Morning sun covered the second tier of the Reclusive Sword Mountain Sect as two men stood across from each other. They were separated by around a dozen training arenas that had their fences modified so that one large arena was formed. All around hushed whispers could be heard, carried by the gentle winds that accompanied the cool morning air.

Around 500 meters separated these men as one stood with the wisened presence of a scholar with short black hair and a calm countenance. He wore azure robes with voluminous sleeves that covered his hands. Floating in the air around him were nine swords that were separated into three sets of three forming simple sword arrays. On the surface of each blade, three blazing runes flashed with brilliant steel-colored light with two of them seeming to blur before the eyes while one remained blank.

This was of course Xing Zheng and the man who stood opposite him was Jie Ling! As he stood across from the old swordsman the Sect Master gave off the air of a peerless master, with a solid and imposing stature. He had rust-red hair and although he was not built as a large man his body gave off the impression of a blade that had been honed and refined through countless years of training.

Wearing similar robes to his counterpart, albeit styled in gray robes as was tradition for his sect, Jie Ling presented an imposing sight. The announcement that the worldly sage and the Sect Master would be holding a duel to exchange pointers and allow the younger generation to witness their swordplay had been a surprise to most. In just the single day it had taken to organize the event countless speculations had been going around wondering who would be the ultimate victor of the bout.

Fan Zhong and Fan Yong had done their best to simply avoid such discussions although they received quite a few noticeable glares for not immediately supporting the Sect Master as the winner. From this Fan Zhong got the impression that the only thing reclusive martial sect disciples liked more than training their martial arts was ogling and spectating duels between their seniors. So it came that with a sigh he and Fan Yong were standing beside an excited-looking Little White waiting for the duel to start.

As they did Fan Zhong received a thorough bath courtesy of his ever-loveable furry companion. He couldn’t allow himself to deny the rascal anything nowadays as he had been ignoring the water wolf to focus on his martial arts recently. Although Fan Yong had promised that he had been feeding Little White during his training session with Xing Zheng it still made his heart ache that he’d disappeared for over a month without even touching his bond with the spirit beast.

Now that his heart seemed to have calmed he could feel the worry and sadness that had accumulated in Little White’s mind. The bond wasn’t strong enough to allow them to communicate yet however, things like emotions could be interpreted quite easily at this point. As such he borrowed some contribution points from Fan Yong in order to buy the water wolf a generous pile of meat.

At this point, Little White seemed content that he had been covered in enough slobber and was sitting on the ground next to him receiving head scratches while using incredibly thin streams of water to cut and lift pieces of meat into his mouth. It honestly shocked Fan Zhong how much the little wolf had grown even in just the last month. Even sitting down his head still came to Fan Zhong’s chest level and to top it off his growth showed no signs of slowing down.

In addition, his fine control over water Qi had become absolutely absurd and it was safe to say that Little White could most likely handle any opponents below the master realm without worry. Shaking his head, Fan Zhong made a reminder to ask the old swordsman about the issue with his spirit beast growing so large. After all, if he got too big then eventually he wouldn’t be able to fit inside villages or towns!

“Disciples, Fellow Daoist Zhang Zheng has been kind enough to agree to exchange pointers with me today. It would be a disservice to the sect to keep this experience for myself so I’ve invited all of you here today to witness this bout. We will attempt to start slow for those of you who have yet to walk far on the path of martial arts; however, what you gain from witnessing this exchange will ultimately be up to you! Fellow Daoist Zhang Zheng, as the guest, please have the first blow.” Jie Ling waved his hand and a sword seemed to appear out of thin air held in his right hand as he fell into a fighting stance.

Afterward, he gave a slight bow to Xing Zheng before a great calm seemed to settle over his eyes. His previously swaying robes seemed to become still along with his shoulder-length hair. Inside Jie Ling’s normally piercing gray eyes this calm also now existed, as if all things in the world couldn’t shake him from this state.

Xing Zheng observed the Sect Master as he entered his state of calm. Deep inside of him respect blossomed for the man, a small sense of shock existed with that respect. Normally one needed to study the way of swordsmanship for hundreds of years before entering a state like that, where one focused their whole being on their weapon.

Some never achieved it as their constantly improving mental energy provided so much information that outside thoughts would always be able to stir them. It was different from the void state that was needed to use the Xing clan ancestral sword style but still impressive for a mortal in the master realm. With a gentle smile, he nodded toward the other man and took a soft step forward.

As he did so the three sword arrays around him spread out with one staying in front of him and two moving to flank his opponent on either side. During this motion each sword array flashed as Xing Zheng waved his hand across his body, quickly tapping a storage bag in his robes in the process. A Qasi-Spirit Qi Treasure sword appeared in his hand and the array in front of him rotated releasing three sword phantoms at different times before rising and racing backward behind Xing Zheng.

As this happened Jie Ling made a small circular motion with his wrist that seemed to blur the air around the edge of his sword. This blur seemed to extend outward in three sheets along the edge of that circular path creating three curtains of force that raced to meet him. Smiling Xing Zheng increased his speed ever so slightly and met the attacks head-on.

Fan Zhong focused all of his mental energy and stared hard at the two men as the Sect Master spoke. He remembered the last time two masters had fought in front of him and although it brought pain to his heart there also existed equal parts shame there as well. When Fan Cheng risked his life to fight two Wei clan masters for him Fan Zhong hadn’t even been able to see the battle.

Remembering this brought hot tears to his face and a rising fire rose inside of him however, he forced it down. Shifting cruel winds and shadows beat that fire, strangling it with cold resolve and willpower. Today he would observe this fight and burn every detail into his mind.

Only by doing this could he one day no longer be so weak…

Worry appeared on Fan Yong’s face as he looked over to see his best friend's eyes seeming ready to burst out of his skull with red appearing around the edges. Tears streamed down his face, however, and he seemed like a madman prepared to die to observe this duel. The terror beast beside him whimpered slightly as it looked up from its meal to rub its snout on Fan Zhong’s stomach.

Inwardly he shivered but a few quick breaths reminded him that this was once that small water wolf that had played tag with the children in the clan. As Fan Yong was looking away to calm himself a scowl settled onto his face. Tiyun Areal was a few dozen meters to their left within the crowd and was staring at them with unmasked contempt.

When their gazes met he could only hear a barely audible sneer and huff as the woman looked away. Shaking his head Fan Yong focused back on the battle as a booming sound echoed throughout the air.

Jie Ling took a slow breath as the three sword phantoms approached him. With a small flick of his wrist, he executed ‘Tranquil Sword Melody’s’ first form with a circular cut. From this pure Sword Qi rushed through his body and out his blade three times.

The effect manipulation was more direct than a Qi phantom as it worked to extend the physical effects that already existed. This method required more Qi per attack but usually gave more power as a result. Faintly the edge of his blade pulsed with light during that quick circular motion causing three curtains of slicing force to echo outward, amplifying the effect of the sword cutting through the air. In his mental sphere, he detected 9 more sword phantoms coming from all angles.

Three from each of the sword arrays respectively. Those arrays had spread out and now encased both of them in a triangular pattern and a resonance seemed to thrum in the air between them. More phantoms appeared out of that resonance, some rushing forward to follow the previous attacks and others forming more arrays that either created their own projections or amplified existing attacks, causing them to fuse and twist according to his movement.

In a blink, over 20 more attacks were already on their way behind the first three sword phantoms and a cold sweat started to bead on his forehead. This was supposed to be taking it slow?

As the slicing curtains approached him a smile crossed the immortal swordsman’s face. Quickly he formed a few seals with his free hand, commanding the sword arrays to start their work. This particular style was an echo of Senior Li Cheng’s ‘lesser infinite sword array’ and although it was a far cry from the original when operating on this scale he could manage something that resembled the disciple of the Heavenly Infinite Sword Sect. Thinking about it, he cut himself off before finishing the first set of 99 seals, only using around a sixth of them.

With a slight nod, he decided that number should be an appropriate amount to start with and rushed forward to meet the farthest of his original phantom attacks. As he did soo Xing Zheng swung his blade through the first phantom, fusing the Qi attack with his physical blade and giving it the force to crash through the curtain like slashing attack. In quick succession the other two phantoms arrived as well, meeting his sword mid-swing each time to blow through the curtains.

In doing this he closed the distance between himself and Jie Ling. A big smile was evident on his face as he enjoyed the thrill of participating in a clash of physical swords. The Azure Rainsword Style was effective however, his master as well as most of his senior apprentice brothers mostly used the style’s ephemeral nature, and rarely did they have physical clashes like this. In truth, this was a creation of his own making that had long since needed testing.

Forms that had only ever been practiced in seclusion showed themselves as Xing Zheng flashed into view in front of the sect master, weaving between two dozen spear-like lines of thrusting force. As he did so his sword came up meeting three phantoms on the way for a rising diagonal cut from his left leg upward across his body. Jie Ling’s eyes widened as he was half turned to the side to project a curtain of slashing force to counter ten or so phantoms and the other man gritted his teeth as a mirror phantom image of him appeared doing the same motion on his back.

Xing Zheng’s grin widened further as the same force of the collision between the man’s physical blade and his phantoms was projected onto this new Qi projection, effectively using the force of the collision and warping it to lash out behind him. His blade met that working and a loud shockwave echoed through the world. Instantly several large clumps of dirt that were suspended in the air due to the speed of the fight disintegrated when hit by the force.

Chuckling slightly he pushed the attack, stepping in and out in curving lines to attack from every angle. Phantoms peppered the Sect Master from all sides and as he moved to weave through some Xing Zheng met him two to three times with a blurring speed for each step he took. Soon he found himself increasing the pace more and more as his free hand absently finished forming the first set of seals already moving onto the second of the three sets.

Blood flew in the air from minor cuts causing crimson stars to seem to hang suspended as the speed of the fight exceeded the liquid's ability to even slowly descend through the air. It took a few exchanges at this speed before he realized the panic in the other man's eyes. A hint of red crept onto Xing Zheng’s face as he slowed the attack before allowing the hail of swords to stop.

As this happened he appeared a few dozen meters from the man, on his knees and pretending to pant with his sword plunged into the ground for support

“Truly Fellow Daoist Jie Ling’s technique is profound! This old man has never seen a style focused so purely on effect manipulation so advanced!” Xing Zheng praised the other man while leaning one hand on his blade.

Fan Zhong gawked at the scene as dirt and rocks flew everywhere, finally allowed to rest on the ground now that the bout was over. He had only been able to observe the opening exchange; however, what had been visible was awe-inspiring. Previously, the phantom attacks and movements of high-realm martial artists had simply been too fast for him to observe and they seemed like beams of light that simply shot forward.

In this exchange, he had learned how wrong that was as Xing Zheng’s phantom swords had each struck with the skill and grace of a master. It was almost as if he could predict the response of his opponent before sending the attack and as such his blows were grouped and angled to take advantage of that. Slashes too weak to withstand counters landed at the weak points of the Sect master’s curtains of force, paving the way for a cascade of attacks that did the same before a final blow shattered the curtain.

That wasn’t even mentioning what had been done by the Sect Master as Fan Zhong had never seen someone fight like that before. Instead of using Qi Phantoms, he seemed to instead be extending the slicing force of his blade outward and bending the collision forces when his physical sword met attacks. Although the blows still seemed to impart force to him, the techniques he was using seemed to use principles similar to ‘Momentum of Shifting Earth’ to shunt and redirect part of the attack into some sort of technique for defense.

Thinking of the implications of such techniques sent his mind racing, broadening the ever-increasing landscape of his view of the martial path. Before this could go too far his thoughts were interrupted by a contemptuous snort to his left. Looking over he saw Tiyun Areal standing next to him with a resolute look, slight bits of victory and arrogance showing in her eyes.

“It seems that the ‘Worldly Sword Sage’ can’t match up to the Sect Master’s might.” Although her words were calm Fan Zhong could feel the slight bits of mental energy lacing the sentence carrying an aura of satisfaction and venom.

With a frown, he suppressed the anger beginning to rise in his heart once more and turned to face the elite disciple.

“Sister Areal, our last meeting was heated for both of us. Let us allow such things to fade away like the snow on the mountain and start anew. If you would please show some respect for Senior Zhang Zheng. He may be a bit strange sometimes but this bout shows his skills are matched by few.” Fan Zhong replied in a calm tone, cutting a short bow at the woman before turning to once again face the arena.

In truth, some part of him hoped that she was too caught up in her own arrogance and contested the claim and inadvertently insulted her own Sect Master. However, it seemed that wasn’t to pass as a glint appeared in her eyes followed by a small frown before the woman simply turned to walk away.

“Brother Zhong, are we really going to allow this?” Fan Yong stood beside him and the sleeves of his robes were shaking as the other young man stared daggers at the back of the retreating elite disciple.

“Peace, Brother Yong. That's exactly what she’s looking for.” Fan Zhong smiled slightly and placed a calming hand on his friend's shoulder.

Fan Yong looked at him with an expression of genuine shock, as if he was looking at an alien instead of a close friend. In truth Fan Zhong himself was surprised that he could keep his calm. After the secluded training with Xing Zheng, it felt like he finally stood still and could breathe in the air of the world.

It was as if for the last five years his world had constantly been spinning and in turmoil and only now was the ground solidly under his feet. His world was now filled with conflict and struggle instead of the luxury of life; however, it was the world as it existed. After accepting that fact his feud with the woman had seemed childish in comparison, something barely worth noting.

After all, she was right. Fan Cheng would’ve been disappointed and all he could do was also accept that while working to improve. Taking a deep breath Fan Zhong looked up and let the words of the Sect Master enter his ears.

“Disciples and Fellow Daoists, this bout has been insightful and refreshing for me in many ways. I hope that observing has allowed some of you to further your path or provided enlightenment. Please if you have any questions find me or one of your seniors around the sect and we’ll make some time over the coming days to help everyone absorb these gains.” The sect Master gave a martial salute to the crowd and bowed before turning to Xing Zheng and doing the same.

“Teacher, is it truly wise to do this so soon? Perhaps it would be better to wait until I breakthrough to refine the treasure” Fan Zhong stood within one of the meditation pavilions which had the benches removed. Around them, disciples walked through the walkways, and further out one could see disciples going about their day, either sparring or working through forms by themselves.

A shining sun hung high in the sky as several large birds of prey let loose cries of triumph and dominance as they patrolled the skies. Cool air offset the heat of the beating rays of sunlight giving the day a pleasant feeling. It had been a week since the duel and Fan Zhong felt that he was getting the hang of the basics of refining.

To start with he had chosen a basic appraising technique known as ‘Composition of elements’. A fairly standard and run-of-the-mill appraisal method that showed the basic fundamental elements within natural treasures. Although it wouldn’t identify highly fused composites or side effects the benefits were the ease of use.

For both his extraction and refining techniques a similar set of techniques had been chosen with ‘Extraction of elemental pillars’ and ‘Refining the foundation’. In all, this would allow him to extract six pillars elemental Qi and refine a vessel where the primary element of the material of that vessel would be the basis for the treasure. All of his practice with runes had paid off as he had been practicing the mental imagery for them for years at this point.

So when the techniques described the method to use mental energy with those images it came easily. As such it had taken only three days to reach the familiar realm in the techniques. He had been so happy at the progress that he had immediately run to the old swordsman to show off with pride in his eyes.

This led to the current situation as Xing Zheng had been rather pleased and informed him that now was a great time to refine his first treasure, using that brick he always carried around. Currently, Xing Zheng also stood in the pavilion next to him while his brick lay on a wide square stone table that had been placed in the center of the structure.

“Of course it’s wise. Hmph, how are you ever supposed to get better at something if you don’t practice it!” Xing Zheng harrumphed very convincingly, making Fan Zhong question whether he was pretending or actually a grumpy old man.

“I could practice on other materials, this… this is the last piece of home I have left…” his voice seemed to trail into the wind as he spoke, losing all air of confidence and being replaced by a deep-rooted sadness.

Shaking his head Fan Zhong quickly dispelled those thoughts, he had resolved to work past that day!

“Disciple…” Xing Zheng’s eyes turned soft and warmth seemed to enter his voice as he spoke “Refining is an ongoing process, even if you refine the treasure today as long as you practice the craft that treasure can follow you for the rest of your life. Each time you improve your proficiency and technique simply gather more materials and do another refinement. Trust your teacher, it's a good experience to work with quality material and this stone is rather good for this region.”

“You say that, but won’t tell me how good it is.” Fan Zhong leveled an accusing glare at the immortal.

“That’s part of using your appria-” Xing Zheng started to speak in a lecturing tone before he was cut off by a blur that seemed to fly out of the sky.

Inside that blur, a jade slip appeared in the old swordsman’s hand as he caught it with unearthly ease. For just a moment his eyes seemed to gloss over as if he was looking at something far away before a grimace settled on the immortal’s face. Quickly he waved his hand and a glowing sword appeared in the air.

Before Fan Zhong could react that sword had zipped towards him and pierced right above his naval, into where his dantian should be located. Heat rushed through his body as the sword seemed to disappear as it made contact instead of gutting him.

“Disciple, listen well. There is a grave matter your teacher must attend to however, that sword will save your life just once. Focus your mental energy on where you feel it and mentally shout my name, after doing so refocus the mental energy on the targets.

The force will be split between them and you’ll be out for a few days afterward but there shouldn’t be anyone within a week's journey of here able to withstand that attack. Keep calm and work on refining that treasure, I should be back before the tournament starts.” Xing Zheng’s voice was stern and it carried the edge of a blade.

Warmness entered the immortal's eyes as he nodded once more to Fan Zhong before disappearing in a blur.