Drawing another deep breath, Wu Ying pushed aside the feelings of failure and closed his eyes again. He might have failed, but he still had work to do. Work to recover what chi he could, to contain it for his next attempt.
***
Wu Ying stood in the middle of a courtyard much larger and more ornate than his own. Seated in front of him was his Master, Elder Cheng. Master cum sponsor for the Sect. Even seated, Elder Cheng looked to be taller than most men Wu Ying had met. Elder Cheng’s oval face was framed with long, lustrous black hair, and like Fairy Yang, his disciple, he was dressed in the traditional green-and-black robes of an Elder of the Sect. By his side, Elder Cheng’s jian rested against the wooden chair he sat upon.
“It seems that you failed,” said Elder Cheng.
“Yes, Elder Cheng. I’m sorry,” said Wu Ying.
“It is no matter. We all fail at some point,” said Elder Cheng. “What is more important is that we learn from our failures. Now, what did you learn?”
Wu Ying hesitated as he considered his words. No use being dishonest with Elder Cheng. Wu Ying had been mulling over the failure for the last few hours, trying to work out what he had done wrong. “I did not have enough chi to break through to the next stage. My blockage must be harder than most.”
“Incorrect,” said Elder Cheng. “It was not that you had insufficient chi. It was that you had insufficient enlightenment. Cultivation is not just about an accumulation of energy. It is an accumulation of knowledge and experience. And you, you spent the entirety of winter in the Sect.”
“I did take some assignments…”
“Some. But none of those assignments pushed you. None of them expanded your mindset, expanded the type of experiences you have had. And while your dalliance with Li Yao has given you something new, have you drawn upon that to expand your cultivation?” said Elder Cheng. “Have you achieved any enlightenment from being with her?”
Wu Ying flushed as Elder Cheng blatantly spoke of Wu Ying’s budding romance with his fellow Inner Sect member.
“Don’t think that I chastise you because I seek your embarrassment. I do so for your own good. At your age, there are many competing desires. The flush of youth is strong. But this is also the time to expand upon your cultivation. When one turns twenty or thereabouts, breaking into the Energy Storage stage becomes significantly more difficult. The blockages in each meridian harden. It is possible to break through afterward, but it requires herbs and spiritual treasures. Expensive spiritual treasures.
“As for Core Cultivation, after thirty, it is extremely difficult. Too many gifted students fall by the wayside, thinking they have time, indulging in fleshy pleasures and their ego.”
Wu Ying blinked, never having had his teachers be so blatant about the difficulties of expanding one’s cultivation. He knew that there were roadblocks as one aged beyond the normal lifespan of a mortal. Even though each level of cultivation expanded one’s lifespan, the ease of ascending to the next level still favored the young. The additional lifespan that one gained from achieving a higher level of cultivation worked against the very laws of nature itself, or so it seemed.
“You should know that you are not one of those gifted sons of heaven. You have some skill. You have some ability. You have even achieved more enlightenment than most in the time I have known you. None of that truly matters if you do not seek to better yourself.”
“I’m sorry, Master. I will do better.” Wu Ying lowered his head.
“Good,” said Elder Cheng. “That is all that I will speak of this to you. From here, it is your decision. That too is fate. Now, your Senior has told me that you have improved your swordsmanship. Show me.”
Wu Ying nodded, walked to the center of the courtyard, and drew his sword. He paused, looking at Elder Cheng, and received a nod of acknowledgment. At first, Wu Ying started with basic forms of the Long family sword style. However, he soon diverged, adding in the movements of the Northern Shen and the Mountain Breaking Fist styles he had studied. Dragon sweeping the Branches turned into the Third mountain Fist which transformed into a sweep from the Northern Shen style before ending in the Dragon rises in the Morning. Motion to motion, form after form, he continued around the courtyard. It was fifteen minutes before he was done.
“Impressive,” said Elder Cheng. “You’ve definitely improved and integrated the styles you have been studying. I have noticed that you are not touching upon the Dragon’s Breath, your chi projection method.”
“That is true, Master,” said Wu Ying. “Because I have been trying to conserve my chi, I have not been practicing that form.”
“That is your decision, but I would recommend you reconsider it.”
Wu Ying waited for Elder Cheng to add to his statement, but he waited in vain. “Is there a particular reason I should be practising the Dragon’s Breath?”
Elder Cheng looked concerned, stroking his chin. Eventually, he seemed to make up his mind and spoke. “The state of Wei has shown its aggressiveness over the winter. We have confirmed that they are purchasing large amounts of feed and other materials they will need for an extended campaign. As you know, the Six Jade Gates Sect have added to their Core Formation elders. It is because of this that we believe the state of Wei has chosen to escalate the war.
“While we do not expect, nor desire, our Sect members to take part in the war, it is not necessarily up to us.”
“I see.”
“Now, as for what you’ve been practicing, I have a few suggestions…”
***
Later that evening, after an exhausting afternoon of training with Elder Cheng, Wu Ying found himself at the inner sect dining hall with Tou Hei and Li Yao. With the year coming to a close, the Sect had opened up the stores and become more generous in the kinds of food that was served. It helped that the martial specialists had located a herd of white-tipped spirit deer, many of whom now graced the Sect’s cooking pots. This uncommon bounty saw an increase in the hall’s attendance, making the normally barren building busy with traffic. The sounds of people eating filled the room, the clatter of utensils, the tap of wooden chopsticks on porcelain bowls, and the slurp of wet noodles a homey reminder.
“How did it go?” said Li Yao.
Wu Ying looked at his girlfriend, marveling once more that someone as beautiful and refined as her would deign to even pay attention to him, never mind being his girlfriend. Li Yao was smaller than him, standing barely five foot four, but she had the pale, smooth skin of a noble—and graceful demeanor of one too. But unlike most noble women, Li Yao was muscular and athletic due to her training as a martial specialist.
“It could be worse,” said Wu Ying. “He did tell me that he is expecting this year’s war to be worse than normal.”
“I heard that too,” said Tou Hei. “When I was out of the Sect, I noticed some movement among the peasants bordering the state of Wei. Many of them were sending their children and elderly to family farther from the borders.”
“We do have it worse when a war breaks out.” Wu Ying stabbed desultorily at his bowl of noodles, remembering when past wars had shaken his village. The worse the fighting got, the more the lords would take in terms of food, people, and money.
With a small smile, Li Yao watched the pair talk. “At least we won’t be required to fight.”
“Isn’t that kind of what martial specialists do?” said Wu Ying.
“No, not really. We’re the Sect’s fist, but only when in contention against another Sect. We owe some loyalty to the kingdom, but we are cultivators. The Sect has already seen the passing of one kingdom and it still stands. We must have a longer view,” said Li Yao.
“I’m surprised to hear you say that,” said Tou Hei.
“Why? Because I’m a noble’s daughter?”