Hui stepped up to the edge of the floor again, beating stick slung over his shoulder. Opposite him, a familiar face stepped up. Ying Lin waved at Hui from across the floor, beaming wide. A few rips and tears marred her clothing, but no more than a minor scratch marred her skin. She stepped forward, quickly jogging to the center.

Hui strode over, neither fast nor slow. He nodded to Ying Lin. “Have you learned a lot?”

“Yes! I almost feel like I can break through to the next realm… ah! But that won’t happen for a long time yet,” Ying Lin muttered to herself.

Hui chuckled. “Even if you do, it’s fine. Your future is limitless, Ying Lin. I’ll cheer you on from behind once you surpass me.”

“Master, don’t say that. You’re cultivating quickly, too! I’m sure you’ll stay ahead of me,” Ying Lin assured him.

Hui snorted. This isn’t even about my low self-esteem anymore. Who could stay ahead of Ying Lin in cultivation speed? Maybe Master, but only if he wanted to stay ahead of her. After all, he took longer than her to cultivate… though I feel like that was his decision to cultivate at the speed he did, rather than like he actually faced bottlenecks and difficulties. Still, he had a reason for cultivating at that pace. I don’t know that Master would have adjusted his speed to beat her, even if he could. If anything, he was trying to cultivate even slower at the end, there.

He nodded at Ying Lin. “How do you cultivate so quickly?” I might as well ask. Maybe she has some insights for me!

She tilted her head. “I don’t know. I don’t understand why everyone else moves so slowly. Once you know something, can’t you directly move on to the next level?”

Knowing something is all it takes to move on? Damn. Who needs to practice or work on something, when you can attempt it and get it right in one? Hui shook his head. As expected, it’s useless to ask geniuses how they do it. They do it without thinking. I might as well ask a tree how it grows.

“Third round, begin!” the judge called.

Ying Lin drew back her sword in what Hui recognized as the Second Step of the Seven Steps of Autumn. “Don’t hold back, Master!”

“The same to you, Ying Lin. Don’t hesitate to strike me down!” Hui returned. He quickly drew the second of his two talismans on his chest again, raising his beating stick.

The two of them rushed at one another. Sword met beating stick.

On the sidelines, Chen Wuya shook his head. “Disgraceful. If my masters were still alive, I’d be beaten black and blue for allowing you two to misuse my technique like this.”

After a second, he hopped to the side, shrugging his wings. “Still better than that Jing Ruchen brat. At least the two of you aren’t widely recognized as my successors. Ptui!”

Hui stepped to the side. He lowered his beating stick.

Ying Lin lowered her sword as well. She turned back to face Hui.

Blood spurted. Hui wavered where he stood, then fell onto his face. Blood pooled around his body, collecting in the stone.

The judge jumped to his feet. “Winner, Ying Lin!” He flew down to Hui’s side, already reaching for a bottle of pills.

Ying Lin shook her head. “Master, get up.”

Hui pushed himself up. He wiped the blood off his face. Ah… I always wanted to do one of those passes. So cool! Though it would’ve been nice if I managed to win the exchange…

Against Ying Lin, though? There was no hope. It was an honorable loss.

The judge startled back. “You’re fine?”

Hui pressed his wound closed and swapped from flesh mode back to plant mode. His wound sealed closed. “I’m fine, Senior.”

“It’s Master’s hobby,” Ying Lin explained, shaking her head.

The judge blinked. “Master’s… hobby?”

“Never mind, never mind it,” Hui said. He waved his hand. “In any case, Ying Lin certainly won this exchange, no?”

“Yes… yes,” the judge agreed.

Hui smiled and put a hand to the judge’s back, walking him along. “It’s quite regrettable that I lost this fight, quite regrettable. I have great accomplishments in forging weapons that I was hoping to bring to the sect.”

“Forging weapons?” the judge asked, perking up.

“Yes, yes. Here. Take a look at this,” Hui said, handing him the beating stick.

“You made this? The heft… the skill in manipulating the high-realm metal. The kind of fire it would take to forge a club this firm, this smooth…” He turned the stick around and looked at the bell on the end. The judge frowned. “This bell is brittle, but the spell inside is fantastic. Still, fitting the spell inside this tiny bell…”

Hui nodded along. Yes, I made the whole thing! For certain! Anyways, I’m not afraid to lie about the stick. I made part of it, and that’s close enough to the truth. He’s the one who misunderstood and decided I forged the whole thing. It’s not my fault.

The judge looked up at Hui. “With forging techniques like this, why come to the weaponry selection? Wouldn’t you fit better in with the magical techniques selection?”

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“Ah, but you understand my hesitation, no? Although forging can be said to be a magical technique, can someone who focuses on magical techniques truly understand the beauty of a well-forged weapon?” Hui, a man who focused on magical techniques, said.

Nodding along, the judge turned the beating stick over in his hands again. “This is… truly fantastic. Do you have any other examples?”

Hui clicked his tongue. “It isn’t so easy to bring weapons around everywhere, and this space is cut off from outside. I only brought this stick with me this time, but if I have the chance, I should be able to bring more examples of my skill.” Yes, if I become a peak lord and you give me a forge, I can certainly bring more forged weapons to you! Eh, but you’ll have to give me the time to make them, first. The chance! That’s the chance!

I need to impress the judges, not win! The judge said so himself. Winning is for chumps and sword cultivators! As long as I can impress the judge, it doesn’t matter how poorly I do in the tournament! Since I can’t beat Ying Lin, my move here is to make the judge think well of me. Weapon forging techniques are rare, and spirit forging cultivators are equally rare! If he thinks I’m the real deal, that’s my ticket into the sect. Once I’m in the sect, I can demand everything I need to become the real deal!

The judge nodded, agreeing. “Indeed. What do magic cultivators know about sword cultivation? About weapons? Now I understand. You made the right choice coming to the weapons trial. Those magic cultivators would have never understood the complexity of this seemingly simple weapon. Yes... I'll have to think about this.”

“Of course, Senior, of course.” Hui took his beating stick back and hung it from his belt. Bowing one last time, he finished, “I await your enlightened decision.”

--

Chen Wuya fluttered over to Ying Lin. She glanced at him as he settled on her shoulder. “Hello, Senior. You’re a friend of Master’s, right?”

“Heh! Is that how he’s described me?” Chen Wuya muttered.

Ying Lin tilted her head. “I don’t think Master would dare to presume to call anyone a friend, but he does seem to like you.”

Chen Wuya tilted his head. He cawed softly to himself, saying nothing.

“It looks like I’m going up against Jing Ruchen,” Ying Lin commented. She sighed. “I told Master not to hold back, but…”

“But you also held back,” Chen Wuya said, laughing.

Ying Lin frowned. She shook her head. “Even so…”

Chen Wuya sighed. “That Hui is a coward. Cowards cannot afford to leave their opponents alive, because they cannot be sure they could ever defeat them a second time. He has too many techniques that are meant to kill or maim. This means he cannot spar at his full strength without putting your life at risk.”

“But Master doesn’t like to kill,” Ying Lin argued.

Chen Wuya cawed out a laugh. “He doesn’t like to fight, either. But when he does fight… how many times has his opponent escaped alive?”

Ying Lin frowned. “That…”

“But that isn’t what I came to talk to you about. That Jing Ruchen brat… you have to defeat him,” Chen Wuya said, nodding.

Ying Lin nodded.

Chen Wuya shot a look at Jing Ruchen from across the arena. “He has the advantage here. He’s done this longer than you, and he knows the technique better than you do. Even with my advice, he’s a serious threat that you must take seriously.

“His ankles are a weak point of his. But he’s hidden it well. You can’t strike his ankles directly, because he compensates to protect them. Instead, watch his footwork. His legs will be softer than they should be. He won’t have the quickness in his feet that you will be able to draw out, especially with your lower body weight. Focus on your flexibility and quickness, and show him what he’s failing to understand about his own weaknesses.”

“Disciple understands,” Ying Lin said.

“Hmph. Let’s hope you do.” Chen Wuya leaped off her shoulder and took to the air again, leaving her alone before the tournament floor.

Ying Lin gripped her sword tight. She stepped onto the floor.

Opposite her, Jing Ruchen stepped onto the stone. The two faced one another and bowed.

Chen Wuya settled onto Hui’s shoulder. Hui glanced at him. “What were you whispering into Ying Lin’s ear?”

“Nothing,” Chen Wuya said, fixing his feathers.

Hui twisted his lips. I’ll have to have faith in senior. Ah… if he’s done something to sabotage Ying Lin, I’ll step in! I won’t let any Jing Ruchen seriously injure my disciple.

Ying Lin raised her sword. Jing Ruchen did as well. Almost mirror images, they circled one another, watching for openings.

“That pose… do you also practice the Seven Swords?” Jing Ruchen asked.

Ying Lin nodded, saying nothing.

“Where did you learn it from?” Jing Ruchen said, brows furrowing.

“The master,” Ying Lin replied.

Jing Ruchen cast a glance at Hui. “Your Master? But he—”

The second he took his eyes off Ying Lin, she closed in. Jing Ruchen shot backward, as fast as lightning. Ying Lin slashed out a second too slow to catch him. The two traded blows, dancing back and forth across the field.

With a clash, they parted. Jing Ruchen panted openly, wiping his forehead with a sleeve. Ying Lin watched, keeping her breath measured, her eyes narrow.

“Where did you come from? What sect did you grow in?” Jing Ruchen asked.

“The Fu Clan,” Ying Lin said.

“I’ve never heard of them,” Jing Ruchen said, furrowing his brows.

“You wouldn’t have,” Ying Lin agreed.

Jing Ruchen charged at Ying Lin. Prepared, Ying Lin darted aside. She deflected his sword, spun around and caught him from behind, slashing toward his spine. Jing Ruchen bent into a somersault to get away from her, but her blade still caught his back before he could fully retreat.

She drew back rather than press the advantage. “You can protect your ankles all day, but the weakness comes out in your legs, no matter how much you hide it. There is no future following this path. Your weakness will end you, unless you address it now.”

“Hmph! Tell him,” Chen Wuya snorted.

“Presumptive!” Jing Ruchen snarled. He whipped around and chased at Ying Lin.

The two fought again. Swords flashed. Metal shone.

On the sideline, Hui nodded to himself, pinching his chin. Yes, yes. This is an intense fight, for sure. Hmm. My poor little eyes can’t even follow their movements, but let’s pretend like I can! I’ve got to impress the judges, after all!

At last, Jing Ruchen lunged forward. Ying Lin blocked his blow, but the force of his sword carried her backward. She stumbled over the edge of the floor and fell onto her rear.

“Victory, Jing Ruchen!” the judge called out.

Hui ran to Ying Lin’s side and helped her up. He looked her over, quickly dusting off her robes. “Are you hurt?”

A shadow loomed over both of them. Hui looked up. Jing Ruchen stared down at Ying Lin. He frowned. “Why did you say that? About my ankles.”

“Because it’s true,” Ying Lin said.

Jing Ruchen narrowed his eyes, then turned on his heel and marched off, robes swirling.

Chen Wuya clicked his beak. “In the end, we’re drawing legs on a snake. If he doesn’t want to learn, it’s meaningless to try to force him. Ying Lin, you can be my new official inheritor! Come here. I’ll train you well!”

Ying Lin looked at Hui, hesitant.

Hui furrowed his brows. “What are you waiting for? Go, go! An opportunity like this doesn’t come every day!” He shook his head. There’s such a thing as being too filial a disciple. Don’t stick by my side when an expert is handing down his inheritance across the room!

Bowing shortly to Hui, Ying Lin reached her hand out to Chen Wuya. He hopped over to her, settling happily on her shoulder. “Good, good. Now listen…”

Hui licked his lips, turning away from the trial toward the other peaks. I wonder how the other clones are doing? I’m not sure I landed myself a peak lord position… I might need to clutch a fellow clone’s thigh, if I get cut in the end!