Waking with the dawn, Azula felt a bit uncomfortable. An unpleasant ache in her back and shoulders distracted the girl's brilliant mind. Such a dull pain causing mild discomfort. It was likely due to the rather uncomfortable bed. Without hesitation, she took control, showing strong willpower, and stood up. A new day lay ahead, one that deserved to be lived productively.
"Good morning, Azula, how did you sleep? I didn't bother you too much with my activities?" the spirit greeted her almost immediately in a cheerful voice.
"Good... why do I feel like I slept all night standing on my hands?" the girl said, getting out of bed and immediately starting to stretch her unpleasantly aching shoulders.
"Well, not all night, and I wasn't standing at all. Just, while controlling your body, I became interested in the limits of your abilities. It turns out you can do handstand push-ups with a clap! You have no idea what you're capable of!" the spirit exclaimed admiringly, shocking the girl.
"What did you do to my body?"
"Don't say it like I was doing something lewd and immoral."
"What. Did. You. Do. To. My. Body?!" the princess raised her voice slightly, enunciating each word slowly.
"Nothing serious. I stood on my hands, decided to start push-ups, and experimented with Qi along the way. I pushed up so much that my legs touched the ceiling." Azula looked thoughtfully at the ceiling, which was about five to seven meters from the floor. The spirit, without even noticing, continued to speak.
"...I tested your endurance, it's monstrous, practiced strikes, played with your inner energy. Did you know that if you saturate the body with Qi, making it move faster, you become a little stronger, tougher, and faster? And if you saturate the bones, muscles, tendons, and nerves separately, the result is much better? You could say the latter trick allows you to go beyond human capabilities, but it depletes endurance incredibly quickly. And the further you go beyond the limits, the faster you deplete your Qi," the spirit finished, saying things that were simply impossible to believe.
"Such control is impossible! Don't tell me fairy tales, what did you do to my body?"
"It's true, and you know it, has your memory failed you? Although I was working in the dark, I don't really need light, but you must remember something, right?"
"A human cannot control such subtle processes..." Azula faltered, remembering that she wasn't exactly talking to a human. "I see. I need to tidy myself up and go for training. Since you subjected my body to experiments, maybe you can relieve me of the pain? And wait, how can you control my Qi? It's mine!"
"Heh. And the fact that I can conquer blue flames didn't bother you? Qi and firebending are practically the same thing. As you remember, I perfectly controlled the flame I created, since I haven't caused a fire all this time. As for the pain... I have an idea about that. Will you hand over control of your body for a minute?" Silence fell, the girl pondered the spirit's words, feeling unpleasant sensations in her back and shoulders.
"Alright," despite her distrust, Azula allowed the spirit to take control of her body. But she was ready to take it back at any moment, reclaiming her body from the demon's vile clutches.
The spirit, having gained control of her body, spread its arms wide and took a deep breath. Starting to wave its arms in time with its breathing. Soon, Azula began to feel warmth. It spread from her lungs to her stomach, and then throughout her entire body. After finishing the incomprehensible breathing exercise, the spirit calmly handed over control of the body to its true owner.
"What was that?" the princess asked, stretching her shoulders and back. The pain was gone.
"An improved breathing exercise to restore strength. After restoring the spent Qi, I directed it to the sore spots and healed the minor injuries. I learned this last night when I got too carried away checking your endurance. Sorry I didn't do it right away, I got carried away with success and forgot a little," the spirit explained in an apologetic tone.
"What else did you learn last night?" Azula asked cautiously, feeling a creeping fear from realizing the spirit's growing capabilities.
"Nothing else. I already know too much. I spent almost the entire night exploring new possibilities. I also learned a lot about firebending. Let Pian Dao look at your breathing, it won't hurt."
"My breathing is perfect!" the latter words of her interlocutor deeply offended the girl, causing her to raise her voice again. For her, as a firebender, breathing was extremely important.
"Weren't you planning to go for your morning training? Don't waste time. We can talk about everything in the evening, and for now, attend to your immediate tasks. I need to think,"
"Fine, but don't think you're getting away from my questions," Azula replied with displeasure.
Acknowledging the spirit's point, she began to tidy herself up. A few minutes later, dressed in old, crumpled clothes, she left her assigned quarters, washed, with her hair done, and a clear head. Azula, pretending to be Tai Li, went to the training ground, where, after warming up, she began practicing with the training sword she had grabbed along the way. It was during this activity that the master found her.
Pian Dao was impressed by such dedication to learning. He noticed the girl while painting a picture of the sunrise. His sharp gaze quickly spotted the slightest errors in Tai Li's techniques. Pointing them out, he showed her how to do it correctly. After a short warm-up, they sparred. The fight was much tougher than yesterday's.
This time, he only managed to defeat the girl by repeating the trick with the hair accessory. This was the very trick Azula had used to defeat the master yesterday. Of course, the girl also didn't fight "fairly," using all the dirty tricks she had experienced herself yesterday. Pian Dao only praised her for this, saying that a true master is an eternal student. However, experience still surpassed genius and youth, which is why the girl lost. They decided to take a break and refuel, as the servants had prepared breakfast for the early risers by then.
After the meal, Tai Li spoke to the Master first. Asking him to check her breathing and whether she was doing everything correctly. The Master looked at the girl for a long time, a very long time, observing how she breathed. After that, he decided to have another sparring match. Only after the fight did he understand the girl's small mistake. Pointing it out, he delivered a whole speech about the importance of breathing for every person, and especially for a warrior.
"Breathing is an important part for every warrior, especially for firebenders. Always try to breathe correctly. Even when you sleep, don't forget about breathing. Fill your lungs to their full capacity. This way, you conserve stamina and saturate your entire body with strength. For a firebender, this is especially important because your magic depends on correct breathing. You can verify this yourself," with Pian Dao's permission, Tai Li immediately performed a series of firebending techniques, quickly feeling the difference.
"As I thought, your breathing wasn't perfect, but I won't distract you anymore. Train and learn, I'll just be an observer," the spirit reminded her as soon as the girl finished her series of firebending strikes.
It was surprising, but a person who didn't wield firebending knew slightly more than all the masters who had taught her. Azula even wondered where he could have learned such subtle details about breathing, since not every master could even guess at them. This was a big blow to the girl, as she had previously considered her breathing perfect. But after correcting the mistake, she immediately felt the difference—performing techniques became a little easier, she expended less energy, and they were more powerful.
"Thank you for the lesson, Master. Perhaps you can answer another question of mine," Tai Li said respectfully, bowing and making a mental note. She had heard the master's words and would now always breathe correctly.
"There's nothing preventing you from asking it..."
Azula, posing as Tai Li, told the master about her question. Or rather, her questions. Since the girl had more than one question on a completely unfamiliar topic. She recounted much of what she knew about Qi, the internal energy system, the energy centers, the vortices, the interaction between the centers, and other things she had discussed with the spirit the previous night, supplementing it with her questions. The Master, without much thought, replied:
"What you're describing are chakras. As far as I know, chakras are centers of power and consciousness located within the human body, connecting its spiritual and life energy. Each of these chakras is tied to emotions or a mental state a person can fall into. Each can be opened or closed with the necessary emotion and state. The seven chakras are located along the vertical axis of the human body, but in different organs. If all of them are opened, Qi energy will flow freely throughout the body," the old master explained, recalling someone else's words, under the girl's attentive gaze.
"Ask about his chakras, has he opened them all?" the spirit intervened in the conversation, but only Azula could hear it.
"Have you opened all your chakras? Is that what made you so strong and brilliant?"
"Not exactly. Rather, thanks to my genius and the help of someone wise, I managed to open all my chakras. Anticipating your next question, yes, I can help you open your chakras, but it will be very difficult. Opening them requires deep knowledge of meditation, self-understanding, your emotions, goals, and your life path. Once all chakras are opened, a person will have access to a great deal, but it's not an easy path, and not everyone can walk it. This is not something I will teach you in the near future," Pian Dao concluded his speech resolutely.
"In that case, what will be my next lesson?" Tai Li asked in a respectful voice.
"First, we will repeat our fight. You still don't perceive the sword as an extension of your hand; this needs to be corrected first," the master said, drawing his sword from its sheath.
The girl's training began...
***
After another fight, Pian Dao decided to teach another lesson. He took his student to the same room, or rather hall, where they first met. There were changes in the room; a clean scroll, a brush, and ink stood on the table, and the window still offered a wonderful view. The girl quickly understood that this would be a completely unusual lesson.
"Why is this necessary?" Tai Li asked, looking around at the other calligraphy tools.
"It seems like something interesting is about to happen," the Spirit expressed its opinion.
"A true warrior practices many arts, training not only the body but also the mind. I want to see your calligraphy skills. Write your name," after his brief speech, the master took and handed the brush to the girl.
"How is this related to swordsmanship?" Taking the brush, Tai Li carefully examined it, glancing at the clean scroll.
"A warrior who only knows how to kill is a bad one," the spirit expressed its opinion, though no one had asked for it.
"When you write your name, you leave your own mark on the paper. You must learn to leave your own mark with a sword, magic, or other skills on the battlefield," the master explained calmly, watching the girl intently. The student, without much thought, dipped the brush in the ink, about to start writing, when the master's words stopped her.
"Remember, you can never erase the mark of ink, just as you can never erase the mark of a sword or your own mark on history."
"Such wise words. I hope you understood the hint?"
Tai Li glanced at the master. Her eyes sparkled with understanding; the girl realized everything the master wanted to convey to her. Focusing her gaze on the blank scroll, she held back her sleeve and began to write her name. Slowly, without haste, without errors or doubts, the student perfectly drew her mark. At the end, looking at the drawn name "Tai Li," she couldn't help but smile, pleased with her work.
"Excellent work. What were you thinking about while drawing these kanji?" the Master inquired, watching the girl's entire process.
"About the past... What will be my next lesson, Master?.."
***
"Is this necessary?" Tai Li asked, looking at her master. They had gone far beyond the castle, and the master was about to conduct another unusual lesson.
"Yes, it's necessary. It's required for the next lesson," the Master replied confidently.
"Don't be stubborn, a student must trust their master. Put on the blindfold; it won't hinder me from seeing the world. If he intends anything bad, I'll definitely tell you," the roommate comforted the girl.
"Alright," the student replied, tying the blindfold over her eyes, thus depriving herself of sight. She didn't like this, but she had already acknowledged the master, and if he considered it necessary, she would trust him.
"Trust me and move forward," feeling the master's hand on her shoulder, Tai Li moved in the indicated direction.
She walked, counting the seconds, feeling herself climbing a hill. Occasionally, the girl stumbled but always managed to maintain her balance and not fall face-first into the ground. The master's hand, constantly on her shoulder, guided Tai Li in an unknown direction. About ten minutes of silent travel passed when suddenly the master spoke, accompanied by the distant sounds of a waterfall.
"The art of painting helps to capture images of nature in a warrior's memory," feeling the master's hand pulling her back, the girl stopped. The stranger's hand quickly removed the blindfold from her eyes. Bright light hit her eyes, making her wince.
"In battle, you'll only have a moment to remember everything," Pian Dao said as the girl's eyes adjusted to the light.
Her eyes adjusted to the light, and the girl saw the enchanting beauty of nature. A huge stream of water cascaded down waterfalls. The water spray formed a mist, adding a touch of mysticism to the natural beauty. In the distance, hills were visible, expansive meadows lay on either side of the river, and the sky was bluer and brighter than ever.
"Beautiful. I even want to swim there," the spirit expressed its opinion.
"Now draw, and don't peek," the master gently turned the student toward the table that stood behind her. Everything was ready for painting: paints, brushes, a clean canvas.
Tai Li picked up a brush, thoughtfully examining the canvas, contemplating the usefulness of such a lesson. Her thoughts lingered, and the spirit interpreted her inaction in its own way.
"Draw, this is another training for your mind. Specifically, this lesson teaches you to memorize as much as possible in a short time. You yourself must understand that in battle, there's rarely time for idle thoughts and contemplation."
She dipped the brush in the paints and began to paint carefully. The princess had never done anything like this before, but her calligraphy knowledge helped her create a fairly good picture, and her well-developed memory helped her convey the accuracy of what she saw. The girl painted unhurriedly, trying to portray the picture with perfect accuracy. The spirit occasionally helped her in this, reminding her of certain details. The master, meanwhile, stood silently, enjoying the breeze, the sound of water, and the birdsong, waiting for his student to finish her work.
"Done," the student handed her work to the master.
Pian Dao examined the resulting painting. It was far from perfect but done with diligence.
"Quite respectable for a first attempt. Now, let's return to the castle..."
The days of training with the master passed in their usual rhythm. Pian Dao taught the girl not only how to handle a sword but also many other things he himself possessed.
Tai Li's calligraphy skills were at a fairly high level. However, the master spent much more time on painting with the student. The girl also tried to learn to play a musical instrument, training her ear. Pian Dao was skilled not only with the sword but also with many other types of weapons and combat styles. He passed on his experience to his student through numerous sparring sessions interspersed with lectures.
Days turned into days. The student grew stronger and stronger with each passing day, gaining experience, sharpening her senses, mind, and skills...