The seamstress that Xia Jing found works quickly, measuring me with a professional’s eye. I turn on the little pedestal she’d had me stand on, letting her measure my waist.

“What about Ju Yuan?” Xia Jing asks. She takes a bite of the meatbun she’d grabbed on the way.

“It doesn’t sound right.” I answer. I hold my arm out to let the seamstress put a needle through the sleeve.

“Xuan Lu?”

I pause, “I kinda like it.”

“You do?” Xia Jing says around a mouthful of food. She swallows before continuing. “I mean, I knew you’d like that one.”

The seamstress finishes and disappears into the back of her shop. I step off the pedestal.

“Thank you.” I grab Xia Jing, and pull her into a hug. She freezes in surprise before quickly hugging me back.

“What’re you thanking me for?”

I pull away, walking over to where I’d set down the mask. I put it on to hide the redness that is slowly coming to my cheeks. “For being my friend. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

The seamstress walks back into the room with the outer disciple clothes, stopping Xia Jing’s response to the words.. Xia Jing slips over to the seamstress, and whispers something I can’t hear as she hands over a spirit stone and takes the clothes.

She hands me the robes, “That’s not something you have to thank me for, little Jia.” She smiles, “Now get these on! We have a fighting ring to get you in.”

She pushes me into a small changing room with the robes in my hands. I shake my head at her energy, then put the outer disciple robes on.

The robes are a light blue, with white stripes going down the sleeves. They are simple outer disciple robes, but they are comfortable and not too hard to move in.

I stretch, then move through the first part of the dance given to me by The First Song of Water. The robes don’t strain and move with me through the complex movements of the dance.

Feeling satisfied, I step out to find Xia Jing waiting for me.

“Those look look good!” Xia Jing says. She walks around me before stopping in front of me. “Are you ready? You should probably put that mask on.”

I nod and put the fox mask on.

She leads me out of the small shop and down the road. I get a few looks from other disciples, as it is still unusual to wear a mask like this in public. We leave the market district that I’m familiar with and follow a cobblestone pathway next to a medium sized brook.

We arrive at one of the largest weeping trees I’ve ever seen. Its roots extend in a circle around it, rising into chairs and bumps where disciples rest, cultivate and work quietly. The spirit in the area is a breath of fresh air; peaceful and healthy. The qi of the tree is thick in the air, aiding those cultivating in strange ways.

The large tree is surrounded in a circle by many buildings with signboards outside. Four buildings stand out from the bunch. Their names are proudly displayed, being The Alchemy Pavilion, The Crafting Pavilion, The Scholar’s Pavilion and finally The Martial Pavilion.

Xia Jing pulls on my hand, and I realize that I’ve stopped. I’ve never had a reason to visit the pavilions before, but they’re quite pretty.

I follow Xia Jing over to The Martial Pavilion, where a stream of disciples are going in and out.

Inside the building, the walls are lined with armor and strange weapons. Tables are taken up by groups of disciples, most of whom have a dangerous air around them. Xia Jing leads me to the back of the building, where a large disciple sits at a desk that looks too small for him. Behind him, there are ranking boards similar to the one for inner disciples, except they seem to be ordered in a different way.

The large disciple looks up as we approach, then hurriedly stands up to bows to Xia Jing, recognizing her inner disciple uniform. “Yang Yuzhe greets inner disciple.”

Xia Jing bows back, “I am Inner Disciple Xia Jing.” She rises from her bow, “I would like to register my friend Xuan Lu at the Martial Pavilion.”

Registering with the Martial Pavilion is a surprisingly simple process with Xia Jing beside me. The words of an Inner Disciple hold a lot of weight. Yang Yuzhe, the clerk, fills out some paperwork, then gives me a small jade amulet similar to the one I have for the Demon Hunter Pavilion.

The disciple bows to Xia Jing as we leave, and we both bow back.

“What now?” I ask, turning the amulet over in my hands.

She turns to me with a playful smile, her hands behind her back.“You want to fight, right?”

I give a firm nod.

“Then we should go to the arena.” She leads me out of the building, the outer disciples making way for her.

“That’s all we need?” I ask.

She gives me a look from the corner of her eye. “You’re in the outer sect right now. As long as you don’t catch the eye of a Master, you can do whatever you want.” She hums, “That’s right. You wouldn’t know, would you?”

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“Know what?”

She snorts, “What it’s like to be a nobody.”

I frown at her, “That’s not very nice.”

“It’s true. No one knows who Xuan Lu is. You could be whoever you want right now.”

My steps slow, eventually reaching a stop. “I… I didn’t think about that.”

“It’s strange, isn’t it? Come on Little Jia- I mean little Lu, let’s get you your first match.” She doesn’t look back as she walks away from the pavilions.

I watch her for a long moment before following her. We walk through the sect and I notice a change in the outer disciples. No one looks at me, instead looking at Xia Jing, the inner disciple.

I’d never really thought about all the attention I’d get as a core disciple, but now that I don’t have it… it feels weird. I can’t tell if I miss it or not.

We reach the tent right as another match starts. We pass the cultivators at the entrance and walk through the tent flaps. A loud cheer rolls over us, the crowd pulsating with excitement.

I watch the two cultivators at the center break into motion, their qi techniques flashing as fire meets an inky darkness.

Xia Jing pulls on my sleeve and I turn away to follow her through the crowd. I’m grateful I have the taller girl as we’re quickly surrounded by bodies. She leads me towards the back, where an older woman wearing a more ornate version of my Martial Pavilion Amulet is currently talking with one of the people taking bets. The woman is taller than most here, and she carries herself like she should be listened to. Her spirit stands out from the crowd, refusing to be ignored. The strong defiant and cunning scent of a snake wraps her like so many shiny scales. She wears clothes in the design of an outer disciple, but they’re made of a nicer material than most clothes I’ve seen.

Xia Jing clears her throat, drawing the woman’s attention.

The woman raises an eyebrow, then motions for the bookie to leave. “Inner Disciple Xia, what brings you here?”

Xia Jing steps aside, revealing me. “My friend, Outer Disciple Xuan Lu would like a match.”

The woman raises an eyebrow as she looks me over. A smile slowly replaces her hesitant expression. “Oh. You’re no rookie, are you, Xuan Lu? I can tell you know how to use that sword at your waist.”

I bow to the woman out of respect. “Xuan Lu of the Martial Pavilion greets senior.” I rise from my bow, “I won’t be fighting with a weapon.”

“You can call me Mistress Song.” Excitement lights up her eyes as she continues to study me. “No weapon? Interesting. Yes, I think you will do nicely.”

I look over to Xia Jing, who smiles. “You’ll be fine. Mistress Song takes care of her people.”

“That I do.” Mistress Song walks towards an exit in the large tent, “Follow me.”

I look back at Xia Jing who motions for me to go. “I’ll be right here.”

***

I breathe in and out, the smells of the arena filling my nose. On the other side of the door, an announcer introduces my opponent. The crowd talks excitedly, and a small amount of nervousness grow in my stomach.

I’ve fought a duel in front of a crowd before, this isn’t that different… right?

I reach up and adjust the fox mask. My hand moves towards where my sword usually rests, but it’s gone. Both my sword and flute are being held by Xia Jing. That, plus Shia not being with me makes me feel strangely naked.

“And on the other side, we have a new challenger! Small but ferocious, do not underestimate the little fox, Xuan Lu!”

I step through the door, and the spirit of the crowd washes over me. It’s similar to when I play music for a large group, yet so different.

For a moment, I freeze, just looking up at the crowded seats. Mistress Song looks down on me, her gaze unreadable. Not too far away, Xia Jing catches my eyes. She gives me a thumbs up. On either side of the arena, Martial Masters stand ready to intervene, qi flowing through them into the arena. There are arrays inscribed into the arena to prevent accidents, and the Martial Master’s qi flow over me like a comfortable barrier.

The familiarity of Xia Jing’s actions shake me out of my reverie, and I turn to face my opponent. He wears his martial robes well, showing the lean muscles of an experienced fighter. I can tell that he’s an Eighth Level Qi Awakened, and he looks experienced. His spirit is ferocious, reminding me of the roar of a tiger. His eyes are those of a predator, and my body enters the familiar form of The Roars Of The Ruinous Dragon.

But again, my hand finds my sword gone, and I realize my mistake.

“Are you ready?” The announcer asks, but he’s asking the audience, not us.

I switch my form. My feet spread out, standing on the balls of my feet. My arm raises in preparation for The First Song: Dance Of The Brook.

“Let the Fight begin!” The announcer says.

The other cultivator is upon me, but I’m ready. I’ve played my music in more dangerous situations.

Words flow out of me as my body flows around his. My leg raises in a move I now realize to be a kick.

I kick the other cultivator into the wall behind me, then slow my song as I reset my stance.

The cultivator turns, and I see anger in his dangerous eyes. A damaged pride guides his moves as qi flows through his body.

A tiger stares me down, it’s predatory gaze daring me to resist.

I don’t stop singing as the tiger leaps. Claws extend from the cultivators fists, but I dance. Every movement is instinctual, following the rhythm of the song and the rhythm of the fight.

I mess up slightly, and claws rake into my arm, drawing blood, but I don’t stop. The dance can’t stop. My arms meet his and my feet kick out.

I hear it. The sound of the brook, the flow of water as it refuses to stop. The earth itself gives way for water, unable to resist its endless flow.

The cultivator stops, his qi transforming to take the form of a tiger’s head twice as large as I am. The maw comes for me, closing around me.

As the teeth of the large creature close, I see it. The reality of the dance. It’s only a glimpse, but that’s all I need.

My body flows, and I’m on the other side of the tiger’s head, my foot kicking out with all the strength of a flood.

My foot lands squarely in the cultivator’s chest and he’s thrown back. His body slams against the wall of the arena, the qi of the arena’s arrays softening the impact. Still, he slumps to the ground, coughing weekly.

The arena roars with excitement as the Martial Masters land between me and my opponent, signaling the end of the fight.

I blink as I focus back on the world, the flow gone from my mind. I look around at the cheering outer sect, a small smile appearing under my mask. Wetness on my arms makes me look down to see rivulets of blood flowing down my arms.

“Our little fox wins, outwitting our poor tiger!” The announcer says.

My gaze is drawn away from the marks on my arms as the crowd cheers. I enjoy their applause and excitement, my smile growing wider.