Yu Chen awoke once again in his Inner world, manifesting himself inside the courtyard of his Mind Palace. He regarded the great doors to the palace solemnly before turning away. It wasn’t the time to open them yet, and he’d come here with a different purpose in mind.

He was here to speak with Xiao Huang, and see if he couldn’t help him piece together the technique he’d chosen at the Manual Pavilion. Ling Xia had tried to dissuade him, but in the end Yu Chen had refused to change his mind, much to her consternation.

Although he hadn’t actually gotten the book. It turned out they were much too rare and expensive for that. Instead Ling Xia had asked him for his jadestone again, and used some mysterious technique of the Manual Pavilion to place a copy of the book inside it.

Yu Chen shook his head free of his thoughts as he strode out of the palace, making his way towards the river he knew the dragon enjoyed so much. To his surprise, Yu Chen found that he enjoyed the Inner Realm as well.

It was much more peaceful, now that he wasn’t trying to figure out where he was at and could simply enjoy the place. It truly wasn’t any different than reality. He could feel the sun that shone in the sky and feel a light breeze playing across his skin.

His concerns fell away as he walked across the rolling hills, moving through the waist-high grasses that bent around him while the soothing sounds of rushing water filled his ears. It was highly effective for his mental state, grounding, and centering him.

A short noise broke the air and Yu Chen realized he was laughing. It was his Inner Realm, what else should he feel if not centered?

He squatted down once he reached the riverbank, in no hurry to find Xiao Huang despite his earlier urgency, content to lose himself for a moment in the honey-colored waters. They were mesmerizing in the way they swirled, drawing a hypnotic pattern that pulled at his spirit.

He hadn’t noticed it the last time he was here, seeing them as nothing more than a strange, if beautiful, sight. They were different this time, weighty in a way, as though they were filled with some hidden potential he couldn’t quite see. They seemed to him a promise. Of what though, he couldn’t say.

He could see why Xiao Huang had loved them enough to name himself after. He couldn’t wait to see them for himself.

He came out of his reverie and shook his head, remembering why he’d come. He looked around, trying to spot the small dragon he knew was nearby, only to see Xiao Huang close at hand, observing him in interest.

“Shizu!” Yu Chen uttered in alarm, bowing his head towards the sinuous dragon that was slowly curling through the air a few feet above his head. The tiny dragon looked down at him, regarding him silently. Yu Chen felt the silence stretch before Xiao Huang let out a snort that caused a small cloud of smoke to curl out of one nostril.

“Your awareness is lacking, hatchling.” Xiao Huang said, drawing the words out as he spun lazy circles around Yu Chen’s head. “A good trait if you do not wish to see tomorrow.”

“Yes, Shizu.” Yu Chen said, chastened by the reprimand. It was a refrain he’d heard often from his brother and father, who’d impressed upon him the importance of remaining vigilant, something Yu Chen seemed to have forgotten in his time in the sect.

“As long as you know.”

The dragon rumbled, leaning in closer as he fixed his golden eyes on Yu Chen.

“How are you progressing?”

Yu Chen began telling Xiao Huang about his time in the sect, telling him about the people he’d met and the things he’d learned. Xiao Huang seemed to perk up when he mentioned the techniques he’d been given and was positively fascinated by the description of the Manual Pavilion.

The dragon turned out to be an attentive listener, only interrupting occasionally for clarification.

“Do you perhaps have a technique you could teach me?” Yu Chen asked, his eyes shining as he made his request.

It was something he’d been considering for some time now.

“Dragons don’t have techniques, hatchling.”

Xiao Huang chortled; his voice filled with mirth.

“We breathe as a dragon breathes, move how a dragon moves, fight how a dragon fights. Only man finds the need to imitate others.”

“Oh.” Yu Chen said, disappointed. Ever since he’d left the library, he’d been harboring a wild hope that Xiao Huang might have something more to teach him, but he supposed if he had a better breathing technique or martial form to offer, he would have passed them on months ago.

Perhaps sensing Yu Chen’s disappointment, the dragon puffed himself up before continuing. “However, I am Huanghe Shenlong, and if I claim to be second between heaven and earth, none will dare claim to be first. Show me your techniques, hatchling, and I’ll offer my advice.”

“Thank you Shizu!” Yu Chen said, truly grateful as he bowed low.

It wasn’t the new technique he’d secretly hoped for, but if Xiao Huang could help him master the ones he already had, that would be a great boon too.

Yu Chen began moving through his martial forms as he stood there beside the riverbank, enjoying the feeling of exercising his body outdoors. He thrust out a fist and then stomped his leg, falling into the flow as he went through the movements, form by form. He began slow but picked up speed as his body limbered up.

Once the forms repeated themselves, he began to move his qi, in time with his momentum as he shifted from step to step. He’d once found this part difficult but by now his qi flowed freely throughout his body as he twisted through the movements.

At the beginning of the third repetition of the forms, he began the attempt to compress his qi, condensing it as it rushed into his fist, but it still wasn’t quite correct. Ignoring it, He twisted his hips into the next form, hooking a leg up into a kick, and the qi flowed through his leg to fill and compress in his foot.

Again and again, his qi splashed uselessly at the edge of his blows, nothing like the sharp cracks that Li Ming let loose, but Yu Chen didn’t let that distract him. He was in a different mental state today, and he felt as if nothing could shake him, focused as he was on only displaying the technique as best he could for Xiao Huang.

There was something there, he could feel it as the movements wound down. His qi was at the verge of doing something, but whatever it was, it was fleeting, and he couldn’t quite grasp it. He finally came to a stop, and only a slight uptick in his breathing signaled that he’d just gone through a blistering set of motions that would have left anyone else panting.

Although why he had to breathe at all within his Inner Realm was a question he shelved for later.

Yu Chen waited patiently, looking up at the dragon who was staring at him thoughtfully.

“So this is how humans train,” Xiao Huang mused, running a claw over one of his long whiskers. “It’s an interesting method to help you understand qi, but quite useless in a fight.”

“Useless?” Yu Chen said, taken aback at the dragon’s words.

“Of course.” Xiao Huang snorted in amusement. “Or do you expect your enemies to stand still while you do all of those fancy movements? Perhaps you imagine they’ll oblige you by moving into the right positions?”

Yu Chen didn’t know what to say. No one in the sect had said anything like that, and most of the fights he’d seen in the sparring grounds seemed to feature disciples using the forms.

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“Or perhaps you think I’m lying?” Xiao Huang said, the amusement sliding from his voice like water off of sheep's wool.

“Of course not,” Yu Chen said in a hurry, “If Shizu says so it must be true.”

“Must it?” The dragon rumbled rhetorically. “I suppose it must.”

Satisfied, Xiao Huang spun a lazy circle through the air before continuing.

“You’ll see the truth of it once you’ve tasted combat. What is the name of this… technique?”

The dragon said, drawing the last word out as if tasting it.

“It is the Mist Condensing to Iron Martial Forms, Shizu.” Yu Chen said, looking towards his teacher.

“A basic technique to master qi compression. A useful enough skill for combat.”

Xiao Huang floated to a halt before Yu Chen’s eyes.

“Now, have you considered what the implications of this technique are?”

“The implications?” Yu Chen asked, confused by the question.

Yu Chen didn’t know a dragon could roll its eyes, until Xiao Huang did just that.

He started muttering under his breath about sects again, and Yu Chen couldn’t help but wince at the disparaging words the dragon was uttering.

“This… technique… teaches you to compress your qi, hatchling. If you can compress your qi, perhaps it’s possible to do other things with it?” Xiao Huang said slowly as he led Yu Chen along.

Yu Chen nodded slowly at the words, and he couldn’t help but think about what Ling Xia had said to him earlier that day. Breathing techniques were just patterns of breath. Were martial forms so different? At first, he’d thought their purpose lay in the movements, in the forms themselves, but he’d already been disabused of that notion, hadn’t he? Perhaps the true purpose of martial forms lay in the patterns they created for qi, in providing a new perspective on how it could be formed and used.

If he could compress qi what else could he do? He flexed his hand, thinking about it.

“I can move it and compress it. Can qi be sharpened?” Yu Chen asked, staring at Xiao Huang.

“Of course. It’s a favorite of those dullards who pursue the sword path.” Xiao Huang said with a snort of disdain.

“Qi is derived from the energy of heaven and earth, and it contains all the potential of heaven and earth. It can compress and expand, it can sharpen and dull, it can burn you, freeze you, or lift you through the air.” Xiao Huang said, his voice filling with the rhythmic, expansive notes Yu Chen associated with a lecture.

“Accelerate it and you can hit faster, compress it and you can hit harder, revolve it and you can penetrate deeper. What would happen if you could not just compress it, but ignite it at the point of impact? What if you could force it to expand, or even explode when you hit something?”

Yu Chen fell silent as his mind whirled with the possibilities. It was true, he’d seen techniques in the Manual Pavilion that had mimicked some of the things Xiao Huang spoke of. He’d lingered for a time over a technique that promised to teach one how to form a fiery serpent that carved a path through the sky to incinerate your enemies.

He’d considered choosing that one before Ling Xia had impressed on him the importance of a movement technique.

She’d also mentioned that he’d find it impossible to move qi outside of his skin until he’d established his foundation, and that was enough to cool the last embers of desire in his heart.

He could always pick it up in the future after all.

However, according to what Xiao Huang said, the way he’d been thinking so far was a grave mistake. It was wrong to associate such abilities as the products of a technique, when in reality they were manifestations of qi itself.

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. The technique was just a recipe after all, one that showed him what he was capable of.

“You will find, hatchling, that what limits those on the path of cultivation is not their level, their techniques, or their heavenly treasures. What truly limits them is their understanding, their ability to conceptualize their own potential.” Xiao Huang spoke, and Yu Chen listened.

“Learn whatever techniques you can,” Xiao Huang rumbled, fixing Yu Chen with his gaze. “Expand your vision, cultivate a wide perspective. Cultivators are the sum of their knowledge and their experience.”

Yu Chen bowed his head, thankful for the teaching. If understanding was the limit of his path, then perhaps Xiao Huang’s teachings would prove an immeasurable treasure, far beyond the value of any single technique he could offer.

Speaking of which, Yu Chen was harboring one last hope.

“I do have one more technique I’d like to share with you Shizu.”

“Oh?” Xiao Huang asked, furrowing his brows as he observed Yu Chen. “Let’s see it then.”

“This one is incomplete, and I find myself unable to connect the dots together. I’d appreciate any assistance Shizu could offer in solving this puzzle.”

“A puzzle?” Xiao Huang said, his interest peaked. “Well bring it out.”

Yu Chen hoped his idea would work; it was based on something Xiao Huang had told him the last time he’d come. The Memory Palace served as a repository of the various techniques he’d learned.

He’d spent the rest of the day in his room memorizing the new technique, didn’t that mean there was a copy of it somewhere within him?

Yu Chen closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to remember the technique that he’d spent all day looking at. For a brief moment nothing happened, and Yu Chen was afraid his plan wouldn't work. However, to his delight a copy of the book formed in his mind’s eye.

He felt something click, and he opened his eyes, a smile crossing his face as he saw a hazy copy of the book floating in the air before him. He’d been off put for a while now about having no control over his own Inner Realm, but it appeared with a bit of effort he could manipulate things here as well.

“Oh? What is this?” Xiao Huang said as he considered the book. He gave a small whirl of his talon, and the book blinked, disappearing to reappear in front of the dragon.

Xiao Huang waved another claw, and the hazy book was brought into focus, sharpening until it was as solid and real as everything else around them. He gestured once more and the book broke into numerous thin pages that spun through the air, growing in size until they partially covered the sky.

“Interesting!” The dragon’s booming voice startled Yu Chen, as he watched in surprise as Xiao Huang examined the thin pages that were illuminated from behind by the shining sunup above.

“This technique was copied from the Ice Phoenix, then? No, I think not. The movements are similar, but coarse and unrefined.” Xiao Huang muttered to himself, and his talons were now wrapped around one of his long white brows, tugging at it as he contemplated the technique.

“It must be a descendant then. But this far from the World Tree?” Xiao Huang continued, appearing lost in thought. Yu Chen leaned in close so as not to miss a word. “We aren’t even near the Yellow River…”

Yu Chen frowned at that. They weren’t close to the river, but it wasn’t so far. A few weeks travel when he’d been a mortal, and doubtless half that by now.

“Perhaps the technique has come from elsewhere? But, no, look at the transition from the fourth movement to the fifth, and what is that posturing in the sixth? Incredibly derivative, a copy from a weak bloodline.”

Yu Chen examined the movements too, although he couldn’t see whatever it was that Xiao Huang did. They didn’t seem too dissimilar from his martial forms, although there were no thrusts or blows involved. Instead, the movements in the picture seemed focused on footwork, each picture requiring precise steps from one movement to the next.

“Ah! Perhaps A migratory species? The Ice Phoenix isn’t exactly particular with her charms after all.” Xiao Huang was muttering to himself again. “But which one?”

Yu Chen watched in silence as the dragon spoke to itself for a time, mumbling under its breath as it pondered the technique.

“If we consider the position of the arms in the sixth and eighth movements, then the natural continuation in the seventh…”

Yu Chen’s jaw fell open as the pages in the air began to shift in place, moving over accommodatingly as new ones spun into place, outlining the missing motions of the technique.

Xiao Huang was incredibly focused, concentrating on replicating the missing pages that had been ripped out of the book. He had no idea how the dragon did it, but each new movement was such a perfect fit that Yu Chen had no doubt they were correct.

Xiao Huang stopped for a spell, examining the fixed technique before attempting to recreate the part of the book that had been eaten by fire. He let out a snort, and smoke curling from his nostrils, turned a serious gaze towards Yu Chen.

“To create the first techniques man copied the movements he found in nature, often imitating beasts and birds.” Xiao Huang began speaking and Yu Chen settled back, gratified to receive the knowledge.

“Even today, the vast majority of the techniques of man spring from this source. However,” he continued, and his voice, deep and bassy filled the air. “However, for the beasts that inspire them they are not techniques to be learned or mastered.”

“The flow of qi is something intrinsic to their form. Part of their very being, it is something as natural as the bones beneath their skin and the blood that flows in their veins.”

“This,” Xiao Huang said, crooking a talon towards the towering pages that filled the sky. “Is a mystery to you.”

Yu Chen couldn’t help but agree.

“But I’ve already explained the secret!” Xiao Huang chortled. Yu Chen couldn’t help but feel his behavior was undragonlike, but he still bowed his head and professed his ignorance.

“I admit I don’t see it.” Yu Chen said.

“This is all very basic, hatchling.” Xiao Huang said, taking the time to admonish his student. “When something is natural it is not arbitrary, it is what is best.” Xiao Huang said. “Qi flows like water, following the path of least resistance.”

“We must identify the pattern it follows, knowing that the pattern is the one that fits the beast most perfectly. Identifying the constraints of the movements, and the pathways through which qi flows, will show us how the technique progresses.”

He waved a talon, and more pages appeared in the sky, revolving into space, and Yu Chen couldn’t help but be amazed at how naturally the movements the dragon had chosen fit into place.

“And of course, we can’t forget our muse.”

A last lazy flick of his talon and an entirely new row of pages appeared, directly above the first, and as Yu Chen looked it over, he realized the pages contained the elegant waddle of a goose about to take flight.

It was only too obvious once they were next to each other. The slight hand movements in the technique revealed themselves as the flapping of wings, while the precise steps of the technique were the pitter-pattering dance of bird's feet.

“The technique was no doubt derived after someone observed the Blue-breasted Snow Geese. They fly south every year, chasing the winter when the north warms. It must have been a very fortunate event for the cultivator who created it.”

A frown crossed Xiao Huang’s face as he examined the technique. “Although I believe he must not have gotten a very close look. This step here,” he said, and Yu Chen watched as one of the original pages in the movements shifted ever so slightly. “And here, both are off quite a bit. And this thing with the hands, it really should look more like this.”

If Yu Chen had been impressed before, his mouth was now open. He watched as Xiao Huang corrected small flaws in the technique, something he’d never even imagined possible.

“Yes, I think that looks a bit better.” Xiao Huang said, a slight smile on his face as he examined the new technique. “If you find more puzzles like this in the future you must bring them to me.”

“Of course, Shizu.” Yu Chen said as he bowed towards the dragon. Bring him more puzzles? Yu Chen would overturn heaven and earth to bring Xiao Huang incomplete techniques if this was the result!

“I suppose you are planning to use this technique?” Xiao Huang said, as he shot a penetrating glance at Yu Chen. “I must say it’s not very dragon like to go around imitating a goose.”

Yu Chen was momentarily at a loss for words, unsure of what to say. He examined his options before speaking.

“Perhaps Shizu could show me how a dragon moves then?” Yu Chen said hopefully.

Xiao Huang only let out an arrogant snort in reply. “As if a dragon can be imitated.” He seemed to ponder for a moment as he floated there, spinning lazy circles in the air.

“Perhaps there is one technique I can share with you. It is a secret of dragons, so you must promise not to show it to others.”

Yu Chen felt a sense of excitement bubble into his chest.

“Of course, Shizu!”