spoke quietly. "I'm not delusional. I can see your talent – in a year or perhaps even in a few months, I likely wouldn't be a match for you." His eyes turned serious. "But right now, you will lose. It doesn't bring me any pleasure to make others suffer. So, I'll give you a chance now to surrender."

I couldn't help but smile slightly. At least he wasn't one of those arrogant young master types – this was pure professionalism, one cultivator respecting another's potential while still being realistic about the present situation.

"Because I like you," I replied, "I'll give you the same chance."

Chen Wu didn't reply, he simply turned his head to Wei Ye who smiled and said a single word:

"Begin."