Leon had continued practicing the Protector’s Fist forms for a few weeks, growing more confident in his ability to perform the stances and moves, despite not being able to feel even a sliver of Spirit Essence as he did so. As he learned to move more fluidly, he started to feel like the characters that he had seen in martial arts films. He felt like he was becoming a superhero with mastery of each form. After this period of time, he decided that all of this training was worthless if it could not be put into practice, and thus sought to find Seth, who often spent his time in the Meditation Chamber.

Seth sat cross-legged, eyes closed next to one of the four pillars within the chamber, his mind empty as he concentrated his Spirit Essence. In his mind, Seth sat near a waterfall. The sound of the rushing water calmed his spirit as he felt the aura in him expanding. A warm tingling sensation surged through his body, until he sensed another’s presence near him. The young Cultivator opened one eye to see Leon standing above him, arms folded over his chest, staring down at him condescendingly,

“Can I help you?” Seth asked in a slightly irritated tone.

“Meditating as usual, I see,” Leon scoffed.

“Yes, which is what you should be doing too,” Seth reminded him.

“I’ve moved past that now,” Leon smirked smugly.

“Is that so?” Seth rolled his eyes.

“I’ve been reading the Protector’s Fist. All of that meditating that you waste your time with couldn’t come close to the power that I have now,” Leon bragged, his eyes like lightning.

Seth steadied himself and stood up, eyes now leveled with Leon’s. “Let’s see, then.”

Leon grinned and took a step back, raising his fists up in the first form of Protector’s Fist.

“Not here,” Seth sighed and shook his head before taking a few steps towards the entrance of the room. “Let’s go to the Sparring Grounds.”

“Sparring Grounds? How many rooms does this place have?” Leon loosened his stance and began to follow Seth.

“It’s a pocket dimension,” Seth explained. “Elijah is able to create and dissolve rooms as he needs to. Since he is rebuilding the Exalted Guardian Society, he has been trying to keep The Sanctuary equipped with whatever we need to do so.”

“Yeah, yeah, I already know all this. Let’s just fight so I can prove to you that all that meditation is worthless. A real man acts. Little boys sit around and pretend they’re growing stronger,” Leon chided.

Seth just sighed and shook his head as the approached the heavy wooden door of the Sparring Grounds and led Leon in.

Although the Sparring Grounds was contained in a room, it appeared to be outside, on top of a flat-surfaced mountain. The sky and clouds were visible all around them and in the center of the mountain-top was an arena for fighting. The air was cool, but not chilly. It was perfect for any kind of strenuous activity or training.

Seth walked to the arena and halted when he reached the center of it and turned to face Leon, who had stopped following him once the door closed behind them and instead made his way to the edge of the mountain-top to look down.

Leon was shocked to see that there was nothing beneath the mountain. He wasn’t sure if that was because they were so high up or that perhaps the mountain was magically suspended in the air. Both were difficult for the young man to believe, although there was no other explanation, for his eyes did not deceive him.

“I haven’t got all day, Leon. I have to get back to my worthless meditation at some point, you know?” Seth smirked.

“Fine,” Leon said over shoulder before turning around and meeting Seth in the center of the ring.

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“Now, before we fight, I just want to lay out some ground rules. First-,” Seth began say before being interrupted by Leon.

“Save it! Let’s just get this over with so that I can say I’m better than you, and move on,” Leon waved his hand dismissively before stepping back into the first form of Protector’s Fist, known as Seraphim’s Wings.

“Hmph,” Seth sneered before taking his own, unique stance, squaring off with his opponent.

Instantly, Leon charged at Seth, sweeping his own right leg towards Seth’s head, who just barely dodged, but then following up with a couple of successive punches, which connected with him. Leon then jumped back and took up the same stance with a cocky smile plastered on his face.

“Wow, not bad,” Seth said, genuinely impressed as he composed himself.

“Just wait!” Leon shouted and rushed Seth once more, sending a flurry of blows at him. Seth managed to block a few, and even got in a couple hits himself, but overall could not help but be overwhelmed by Leon’s new founded technique which seemed to be a perfect combination of strikes, blocks, and counters. “Had enough yet?” Leon grinned as he took a moment to ease up from his adversary.

“I haven’t even tried out any of my power,” Seth remarked, narrowing his eyes at Leon before taking a step back and raising his fists.

“Then show me!” Leon yelled and came at Seth for a third time. He attempted a front kick to Seth’s chin, but was completely off guard by Seth’s counter, which was a powerful punch that moved so swiftly that Leon did not even see it coming as it connected with his chest and sent him flying backwards towards the edge of the arena.

Seth stood there confidently and brushed the dirt from his shoulder.

Leon lay on the surface of the arena totally stationary for a few moments before his whole body seemed to twitch. He slowly raised his head and looked up at Seth who stood across from him on the other side of the arena. “What the hell was that?” he said under his breath.

“Are you done yet?” Seth shouted haughtily at his peer.

“Damn you!” Leon called back, struggling back to his feet as quickly as he could. “That was just luck, that’s all!”

“Come at me again and we’ll see!” Seth raised his fists, preparing for another attack.

“RARGH!” Leon growled as he ran towards Seth, dashing even faster as the gap closer between them and began swinging his fists and feet with everything that he had, yet receiving another lightning-fast strike to the diaphragm this time, instantly knocked the wind out of him and causing him to spit up blood.

Leon writhed on the floor of the arena, clutching his midsection as he tried to catch his breath.

“Not bad, Seth,” came Elijah’s voice from above them.

Both young men looked up to see Elijah hovering about twenty feet above the arena.

“I’ve told you before, Leon- you must learn to focus your Spirit Essence or you will never be able to beat anyone,” Elijah scolded his disciple and slowly descended to the ground.

“After the lesson I just taught him, I’m sure he’ll learn,” Seth joked as he walked over to Leon who was finally beginning to regain his breath, and offered a hand to him.

“Don’t sound so arrogant, Seth. You still have a long way to go as well,” Elijah reprimanded his protégé.

“Sorry, Elijah,” Seth apologized and looked back at his mentor.

While Seth was distracted, Leon took this opportunity to sweep Seth’s legs out from under him, causing him to come crashing down on the ground. Within an instant, Leon mounted his rival and begin to use his fists to pound Seth’s face into the ground.

Before Leon could get in too many punches, Elijah rushed over and effortlessly pulled him off of Seth. “What in the world do you think you’re doing?”

“Taking advantage of my opponent’s weakness!” Leon rationalized.

“Fool,” Elijah shook his head. “You’re all brawn and no brain and in this world, it won’t get you anywhere. Those wild attacks might work against weak opponents, but I promise that if you don’t learn to channel your Spirit Essence you will be utterly destroyed by more advanced Cultivators- which at this point, everyone but you and Seth.”

“I don’t get it! I’ve been doing everything that stupid book has told me to, but it’s just not working!” Leon bemoaned as he shook himself free from Elijah’s already loosening grip.

“It’s because you’re not reading it. You’re just copying the forms,” Elijah told him.

“Well, maybe if you weren’t gone all the time that maybe you’d be able to properly teach us how to do this crap!” Leon scowled at the Elder Guardian.

Elijah was quiet as he and Seth exchanged guilty looks.

“Are you serious?! You’ve been training him all this time and not me?!” Leon fumed; his eyes so wide with fury that they looked like they might pop right out of his skull.

“Look… I’ll take some time to help you refine your technique,” Elijah promised, overcome with shame.

“Don’t bother,” Leon scorned and turned his back on Elijah and Seth as he started towards the door of the Sparring Grounds, but then halted and turned back around to face them, saying, “no one has ever looked out for me before. Did you know that? Not my family. Not my teachers. Not my friends. No one. I don’t need anyone’s help,” he seethed and turned back around and made his way out of the Sparring Grounds room.

Elijah and Seth looked at one another again, feeling the weight of how their secret training sessions affected Leon.