Riaz was sitting cross-legged in between the tall grass. His teacher Aldean, to his right, was sitting comfortably too.

Both were cultivating their qi during a blissful morning, not uttering a word in the process. There was complete silence, with the exception of singing birds or chirping insects occasionally chiming in.

Few trees decorated the landscape in their vicinity and they had distanced themselves quite a many paces from their campsite near the road, preferring to be secluded from passing strangers.

It’s been a total of two weeks now since they had departed from Lefra Village and the distance they had covered thus far wasn’t small. It wouldn’t be long until they reached Gridan: their first stop among civilization.

Still, they were in no hurry to get there and Aldean made use of the opportunity to school Riaz in the ways of the warrior, just as he’d done so in the past weeks.

The progress that Riaz had made during that time was astonishing.

Riaz himself didn’t feel anything odd about the rate at which he improved both his understanding of the sword and the countless ways of swinging it; none of these things escaped Aldean’s notice, however.

The blade king was, of course, aware of Riaz’s circumstances and understood from it that the boy had trained in the sword before. It was exactly why he pulled out all the stops and mercilessly drilled the knowledge into his disciple. The goal was not to simply teach him any new tricks, but to extract Riaz’s long buried foundations.

To that end, the best method was for Riaz to fight and allow his instincts to awaken. Aldean wanted Riaz to grow more familiar with his own body and the sword. Yes, his familiarity with the sword was important after all, since choosing to learn the sword would define his martial path for the rest of his life.

Aldean had so far tasked Riaz with swinging all the available swords, which he had brought along, and to reflect deeply on their merits and demerits.

Each type of sword had some unique properties. It was essential for him to get a feel for them, so that he’d be able to find the sword he’s most comfortable with, but also that he’d gain insights into some of their weaknesses.

As much as a warrior had to know himself, he also had to know his enemy.

Aldean exhaled slowly, forcing the humid air out of his lungs and declared the end of their cultivation. Soon after, Riaz opened his eyes and the both of them stood up.

The appointed moment had arrived and Riaz had fully prepared his mind for it. His teacher had finally decided to teach him swordplay.

Aldean prompted Riaz to pick up his sword of choice. He already had plenty of time to test out all swords. Sadly, the swords in the leather bag lacked a little variety, nonetheless, Riaz felt comfortable with his choice.

He drew a common, rusty long sword. The hilt was long enough for both hands to grip it and the blade extended with decreasing width, leading up to a pointy end.

“I remember using such a sword in my dreams. It was difficult to find something that felt right, but this should do until something better comes along.” Riaz explained his choice.

Aldean nodded and bellowed, “It’s your choice. I won’t make it for you. Now… ready your sword!”

The air around Aldean changed. He crossed his tanned arms and assumed a firm stance.

Having previously taken off his cuirass, his well-defined physique was now laid bare underneath the sun. Toned muscles attested to his many years of training while numerous scars accounted for his many battles.

Riaz felt conflicted. No doubt his teacher fought many battles, often cutting it close. All those scars, they warranted respect, but Riaz felt uneasy. Deep down, he didn’t want to hurt. This road, what waited at the end? Would he one day look scarred like his master?

He exhaled deeply and reminded himself that it was unavoidable. He needed strength. He couldn’t afford to sit around and wait for life to deal him another bad card. Yes, he had to grow stronger, he had to hold the best cards.

“Disciple, you’ve had enough time to acclimate your body to meet the requirements of battle. Anything from here on out will depend on your own progress. If you can’t handle this training, you have only yourself to blame.” He uncrossed his arms and his feet dragged sideways against the dirt, putting him into a wider stance.

“Teacher, you won’t be using your sword?” Riaz lifted his sword with both hands. “I’ve never seen you draw it before.”

“Against a shrimp like you? Not only am I not going to draw my sword, but I’ll even lower myself to your cultivation level.” Aldean breathed deeply and a faint glow of qi swept across his body.

“This should do,” he said. “Though it’s a little wonky, I shouldn’t hold too much of an advantage cultivation-wise.”

“You don’t sound too certain, teacher.” Riaz showed himself sceptical.

Aldean rubbed his thumb over his nose and replied, “I’m sure it’s fine, but I suppose I can hold back just a bit more.”

He needed no internal energy for the training to come. Aldean’s physique alone was refined to the point of making him impervious to anything Riaz could muster against him.

That’s the sort of strength that was par of the course for a warrior of his level.

Riaz remembered Aldean’s teachings on the various ways people categorized a warrior’s strength. While many races had their own way of establishing order, his teacher insisted that humans were the only ones so deeply obsessed with establishing a hierarchy that they’d label every minor achievement.

The way things ended up being labeled, there now were classifications for warriors, mages and various other fields of cultivation that he’d never even thought existed.

His initial path as a martial warrior boiled down to the four stages: Beginner, Adept, Expert and Master. All four were widely considered to make up the Establishment realm in which the warrior forged their body and mind, as well as cultivated their internal energies. Later on, reaching new insights, they’d incorporate the mysteries of the world into their techniques to achieve even greater strength in battle.

Outside the human kingdoms, nobody bothered to dissect the Establishment realm like so. In the eyes of others, you were either a master or not worth mentioning at all.

Above the Establishment realm were the three superior realms: the Profound Will realm, the Manifestation realm and finally, the Ordinance realm. Aldean didn’t want to go into greater detail regarding those, considering that Riaz was far from ready to understand the intricacies of it. However, Aldean did drop a hint that reaching the Profound Will realm was connected with establishing something called ‘aura’.

Riaz didn’t really understand what aura was, but apparently it was a force superior to qi or something. All his teacher wanted him to keep in mind was to never cross someone above the Establishment realm. Someone who had acquired will could suppress and easily flatten Riaz without exerting much effort.

His teacher, who held the title of a ‘king’, was a good example of a warrior in the Manifestation realm, as were most existences holding such a title.

Riaz could be classified as an Adept level warrior, so he had still a long way to go, that much was painfully clear to him. To grow stronger, he needed to train and he had the perfect master for the job.

“Here I come!” Aldean’s body lunged forward, his stretched out arms trailing behind him. It seemed like he had abandoned his defense in favor of the offense.

‘Teacher is wide open!’ Riaz roused his inner energy and lifted his sword above his head. He anticipated Aldean’s arrival, focusing on the man’s movements. He swung down towards the right shoulder, but his teacher had long seen through his intentions and leaned out of the sword’s path, closing the rest of the distance with a single step.

Riaz reacted swiftly and leapt backwards to buy time for himself, but his teacher was still faster.

Aldean chopped towards Riaz and connected a painful blow. Riaz nearly collapsed from it, but composed himself and successfully blocked against the follow-up attack.

“Sometimes, leaving an opening will invite your enemy to attack the way you want them to. Use that to your advantage.” Aldean yelled.

He rushed forward again, chopping at Riaz from different angles whilst speaking.

“Don’t play into your opponent’s rhythm and always move in a way that solidifies your own position.”

Riaz blocked Aldean’s arm, but the brute strength directed towards Riaz blew him back. The faint qi reinforcing his teacher’s arm was potent and unforgiving; it wasn’t something Riaz’s feeble qi could contest.

“Ugh.” Riaz clenched his teeth and tried to think of something as he retreated, carried by the momentum of the blow.

‘His body and qi are both superior. To think that he limited himself to my level and we’re still hardly on equal ground.’ He mildly lamented in his mind.

Meanwhile, his teacher yelled, “That’s right, if you have to retreat, then lead your enemy away. Don’t just flee blindly, but form an advantage for yourself and use it!”

Riaz felt his surroundings with all five senses and took position on the incline of a small hill. Aldean followed him closely and was situated below him at the time.

Lowering his sword with his elbow angled, Riaz protected his legs and looked for another opening.

His teacher had the intention to ascend the hill from the sides, but Riaz remained alert, cutting off his path on every attempt.

“Good!” Aldean chuckled. “But what will you do if your opponent is a little more sturdy and reckless?”

Having said that, he charged uphill towards Riaz, holding his two arms crossed in front of him, protecting his face. Riaz could make out a distinct gleam across his teacher’s entire body.

His teacher’s voice entered his ears. “Some practitioners focus on refining the body or have other means of hardening their skin. They won’t be easily deterred.”

Riaz grew apprehensive and used all his strength to leap over Aldean’s head, but the latter stopped his charge and seized the opportunity to grab Riaz by the leg. His muscles bulged slightly and plucked Riaz down from mid-air, slamming him into the ground.

Twisting his body, Aldean swung Riaz around and sent him flying. The velocity of his flight made it difficult for Riaz to pivot and stabilize himself. Eventually, his body skipped across the ground and rolled through a wide patch of long grass.

The grass obscured Riaz’s vision as he slowly got back onto his feet. If anything, he did well not to let go of his sword throughout the entire sequence of attacks. As a result, it allowed him to swing the blade around and cut down the grass within his reach.

A waft of freshly cut grass passed through his nostrils, yet he could ill afford to enjoy the pleasant smell even for a moment. His nerves remained highly taut and his senses sharp.

Riaz could not allow himself to lower his guard, not while he was still in the dark in regards to what his teacher was up to.

He waited.

Seconds passed and there was no indication of his teacher’s presence. He was close to giving up, when the hairs on his neck stood up.

His instincts tingled with great urgency, prompting him to turn around. When he did, he discovered the emergence of a sizeable rock, shooting through the tall grass. By all estimates, it was headed straight towards him.

‘There’s no way to block this, but there is no need to, is there?’

He remembered that his teacher was fond of playing tricks on him. Wouldn’t his teacher use this as a distraction then?

Riaz did something unintuitive for once and narrowly dodged the rock with his back turned towards it. He relied on his senses to guide him while betting on the chance that his teacher would attack him from a blind spot.

‘Now where are you, teacher?’ His heart pumped with anticipation. He was a little shaken by the thrill of battle but felt and underlying joy in it too.

Another rock, or maybe the same one, came flying again and Riaz repeated his actions from before while keeping an eye out for his teacher.

Riaz remembered his teacher’s words and decided to pretend that he lost his nerve and purposely left an opening.

The anticipation grew and eventually he spotted Aldean through the corner of his eye. His teacher stuck closely to the ground, almost as if gliding on a purely horizontal line.

Riaz quickly spun the hilt of his sword around and held it in a reverse grip, thereafter stabbing it downwards before his teacher could tackle him by the legs.

“In a desperate situation, where there is no way to get out unscathed, it’s better to willingly accept injury to further your goal.” The voice entered Riaz’s ears at the same time as his sword struck his teacher.

The sword broke, following which his legs were grappled. Before he knew it, his teacher had uprooted and brought him down. Before Riaz could recover, Aldean had grabbed his wrist and smashed it against the ground, breaking his hold on the weapon.

“Off to a good start, disciple.” His teacher’s voice entered his ears from up close by.

Aldean who clung closely to Riaz, pushed himself off and extended a hand towards the youth. Riaz grabbed the hand and got back up with some help.

Riaz patted his clothes and spat out some dirt that had found its way into his mouth. He then picked up the broken remains of his sword and gave his teacher a wry look.

“Haha, we have plenty more. What matters is that you learn to adapt.” Aldean laughed, not concerned with being wasteful whatsoever.

The duo returned to the camp and Riaz felt quite accomplished despite his loss. Aldean was generous in his praise, but even more generous when pointing out Riaz’s flaws. Nonetheless, there was still plenty of time to refine himself.

“Teacher, how do I compare to others in my age group?” asked Riaz, his lips shaking to the rhythm of his legs. His arms were spread towards the sides with two rocks dangling from the wrists.

The gravity ring on one of his fingers flashed in the sunlight as he performed squats with extra weights.

Aldean, drinking his alcohol in the shade of a nearby tree, looked at Riaz with blatant mockery in his gaze.

“What? You ain’t worth shit.” He said bluntly.

Riaz almost keeled over. “What? Didn’t you say I had both the talent and qi foundation that would place me highly among my peers?”

Aldean walked over and flicked Riaz on the forehead with enough strength to nearly topple him.

“You mean the qi you can barely tap into? Keep working on your body, brat. Maybe you were worth your salt during your prime but, the way you are now, you will be hard pressed to stand your ground among the many talented youngsters of your generation.”

“Are they that strong?” Riaz felt a little doubtful, but also couldn’t refute his teacher, since his own experience was lacking.

“Sure, that’s why you need to give it your all and re-discover how to fight. The stick training and the practical training you are undergoing, they’re all for the sake of preserving your life.” Aldean reached for the gravity ring on Riaz’s finger and pulled it off.

“Gimmicks like these,” Aldean held the ring before Riaz’s eyes, “they can help you to raise your foundations, but what you will need is practical experience more than anything. The place I am taking you to will be fraught with danger and I need you to survive.”

Aldean tossed the ring back, saying, “We have precious little time to spare.”

Riaz caught the ring and scratched his head with a sigh.

“Teacher why are you in a rush all of a sudden? You’ve been that way since you’ve talked to the traveling merchants.”

Aldean looked at Riaz with a somber expression. Riaz could tell that his teacher was in deep thought, so he didn’t rush the answer.

“Let’s just say that an opportunity has presented itself.” Aldean directed his gaze towards the south. “Not only that, but it happened earlier than I had expected. Focus on your training for now, there will be plenty of time to discuss this matter later.”

He looked at his disciple and gestured towards the rocks around the youth’s wrists. “I’ll add an extra rock tomorrow. Any complaints?”

Riaz was about to open his mouth but hesitated. He then finally said, “None!”

Aldean nodded and was about to leave, but his disciple said something that surprised him.

“Don’t worry, teacher. I’ll work hard to acquire strength that is unrivaled under the heavens.” Riaz declared confidently, picking up his training from where he left off.

His teacher scoffed and left him to his training.

Riaz rotated through the usual cycle of exercises and arrived at his sword training. He repeatedly swung down the sword, paying attention to his form.

The battle practice earlier was still vividly in his mind. He felt like some movements felt different from others, in that it felt almost like his gut knew what to do. Riaz felt very optimistic about the upcoming sessions and took note of many ideas he wanted to try out.

Surely, the more he fought, the more he was going to remember the feeling from his dreams and maybe, but maybe, it would help him to remember more of his past.

He gave it his all and improved greatly so far, but his teacher’s evaluation still weighed on his mind.

‘Why would teacher say it wasn’t enough?’ he asked himself. ‘Isn’t the rate of my improvement extraordinary? More importantly, just what kind of danger is he signing me up for?’

Riaz felt that his teacher expected a lot from him within a too short amount of time. Still, he had made a promise to everyone, most importantly himself, that he’d work hard.

‘If my lack of experience is dragging me down, then I have to make up for it with a more outstanding foundation. Right, I must work harder and break through into the next realm.’

He found the resolve to work harder and pushed his body to the limit that day. His exercises were completed with much greater effort and vigor, all until he finally found time to concentrate on the cultivation of his internal energy.

With the setting sun at his back, he sat down beside the leather bag of swords and deeply considered his options. He could choose a new sword to focus on, but he felt like nothing really was the right sword for him. Besides, it was too early to choose, in his opinion.

When choosing the right sword, it was mostly a matter of feeling. What mattered were things like balance of the sword, how it lay in your hand, how it responded to your movements and most of all how it complemented your nature.

‘Too bad how that particular long sword broke. I guess, for the time being, I’ll have to settle for the remaining swords.’

He slowly pulled a short sword from the bag and unsheathed it in front of his eyes.

His teacher said that one of the requirements for reaching the Expert level was to envelop one’s weapon with qi. Riaz assumed that it wouldn’t be so easy, otherwise everyone would do it.

The sword is inanimate; it is dead. To achieve the next degree of control over his qi, he’d have to keep in mind that the process would be different from how he easily circulated the qi through his own body.

He concentrated on his lower dantian and lead his qi along the pathways towards his hand. He experimented and tried out multiple approaches but couldn’t get his qi to traverse the seemingly vast gap between his hand and the sword.

Aldean stealthily observed him from nearby. He couldn’t help but shake his head, taking a smidgen of pity in his disciple. His desire to improve didn’t go unnoticed and Aldean wasn’t blind to the influence he exerted over his disciple and that consequently his disciple felt pressured by him.

He muttered under his breath, “Disciple, your teacher didn’t want to rush you, but the selection will be soon and you can ill afford to show weakness.”

Aldean knew that truthfully there wasn’t much to the bottleneck Riaz was facing, but if he gave Riaz a hint, it would only negatively impact his future.

To reach the next step, Riaz would have to rely on his own understanding. Aldean had absolute faith in his disciple. He had faith that his disciple would figure out how to coat his weapon in qi once he’d come face to face with death.

It was an opportunity that would arrive soon, be that for better or worse. At that time, Riaz would have to firmly seize the opportunity and take the next step.

Aldean lowered his head and felt the scabbard of his sword, slowly brushing down with his palm. He looked at the sword and quietly reminisced.

His mind wandered back to the days when he himself was the disciple, when he toiled in the sands and fought tooth and nail to survive.

He closed his eyes and whispered, “Master, back then you’ve practically been a demon. You’ve made me go through hell and back, but now I am the master. I am left wondering, is this how you’ve felt back then?”

A helpless sigh escaped his lips.