One morning, a few days after our group arrived in East Mesa City, I sat alone in the courtyard of Ellen’s immortal abode. Everyone else was out and about their own business. Elliot was off on some personal errand. Ellen and Willow decided to go shopping and get to know one another. Cultivator Isabel, as Willow’s guardian, went along with them. Rather than go out, I decided to stay home and study the jade slip that Nova gave me, the one containing knowledge and insights into intent.

It was hot and sunny outside. I sat on a comfortable cushion, with a jug of spirit wine by my side. The wine tasted light and refreshing, perfect for this kind of weather. The sky above was clear and cloudless. It was quiet, which I appreciated. Since Ellen’s immortal abode was located in such an out of the way location, there was little traffic nearby.

After settling in, I closed my eyes and sent my spirit sense into the jade slip. Right away, I noticed that the knowledge recorded within was divided into three sections. I skimmed the first section, which appeared to be a primer of some kind, before moving on to the other sections. However, the moment I tried to look at the second section, something punched my spirit sense.

My head exploded with pain and I withdrew my spirit sense from the jade slip. I stared down at it with a dumbfounded expression on my face. Did… Did my mother imbue this jade slip with her intent? It felt like it, though I wasn’t sure. The punch caught me off guard, so I hadn’t had time to study it before it disappeared.

I waited for my headache to subside, before I sent my spirit sense into the jade slip again and tried to study the second section once more. As before, something punched my spirit sense, but this time I was ready. As I suspected, it was indeed Nova’s intent. However, rather than a punch, this was more like a gentle poke. Still, given my mother’s cultivation base, that was painful enough.

Once again, my head exploded with pain and I withdrew my spirit sense from the jade slip. I took a sip of my spirit wine and pondered the reasons why my mother would imbue her intent into the jade slip. After thinking about it for a few minutes, I had a guess. I believed that Nova didn’t want me to skip ahead, and put in safeguards to ensure that this didn’t happen. That, or the intent was some kind of test that I needed to pass before I could study the other sections of the jade slip. Perhaps it was both. Either way, I wouldn’t worry about it for now.

With that in mind, I sent my spirit sense into the jade slip for a third time and studied the first section. It was a primer on intent and its interaction with qi. It turned out that when it came to intent, there were different stages or levels of proficiency. The first stage was the “One With…” stage. When I first read the name, I was confused. However, as I continued reading, my confusion cleared up.

According to the jade slip, intent was the manifestation of one’s will and the power of one’s soul. They could use their intent to empower their attacks. The more powerful a cultivator, and the more they understood the mysteries of the universe, the stronger their intent. However, before that, a cultivator needed to become one with their chosen weapon or element. Thus, the “One With…” stage.

How this worked varied, depending on the cultivator in question. For sword cultivators it was “One With The Sword” or “One With The Blade”. For cultivators that specialized in using fire mystic arts, it was “One With The Flame”. And for cultivators that specialized in fist martial arts, it was “One With The Fist”. Cultivators weren’t limited to just one particular weapon or element either. They could cultivate proficiency in multiple kinds of intents, though most chose to specialize.

In order to reach this stage, a cultivator needed to become so proficient in their chosen weapon or element that there was no distinction between them. The cultivator was their weapon and vice versa. According to the jade slip, one couldn’t be told how to reach this stage. One needed to figure it out and experience it for oneself. How long this took depended on one’s diligence and comprehension.

I withdrew my spirit sense from the jade slip and pondered what I just learned. So, before I could even consider using fist intent to empower my attacks, I would first need to reach the One With The Fist stage. Since I also used fire mystic arts, I could also try to reach the One With the Flame stage. However, I preferred unarmed combat, so I would focus on One With The Fist first.

The question was, how? The jade slip said this required proficiency with one’s chosen weapon or element. I was already skilled with my fists, though I guessed that this wasn’t enough. Perhaps I needed to train harder.

With that in mind, I put the jade slip back into my storage ring and stood up. I then started going through the stances of the Frenzied Fiend fighting style. As I moved, I paid particular attention to my fists. After all, my goal here was to reach the One With The Fist stage. However, I soon realized the error of my thinking. While my fists were my primary weapons, I fought with my whole body. Every movement, no matter how minute, affected my overall performance. I couldn’t limit my attention to just my fists.

After the Frenzied Fiend fighting style, I went through the stances of the other fighting styles that I knew. As I moved through each one, I focused on every little detail of my body. From the positioning of my feet, to how the air felt around my fist as I punched. I did this for hours, yet came no closer to reaching the One With The Fist stage. Maybe I was just being impatient, but it felt that I was missing something or that I was doing something wrong. Still, it wasn’t a wasted effort. By examining my movements in fine detail, I found flaws in my stances and corrected them.

I took a small break and sipped some spirit wine. What was I missing? My intuition told me that figuring this out was the key to reaching the One With The Fist stage. I pulled out the jade slip out of my storage ring to read it again. Maybe I would see something that I missed the first time. However, just as I was about to send my spirit sense into the jade slip, I stopped.

Oh, so that’s what it was. It was so obvious, now that I thought about it. I wanted to smack myself on the forehead. When I went through the stances of the various fighting styles that I knew, I focused on my entire body using my mundane senses. It never occurred to me to use my spirit sense. However, when I first observed Nova’s intent, I noted that it was related to spirit sense. After all, wasn’t spirit sense a manifestation of my will?

Excited by this discovery, I put down the jug of spirit wine and took on the first stance of the Frenzied Fiend fighting style. As before, I focused my attention on my entire body, but this time I included my spirit sense. Once again, I went through each stance of the Frenzied Fiend fighting style.

As I moved, all extraneous thoughts fell away. I turned more and more of my attention inward, until I lost all awareness of the world around me. My mind cleared and I fell into a trance. There was just me and my movements. I studied every single part of my body with my mundane senses and my spirit sense.

At some point, I started dancing. It wasn’t dancing in the traditional sense. Instead, I attuned my movements to a certain rhythm. However, I didn’t dance to the rhythm of the world around me. Instead, I danced to my inner rhythm. Or maybe it was the rhythm of my soul. I wasn’t in a state to think about it too deeply. Soon, I lost track of what fighting style I was using, if I was using one at all. All that mattered was the rhythm.

After an unknown amount of time had passed I noticed a discordance, a disharmony, between my movements and my inner rhythm. This discordance was minute, almost undetectable. If my mind hadn’t been clear and free of all distractions, I wouldn’t have noticed it at all. However, now that I perceived the disharmony, I could correct it. I adjusted my movements, until they were in perfect harmony with my inner rhythm.

The moment I did, everything changed. It was as if my mind, body, and soul were all in perfect alignment. My entire being was one. There was no difference between my movements and my thoughts. One did not follow the other. Both occurred at the same time. They were one.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

I threw a punch with my entire self, not just my fist. Every muscle, every drop of blood, every fiber of my being was in perfect harmony. This was a true punch. It was as if every punch I threw before this point had only been practice for this one moment.

When that moment ended, I broke out of my trance and fell to my hands and knees. I felt overwhelmed as I became aware of the world around me again. It was like hearing a loud noise after spending hours in perfect silence. The stone of the courtyard scraped against my skin. My breathing sounded harsh against my ears. My mouth felt dry. The sun’s heat burned my back.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to ground myself. Once I regained my composure, I looked around. I had been in that trance longer than I realized. Earlier, when I first came out to the courtyard, it had been morning. Based on the position of the sun, it was now early afternoon. The others would be back soon.

I rolled over and looked up at the sky. What was that, at the end of my trance? Was that the One With The Fist stage? I didn’t think so, at least not in full. Rather, it was a glimpse of the One With The Fist stage. It had taken me hours of dancing in a trance to even obtain that glimpse, which allowed me to throw that perfect punch. If I mastered the One With The Fist stage and could reach that state at will, then my battle prowess would increase dramatically.

The thought filled me with excitement. I stood up to resume my training, but then I heard voices approaching Ellen’s immortal abode. The others had returned. Moments later, they came into view. Elliot and Cultivator Isabel entered first. The latter wore a concerned expression on her face, while the former appeared serene. I frowned at that. However, when Ellen and Willow came into view, all other thoughts fled my mind.

Ellen wore her usual attire, black robes embroidered with snake imagery. However, instead of her usual outfit, Willow wore a beautiful silk dress. It was amber, the same color as her eyes. I always thought that Willow was beautiful, but the dress made her seem even more feminine. She even wore some light makeup, which further deepened this impression. Willow’s hair was short, so she couldn’t style it. However, to make up for this, she wore a simple silver lotus hairpin. It was the same one I bought for her back in Clear Basin City.

All in all, the sight of Willow left me stunned. Unable to help myself, I stared at her in a daze. I even forgot how to breathe for a moment.

“See?” Ellen said in a teasing tone. “I told you that Darian would like it. He can’t even say a word. You were afraid for nothing.”

Willow, with a bashful expression on her face, fidgeted in place.

“It’s still embarrassing to wear something like this,” she said. “It doesn’t suit me.”

Ellen clicked her tongue in displeasure.

“Nonsense.” She declared. “You’re a beautiful young woman. There’s nothing wrong with you wearing dresses and putting on makeup.” She looked at me. “Right, Darian?”

I didn’t reply, still too stunned at the sight of Willow. The latter started to look concerned.

“Darian.” Ellen said, this time in a sharper tone.

That snapped me out of my daze.

“Yes.” I said, sounding a little out of breath. “You look… amazing, Willow.”

When Willow heard this, her face lit up with joy. Cultivator Isabel sighed with relief.

“I told you.” Elliot muttered. “Now pay up.”

Cultivator Isabel nodded and handed him a spirit stone. However, I paid them little mind and continued to focus my attention on Willow.

“Now then, Darian,” Ellen said, “Why don’t you clean yourself up and take Willow out to the city? We wouldn’t want her efforts to go to waste, would we?”

I looked down at myself. Ellen was right. At the moment, I was covered in sweat and dirt. Compared to Willow, I looked like a frog standing next to a swan. However, there was something I needed to clarify first.

‘Are you all right with this?’ I asked Ellen through telepathy. ‘You and I haven’t seen each other in years.’

Through telepathy, Ellen conveyed the impression of a derisive snort without actually snorting.

‘I wouldn’t have suggested an outing if I wasn’t all right with it.’ She replied. ‘I’m not so greedy as to deny Little Sis Willow some quality time with you. Besides, you can make it up to me tomorrow. Tonight is for Willow.’

I nodded, before I headed inside Ellen’s immortal abode in order to get ready for tonight.

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Less than an hour later, after I finished getting ready, Willow and I were out exploring East Mesa’s Third Terrace. The two of us walked hand in hand. It was early afternoon, so it was still bustling out. Traffic flowed through the streets, reminding me of schools of fish.

People gave us odd looks as we passed them by. Willow and I must have made for an amusing sight, due to the height difference between us, but I didn’t care. All that mattered to me was the young woman standing by my side. Willow herself wore a joyful expression on her face.

‘I’ve never seen you this happy.’ I said in a teasing tone.

‘Of course.’ Willow responded. ‘I never thought that I’d be able to do something like this.’

I gave her a questioning look.

‘Wear a beautiful dress and go out with the man I love.’ Willow explained. Her expression dimmed. ‘I was always taller and more muscular than everyone else around me, even as a child. I’ve heard all sorts of insults about how beast-like I am. Whenever I expressed an interest in anything feminine, like cute dresses, people made fun of me for it. They said such things didn’t suit me. The only one who ever said otherwise was my grandmother. Over time, I learned to hide that part of myself. At some point, I forgot it even existed. You and Big Sis Ellen helped me rediscover it.’

I tightened my grip on Willow’s hand.

‘Those people are fools.’ I said, my voice laced with anger. ‘You are beautiful and feminine. If anyone says otherwise, I’ll punch them in the face.’

Willow giggled.

‘Thank you, Darian,’ she said, ‘I appreciate it.’ She sighed. ‘Still, I know I can't compare to Big Sis Ellen.’

I scoffed.

"Of course not.’ I said. Willow stiffened beside me, but I pretended not to notice. ‘Ellen is Ellen, and you are you. She’s beautiful in her own way, and you are beautiful in yours. Comparing the two of you is a fool’s errand. You two are different people. Neither of you is lacking in any way.’ I glanced at her. ‘However, I will say this. You are not beautiful despite being a tall and muscular woman. You are beautiful because you are a tall and muscular woman.’

Willow let out a shuddering breath and her grip tightened, almost to the point of pain. When we passed by an empty alleyway, she pulled me into it. The moment we were out of sight from the public, she pushed me against a wall. Before I could even react, Willow kissed me, pressing her entire body against mine. It felt as if her entire being engulfed me.

The kiss went on for an indeterminable amount of time. When it ended, the two of us were panting, our faces inches apart. Willow cheeks were flushed and I saw the desire in her eyes.

“How do you always find the right things to say?” She asked, sounding out of breath.

I grinned at her.

“Maybe it’s because I’m a demon of hunger and desire.” I said.

Willow chuckled and pressed her forehead against mine.

“Well, I certainly desire you right now.” She said. “So much so, that I’m tempted to drag you back home and have my way with you.”

I scoffed.

“Make no mistake,” I said, “When we spend the night together, and we will, I will be the one to have my way with you.”

Willow pulled away and narrowed her eyes at me.

“You won’t.” She said. “At least, not according to Big Sis Ellen. From what she said, you like it when your women take charge.”

I snorted, before I grabbed Willow and pushed her against the wall, switching places with her. She stared at me, open-mouthed.

“As I said earlier, it’s a fool’s errand to compare you and Ellen.” I said. “What works for her won’t work for you.” I grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. “If I had to guess, I’d say that you prefer a more sweet and tender form of lovemaking.”

Willow swallowed and blushed so hard that she turned bright red. However, she didn’t refute my words.

“That said, it’s still too early in the day for that.” I said, stepping away from her. “Let us save such talk for tonight.”

Willow scowled at me.

“I hate you.” She said.

I grinned.

“Anticipation is half the fun.” I said, before holding my hand out towards her. “Now then, shall we move on?”

Willow took a deep breath, before she grasped my hand. Together, the two of us continued on our date.