Days turned into weeks. The sect's training grounds buzzed differently now, disciples whispering, movements crisper, breathing quieter.
No one said it aloud, but everyone was following the guard's rhythm.
**Congratulations. You've accidentally founded a new martial trend. The elders still think it's divine inspiration.**
"Let's keep it that way." Raon said.
Each morning, Jin joined Raon before sunrise, under the excuse of "supervising guard drills." But they both knew it was training.
Jin's Qi had evolved, calmer, stronger, flowing with purpose. His strikes no longer fought against him. He moved sharper, yet soft.
"You've turned me into a different person, Raon," Jin said after one of their spars, panting lightly. "It's as if my body listens now."
Raon wiped sweat from his brow. "That's what it's supposed to do. You don't control Qi, you persuade it."
**Qi politics. Maybe convince it to join your campaign.**
"Shut up," Raon muttered under his breath.
Jin chuckled, mistaking it for humor. "If even the elders knew this, our sect wouldn't have fallen so far. They've been trying to rebuild with cracked stones."
Raon looked away. "Maybe they're using the wrong kind of cement."
Jin blinked. "Meaning?"
Raon just smiled. "Nothing. You'll understand eventually."
Later that day, during group training, Elder Cho observed Jin's improved performance. His brows furrowed. "Impossible... his Qi control has advanced by months in mere days."
Elder Min smirked quietly from the sidelines. "Perhaps the Young Master finally found inspiration outside the manuals."
Cho's glare cut deep, but the conversation ended there.
That evening, Jin and Raon stood at the pond near the guard barracks, reflecting under moonlight.
"Raon," Jin said softly, "how did you come up with this? These methods, this balance, it's something even I've never heard of."
Raon took a deep breath, feeling the cool night air fill his lungs. "You ever watch water move? It doesn't fight the path it's given. It adapts, but it never stops flowing. Qi's the same."
Jin watched the ripples spreading from Raon's hand as he touched the pond's surface. The reflection of the moon broke and reformed around his fingers.
"It's strange," Jin murmured. "You speak like someone who's seen all this before."
Raon didn't answer. His eyes were distant, remembering another life, another world.
**Careful. You're about to trigger the 'tragic past monologue' flag.**
Raon smirked. "Not today."
He turned to Jin. "Don't think too hard. Just keep learning. If the sect's going to survive what's coming, it needs someone who can move like water."
Jin frowned. "What's coming?"
aon stood, sheathing his practice sword. "You'll know when it hits. Just... make sure you're ready and breathe."
**A grown man with 8th grade syndrome is a sight to see**
"Let me have this one," Raon whispered as the night wind rippled the pond.
Somewhere deep in the mountains, a cold presence stirred, unseen, but watching.
The currents were changing.