The Final Sword Demonstration

“Big brother, I was thinking this morning, isn’t it kind of strange that we’re both at the same level of cultivation?” Yuxuan asked as he took a seat at a dining table.

It was just after their morning practice in with the main branch head and the other foundation establishment members of their clan. Zhihao and Yuxuan sat in the main branch’s dining hall, a large cafeteria filled with tables and long benches. While the building was more utilitarian in decoration, three counters stood at one end serving different dishes of delicious smelling food for the clan members.

Zhihao thought Yuxuan’s question over for a second while he chewed on his food. Today they had been served spirit beast chicken with spirit rice. He swallowed and took a sip of spirit water. “You always catch up to me, I don’t think it’s strange that we’re at the same level.” Zhihao paused and took another sip of water, then asked, “Do you ever think it’s strange that everything has the word spirit in it? This food, this water, the tea we drink? It’s all spiritual.”

“Now that you mention it…” Yuxuan poked at his rice and gave a questioning look at his water, then shot Zhihao a glare and smacked the table. “Hey! Don’t change the subject, I’m actually trying to have a serious conversation Zhihao!”

Zhihao shrugged and finished his bowl of food waiting for Yuxuan to continue. Yuxuan seemed to have lost his appetite and pushed his food away. “Do you think it was sentient? Is that what you were implying?” Yuxuan asked, a strange expression on his face.

“No idea. What did you want to talk about?” Zhihao asked as he pushed his empty bowl beside Yuxuan’s. Yuxuan gagged and took a sip of water, then spat it out and looked at the cup of spiritual water disapprovingly.

“What I meant was, with the speed I usually advance I should have surpassed you eventually, but we’ve been in sync cultivation wise since we reached the end of the first stage.” Yuxuan said before deciding he’d risk drinking the water that might be sentient.

“Maybe we’re not at the stage where you start outpacing me yet? Our family always speaks highly of your comprehension and potential. They call you chosen.” Zhihao answered.

Yuxuan rubbed his chin in thought. Absentmindedly, he reached over for his bowl of food and continued to eat it. Zhihao watched him for a moment and decided against saying anything.

“This world is weird.” Yuxuan said, his mouth full of spirit food. “You’re plenty talented yourself big brother, so you might be right. Just don’t get too depressed when this young master leaves you in his dust.”

“The young master that’s worried his food can feel him eating it? I’m not sure there’s anything to be depressed about.” Zhihao laughed. Yuxuan’s face of confusion, slowly being overcome by one of horror was priceless as he looked down at his half empty bowl of food. “Is that what spirit food means?!”

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“You two children sure seem to be lively this morning.” A voice came from behind Yuxuan. Fu Yanjing took a seat on the bench beside Yuxuan and with a casual gesture the dirty dishes began to float toward the cafeteria’s counter. Before giving the boys a chance to greet him, he turned to Yuxuan and spoke in a serious tone. “Yes that spirit water comes from water spirits that we raise and butcher for drinking water.”

Yuxuan pushed the water away from him, his face turning an interesting shade of green. “Really?”

Fu Yanjing merely grinned mysteriously.

“Senior main branch head, may I ask why you’ve come to sit with us?” Zhihao asked. Yuxuan looked to be having an internal crisis at the moment, so Zhihao tried to change the subject. It wouldn’t do to bully Yuxuan too much.

“Your grandfather has requested me to come spar with him so that you may watch and try to comprehend the Final Sword technique.”

“Is senior main branch head good with a sword?” Yuxuan asked. His face had regained it color, but Zhihao noticed that Yuxuan was deliberately keeping the water from his line of sight.

“Yuxuan, you are too comfortable talking to your seniors.” Fu Yanjing rolled his eyes then continued. “It’s my sword technique, there is no one better to learn it from than me.”

“It’s your technique senior main branch head?” Zhihao asked. He had assumed it was a technique older than their clan. Maybe a technique the Patriarch had created.

“Indeed. In our clan, merit trumps all. My contribution to the clan was the sword technique I developed over my travels. It was deemed sufficient to let me become the main branch head when the previous one retired.” Fu Yanjing replied.

“For someone that thinks I speak-“ Yuxuan began to say when a talisman appeared on his face, sealing his mouth shut. Fu Yanjing raised his glasses to his forehead, rubbed his eyes, and sighed with exasperation.

“You ask good questions. It’s also a good thing to be curious about the world and your own place in it. Your grandfather always spoke so highly of you, but I only see a rascal.” Fu Yanjing stood up from the table and motioned for the boys to follow him. “Come, let’s see your grandfather.”

Yuxuan and Zhuhai followed after Fu Yanjing, Yuxuan making ridiculous faces behind the older man’s back the whole time and Zhihao trying to stifle his laughter.

When they arrived in Fu Liu’s courtyard, Fu Liu sat in his usual spot in the north of the courtyard. A letter laid on the floor beside him, too far for Zhihao to see anything written in it clearly.

“Greetings uncle, thank you for honoring my request.” Fu Liu rose and bowed to Fu Yanjing.

Fu Yanjing nodded “It is a trifling matter Liu. Come, let’s demonstrate the technique so I can get back to my work.”

Fu Liu nodded and moved to meet Fu Yanjing in the middle of the courtyard. Fu Liu made a gesture and Zhihao saw the minor telekinesis at work since he knew what to look for. The sand that was sitting off to the side of the courtyard that was usually used to create the pillars for training the Auspicious Steps began to fly into Fu Liu’s hand and condense into a sword made of stone.

Fu Liu noticed Zhuhai’s look of admiration and smiled. Then he turned to look at Yuxuan and a look of utter confusion washed over his face. Zhihao realized in that moment that Yuxuan’s and his tendencies to make faces must be genetic.

“Uh..hmm, hmm, uncle, may I ask why my grandson’s mouth is sealed?”

“You may not. Guard.” Fu Yanjing launched himself forward. With a twist of his hips and a fast sweeping motion Fu Yanjing had appeared beside Fu Liu, and using the energy of his twist he brought the sword sideways to hammer into Fu Liu’s side.

Fu Liu barely had time to maneuver his sword to take the brunt of the blow. He staggered back two steps before adjusting his posture and circulating the Auspicious Steps.

To Zhihao, after the initial attack from Fu Yanjing, it seemed the two seniors had entered into a dance. They were a blur of movement, far too fast for Zhihao to focus on anything in particular. Whenever he tried, it would seem like a picture of them frozen in motion before the sight vanishing into the overall blur of combat. Zhihao decided to observe the flow of the combat rather than on any particulars.

It occurred to Zhihao that he had been unfair to Senior main branch head. Though the man always had that somewhat sloppy air to him and wore glasses, he was clearly a capable swordsman. Zhihao turned to look at Yuxuan and saw that he had given up on pulling off the sealing talisman and was caught up in the battle.

For a second, Zhihao felt a pang of jealousy. He wanted to be able to actually see the exchange of blows rather than try to observe it indirectly. Zhihao hunched forward, resting his head on his palms, and watched two people so far above his level of cultivation spar.