Chang-li was in the courtyard sparring with a set of training dummies, practicing a routine of punches and kicks Joshi had taught him. He had no intention of switching from his sword and elemental weave combination. It felt right to him. But the foundation of cultivation was knowledge of self, and that began with one’s own body. In normal sects, acolytes spent years mastering the foundational techniques of martial arts to strengthen and better know themselves.

Chang-li didn’t know exactly what that meant, but he had read it several times in his studies. In his own training he'd learned that focusing inward on the simplest forms helped him clear his mind.

In his spare moments, he was working on learning a weave from the Morning Mists scroll that was recommended for swordsmen like himself: Mirage Blade, a technique which combined blue and orange lux to duplicate a sword. Eventually, the scroll claimed, at higher levels, the cultivator could control it entirely separately from himself. Right now Chang-li couldn’t even get it to form into a corporeal blade, so he’d put it aside. Focusing on something simpler, like sparring, helped clear his head.

He was hard at work when he felt a pair of eyes and a light willpower touch. He forced himself to finish his set before turning. There was Noren, standing and watching. He had kept mostly out of Chang-li's way for the past two days, focusing on the younger acolytes. Now his eyes were intent on Chang-li's face.

"Come, disciple," he said. "I would train with you."

Chang-li bristled at the man’s presumption. He was here as a puppet figurehead. How dare he interfere? “If it's all the same, I'm happy with my routine here."

"It is not, and I am not, and you should not be," Noren said.

Chang-li's temper had been simmering for these three days. Now it broke. "Play your Grandmaster game with the others," he snapped. "We both know you're not my master. If you try to tell me what to do, we will both regret it."

"Not your master, hmm, boy?" Noren's gaze was steady. His will increased. Just for an instant, Chang-li felt pushed down by it. "You think you have nothing you can learn from me? Just because you think you know who I am and who you are? Foolish boy. There's always something to learn from those stronger than you."

"Prove it," Chang-li said, folding his arms across his chest. It felt good to have someone to take his anger out on. He had determined not to show Min how much he resented her and her grandfather for their interference. And it wasn't fair to take it out on the disciples. This man was nothing to him. He was an imposter, forced in by a man who had no idea what cultivation was about. Chang-li felt no need to honor him in any way.

Noren strolled forward. He inspected the dummies. "These are not your usual choice of weapons, perhaps?"

"No," Chang-li agreed.

"You perhaps prefer a sword?" Noren produced a sword from seemingly nowhere, presumably out of his own soul space. It was a wicked-looking weapon, with a black blade, sharp on one side, its back slightly curved, hilt wrapped in red leather. He held it in his right hand, and in his left, he summoned a flame. Then he stopped. "Wait, that's incorrect. You fight thus." He switched the blade to his left hand and summoned a flame in his right. "Show me your skill."

Chang-li was torn between the urge to turn and walk away and the urge to smack the man silly. Whatever skill the man had at cultivating, and Chang-li had no doubt he had some, there was no way Noren would be able to use Chang-li’s unconventional style.

"Show me," Noren demanded, and Chang-li drew his own sword. He lunged in, swinging with all his anger and frustration, putting his hatred of feeling helpless and his desire to push on into the swing. Noren's sword caught his easily. Their blades clanged off each other. Noren brought up a handful of flame. Chang-li was ready for him. He used a simple red-lux shield to block the flame.

Noren whirled around, lashing out with his leg. Chang-li took a step back to avoid it, and Noren struck with his blade hard against Chang-li's shield. The shield shattered into two lux fragments. Noren let out a shout, deafening Chang-li. At the same time, his will pulsed for the length of two heartbeats, just enough to stagger Chang-li.

Noren spun so fast Chang-li couldn't follow him. A moment later, both of the training dummies Chang-li had been practicing on were no more than smoldering splinters.

"I am offering to train you, boy," Noren said, lowering his hands to his sides. "Do you truly think you are beyond me?"

Chang-li swallowed hard. "No."

"No what?"

"No, sir." Chang-li could not bring himself to call the man master.

Noren sighed, and his sword vanished. "That will do for a start. Come with me."

To his shock, as they left the garden, Min was waiting. She was dressed in a long tunic and trousers with her sect robe thrown over them, and she looked like she’d just come down from the training room. Noren nodded to her. “You are ready, then?”

“I am.” Min’s eyes flickered from Noren to Chang-li, but he said nothing. They left the rented sect house and proceeded upward from their petal. Chang-li didn’t speak, Noren kept his eyes forward, and Min kept clearing her throat, then saying nothing. It was an awkward walk.

"How did you get permission to enter the tower?" Chang-li asked as they approached the fifth floor entrance. This was where Chang-li had spent the most time during the bridal competition. The floor mirrored the Vardin Valley, but without the lake. Here he and his comrades had fought a dozen different challenge beasts.

"I did not," Noren said as they strode up to the gate. The guards on duty stepped forward. "May I see your pass, Grandmaster?" one asked politely, averting his eyes from Noren's face with respect.

"I have no pass. I need no pass. I am Grandmaster Noren of the Morning Mist Sect, and I am here to train my disciples.”

The guard cleared his throat. "Sir, without written permission from a cultivation official or the local government, I cannot—"

"Oh, Chang-li, I mean, Cultivator Wu, I wasn't expecting to see you here. And Lady Min!”

Chang-li turned in surprise. Princess Hiroko was approaching, flanked by a pair of female guards in Vardin City Regalia.

Grandmaster Noren bowed low to the princess. "Your Highness, I have brought your training partners with me as you see. Are you prepared?”

She blinked, looking confused. “I thought when you said — I expected lower-ranked acolytes. Surely Cultivator Wu has more to do than help me?”

"What are you doing here?” Chang-li asked stupidly. Behind him, Min sighed.

Noren smiled. "I promised to help Princess Hiroko with her cultivation. For that, she will need partners, and as you are also in need of training, you'll do. Stand aside," he instructed the guards, who, seeing Hiroko with them, fell back, boggling. They entered. Hiroko's guards stayed behind.

This floor was the one that matched Vardin City’s valley, but with the lake removed. The lux density here was easy for Chang-li to manage. Despite himself, his spirits improved as he stepped onto the floor. Noren strode off across the green-swathed landscape. Chang-li automatically inhaled lux and began cycling it. Hiroko's eyes went wide.

"There's plenty of blue. This is perfect," she said. He could feel her moving her lux about in the Way of Boulders pattern.

"I know you like that barbarian fiancé of yours, but that pattern is no good for you," Noren said irritably, not looking back as he stomped along. Chang-li was trying to keep his eyes open for any threats. The bridal parties had pretty well denuded this floor, but you never knew when a tower beast would emerge from slumber, hungry for a tasty cultivator morsel. He was uncomfortable being one of Hiroko's only protectors, not to mention, Min was barely more advanced and not experienced in combat.

"Young Master Joshi didn't—that is, I mean—"

"I can smell Harupan teachings, even once removed," Noren growled. "I'm not going to pry into secrets, but it's clear where you learned it from. You need to try using Way of Three Pebbles instead.”

Chang-li started. He knew the Three Pebbles technique, had taught it to his own students, but he'd learned it from the Morning Mist scrolls. He'd certainly never heard of it anywhere else. He reminded himself how little he really knew about cultivation techniques. Just because sects acted as though their techniques were trade secrets didn't mean that was really the case. Possibly the techniques he'd learned from the scrolls were common to many sects. Or had Noren snooped through his scrolls and seen? He’d found his papers disturbed once or twice after returning from the tower, and had assumed it was one of Min’s servants to blame.

"Go ahead and explain to her, Wu. I can tell you want to."

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Chang-li cleared his throat suddenly on the spot. “So, you need to imagine holding three pebbles on the palm of your right hand…”

He walked Hiroko through the cycling pattern, as Min sat down and focused as well. Min’s brow furrowed the more the two practiced, while Hiroko’s eyes shone.She took to it quickly, as she'd always taken to cultivation instructions.

Hiroko was in some ways a better natural student than Min, having an instinctive feel for lux and its patterns. Min approached everything like a bull with its head down, running straight forward into it until it gave way. She had made excellent progress, and Chang-li thought another training session would get her to her second core condensation on her way to the Peak of Bodily Refinement. But she never made it look graceful the way Hiroko did. He cast a guilty glance at his wife, resolving not let her know his thoughts.

"You're very close to the Peak of Bodily Refinement," Grandmaster Noren said. "Be careful. Cycle that pattern, but do not try to bring in any additional lux until I tell you. It's crucial that you reach the Peak in the correct manner."

"Why is that, Grandmaster?" Hiroko asked.

"Those who are more attuned to physical lux can brute force the first Peak or two," Noren said. “You'll need to be more careful. A breakthrough at the wrong time could leave you crippled. I know many cultivators don't care about progressing past the Peak of Spiritual Refinement. It's foolish and nearsighted of them. I will not have any of my disciples making that mistake." He looked pointedly at Chang-li.

"I'm not your disciple," Chang-li said. It sounded weak. He was eager for the man to continue.

"So we will find the exact correct place and method of bringing you to the Peak, Princess," Noren continued. "I've asked around, and this floor seems acceptable. Wu, do you know where the grove of Nikata trees are?"

Chang-li shook his head. "I've never even heard of them."

Noren gave him a quick look of disgust. "City boy. They're tall trees with white bark and broad golden leaves. They may have had little silver blossoms hanging from them, and the smell is absolutely unique. Like cinnamon and honey."

"Oh, yes, actually, we fought a wood sprite there."

"Doesn't surprise me," Noren grunted. "Wood sprites like Nikata trees. Take us."

Chang-li led the way, Noren striding along at his side, Hiroko and Min trailing behind. The two exchanged a few quiet words, and Chang-li took the opportunity to speak to Noren.

"I don't mind helping the Princess advance," Chang-li said.

"That's very decent of you," Noren replied, cutting him off.

"I mean, I don't mind helping her, but I thought you said you were going to train me. I don't see how I can be a training partner with her."

"I didn't say you were going to duel her." Noren gave an exaggerated sigh. "Cultivators these days. Always looking for the quick route to success. Well, you're about to find that you cannot forge, steal, and cheat your way all the way to the top. At some point, it takes honest, hard work."

Chang-li felt his guts twisting in knots. Of course that’s what they had done, but to hear an older cultivator say it was a blow. He opened his mouth and then closed it. What could he say?

"I've never been afraid of hard work."

"No, and it's one reason why I'm willing to bother with this nonsense," Noren agreed. "But if we're going to do this, we're going to do this right."

"What exactly is this?"

"Well, restoring the sect, of course," Noren said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the whole world. "What else did you hire me for?"

"I didn't hire you," Chang-li said through clenched teeth.

"Forgive me," Noren rolled his eyes. "Your wife's grandfather hired me, then. We were both pulled into his sect building scheme but let’s see what we can make of it, shall we?"

"My scheme!" Chang-li snapped before he could help himself. “I brought back the sect from death. I just asked Min for a little help, and it spiraled out of control. But I never wanted the Oaken Band to do what they've been doing. I just—"

He broke off as they crested a small rise. There, at the bottom of the valley ahead, stood the grove of Nikata trees, the golden leaves shining in the sunlight.

“Just what?” Noren asked. His tone was bland, mild. Chang-li looked at him but couldn’t read anything in his expression. Chang-li knew he had said more than he should, but he felt the need to explain himself. To make him understand. Despite everything, Noren had a presence that made Chang-li stand up just a little straighter, like the headmaster of his scribe academy.

"I wanted a chance to cultivate, and this was the only way I saw to do it," Chang-li said. "I'm sure it's hard for someone who's been a cultivator his whole life to understand what it's like to start from nothing. Scribes aren't supposed to become cultivators. Oh, they're allowed to dream of reaching Bodily Refinement. It's one of the ways we're kept in line, with threats of being sent to positions where we have no access to lux. But we don't actually make it.”

“You feel like someone is going to come and tell you your license has been revoked," Noren prompted.

Chang-li allowed himself a brief nod. "Yes."

"Well, then. We’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen," Noren said, as they reached the edge of the grove. "Princess!"

Hiroko joined them, Min standing a few steps back. She looked nervous as she glanced around at the smooth bark of the trees. Inside the grove was a ring of mushrooms about knee-high in yellow, green, and blue.

Noren gestured. "Sit. Take a seat. No," he said as Hiroko began to fold her legs under her. "Inside the ring of mushrooms."

She did as she was told, looking as confused as Chang-li felt. Min drew closer. “Do you know what he’s doing?” she whispered.

“No.”

“Could it be dangerous?”

“I — don’t think so,” Chang-li said. Though he didn’t like that the man had been foisted on him, he had to admit Noren certainly acted like he had real knowledge of cultivation.

"Now," Noren said, “Nikata trees have some very unusual properties. One is that they condense the three middle shades of lux within them, yellow, green, and blue. You'll see the excess there," he pointed at the ring of nine mushrooms encircling Hiroko. "What you're going to do now is cycle Swirling Mists. I presume you know that one?" He fixed her with a querying look.

She nodded. "Yes, Chang-li taught me."

"Good. I want you to cycle your lux. Everything here should be pretty much yellow, green, or blue. Spill out the yellow and green and concentrate the blue in your core. I want your core entirely filled. You understand?"

In answer, Hiroko began to cycle. Chang-li could sense her pushing out the unwanted lux. It swirled around her in waves before drifting away. Chang-li reached out with his mind and drew in the wisps of yellow and green.

“Princess,” Noren said, "you're going to play a game of tug-of-war with our friend here." He turned to Chang-li. "I want you to pull the blue lux away from her."

Hiroko's eyes flew open. "What?"

"If he can," Noren added.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Chang-li asked. "Can't it damage her lux channels to have her lux pulled from her?"

"Give it a try," Noren suggested.

Hesitantly, Chang-li reached out. He cycled Breath of the Heavens, starting with the lux that Hiroko was expelling. Then, as he tuned himself to her own cycling, he reached out and grabbed at the lux she was pulling into her body. If he could take hold of it, he ought to be able to siphon the blue lux away from her, since she was so many steps less advanced than he.

The yellow and green answered quickly, but the blue lux was like an iron band in her grip. He couldn't get hold of it. "Keep pulling," Noren told him. "Hiroko, hold tight. Clamp down on it. Don't let him have a drop. In fact, take as much in as you possibly can. Chang-li, keep the yellow and green away from her. You're only wrestling over the blue, understand?"

Hiroko's expression was taut. Sweat dripped down her brow.

"Disciple Wu," Grandmaster Noren called. "Can you send the yellow lux to Min? I want her to get it out of the grove.”

Chang-li grit his teeth and focused. The lux coming into him was a raging torrent, but it answered him well enough, not like the sticky lux he'd encountered during the puzzle box hunt. He had two sets of channels; he might as well use them.

Chang-li focused hard, cycling only yellow lux through his left-hand side while wresting the blue lux as hard as he could from Hiroko. It was like trying to run and copy out an imperial decree at the same time. Sweat dripped down Chang-li's brow. His breathing came in ragged gasps.

“Good, good!” Noren approved. “Hiroko, keep hold just like that. Chang-li, instead of taking the blue from her, I want you to purify it and send her as much as you possibly can.”

Chang-li switched to Double Branching river. The lux answered a little more easily to the pattern he had designed while inside the cultivation training crystal, fighting against his own reflection. This cycling technique was designed to make use of his parallel sets of lux channels, letting him cycle different lux through each. Now, though, he found there was so much more yellow, he had to cycle his left-hand channels twice as fast. For a moment, he nearly lost the pattern.

"Focus!" Noren urged, his tone intent in a way Chang-li hadn't heard before. "Think of it as music. Your left side is the fiddle, the notes twice as fast. Your right side, the drum, keeping time. Keep them synced.”

Chang-li could almost picture what he meant. Instead of the lux being a continuous torrent, he raised and lowered the pitch, pushing as much as he could out of his channels, then letting the blue diminish while he sent another pulse of yellow, then bringing the blue up again.

"I can't take this much lux," Min said through gritted teeth.

"Use it to form arrows and fire," Noren commanded. “Send them away from us, keep the blue concentration stronger. You're helping your husband here. Concentrate on that."

Chang-li couldn't spare the attention to look at what Min was doing. He focused on his own cycling. Hiroko seized all of the blue lux he could send her, pulling it into her own core.

"Almost there," Noren said. "Chang-li, a little more." Chang-li pushed one last pulse of blue lux. "That's enough," Noren said sharply

Chang-li cut and turned. Hiroko was hovering two inches over the ground, her entire body suffused with light. Her eyes were closed, her hands extended, with forefinger and thumb touching as she cycled. Her face was radiant, literally glowing in the faintest shade of blue. The intensity grew and grew until it suffused her. Chang-li blinked. She glanced into light. The light dimmed away, and Hiroko was standing on the grass. She opened her eyes. She was still glowing.

"I feel so different," she said, turning. And indeed, she looked different. Her hair was two inches longer and gleamed with dark blue highlights in the midnight black. Her skin was almost luminously pale. She hadn't gained any height, but she had more presence now. Min was staring at her, mouth agape.

"Is that Bodily Refinement?" she breathed.

Noren nodded as he strode to them. "Your first step on the journey of cultivation always makes an impact," he said cheerfully. "Is this new to you? Chang-li, you've already reached the peak."

"I was fighting a roc when it happened," Chang-li admitted. "I was a little busy."

"You reached the peak during combat?" Noren frowned. "Fascinating. It is an age-old technique, though not one I generally recommend to my students. And how long have you known how to manipulate lux outside your own body like that?"

"Uh," Chang-li said. "I learned that when I was facing Feng, just before I reached the Peak of Mental Refinement."

"Hmm," Noren looked him over. "Interesting. I will have to speak with you more later. For now, Lady Hiroko, if you need a moment to breathe, that's understandable. You two, go find her some water," he ordered.

Chang-li bristled, but Min took his arm and led him off, out of the grove of Nikata trees.

"Was that really what it was like?" she asked.

Chang-li shook his head. "Like I said, I was busy," he tried to remember back. He had felt different afterwards. "I mean, you knew me before and after."

"Well, I mean," she blushed. "That fight with the roc was the first time I noticed you. Specifically, I mean. Obviously I knew you. We talked a good bit, but you were, well, a scribe." She was nearly beet red now. "I do remember that fight. You, uh, yes, made quite an impression on me. I see now it was the Peak of Bodily Refinement." She stared up at him. "I need to cultivate more," she said in a rush.

Chang-li reached out and squeezed her hand. "We'll get you there, I swear," he said. "So, how come you're not cycling right now?"

Min let out a squeak and resumed her own pattern at once.