It should take him about another day or two to get the correct combination once. A few more weeks before he can do it with every swing. Sun Lingling’s focus zeroed in on the raised sword.

It came down in a straight line, showing a little experience and understanding of the weapon as the edge remained straight. Wang Yang leaned forward to shift his body weight behind the swing.

With a resounding thud, the dull blade struck the wooden forehead, yet it sounded like a clash of iron. What followed was a situation neither of them expected. The two halves of the dummy fell as his sword hit the stone floor at the same time.

“Oh… I did it.” Wang Yang looked at the scene in wonder. He didn’t expect to do it on the first try. “Thanks for that.”

“… It's nothing.” Sun Lingling’s words were dry, however, her mind tried to understand what happened.

Was it Luck? The answer seemed plausible. Wang Yang put the dummy together. He went a second time. His form remained the same, yet the dummy didn’t break.

“…That was a little off.” Sun Lingling noticed him getting close to the precise number. Those words prompted him to try again, and this time he succeeded. After that, he tried ten times, and he succeeded five times.

That’s much better than my first ten swings. Sun Lingling saw Wang Yang sitting on the ground. He ran out of Qi.

“If you had asked for hints from Master. You would’ve completed this on the very first day.” She said, unable to understand why he bore through it for seven days.

“I wanted to. But, I felt like this was a test for me… so I tried to do it myself.” He said, wiping his sweat away.

I suppose there was a test, but it wasn’t this. She kept quiet about it as speaking out of line could hinder his progress. Li Muchen had his way of teaching.

“You’ve done well so far. Much better than I expected.” Sun Lingling was never wrong when it came to swords. Yet, he did prove her calculations wrong.

Even if the first strike was a fluke, being able to zero in on that feeling and recreating it wasn’t easy. He should be commended for that achievement. However, his gaze held a sense of surprise towards her.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah… well, how should I say it…” Wang Yang rubbed his cheek. “You seem much kinder than expected?”

Sun Lingling kept to herself. Since becoming disciples and living under the same roof, the number of times he had seen her could be counted on one hand. And this was the longest he had heard her speak. Before this, she had yet to talk with him directly.

But, not only did she help him, she also praised him when he succeeded. It made Wang Yang realize that he had the wrong impression.

“I apologize if I came off as rude. My focus has been on cultivation.” She said.

“That’s normal. Even though I want to cultivate day and night, it isn’t easy to sit down for long.” His wandering mind had become his biggest enemy.

“If you have a goal, it will help you focus.” She said.

“A Goal?”

“Yes. What do you want to achieve by cultivating? It can be simply becoming immortal, becoming powerful, accumulating wealth, understanding the world, helping others, or for something vain. As long as it motivates you, any goal is good.” Sun Lingling had a goal, and that helped her get up every morning to cultivate and do what she could.

Wang Yang on the other hand had no goals, even before coming to the sect he lived day to day. He never yearned for anything.

“You can take your time. A goal you can dedicate your life to can be as hard to find as it can be easy.” She said.

“Thanks a lot, Senior Sister Sun.” Wang Yang smiled.

“Senior Sister?” A flash of surprise appeared on her face.

“You were Master’s first disciple, so you are the Senior Disciple.” He smiled.

“Very well then. I hope you find your answer soon, Junior Brother Wang.” Her voice still sounded dry, but Wang Yang got used to it.

However, seeing the opportunity he decided to ask a question that had been on his mind. The technique Sun Lingling always used to end their matches was very intriguing to him.

“The disarming technique that Senior Sister Sun uses, is it your own?”

They’ve had the matches every other day since then. And so far, he couldn’t understand how she did that. Because even if he knew it was coming, he could never spot when it happened.

“It is Master’s.” She said.

“Hmm? When did Master teach that?” Wang Yang wondered if he had missed any lectures. Because she was able to use it from the first day.

“He didn’t.” The answer confused him. How could she learn something he hadn’t taught yet?

“Speaking of Master, how much does Junior Brother Wang know about him?” She asked.

“I don’t know a lot. But, Master has a lot of admiration from everyone in the sect. I also heard a few of the things he did, and his standing in the sect. He is an awesome and respectable person. Much more than that, he seems kind and understanding. Though he does punish without reservation.” Wang Yang still wanted to know more, especially after the things he had heard. “I wonder how strong he is right now.”

“Master is strong. But, he could’ve been much stronger if not for the slow speed of cultivation. Even then, he trained with sword, alchemy, and has great achievements in Formations.” Sun Lingling said, bringing his attention to her.

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“I guess, the heavens are fair.” Wang Yang was reminded of his father’s words. A man can’t have everything.

His Master had the drive and intellect, but his cultivation speed held him back. Kexin had ambition and dreams, yet she didn’t get the talent. Yet, without any drive or ambition, he had acquired a position many dream of.

“Do you believe that?” It wasn’t Sun Lingling’s question, rather the strong voice that made him flinch.

“There is no need to answer that. I will take my leave now.” She walked into the eastern wing. Leaving the confused Wang Yang alone in the courtyard.

Her steps were measured and made no sound, the sleeves of her robe fluttered with each move. In silence, she entered her cultivation room. Placing her sword into the storage ring, she picked up the sword she had left on a stand. Taking a seat on the cushion, she closed her eyes.

Not a second later her breathing stabilized. Taking in the Qi through her lungs Sun Lingling connected the abundant gaseous Qi in her dantian to the sword using the pathways leading to her palms. A serene calmness dragged her mind deeper into the water. Drowning, yet the water wasn’t disturbed by her breath. She wasn’t breathing, or moving. The light got further away each second until there was only darkness.

At that moment, Sun Lingling had lost control of her body. Then, the light returned. Rather than the cultivation room, she was in the courtyard painted in an orange glow. The one in her Master’s residence.

In front of her was a Monk Dummy. But, it wasn’t the clean one she had seen before. This one had numerous dents and slash marks on its body. And it wasn’t the one made for precision training.

“Brother stop, you are hurt!” A sniffle came from the left as terrible frost bit into her body.

She wanted to look, but her head didn’t move. Instead, the hands gripped the familiar handle of the sword tight to gather energy. Her hands burned as if she was holding a rod of melted iron. Yet, the body moved and heaved the sword above.

“I can’t do that Jiahao. I have to train.” The words that left her lips weren’t hers. The voice too, belonged to her Master. But, unlike the usual calm and serene tone, there was a tinge of anger. Not at anyone else, but at himself. “I can’t stop right now.”

The sword came down. The blade shook because of the trembling hands, yet it didn’t sway from the arc. With a resounding clang, the sword left an inch-deep gash in the body of the monk dummy.

“Your hands are bleeding! Brother, stop!” Her gaze turned, catching the red-haired boy cry. He looked about a teen, the crimson eyes full of worry and tears.

“It’s all fine. I have to do this. It is the only way.” She could barely make out the boy’s face.

“You don’t have to… Stop hurting yourself.”

“That’s not correct Jiahao… If I don’t push myself to my limit, that would…… be on me…” The vision blurred and soon darkened.

The consciousness came and she looked at the golden ceiling. The moonlight entered through the window illuminating her bandaged palms. They stung still, the legs had no strength yet the body moved. Pushing the blanket aside, she walked using the sword as a cane. The slow steps took her through the corridors of the eastern wing into the courtyard.

There, the beaten monk dummy waited. Each step was filled with pain, yet her mind was calm. Like a lake with no ripples. She stood in front of the dummy. The sword drawn on shaking legs. An iron sword felt like lifting a mountain. The body cried to stop, yet the person didn’t. The creaking legs widened into a stance. The sword stayed upright like his back.

Unlike my junior brothers and sisters, I don’t have talent. My cultivation root is useless and my body is weak. The voice rang in her head. It was calm and accepting. What takes me months to learn, they can do that in an hour. That is the difference. I understand that.

But, the talent I lack can be bridged with hard work. I don’t want them to hide their achievements from me out of pity or fear that I will get angry. Her entire body burned as if she were in the middle of a furnace. Even more than that, I want to prove that my Master was correct in choosing me. I want to pay back for the belief showed in me.

The sword was raised above the head. One step forward. A downwards swing. This was a basic move. However, the monk dummy in front was split in two down the middle. The cut burned as if a flaming sword had passed through it. Mimicking the monk, the body landed on the floor with a thud. The pain came in at once, but it was ignored.

“I did it… after years…… finally… I’ve proven... Master was right.” The silent cry of happiness was overwhelming. That sense of accomplishment that only came after years of dedication, was unknown to her.

To learn a single sword technique that his Master gave him. The words that assured him that he could. He did everything he could to make those words come true.

Opening her eyes, Sun Lingling rested the sword carefully on the stand. Wiping the sweat off her face she stood up. It didn’t matter which sword of Li Muchen she touched, it was all the same. The hellish and dedicated way of training. The dulled sense of pain and crushing agony of being untalented. It was there every step of the way.

But, that didn’t stop him. Every time he talked about doing something, he did it by the end. No matter how much it hurt or the effort required. That reminded Sun Lingling of the person very dear to her. She exited the room and walked down the corridor. The sword in hand brought an old conversation back to her mind.

Sis, can’t we play now? She was twelve years of age.

After big sis finishes her training.

Don’t you train every day? You even get hurt. She was a little brat who didn’t understand anything but playing.

I lack the talent, Lingling. I know that it isn’t something I can dictate. But, the hard work I put in is for me to decide. If I don't do enough, that would be on me. She showed a big smile every time. If I go easy on training I’ll get hurt during battles. Do you want Big Sis to get hurt?

No… Please don’t get hurt. That was the last thing Sun Lingling wanted.

I don’t want that either. Getting hurt isn’t good, if my face gets a scar, who will marry me? That is why I train hard. After all, there is a guy I have to pay back for a defeat. She smiled, patting her head.

A guy?

Yeah. A really stubborn guy who defeated me. This time I’ll go to his sect and challenge him. I’ll take you along too. I am sure you’ll like him. Sun Lingling looked forward to that. How about training with me, Lingling? It is better to start early.

I like playing with dolls.

Then we’ll buy a lot of them when we travel. Her sister would laugh before getting back to training.

Two years later they were about to leave for Azure Sky Sect. Her sister received a letter of challenge in a piece of white bamboo.

I can’t turn my back on a proper challenge. After this, we’ll go to the Azure Sky Sect. The sister left after hugging her.

That was the last time she saw her sister, leaving behind only her sword. Three years after she met the man they talked about almost every other day. And now, she was learning from him in a twist of fate to avenge her sister.

Sun Lingling opened the door on the north side of the courtyard. Inside was a Monk dummy. Just like the one she saw through the sword. Placing it on the stone floor. It was heavy, a lump of metal really. Drawing her sword, Sun Lingling took the same wide stance.

One step forward. And a downward slash. Just like she had seen in that resonance state. The Dummy split clean in two. The melted iron dripped on the ground from the halves. The technique that took her Master years to learn, she did it in a few hours while being in a lower minor realm. It was the same for the things her sister learned through months of practice.

Sheathing the sword, she pressed it against her forehead. Trying to feel the warmth of the person that once held it.

“The heavens are anything but fair.” Her whimper was lost in the late night’s cold breeze.