“Okay, Hua,” said one of the young ladies.

“Yes?”

“Are we just going ignore that atrocious Frost Steps you performed back then?”

“… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No. She’s right, Hua. That really was sloppy work. Why did you leave those footprints behind?”

“And it’s not just that. Did anyone else notice how she made three extra ice spikes for no reason?”

“Mm. I saw that. I thought she was going to use them later, but it turned out she was just trying to keep things aesthetic.”

“Well. Hua has always had a thing for symmetry.”

“But that doesn’t excuse her wasting qi like that. If Sage Hei saw something like that, he would lecture the lot of us.”

“But Sage Hei isn’t here!” protested Fang Hua. “And besides, we’re supposed to be commenting on her performance, not mine.”

The Fang Clan juniors exchanged glances before agreeing.

“Ultimately, it was a bad match-up,” said one of them. “When it’s ice versus water, it’s obvious which will prevail.”

“Mm. If she were facing one of the boys instead, things might have gone differently.”

“I agree. Then she would have the advantage. Or, at least she wouldn’t be disadvantaged.”

That was the general consensus among the observers. They could tell that Tang Zen had yet to reach a level in her chosen technique that would allow her to counter such elemental disadvantages, and as such, when she was faced against a lady of the Fang Clan who specialized in ice-based techniques, her own water-based techniques became a liability.

Of course, there were other observations to be made as well.

“It’s true that her water-based techniques were at a disadvantage,” said one young man. “But did you see the move she used to shake off the ice before? The one that turned her sword pink. If she used that more, she could potentially overcome Hua’s ice attacks.”

“Oh. That’s true. That move had potential. Why didn’t you use it more?”

“That’s what I wanted help with,” answered Tang Zen. “That move was actually the opening to the third stance; Thousand Lotus. I’m having trouble controlling the lotus petals it forms, so I couldn’t use it to full effect.”

“Ah. That makes sense. So the vibrational energy came from the sword attempting to split into those lotus petals?”

“Mm.”

“Our Fang Clan actually has a similar yin technique where the blade separates into snowflakes, but our matriarch is the only one who can use it. It makes sense that you would have trouble with something similar.”

“Even so, that’s not the only way for me to deal with your ice.”

“That reminds me; you used moves from some other technique, didn’t you? That shark form was interesting. It actually made use of the kinetic energy of thrashing water to prevent freezing. And the fact that it could break through solid ice means you had a decent level of control over it. Much more than you had with your Lotus Series moves.”

“Yeah. That was my brother’s unique sword style that he made up himself.”

“It is interesting,” said Fang Hua. “But to me, it feels like it’s more suited to battling with spirit beasts than with humans. Placing the sword in your mouth like that creates a really awkward transition between movement and attack that wouldn’t work all that well against fellow humans.”

“I agree,” said Fang Yijun. “Your movements become incredibly agile, but if you need to change your grip on the sword every time, then it gives your opponent time to react and basically telegraphs all of your attacks.”

Tang Zen frowned slightly. Her brother’s sword technique was his pride and joy, and she didn’t like hearing people underestimate it.

“That’s only the case when you’re on land,” she said. “The next move I was going to use would have conjured a sea environment where I would be able to take full advantage of the technique’s unique aspects. It would be a completely different fight.”

“Hmm. If it’s like that, then it would probably be a terrifying technique to face up against. Especially if you could cause the seawaters to churn as well. Freezing it would be extremely difficult.”

“And imagine her mobility in the water compared to ours. It wouldn’t even be fair.”

“The best course of action would probably be to create a platform of ice so that she couldn’t attack from underneath. Then again, there’s that water-blade attack.”

“However,” said Fang Hua, “maintaining such an environment and keeping the water moving would put her under a great deal of stress, both in terms of qi depletion and mental energy expenditure. She likely wouldn’t be able to maintain it for long.”

“Mm. It would probably turn into a battle of attrition.”

“That’s only for us girls though,” replied Fang Hua. “How would you boys deal with it with your yang techniques?”

“It would be pretty difficult,” answered Fang Yijun. “But if we created a field of high-temperature air currents around us, we could potentially boil any water that gets close to us.”

“I was thinking along the same lines,” said another young man. “And if we used Inferno Blade but kept the heat tightly packed, we could theoretically counter the water-blade attack.”

“Exactly. We would have to store a large amount of thermal energy, but it’s doable.”

“True. But weren’t we supposed to be critiquing her Lotus Series techniques? If you ask me, it lacked a certain lethalness. Am I the only one who thought so?”

“No. I also thought her attacks were lacklustre. And her control of her movement technique seems to be quite poor.”

“That’s right. She stopped using her water-jet propulsion when faced with the ice spikes, which suggests that she lacked the ability to manoeuvre around them.”

“On top of that, her situational awareness could use some work, and she lacks decisiveness in her sword strokes.”

“That’s true. It looks like she hasn’t had much experience fighting against other people in duels.”

“The person in question is sitting right here. Why don’t we just ask her?” said Fang Yijun. “How much sparring experience have you had?”

“I’ve never sparred against another human being,” she answered. “Most of my combat practice was against spirit beasts.”

“Well, that explains some things. But why is that so? No one else practised martial arts in your hometown?”

“There was a martial house, but they didn’t accept female students, so I learned everything I know from my brother. But he wasn’t in a condition where he could spar with me.”

“So that’s how it is.”

“Mm.”

“Well, if your goal is just to perform well at the initiation, then I think you came to the right place after all.”

“Why do you say so?”

“With your transcendent realm cultivation base and your firm grasp on the fundamentals of the Lotus Series, you probably already possess the traits to be a highly sought-after disciple for prospective masters. But I’m guessing that you want to go above and beyond to impress the top elders.”

“I do. But how would Shao Tianlan help me with that?”

“Simple,” answered Fang Hua. “When the criteria for selection is ‘how much you’ve learnt in a week,’ that doesn’t necessarily mean how many new techniques you’ve learnt, does it? Ultimately, they want to assess your talent by seeing what kind of result you can produce in a set timeframe. Whether that means adding elements of what you’ve learnt to your own style, or completely adopting the sect’s sword styles, both are valid ways to display your talent, right?”

“I’m with you so far.”

“Good. The only question left, then, is how do they measure that exactly?”

“It’s by observing our demonstrations.”

“But demonstrations of what?”

“Our… Our sword techniques…”

“You’re not getting it,” said Fang Yijun. “What does it mean to demonstrate your sword techniques? It’s not some performance where we display how prettily we can move. It’s a measurement of our lethality. A demonstration of our ability to kill.”

“That’s exactly how it is,” added Fang Hua. “Swords exist for one reason, and one reason alone; to facilitate the taking of lives. Naturally, then, the quality of a swordsman lies in their ability to kill.”

As a blacksmith’s daughter, Tang Zen took issue with that kind of narrow-minded view on the tools her father poured his heart into creating. He had always told her that, while those weapons were designed to make taking lives more efficient, when put into the right hands, they could be used to protect.

Even now, most of her father’s creations remained in the shop, patiently waiting for those who would put them to good use.

That said, what the Fang Clan juniors were saying made sense. It was likely how the elders would be evaluating their prospective disciples, and as such, it would do Tang Zen well to sharpen her blade as much as possible.

However,

“How does that tie back to Shao Tianlan?”

“It just so happens to be his speciality. Sage Tianlan is able to point out flaws in our techniques like no other. If there’s any issue, no matter how minor, he’ll spot it immediately and can provide feedback, and even demonstrations on how to perform the same moves better.”

“On top of that,” added Fang Yijun, “Sage Tianlan is one of few people you can have all-out battles with without worrying about hurting yourself or the other person. And every attack he launches seems like it could kill you if it lands, which makes every battle feel like a fight to the death. I’m sure you can see the value in that.”

“Are you saying that, no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn’t be able to hurt him?”

“Mm. Judging from what we’ve seen, the chances of you being able to harm Sage Tianlan are zero. So sparring matches with him should be the fastest way for you to gain experience.”

“…”

Tang Zen didn’t know how to feel about that. Were these people underestimating her because her hand was hurt? They hadn’t even seen half of what she was truly capable of.

She thought about telling them that but quickly reconsidered.

Wouldn’t it be better to surprise them by actually managing to give Shao Tianlan a run for his money?

Sure, she knew she couldn’t beat him, not after he had already defeated a senior sister in a one-on-one duel, but if they thought that she couldn’t even lay a finger on him, then they were taking her too lightly.

If she did manage to put up a good fight, it would show the Fang Clan juniors that their childish sages weren’t such lofty figures, and that mere mortals like them could rise to the occasion if they put enough effort into it.

That was something she truly believed.

She had no other choice but to believe it.

***

Just then, a change occurred in the environment. In a very short time, the concentration of qi rapidly decreased until there was barely any left.

“Has something happened to the qi gathering formation?” asked Tang Zen.

“No,” answered Fang Yijun. “It just means that Sage Tianlan is done with his training. He should be coming out now.”

Though Tang Zen didn’t understand how that worked, she didn’t have any chance to ask about it as all of the Fang Clan juniors turned their attention to a corner of Tianlan’s abode which separated them from the stone garden.

There, two white wolves emerged, followed by a single young man.