The village square buzzed with an energy that Tian hadn't felt in months, not since before his failed testing had turned him from prophesied hero to cautionary tale. Word of the wandering swordsman had spread rapidly throughout Moonhaven City, drawing numerous onlookers and hopeful youths from each of the city's districts and clan compounds to the square.

  Tian walked with Chen Hao through the crowd and noted how people reacted to him differently. In the past, they would either bow respectfully or nervously step aside to allow him to pass. Today, however, most didn’t even glance at him as they passed by. Some of those who did recognize him would whisper to one another, but it would be the gossipy rumors of scandal and not the reverent whispers of awe that had made Tian uncomfortable.

  “There,” Chen Hao said, pointing toward the center of the square, “that’s him.”

  At the center of a rough circle of space that had been cleared of bystanders and objects was Master Jian, and Tian’s first impression of the man was that he looked absolutely nothing like what he had expected of a famous swordsman.

  While most of the martial experts cultivated an aura of mystical power or an intimidating presence, Master Jian seemed almost ordinary. He was probably in his early to mid-forties, with weathered hands and the type of lean, physically fit build that spoke of spending decades working honestly in physical labor rather than in meditation.

  The master wore very practical-looking clothing, well-made travel garb that was clearly designed for function rather than for display. His hair was pulled back in a simple top knot with no ornamental pins holding it in place, and his face showed the easy confidence of someone who had nothing to prove to anyone.

  But it was the sword that captured Tian’s attention.

  The sword was slung at Master Jian’s side in a simple wooden scabbard, and the grip of the sword was wrapped in a worn piece of leather that had obviously been shaped by thousands of hours of use.

  There was something about the presence of the sword that felt different from the ceremonial swords that clan warriors carried or the spiritual swords that were wielded by dream cultivators. This sword existed solely to cut, and there was no concern shown for its appearance or for the symbolism of its existence.

  “Practical” Tian said aloud, though he wasn’t certain why that description seemed important.

  Beside the sword master was a young man who looked to be approximately Tian’s age.

  The servant had brown hair that shone in the afternoon light with hints of copper, and pale blue eyes that seemed to take in everything that was happening around the square. The servant’s build was somewhat similar to Master Jian’s, lean and practical, but with the slightly gangling proportions that suggested he was still growing into his adult body.

  Whereas Master Jian seemed completely ordinary in appearance, there was something about the servant that attracted the eye. It was not spiritual power per se, but a quality of alertness that reminded Tian of a hunting cat. The young man’s eyes darted continuously across the crowd of onlookers, taking note of faces and reactions with an intensity that seemed almost subconscious.

  “Who is the other guy?” Tian asked Chen Hao.

  “The master’s servant, I believe,” Chen Hao replied. “Someone said his name is Hou Hongyun. Apparently, he takes care of the logistical aspects of the journey while Master Jian teaches.”

  As they approached the clearing, Tian could hear Master Jian speaking to the gathering of young people who had come to receive instruction. His voice was clear and rang out easily across the square, but there was no theatrical flair or pretension in his tone. He spoke as if discussing the weather or the price of grain, matter-of-factly and without affectation.

  “Sword work,” Master Jian explained to a group of young people ranging in age from early teens to early twenties, “isn’t about spiritual energy or the ability to manipulate dream qi or create energy constructs. It’s about knowing distance, timing, and leverage. It’s about using your body efficiently to move and placing your blade where it needs to be.”

  A young woman in the front row raised her hand. “Master, doesn’t spiritual enhancement make a swordsman better? Even minimal dream qi manipulation increases both speed and strength greatly.”

  “Yes, spiritual enhancement does make you faster and stronger,” Master Jian agreed, “but it can also make you complacent. When you can solve every problem by channeling more qi, you stop learning how to solve problems with technique. When you can cut through armor with spiritual energy, you stop learning the proper angles to penetrate defensive armor. Cultivating internal energy makes you strong, but it does not make you skilled.”

  He gestured to his servant, who stepped forward and drew his own plain sword with a fluidity that seemed almost liquid. “Hongyun here has no internal energy whatsoever,” Master Jian said. “No dream qi, no spiritual enhancement, no way to create energy constructs. However, he has been training with me for three years, and I assure you that he can defeat most Thoughtshaper level cultivators in single combat using only superior swordsmanship.”

  The assembled crowd murmured in disbelief. The idea that a non-cultivator could defeat a person capable of reshaping reality itself through manipulating dream energy seemed absurd.

  “Speed and strength are important,” Master Jian continued, “but they are only two of the elements involved in combat. Knowledge, positioning, timing, and psychological dynamics—these are the elements that truly matter, and cultivating internal energy tends to interfere with developing these elements properly. When you can solve every problem with brute force, you never learn finesse.”

  A young man from one of the lesser clans stood up.

  "Master, I am sorry, but theory and demonstration are two very different things. Can we see this advanced method you speak of?"

  Master Jian laughed and there was something feral in his expression that caused Tian to realize why his name had become so well-known and respected, regardless of his otherwise unassuming appearance. "Of course. Would you like to volunteer?"

  The young clan member looked hesitant, as if he was questioning whether he wanted to challenge someone who had just proclaimed that his servant could beat cultivators. "Maybe somebody else..."

  "I'll do it," said a voice from the back of the crowd.

  A young woman walked forward, her pale green robes signifying that she was a member of the Pine Valley Sect. Her cultivation pressure indicated that she was at least a Lucid Novice, possibly even a Thoughtshaper.

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  "I have been studying combat applications of dream cultivation since I was 12. I'd love to see how pure sword work compares to my experience."

  “Excellent,” Master Jian nodded with approval. "Normal sparring rules: first touch wins, don't use techniques that will cause permanent injury. Hongyun?"

  The servant walked into the impromptu sparring circle. He held his sword loosely in a guard position that covered every angle without appearing tight or focused on any one angle. The Pine Valley student drew her own sword. It glowed softly with dream qi as soon as it came out of its scabbard.

  What followed next was less of a duel and more of a demonstration of the difference between power and skill.

  The Pine Valley student opened with a series of dream-enhanced strikes. Her sword moved incredibly fast as she funneled spiritual energy through her meridian system. All of her strikes were technically correct, and delivered a great deal of force, which was exactly the type of strike that would overwhelm most opponents with sheer pressure.

  Hongyun did not seem to be moving terribly fast, but somehow, he was never quite in the path of the dream-enhanced strikes.

  He slid past the strikes like water, with each movement of his feet placing him in the best possible position to respond immediately. His own sword play was minimalist to the point of looking effortless, tiny deflection moves that redirected incoming force but did not meet it directly.

  The exchange lasted approximately thirty seconds before Hongyun's blade rested lightly against the Pine Valley student's neck, the tip pressed lightly above her jugular vein. She looked at him with a mix of shock and embarrassment, her own sword stuck in a poor position due to the excess power generated by her dream-enhanced strength, which prevented her from recovering quick enough to respond.

  "How?" she whispered.

  "You were fighting your sword," Hongyun said quietly, speaking with an accent that Tian didn’t recognize. "You were using your spiritual power to make your sword go faster than your technique could handle. Speed with no understanding is just flailing."

  Hongyun took a step back and sheathed his sword with the same fluidity he used to draw it. The Pine Valley student carefully put away her own sword. Her face reflected a mixture of confusion and embarrassment at having her entire worldview shattered in thirty seconds.

  "Anyone else want to try?" Master Jian asked.

  The crowd of younger students appeared less certain now. Many students who had been enthusiastically stepping forward to take part in the testing were now holding back, not wanting to be publicly embarrassed by a non-cultivator.

  "That's good," Master Jian continued. "We have proven that the approach works. Now let's start evaluating aptitude. I'm not concerned with your spiritual potential. You all already know whether you have that or not. What I am interested in is your physical coordination, your intuitive awareness of space and timing, and your overall mental attitude towards learning."

  He pointed towards a rack of practice swords that Hongyun had seemingly set up previously. "One at a time. Show me your most natural stance, then perform the basic cutting sequence that I will demonstrate."

  Watching the testing process was interesting.

  Master Jian would provide a practice sword to each candidate, examine how they gripped it, and then lead them through a simple sequence of cuts that were designed to expose their natural reflexes and coordination.

  Most of the students, clearly, had some prior training with weapons, and their stances were technically correct, however, they seemed stiff and unnatural.

  "Too much thinking," Master Jian said after a particularly stiff performance by a son of a clan warrior. "You are trying to remember lessons rather than trusting your body. Your sword should feel like an extension of your arm, not a tool that you are struggling to control."

  "But Master," the young warrior protested, "all of our instructors have consistently stressed the importance of proper form and disciplined technique."

  "Proper form is based on an understanding of principles, not on memorization of positions," Master Jian replied patiently. "When you understand why a particular stance is effective, your body will naturally find that position when you need it. When you merely memorize a stance without understanding why it is effective, you will be bound by it when circumstances change."

  Tian observed candidate after candidate performing the test and noted the commonality in Master Jian's comments. The swordsman appeared to prefer natural movement to formal training, and instinctual reactions to trained ones. A number of candidates, whose technical knowledge of swordsmanship was impressive, were rejected. On the other hand, several candidates, with obvious shortcomings in their technique, were invited to continue.

  "An interesting teaching philosophy," Chen Hao said quietly. "He looks like he’s searching for something specific, but I can’t tell what it is."

  "Intuition," Tian said without thinking. "He wants people who understand the underlying principles of swordsmanship, as opposed to people who only follow the rules they have been taught."

  Chen Hao gave Tian a strange look. "How can you tell?"

  "I am not sure,” Tian shrugged.

  He was being honest.

  Something about the approach felt familiar, as if he’d been exposed to it before.

  But where? And when?

  The testing continued through the remainder of the day, with roughly half of the candidates staying to receive further instruction. The rest of the candidates were released with polite but firm words from Master Jian, who explained that swordsmanship was simply not suited to their particular talents and temperaments.

  "It is not a reflection of your worth as a person or even as a warrior," he said to one of the disappointed young men. "There are many types of warriors, with many different talents. Some are destined to be swordsmen, others to be archers, and others to ride horses. Recognizing your true calling requires recognizing both what you are capable of and what you are not capable of."

  As the testing continued and the numbers of candidates dwindled, Tian found himself gradually moving closer to the testing area. He was uncertain when he had decided to participate, but it seemed to have come from somewhere deep down inside him.

  "You’re really going to try?" Chen Hao asked.

  "Yeah," Tian replied, with an unexpected degree of confidence. "I mean, the worst that could happen is he tells me I have no talent and dismisses me. That happens to me a lot anyway."

  Finally, only a few candidates remained, and Master Jian turned his attention to Tian.

  "You there," the swordsman called, pointing towards him with a practice blade. "It's your turn."

  Tian walked forward and was immediately aware of the whispers that trailed behind him.

  They all knew he was the failed prophecy child, and they were expecting him to fail again.

  Master Jian handed Tian the practice sword.

  As soon as his fingers closed around the hilt of the sword, everything changed.

  The sword felt right in his hands in a way that nothing else ever had.

  The weight distribution, the balance point, the way the pommel fit into the curve of his palm — it all felt like returning home after a long journey.

  Without any conscious guidance from his mind, his body assumed a stance that felt completely natural. His feet were in positions that provided solid stability in all directions, his knees were slightly bent to facilitate rapid movement, and his off-hand rose to a supportive position that didn't conflict with his swordsmanship but was prepared to help if necessary.

  "Very interesting," Master Jian murmured, walking around Tian to view his posture from multiple angles. "No formal training, I assume?"

  "No," Tian replied, although part of him wondered if that was accurate. His body seemed to recall lessons that he had never received.

  "Now show me the cutting sequence that I demonstrated. Vertical strike, diagonal recovery, horizontal cut, and return to guard."

  Tian nodded and began the sequence.

  Every decision his body made seemed to contradict the principles of martial theory, and yet everything felt correct in practice.

  "Terrible," Master Jian said bluntly when he finished the sequence.

  The word stunned Tian.

  Across the square, the crowd murmured about how they expected this.

  Chen Hao looked like he felt bad for him, and maybe even guilty, as though he was blaming himself that Tian was once again being publicly humiliated.

  "Completely wrong approach," Master Jian continued, taking the practice sword from Tian's hand. "Your stance is unstable, your grip has no conviction, and your cuts follow inefficient trajectories. You are fencing, not fighting, and you are dancing around the edges of the strike rather than committing fully to anything decisive."

  "Thank you for the opportunity, Master." Tian bowed, not bothering to argue.

  He was used to being a disappointment.

  He didn’t know why he had thought this time would be any different.

  But it seemed like the sword master wasn’t done.

  He was still going on.

  “Don’t waste your time,” Master Jian continued. “You have no talent for swordsmanship whatsoever.”

  A/N

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