As a group of young teenagers and young adult mortals entered the gym, their attention was drawn to an unfamiliar man quietly practicing a well-known technique in the corner – The Iron Fist, why or how he was there before opening, they did not know.

This technique, a staple in Master Tanaka's teachings, was always the first step for newcomers, requiring them to master it to the Discerning stage before proceeding to more advanced training or sparring so they assumed he had come early and Master Tanaka had let him in, which never happened.

Some of the attendees possessed a technique to gauge Qi density, effectively serving as a level detector. Upon observing that the man's Qi barely reached level 4, most lost interest.

However, one exception stood out among them: the young girl named Sakura. Her sustained intrigue had a special reason behind it – a message from her grandfather, Master Tanaka, just moments ago.

Her grandfather's words lingered in her mind as he had embraced her lovingly. "Sakura, my beloved granddaughter. I have a task for you. Do you see the man in the corner over there?" Sakura nodded vigorously, her enthusiasm evident.

"He is to be your first student. His name is Tyler. If he seeks guidance, you will be his teacher. We have already reached an understanding me and him, so spare no effort, alright?" Master Tanaka conveyed warmly, playfully tousling her hair.

At this point, Master Tanaka turned his focus to everyone else in the gym as he oversaw the sparring and gave pointers every now and then, acting as much referee as he did teacher.

Eager to embrace her new role as an instructor, Sakura wasted no time and approached Tyler with an enthusiastic smile. "Good morning, Tyler! I wanted to introduce myself. I am Sakura, and Master Tanaka is my grandfather. He told me you would be my student from now on! So, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate!"

Tyler, in the midst of his training, turned to face the young girl before him. Sakura, being twelve years old, was naturally much shorter than himself as she barely reached up to his chest.

He committed her face to memory as he was certain to become well acquainted with the young girl in the coming weeks.

She had long straight brown hair that was currently tied up in a bun, held by a charming lotus shaped hairpin. She had gentle green eyes that matched the colors of the hairpin, eagerness clearly visible in her gaze.

Despite their age difference, he greeted her with respect. "Good morning, Miss Tanaka. I eagerly anticipate your guidance." With a slight bow, he conveyed his readiness to learn.

Having spent years in the military, Tyler had grown accustomed to receiving instructions from young officers barely out of their mother’s arms. In his view, anyone willing to teach and invest their valuable time in him when they weren’t mandated to deserved his utmost respect until proven otherwise.

“For now I think I am okay as your grand-father showed me the basics of a few moves moments ago. I should be practicing the form of Iron Fist for a few hours at least but don’t worry, if I have questions I’ll find you.”

With a radiant smile that was certain to cause all teenage boys to look at Tyler in envy, she answered. “Okay! Can I watch for a little while? Maybe I can help make things go faster for you and see where you’re at!”

Tyler nodded, not seeing any reason to refuse the eager youngster. “Sure, you’re the teacher.”

With that, he returned to practicing the Iron Fist.

Tyler's practice method was rather unique, benefiting from the ability of divine sense, which allowed him to meticulously monitor every nuance of his body's movements.

Additionally, he leveraged his inner world to replay his memories of observing Master Tanaka’s very own technique, the latter being played on repeat by his soul avatar constantly punching the air, facing the ocean.

This granted him an opportunity for self-correction that most wouldn’t experience until much later down their paths.

Driven by determination, he assumed a stance eerily reminiscent of Master Tanaka's earlier demonstration and executed a single punch.

Dissatisfaction surged through him as he keenly sensed the disparities between his movements and the master's exemplary display. Refusing to yield to frustration, he punched again, this time focusing intently on his posture and form.

Sakura sat nearby, her gaze fixed on her student's every action. Initially, she intended to observe and point out the evident flaws in his form.

However, she found herself in stunned silence as she realized Tyler was already self-correcting with each repetition. Each punch he threw was a conscious effort to address his previous mistakes.

With every punch, Sakura discerned subtle issues in Tyler's weight distribution, his failure to engage his shoulder, and the inefficiencies in his footwork. Yet, to her amazement, Tyler relentlessly honed his technique, persistently refining his movements.

It wasn't an instantaneous transformation, but a continuous process of experimentation and adaptation, each repetition marked by incremental progress.

Sakura couldn't help but be astonished by the rapidity of Tyler's self-guided learning, a rare feat she had seldom witnessed. Her thoughts drifted to the wisdom of her grandfather, echoing in her mind like an enduring mantra.

"Ah, my dear granddaughter, remember this. A truly great martial artist is not defined solely by the knowledge passed down by masters. Instead, it is in the relentless pursuit of self-improvement, the hunger to learn, and the unyielding spirit of a self-learner that greatness truly takes root. For in the quest for self-mastery, one discovers the boundless potential that lies within."

In this manner, a half-hour elapsed before Sakura snapped out of her contemplation, noticing Tyler pausing to catch his breath as beads of sweat glistened on his brow.

“Miss Tanaka, do you know where I could grab a drink?” asked Tyler.

“Un. Next to arrangements of flowers should be a small door leading to the men's communal bathroom and showers, with a small formation to provide fresh water.”

“Oh, thank you! I’ll go grab myself a drink and when I come back, would you mind showing me the iron fist technique a few times again? I want to ensure I am working on the right path.” Tyler said, fully knowing that the young girl’s demonstration probably wouldn’t match his memory of scanning Master Tanaka with his divine sense.

She was young and eager to teach. Tyler would be disappointed in himself if he didn’t at least offer her an opportunity to learn to teach.

Being a good student also meant allowing your teacher to teach you, regardless if you thought you needed it or not. Additionally, Master Tanaka had entrusted him to her tutelage so that was reason enough to let her teach him, never mind Tyler’s good heart.

Sakura was immediately overjoyed and responded positively as she got up and got into position, waiting for Tyler to come back.

From afar, Master Tanaka was paying close attention and nodded approvingly at Tyler’s behavior. He could tell the man didn’t need her teaching as even he was impressed at his fast progress and constant self-adjustments.

It wasn’t long until Tyler returned and got a demonstration by Sakura.

Her form and application of power seemed to almost perfectly mimic her grand-father’s. At least according to his vivid memory of the man through his divine sense.

It was truly a beautiful sight that such a young person had mastered and applied themselves to something so thoroughly to reach a level that resembled a master.

After Sakura was done demonstrating a few punches, Tyler repeated the moves and encouraged her to correct his moves and form, fully aware that this was slower and that he could make more progress on his own.

But in his mind, seeing a child happy doing something they were eager to do was more than worth the trade off.

After a few hours, Sakura left Tyler to practice alone until lunch and told him to come find her if he found himself stuck at any point.

Hours flew by as Tyler perfected his punch, ever so slowly inching his way towards Master Tanaka’s and Sakura’s forms.

People came and went inside the dojo, some leaving to grab some snacks and others to return to Edge City’s academy as summer classes always started right when the sun reached its zenith.

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Tyler had also wanted to stop for food as he was starving and was surprised to learn that Lo Wang had delivered him some food and had left it with Master Tanaka.

So, he took a dozen minutes to sit down on the steps right outside the dojo and ate away at the delicious hot meal that was extremely rich in Qi, more than anything he had ever eaten so far. It was truly divine.

After his meal, Tyler infused some Qi into the communication crystal to thank the man for his kindness and learned that Shen had ordered him to attend to Tyler’s daily meals while he was out of town and that such service was natural.

By the end of the day, Tyler had asked Sakura for a few pointers again as the young girl was still hanging around practicing her own martial arts aided by a man that looked to be around Tyler’s age and she happily took a break from her own pursuits to give a short fifteen minutes demonstration of what Tyler was doing wrong.

As the sun was coming down over the horizon, everyone had left but Tyler and Master Tanaka and peace had returned to the gym.

Only the sounds of a single man punching forward at a steady pace and his heavy breathing could be heard.

“Tyler, the sun is setting down and the dojo is closing its doors. Come back tomorrow if you wish to continue. You’ve already made impressive progress.” said Master Tanaka.

Stopping his movements, Tyler closed his eyes for a few seconds as he went over his entire progress throughout the day. He still was quite far away from reaching Sakura’s mastery over the form of the punch and he still felt like he was years away from Master Tanaka’s but it didn’t discourage him.

Then, he turned towards Ryuji and said, “You said we could have tea and discuss your hometown if I made it through the day. Does the offer still stand?”

Master Tanaka thought about it for a few seconds and nodded. “That’s fine. Let me close up. Feel free to take a shower in the meantime, the facilities should have a fresh set of clothes for you to wear if you so desire.”

With that, Tyler nodded and went to take a shower while Tanaka Ryuji waved his sleeves, activating the sealing formation around his dojo.

Then, he activated a few more formations that were built into the ancestral looking dojo and like magic, the sweat that had accumulated in the floors evaporated away.

A fresh breeze came through filling the air with a soft scent of wisteria, a plant from his homeland.

Finally, all the damaged dummies were replaced with new ones as he took the damaged ones into his storage bag and placed new ones made of Everbloom trees in their place.

Inside the shower room Tyler was quick to get washed and he put his clothes to the side. He’d come back for them after tea. Then, he took one of the dojo’s uniforms. He didn’t know what it was called, but he remembered seeing it many times in various media as it was clearly a traditional Japanese martial arts attire.

The pants bore a striking resemblance to wide, billowing culottes, their silhouette imbued with a sense of flowing grace. Crafted from a fabric that was both soft to the touch and resilient, the deep blue hue of the material held a subtle sheen in the dojo's soft lighting and the setting sun.

The meticulously arranged pleats cascaded like a symphony of folds, each crease seemingly etched with meticulous attention to detail. Tied securely at the waist, a silk white belt offered a stark yet harmonious contrast against the rich, dark tones of the pants.

Above, he wore a simple dark gray shirt, a garment commonly recognized as a kimono in depictions of Japanese tradition. Its understated color palette served as a canvas for the vivid blue of the pants, creating a balanced and visually captivating ensemble.

The ensemble captured the essence of Japanese tradition while exuding an air of timeless elegance. Tyler wore almost exactly the same thing as Master Tanaka, except that the colors differed.

After he had gotten dressed, he stepped out of the shower room back into the dojo where Master Tanaka was waiting, facing the small shinto shrine in the back corner. He had just lit a fresh set of incense as he turned around.

“Come, let us have tea and appreciate the setting sun from the terrace behind the dojo.”

Shortly after, Tyler found himself in a small garden, no larger than 100 to 150 square meters. A meandering pathway navigated through the space, meticulously crafted from well-placed rock formations. At the end of this stone path stood an awe-inspiring giant of a bonsai, soaring to a towering height of around 4 meters, surpassing both Tyler and the Master.

On one side of the garden, a solitary table with a pair of chairs rested in serene solitude, seamlessly blending into its natural surroundings.

Tyler couldn't help but notice the meticulous care that had been devoted to the garden's layout, and he could feel a growing sense of tranquility simply by immersing himself in the scene.

Master Tanaka led Tyler through the garden, their footsteps whispering softly over the stone pathway. They settled at the nearby table, where with a graceful sweep of his sleeves, the old master conjured a steaming teapot and a pair of delicate cups.

With a practiced ease, he filled Tyler's cup first, then his own.

“Thank you.” Tyler said before taking a sip.

As Tyler raised the teacup to his lips, the first sip of the fragrant brew was an experience beyond compare.

The tea embraced his senses with a heavenly burst of flavors. It was as though the essence of a sun-drenched orchard had been distilled into this cup, offering a symphony of fruity delights.

The sweetness of ripe peaches and the tartness of red berries mingled in perfect harmony, while hints of citrus danced on his palate, imparting a lively zest.

The tea was overflowing with a rich soft type of Qi that seemed to infuse every drop, leaving Tyler with a sense of refreshment that transcended the ordinary, as if he had tasted the very essence of life itself.

To his surprise, the Qi within the tea had made him feel full and bloated. In an instant, he calmed his mind and attempted to strike open his 25th acupoint, and like a cup overflowing with water, it easily opened with the smallest of strikes and transformed into a cloud sword.

“Hmm. This is the most heavenly beverage I have ever had in my entire life on top of helping me with my cultivation. I do not know what to say. Thank you for this.”

Master Tanaka nodded with a knowing smile, his eyes reflecting the satisfaction of sharing such a rare delight. "This tea is called Nature’s Harmony, a reminder of the vitality that surrounds us," he replied, his voice a gentle breeze.

"In every sip, one can find a connection to the world's wonders. Take it as thanks for allowing my grand-daughter to experience the joys of teaching, regardless of your need for her input."

“She is truly amazing for being so young. I couldn’t bear to see a kid with such passion be sidelined.” replied Tyler.

“I don’t think I need to say anything more on the subject of your training as you seem to be doing just fine so I’ll leave it here for now.” said Master Tanaka. “Before we go on to talk about my home country I have a question for you.”

Tyler took another sip, savoring the tea's heavenly fragrance, before addressing Master Tanaka. "Please, Sensei," he began, his voice reflecting a sense of respect for the man.

Master Tanaka posed a thoughtful question, "What is the purpose of Martial Arts?" As they both sat in silence, enjoying their tea, Tyler took a moment to collect his thoughts.

He then embarked on a heartfelt reflection, speaking his mind with candor. "Before," he mused, "I might have answered that it's about self-defense in close-quarter scenarios. Shortly after arriving in Edge City, I'd have emphasized its role in building my foundation and enhancing my cultivation. In fact, I almost reiterated those words this morning when you asked why I came to this dojo."

Tyler paused briefly, his gaze drifting into the depths of his tea. "But by the end of today," he continued, "as I practiced the same technique over and over again, repeating it until I exhausted myself, my perspective began to shift. I gained a newfound appreciation for the passion and sheer dedication required of the martial artists I've encountered today, especially due to your grand-daughter who has achieved such mastery at such an early age.”

His eyes met Master Tanaka's, revealing a sense of determination. "Then, my pursuit of self-improvement became almost addictive," he confessed, "and it made me reconsider. So, for the time being, I see the purpose of martial arts as a relentless pursuit of perfection."

Master Tanaka, recognizing the young man's genuine perspective on martial arts, chose the path of silence.

He had initially expected to offer his own viewpoint on the matter like he had done so many times in the past, but Tyler's sincerity and his readiness to admit his limitations showcased an open-mindedness and adaptable mindset that boded well for anyone embarking on the martial arts journey.

"I see," added the old martial artist. "I won't lead you down a path you're not yet ready for, but I have a feeling you'll find your way to your own complete answers soon enough."

Master Tanaka refilled their cups with tea as Tyler began to inquire about the land of the rising sun. Their conversation continued well into the evening, and as the teapot neared empty, both men grew increasingly nostalgic and fell into a comfortable silence.

One was nostalgia from having been forced away from his home and the other from times long past about all the lost history in between now and the shattering.

Sensing that it was a suitable point to end the day's discussions, Tyler bid Master Tanaka farewell and thanked him once more for the tea. Throughout this conversation, the tea had enabled him to strike open all the way to his 32nd acupoint!

It was truly a marvelous substance to help one’s cultivation base.

Then, he made his way back to his lodgings at the library after grabbing his dirty clothes from the shower room.

Left alone in his tranquil garden, Ryuji Tanaka took a deep breath and spoke aloud, aware that someone was likely listening. "You've found yourself quite the disciple, Lin Jian."

Suddenly, the Sword King materialized in the same chair where Tyler had been sitting just moments before. Both men, appearing to be in their late 50s, engaged in a lengthy conversation.

Interestingly, not once during their discussion did they mention Tyler, not until the very end, that is.

“I'm only going to say one thing about Tyler that no one on this entire mountain knows but me and Brother Fang, and now you I guess," the Sword King said as he got up from his seat.

“I have never been known for my loose tongue, so rest assured," replied Ryuji.

"My recent breakthrough and Fang Mo’s were all thanks to him. If you give him the chance, perhaps he’ll undo that heart demon of yours and help you break through your own bottleneck. Don't underestimate him just because of his lower cultivation; his experience and insights are invaluable,” the Sword King sighed.

“And one last thing: I had no hand in bringing him here. He genuinely sought a decent dojo in Edge City, and I played no role in directing young Shen to send him your way. Sure I am technically paying for everything he does through the token he holds, but I couldn’t care less about that. He probably isn't even aware of our close friendship and how valuable being trained by you is."

With a wave of his sleeve, the Sword King teleported away, leaving Ryuji Tanaka, the Dragon of the East, in a state of silent contemplation.

His thoughts turned to the past, recalling the time when he journeyed westward into what was once the middle-east and encountered a young Lin Jian in his early Aperture Strengthening days. Ryuji had saved him from certain death during that encounter, but the injuries sustained had embedded themselves deeply within him, creating a persistent heart demon that had stagnated his cultivation.

For nearly half a millennia, he had remained stuck at the 39th level in the Aperture Strengthening stage, right on the cusp of breaking into the Soul Shattering stage..