Chapter 10: A Rival's Laughter
Yun Che rested only long enough for his breathing to return to normal.
Master Liang did not believe in wasting time.
"Again."
Yun Che picked up his sword.
This time, there would be no lesson in killing intent.
Only combat.
The kind of combat Master Liang had repeated with him and Yun Ren for years.
The old master lowered his cultivation until it matched Yun Che's.
Peak Mortal Realm.
No higher.
He carried an ordinary wooden sword.
Nothing more.
"No Foundation Establishment techniques," he said.
"No Second Grade techniques."
"No Third Grade techniques."
"We'll use only the First Grade skills you already know."
Yun Che nodded.
Body Enhancement.
Swift Movement.
Swift Strike.
Power Strike.
Damage Dispersion.
Elemental Defense.
The foundations.
Nothing else.
"Come."
Yun Che moved first.
His feet exploded across the training ground.
His sword swept toward Master Liang's shoulder.
The old man shifted half a step.
The blade passed harmlessly through empty air.
A wooden sword gently tapped Yun Che's helmet.
"Dead."
Yun Che turned immediately.
Another slash.
Another miss.
Tap.
"Dead."
Again.
Again.
Again.
Every attack was answered with the smallest possible movement.
Master Liang never wasted effort.
He never stepped farther than necessary.
Never swung harder than required.
Watching him fight felt almost...
Peaceful.
Yun Che found that deeply unfair.
Minutes passed.
Sweat soaked his clothes beneath the armor.
His attacks grew sharper.
Faster.
His sword no longer chased Master Liang.
Instead, he began predicting where the old man would move.
A small improvement.
Master Liang noticed immediately.
"Better."
The praise lasted exactly one heartbeat.
The wooden sword struck Yun Che's ribs.
"Dead."
Eventually, Yun Che released his wires.
Thin strands of steel burst across the arena.
They wrapped around training posts.
Curved beneath loose stones.
Disappeared into the grass.
Master Liang smiled faintly.
"There you are."
This...
Was the Yun Che everyone knew.
Not merely a swordsman.
A battlefield controller.
The wires closed off escape routes.
Forced awkward footing.
Created invisible traps.
Meanwhile...
Ten tonnes of armored steel charged directly through the center.
Even Master Liang's expression became more focused.
The old master still won.
But this time...
Not effortlessly.
The students watching nearby noticed the difference.
Master Liang actually had to work.
His movements became quicker.
Sharper.
Several times he narrowly escaped wires that would have trapped lesser opponents.
Finally...
His wooden sword stopped against Yun Che's throat.
The match ended.
Yun Che lowered his blade, breathing heavily.
Master Liang nodded.
"You've improved."
Yun Che smiled tiredly.
"I still lost."
"You did."
The old master never softened the truth.
"But that doesn't diminish your progress."
He pointed toward the scattered wires.
"Your battlefield control is excellent."
"Most warriors think only about themselves."
"You think about the entire battlefield."
"That is rare."
He tapped Yun Che's sword.
"Your swordsmanship, however..."
"...still needs refinement."
"And your speed."
He looked toward the heavy armor.
"Especially your speed."
"If your body moves faster..."
"...your entire fighting style improves."
Yun Che nodded.
He already knew.
His armor was both his greatest strength...
And his greatest limitation.
Master Liang casually raised one hand.
A crescent of Ki flew from his fingers.
The distant practice post split neatly into two pieces.
A clean cut.
Perfectly effortless.
The watching students gasped.
Yun Che simply sighed.
A Ki Slash.
A Second Grade technique.
One available only after entering the Foundation Establishment Realm.
"If I fought seriously..."
Master Liang said calmly,
"...the battle would end like that."
Yun Che looked at the neatly divided wooden post.
"I know."
"And that's exactly why experience matters."
The old master folded his hands behind his back.
"If strength alone decided battles..."
"The oldest cultivator would always win."
"They don't."
"Experience."
He tapped his temple.
"Judgment."
He tapped his chest.
"Resolve."
He tapped his sword.
"And technique."
"Those decide who survives."
He looked toward every student gathered around.
"You want true skill?"
"Fight."
"Not forms."
"Not shadows."
"Not imagination."
"Fight thousands of times."
"Against different opponents."
"Different weapons."
"Different personalities."
"You cannot learn a real battle by repeating the same movement ten thousand times."
His voice became firm.
"The world teaches with blood."
"If you wish to become a true warrior..."
"Prepare."
"Then survive."
Silence followed.
No student dared interrupt.
After a short break...
Master Liang stepped forward once more.
"Again."
Yun Che's shoulders immediately slumped.
"...Please tell me this is another spar."
"It isn't."
"...I suspected as much."
The old master looked directly into his eyes.
Killing intent erupted once more.
The training ground seemed colder.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
Yun Che's breathing caught.
His heart accelerated.
But...
Something had changed.
One step.
He forced himself forward.
The pressure crashed against him.
Two steps.
His legs shook violently.
Three steps.
His vision blurred.
The fear still wrapped around his body.
Still whispered for him to flee.
But unlike last time...
He didn't stab himself.
He simply endured.
His fourth step never came.
His body locked completely.
No matter how desperately he commanded it...
It refused to move.
Master Liang released the killing intent.
The crushing pressure vanished instantly.
Yun Che nearly collapsed from relief.
"Three steps."
The old master nodded approvingly.
"Yesterday..."
"You couldn't take one."
"Today..."
"Three."
"Good."
"Tomorrow..."
"We aim for four."
Yun Che laughed weakly.
"You make it sound so simple."
"It isn't."
"That's why we're training."
A burst of laughter echoed across the training grounds.
Loud.
Confident.
Infuriatingly familiar.
Yun Che didn't even need to turn around.
"...You're enjoying this far too much."
Another laugh answered him.
"I certainly am."
Yun Che closed his eyes.
"...Shen Tianyu."
The City Lord's son stood near the entrance with his arms folded, wearing a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
"I've arrived at exactly the right time."
He looked from the exhausted Yun Che...
To Master Liang...
Then back again.
"I see my rival is finally receiving a proper education."
Yun Che sighed.
"Go away."
"I refuse."
"I was busy."
"So was I."
"I was suffering."
"I noticed."
Shen Tianyu's grin somehow became even wider.
"And I must admit..."
"It's rather refreshing seeing you lose to someone other than me."
Several students immediately looked away to hide their smiles.
Yun Che rubbed his forehead.
There were moments...
Very brief moments...
When he wondered whether he should reconsider joining the Heavenly Flame Sect.
Then Shen Tianyu opened his mouth.
And those moments disappeared completely.
-------------------------------
The laughter did not come from Shen Tianyu alone.
Five other youths followed him onto the training grounds, dressed in robes that immediately revealed their backgrounds.
The son of the wealthiest merchant.
The heir of Mistforge's largest hunting company.
A member of the city's alchemist family.
Children of officials and prosperous households.
None of them were weak.
The youngest had already reached the Sixth Stage of the Mortal Realm.
The strongest among them stood at the Seventh Stage.
For thirteen-year-olds...
They were considered exceptionally talented.
Not exceptional enough to challenge either Shen Tianyu or Yun Che.
But talented nonetheless.
Several of them glanced at Yun Che with poorly hidden dislike.
In their eyes, he was simply a blacksmith's son.
One who somehow occupied the attention of the City's Young Lord far more than they did.
None of them understood it.
Yun Che understood even less.
Shen Tianyu walked over with his hands clasped behind his back.
His expression looked almost disappointed.
"I heard."
Yun Che sighed.
"Of course you did."
"The guards saw you returning yesterday."
"They said you looked as though your soul had been stolen."
He clicked his tongue dramatically.
"Tsk."
"Tsk."
"I expected better."
"I suppose my rival isn't quite as brave as I believed."
Yun Che was far too tired to respond with his usual sarcasm.
Instead, he simply sat down on the edge of the training field.
"So..."
"What are you actually here for?"
Shen Tianyu's playful expression faded.
"I wanted to make sure you hadn't given up."
Yun Che blinked.
"...That's surprisingly thoughtful."
"Don't misunderstand."
The noble youth folded his arms.
"If you become a nobody..."
"My victories become meaningless."
"I refuse to waste years cultivating only to discover my rival surrendered."
Yun Che chuckled quietly.
"...Thank you."
"There is something else."
Shen Tianyu's eyes became unusually serious.
"If you don't overcome this..."
"...you'll never reach the Foundation Establishment Realm."
The words struck Yun Che immediately.
His expression changed.
Of course.
He had been so focused on yesterday's humiliation that he had forgotten one of the most important lessons of cultivation.
A blocked heart...
Created blocked cultivation.
Fear.
Doubt.
Inner demons.
All of them could prevent a cultivator from taking the next step.
It wasn't merely philosophy.
It was reality.
Yun Che slowly nodded.
"...I needed to hear that."
"Thanks."
"I'll work harder."
Shen Tianyu smiled.
"Good."
Then...
That familiar grin appeared again.
"How about I help?"
Yun Che suddenly became suspicious.
"...Help?"
The City Lord's son stepped forward.
Standing beneath the morning sunlight, he somehow resembled the Frost Wolves his family commanded.
Confident.
Elegant.
Dangerous.
His icy blue eyes held the calm focus of a predator.
"Fight me."
Yun Che immediately answered,
"No."
"...You didn't even think."
"I don't need to."
Master Liang cleared his throat.
"Actually..."
Both boys looked toward the old master.
"I believe Young Master Shen is correct."
Yun Che stared.
"...Master?"
"The killing intent of an elder and the killing intent of someone your own age feel different."
Master Liang folded his hands behind his back.
"You fear predators."
"You fear aggression."
"The Young Master possesses an exceptional instinct for both."
Even Shen Tianyu looked mildly pleased by the compliment.
The old master continued,
"My methods work."
"But they require time."
"You only train with me for two hours each morning."
He looked at Yun Che thoughtfully.
"If you sparred with Young Master Shen in the evenings..."
"...your progress might become much faster."
Yun Che looked from one to the other.
Neither appeared to be joking.
Unfortunately...
That was exactly the problem.
He knew Shen Tianyu.
Outside combat...
The young noble was surprisingly decent.
Competitive.
Arrogant.
Occasionally annoying.
But decent.
Inside combat...
He became something else entirely.
Yun Che had experienced it many times.
The calm smile disappeared.
His movements became sharp.
Relentless.
Those clawed gauntlets flashed like the fangs of a wild beast.
Even without true killing intent...
Fighting Shen Tianyu always felt like standing before a hungry wolf.
If he actually unleashed killing intent...
Yun Che wasn't entirely convinced he would leave the arena with all his limbs attached.
Shen Tianyu leaned closer.
"What?"
"Afraid?"
Yun Che looked at him flatly.
"Yes."
The answer caught everyone off guard.
"...You admitted it?"
"I'm trying honesty."
"It feels healthier."
Several students laughed.
Shen Tianyu rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come on."
"I'm offering to help."
"From the goodness of my heart."
He placed a hand dramatically over his chest.
"I'll be terribly disappointed if you refuse."
Yun Che narrowed his eyes.
"You've never done anything from the goodness of your heart."
"I have."
"When?"
"...I'm sure there was one occasion."
Yun Che remained unconvinced.
The smile gradually disappeared from Shen Tianyu's face.
For the first time that morning...
He sounded genuinely serious.
"I like fighting."
"No surprise there."
"I fight the guards."
"I fight my instructors."
"I fight my father whenever he'll let me."
"I enjoy improving."
His gaze settled on Yun Che.
"And I enjoy fighting you."
"Because you're different."
"You don't fight like anyone else."
"If you stop growing..."
"...I'll lose the only rival I've ever had."
Silence lingered between them.
Yun Che could tell.
For once...
Shen Tianyu wasn't teasing.
He meant every word.
After a long moment...
Yun Che sighed.
"...Fine."
Shen Tianyu's grin immediately returned.
"But."
Yun Che pointed a finger at him.
"If you try anything truly dangerous..."
"I'm never sparring with you again."
The noble youth laughed.
"Don't worry."
"I won't cut off your limbs."
Yun Che relaxed slightly.
Shen Tianyu continued,
"...Probably."
"...Probably?"
"I'll merely remove a little hair."
He thoughtfully examined Yun Che's head.
"Perhaps..."
"I'll make you bald."
Yun Che instinctively covered his hair.
"...You're a terrible person."
"I've been told."
"And yet..."
Shen Tianyu lifted his clawed gauntlets with an eager smile.
"...You'll still show up tomorrow."
Yun Che looked at the polished metal claws.
Then at the infuriatingly confident smile behind them.
He had the distinct feeling...
That surviving Snow Tigers had only been the beginning of his problems.