The sun was shining down brightly on Yuxuan and Zhihao. Zhihao was drenched in sweat but had a smile on his face. Each step was faster and more sure than the last as he practiced his movements technique across the pillars of sand.

The training had been going on for the past five days, and already he could see improvement. His body felt full of vigor. Each time he fell from the top of the pillars of sand he would need no time to recover before he jumped back up and continued practice. He believed his fleshly body pillar was nearly refined, if not finished already. His muscles never felt sore the morning after training any more and any bruises he received healed in hours compared to the days it had used to take.

Yuxuan had already mastered the basics of the Auspicious Steps and was working on incorporating it with the Fu Clan’s sword forms. Each step of the pillar was matched with a swing of the sword. Step forwards, strike down, step back, sweep the sword to the side, step to the side, slash diagonally upward.

Zhihao felt as if he was watching a swordsman who had been practicing for years, rather than a boy who had only been practicing for months. At one point, his feelings towards his brother had been complicated. Zhihao had once been described as talented, but his talent was never spoken of in the same breath as Yuxuan’s potential. One was like the earth while the other was the sky. No one had ever said it so directly, but he had personally experience the gulf between them when Yuxuan had caught up to his two years of cultivation in 6 months.

It was hard for Zhihao to reconcile the serious Yuxuan with the silly Yuxuan, that had only become more silly since the tribulation. Yuxuan had always been playful but now he seemed more… mischievous? Zhihao didn’t know how to phrase it. He felt a smack on the back of his head and knew Yuxuan had finished his turn on the pillars.

“Your turn big brother,” Yuxuan said, grinning, as he wiped sweat from his brow.

Zhihao nodded and waited until his grandfather reset the formation. Once the pillars rose again Zhihao hopped to the top of the nearest one.

Zhihao began to step across the pillars, more familiar now with the distinct sense of danger that arose when a step would lead to him falling. If he took his time he could slowly cross every pillar, but that was not the point of this practice. Yuxuan and their grandfather were at the point where the pillars might as well have been solid ground beneath them.

Zhihao began to pick up his pace. He no longer waited for the technique to tell him which pillars to avoid. He circulated his qi to the movement technique faster to keep up with the pace he wanted to set. Now he was receiving only vague impressions as he tried to concentrate on a steady pace and the movement technique. He made it five more steps before he felt as if light had been introduced to a dark room.

All Zhihao had to do was walk while circulating the movement technique. If he felt anything, that was a wrong step. He didn’t need to wait for himself to register the impression as danger, any impression he would receive was always dangerous. That was what the technique did.

Zhihao paused for a moment atop a pillar, one foot half raised in the air as he came to this realization. Yuxuan sat in the shade beside his grandfather watching Zhihao freeze in place. He was about to say something when he felt Fu Liu’s hand on his shoulder. He turned to see his grandfather shaking his head with a smile on his face.

Zhihao began to run. Left foot, right foot, left foot, dan- he kicked off harder with his left foot and jumped past the pillar he had originally been aiming for. The power in his body was far stronger than it had been, at least three times stronger. While he wasn’t super humanly strong yet, Zhihao had the strength of a full grown man at the age of 10. All this to say that, after he leapt past the pillar that had triggered the danger sense, he over shot any and all other pillars, he fell face first onto the tiled floor of the courtyard.

Yuxuan burst out laughing, and even Fu Liu had to chuckle. In Fu Liu’s opinion, Zhihao had done exceedingly well. He appeared to have had entered enlightenment momentarily and come to understand the application of the movement technique, if not full comprehension.

“Well done Zhihao! Your practice is paying off!” Fu Liu gestured and the pillars dispersed. He turned to Yuxuan who was heading to Zhihao to help him up. “Yuxuan, your comprehension is great, keep integrating the sword forms with the Auspicious Steps, and once you’ve refined another Foundation Establishment Pillar, you should be ready to learn our Fu Clan’s actual sword technique. Zhihao, tomorrow begin integrating the sword forms with the Auspicious Steps as well, I think you’re ready.”

Zhihao sat rubbing his head while Yuxuan dusted him off. When the boys heard Fu Liu mention an actual sword technique they both perked up.

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“Grandfather, what is our Fu Clan’s sword technique?” Zhihao asked.

“Please don’t have a ridiculous name like Heaven Shattering All Annihilating Celestial Sword or something…” Yuxuan muttered under his breath, but he still looked eagerly at Fu Liu.

Fu Liu was about to speak when he froze, then he looked at Yuxuan with a strange expression. “Where did you hear of such a supreme technique?”

“Wha- uh, from stories grandfather. The heroes in stories always have legendary techniques like that and I’ve always thought that sounded kind of pompous. And the heroes always act so arrogant when it’s their over pow-, ahem, unparalleled techniques that do all the hard work for them.” Yuxuan replied.

“Grandfather, I agree. Isn’t it strange how in stories every technique has a name like that? If every technique is so grandiose as to become commonplace, the only techniques I’d fear would be ones with simple names.” Zhihao added.

“We- the point of giving techniques names like that is to be imposing!” Fu Liu answered, his cheeks turning a light red.

“Oh no, grandfather is a fan of those names!” Yuxuan stage whispered to Zhihao.

“Those technique names are traditional! Who would want to learn a technique called ‘Ordinary Sword of Mundanity’?” Fu Liu said with a hint of indignation.

Zhihao and Yuxuan both raised their hands.

“That sounds like a truly peerless technique grandfather!”

“Does it turn my foes into normies? Teach me that technique!”

Fu Liu rolled his eyes. “You two have no taste when it comes to names. Neither of you has any fate with the dao of style.”

“Grandfather, you can make jokes!?” Yuxuan asked.

“This grandfather will not dignify that with a response.” Fu Liu glared at Yuxuan. “Do you wish to learn the sword technique or not?”

“What’s it called?” Yuxuan asked trying, and failing, to keep the grin from his face.

“You unfilial grandchild! Don’t think this grandfather won’t beat you!”

Zhihao felt this little brother of his was growing too bold and troublesome. Maybe he should let grandfather beat Yuxuan. He decided to intervene anyway as he wanted to see this sword technique, even if its name was ridiculous.

“Grandfather, Yuxuan is teasing you! Yuxuan stop or we won’t get to learn the sword technique!” Zhihao pleaded.

Yuxuan sighed, but his face still had a very beatable expression on it. He sat down beside Zhihao who was still seated and rubbing his head.

“Please, grandfather, show us the sword technique.” Zhihao said.

Fu Liu looked up into the sky, wondering if he had ever treated Uncle Yanjing like this when he had been a child. He remembered a lesson on karma he had received when he was young. You reap what you sow. He took a deep breath and calmed himself, then reached forward, and with a keening sound, a sword appeared in his hand.

“The sword technique of our Fu Clan is based on the concept of tallies. Each strike should add to the previous strike, culminating in a powerful blow.” Fu Liu waved his off hand and the sand that had made up the pillars earlier flowed forward. It built itself up and condensed itself into a statue of a faceless man.

“Grandfather, when will you teach us how to move things by gesturing?” Zhihao asked. Every senior seemed to be able to move a hand and have heaven and earth obey.

“Oh this?” Fu Liu asked pointing at the statue. “This is minor telekinesis. You can learn techniques to emulate it if you wish to focus on magical techniques, but you will naturally grasp it when you reach the nascent soul stage. Techniques that specialize in it will of course be have more powerful effects and be more focused, but for casual uses like this, the understanding that comes with the nascent soul stage is enough.”

Zhihao rubbed his chin in thought. Moving and shaping things with his mind was a casual use? He turned to look at Yuxuan, who was looking at him with the same eager glint in his eyes. The two nodded in tacit understanding. Nascent soul stage, watch out!

Fu Liu cleared his throat to regain the boys’ attention.

“The technique is called The Final Sword Technique, referring to the powerful blow that comes from striking the same area repeatedly. The true strength of this technique comes from using it in conjunction with the Auspicious Steps, to dodge your opponent’s blows while finding openings to strike simultaneously. If you can master both techniques, you would be hard pressed to find anyone that can match you in a duel at the same stage of cultivation.

“The main weakness of this technique is that outside of a duel with a single opponent, the effectiveness is halved with each additional enemy. Their becomes less openings to exploit safely, and more dangerous steps that the Auspicious Steps will alert you of. After a certain number of enemies, even the Auspicious Steps won’t be able to save you.”

Zhihao and Yuxuan nodded in understanding.

Fu Liu let out a breath and readied himself. He took a low stance and brought the sword up under the statues left armpit. A divot in the statue was the only trace of the attack. With a small step to the side and a sweep of his lead foot to the back, he lunged and pierced his sword into the divot that now was a large crack. With a final movement towards the statue Fu Liu ducked low and brought the sword up almost perfectly vertically into the weakened armpit, severing the arm of the statue.

“Since this was an immobile statue I had to take some liberties with the technique, but that should be enough for an example. Rest for now and I will instruct you on it tomorrow. Zhihao, your Fleshly Body Pillar should be fully refined by now correct?” Fu Liu asked.

Zhihao thought about it. He felt stronger than he remembered being, and that leap earlier had been so much farther than he had anticipated. He clenched his fist and noticed how his muscles seemed more defined against the his arm. It was kind of unsettling to himself. He closed his eyes and circulated his qi. He noticed that his flesh rejected the qi he was trying to feed it and nodded to his grandfather.

“Good, good! As expected of my grandchildren. Now I recommend refining your ligaments and tendons, that will give your body more elasticity to better use your strength without injuring yourself. Yuxuan, how is your cultivation?” Fu Liu smiled at Zhihao then turned to Yuxuan.

“I finished the Bone Pillar yesterday and was thinking of refining the Organ Pillar next. Any recommendations grandfather?” Yuxuan asked.

“That’s an interesting choice, why do you want to refine the Organ Pillar next? Most save that for last.”

“The Organ Pillar refines the organs that govern the five senses right? That seems pretty useful to me.” Yuxuan replied.

“Indeed. Your comprehension is remarkable, I believe you know your own cultivation best. You boys go take a bath and dinner should be ready when you return.” Fu Liu waved his hand and both the sword and the statue of sand vanished. He watched as the boys left, running to the baths.

The boys were his treasures. His daughter had done well, even if that son-in-law of his was a reclusive, talisman crafting maniac. Fu Liu couldn’t help but smile watching his grandchildren, but the smile vanished when he looked up at the sky. The words of the Patriarch ran through his mind, and he clenched his fist. He turned and went inside to grab some tea. Maybe some liquor