The week before the House Ascendant preliminaries settled into a comfortable rhythm for William. Classes resumed their normal pace after the expedition, and he found himself appreciating the predictability of the schedule, dawn combat training, morning lectures, afternoon cultivation practice, and evening sparring with Liam three times a week.
Combat training with Instructor Valdris had become noticeably easier since the tournament. William could maintain his enhancement for longer periods without his essence pathways burning, and his reaction time had improved enough that he wasn't constantly getting hit during drills.
"Better," Valdris grunted during a footwork exercise. "You're not falling over yourself anymore."
William blocked a strike and countered with a quick jab that Valdris deflected easily. "That's a low bar."
"It's progress," Valdris said while increasing the tempo. "Most students plateau after their first tournament. You're still improving."
