Cracks radiate outwards from beneath Wei’s foot, sending tiny fragments of tiles flying into the air along with a puff of dust as he kicks forth. To his side, the tip of a wood blade hovers a centimeter above the training field tiles, trailing behind the boy as he tears through the air before him. Seeing his target nearing range, he plants his feet onto the tiles and slides through the final stretch.

Now!

Wei digs his lead foot into the tiles, pivoting his other foot forwards and transferring the momentum of his dash into his arms. The tip of the wooden blade suddenly makes contact with the ground, smoking against the tile from sheer friction as he swings it upwards.

Dan watches Wei advance in slow motion, bending one knee slightly in preparation to dodge the attack. With steady breaths, he carefully observes Wei’s shoulders and hips, patiently waiting for minute movements that will forecast Wei’s intention. Seeing Wei’s hip suddenly twist and the muscle in his neck suddenly twitch, Dan straightens his bent knee to shift his body outside of the attack’s trajectory.

Halfway through Wei’s swing, just as Dan is in the middle of executing an evasive maneuver, both attacker and defender suddenly flinch. Their knees suddenly feel shaky as a crippling burst of aura crashes down on them, causing both to fumble. With all of his weight on his front leg, Wei suddenly loses his footing beneath the pressure, falling flat on his face before he can complete his swing.

Seeing Wei sliding towards him, Dan lifts his heel in an attempt to kick himself out of the way. The moment he kicks off, the pressure causes him to lose his balance. Dan instinctively stomps his foot back down to try and remain standing. Without enough strength to resist the aura, Dan is forced to watch as Wei crashes into his already shaky knees, causing both of them to roll across the training field.

Both boys lay on their backs, flinching as a figure approaches, blocking out the morning sun and staring down at them. Knowing that dreadful word is coming, they push against the tiles and rise to their feet.

“Sit.” Sun taps his hands on their shoulders, sending them back onto their butts. The boys exchange confused looks as Sun takes a seat before them. “Tell me, what do you know about aura?”

Both boys hesitate to answer, unsure if this was some sort of strange test. Wei, thinking that it can’t possibly be worse than fighting under Sun’s crippling pressure, decides that any answer is better than no answer.

“There’s internal aura and external aura…” He pauses, carefully gauging Sun’s reaction to his answer. Seeing a pair of unchanging eyes, Wei decides to continue. “By circulating the aura all around us through our meridians, we can absorb it and make it our own.”

“What happens when the aura around you is denser than the aura within you?” Sun poses a follow up question, causing Dan’s eyes to grow wide with realization.

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“Pressure…” Dan mutters, his mind racing to connect the dots between the fundamentals his father taught him. “Without an equal force to counteract the external aur-”

A wave of aura suddenly crashes down on Dan and Wei, causing them to shiver uncontrollably. Their hands drop towards the ground, palms flattened on the tiles to help stabilize themselves against the crippling pressure.

“If that’s the case, then why are you trying to resist my aura with your physical bodies?” Sun poses another question, slowly increasing the aura crushing down on Dan and Wei.

Seeing the shivering in their arms grow increasingly violent, moments away from buckling under the pressure, Sun places his hands on their shoulders. He sends a thin stream of his aura into them, guiding it across their meridians.

“Don’t try to fight it. Just control your breathing and circulate your aura along with it.”

Dan and Wei wince in response to the invasive aura breaking through their defenses as there were no defenses to begin with. Despite the pain, they try their best to obey, sending their aura trailing behind Sun’s as it makes its way through their meridians. Upon completing the first cycle, they suddenly feel the weight crashing down on them grow ever so slightly lighter. Shock flashes across their eyes, turning to look at each other to confirm the enlightened feeling.

“While it certainly helps, it’s not necessary to have an equal amount of aura to counter the external pressure. It’s about how you use that aura.” Sun withdraws both hands, leaving the boys to circulate their aura without any guidance. “A single branch will snap, but a bundle will endure. If you don’t have a bundle, circulate your aura enough times and it will become a bundle all by itself.”

The boys nod in unison, sending their auras coursing through over and over, each time increasingly faster than the last. After a short moment, Dan’s aura begins to flow effortlessly like a breath of air. With full control over his breathing and aura, Dan slowly lifts his knee and plants one foot down. With his hand against the same knee, he pushes himself through the crippling aura and onto his feet.

Seeing his first disciple stand beneath the surmounting pressure, Sun couldn’t help but smile. He turns his attention to his second disciple, watching as the boy struggles to rid himself of the shivering.

“You’re still trying to brute force it with quantity.” Sun advises, extending his hand towards the boy once more. With his hand on Wei’s shoulder, Sun sends another stream of aura coursing through the boy’s meridians. “Focus on consistency and flow until it becomes natural, no different than breathing.”

Wei closes his eyes, honing in on the foreign stream of aura coursing through his meridians and channels like a dragon weaving effortlessly through the sky. Following Sun’s advice, he sends his aura chasing after the dragon, making sure to keep his breathing steady in the process. With each passing cycle, Wei feels the pressure pushing down on him becoming increasingly bearable.

Sun withdraws his hand, watching proudly as the shivering fades from Wei’s body. Without realizing it, Wei had completed multiple cycles without any guidance. The dragon that he was chasing after had already disappeared, yet his aura continues to stream effortlessly through his meridians and channels like a dragon of his own.

Feeling the weight fade away, Wei snaps his eyes open. With determination in his eyes, he lifts his knee in an attempt to plant his foot into the tiles. With the diminished effects of Sun’s aura crushing down on him, Wei executes it with little strain. Pushing his hand against his knee, he rises to his feet beside Dan. Sun rises before the boys, placing his hand on their hair and ruffling it as a silent congratulations.

“Master, what percentage of your aura are you using?” Dan asks, bracing himself internally for some ludicrously small number.

Sun turns to Dan, staring at the boy with a blank expression.

“‘What’s a ‘percentage?’”