“What business do you have with me?”

It was a cold voice, as was expected, and Tianlan, who was standing on the other side of Tang Zen’s gate carrying a picnic basket, didn’t quite know how to proceed.

After he had told Tang Zen to take her leave, he noticed the blank expressions of the Fang Clan juniors, and after hearing what they had to say, he realised he had made a terrible mistake.

This was him trying to apologies.

“I’m afraid there’s been a bit of a misunderstanding,” he said while scratching his head awkwardly.

On the other side, he didn’t hear a response, but the static coming from the speaker told him that the communication channel was still open, so he continued one-sidedly.

“I told you about the noises that were disturbing me throughout the night, right? Well, it turns out that it was because of a mission Elder Qian put up for people to trouble me in exchange for merit points.

“And, I don’t know if you’re aware of what happened earlier today, but I challenged a senior disciple to a duel for that reason, and after that, I issued a challenge to the whole sect, such that anyone who wanted to take up Elder Qian’s mission would have to defeat me in a duel first.

“You can probably see where I’m going with this now.”

He waited for a response, but there was only static.

“When you challenged me to a duel, I thought you were doing it for the merit points. And that made me feel betrayed, so I took my anger out on you. But my friends told me that you were only looking for help. So I came to apologise.”

He lifted his right hand which was holding the picnic basket.

“I also brought some homemade bread,” he said. “It was made with medicinal herbs and I’ve been eating it every day to help me recover from my injuries. It should help with your right hand.”

He bowed.

“I’m sorry for what I did to you, Tang Zen. It was the behaviour of an immature child and I am deeply ashamed of myself. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

He waited for a good while, but there was still no response.

“Well, that’s also okay,” he said as he stood back up with a regretful smile. “I’ll leave the bread here.” He bowed once more, said “I wish you a swift recovery,” and turned to leave.

“You said you felt betrayed. Why is that?”

Tianlan stopped and thought for a moment.

“I guess it’s because I felt a kinship with you. As silly as it sounds, when I heard about your family, it felt like I found a long-lost sibling. So when I thought you chose merit points over me, It affected me more than it should have.”

There was a moment of static followed by a clicking sound, and then silence. Tang Zen had stopped listening.

Tianlan sighed and was about to return to his own abode when he heard the sound of Tang Zen’s gates opening.

***

Tang Zen stopped when she was only a metre or so in front of Tianlan.

She looked up to his face, her line of sight lingering on his lips before climbing higher to his eyes.

They weren’t the cold, emotionless eyes she had seen before. Instead, they conveyed a range of feelings. From sadness and dread to hope and expectancy.

“Hi…”

“Hey….”

“I… I felt the same way about you…”

“Hm? Sorry, I didn’t hear that.”

“L-Listen… I think we both made unwarranted assumptions about each other and it ended up causing this whole mess. So, can we just forget about it?”

“Forget about it?”

“What I’m asking is, do you want to start over? No assumptions, no blame, no guilt.”

“I’d like that.”

“Then it’s nice to meet you,” she said while extending her hand. “I’m Tang Zen, a blacksmith’s daughter.”

“Shao Tianlan. A baker’s son.”

***

Time quickly passed, and soon, it was the day of the long-awaited initiation. The rules were simple. The new disciples would display the fruits of their progress and those who caught the eyes of the elders would be given a chance to further prove themselves in the combat simulations.

Right now, Tang Zen and the other new disciples were in a waiting room, preparing for the start of the initiation.

Tang Zen herself was seated on one of the many chairs, her leg fidgeting against her will.

She pressed down on her knee with her elbow, successfully bringing her leg to a stop, but the fidgeting simply migrated to her hands.

It was understandable. The time had finally come for her to put her countless hours of practice to use, for her to impress Prime Elder Murong. How could she not be a little anxious?

“What’s the matter, Zen’er? You’re looking a little nervous there.”

“How many times have I told you not to call me that?”

“Okay, okay. Tang Zen. Better?”

“Much.”

“Anyway, your hands are shaking. Are you really that nervous?”

“Of course I am. This is so important. How can you not be?”

“Because I’m not worried. I’ve got this in the bag.”

“You? The one who’s been chasing skirts all week? I haven’t seen you training even once.”

“Everyone has their secrets, you know?”

“I suppose so.”

“But don’t worry about that. I’ll let you discover them slowly over the course of our date. You do remember that, don’t you?”

“How could I forget? You remind me every time I see you.”

“Anyway, there’s no need to be so jittery. With all the effort you’ve put in, I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

“You think so?”

“Mm. I’ve never seen such a hard worker.”

“Thanks.”

“Anyway, I was wondering if you would-”

Ming Hong was cut off mid-sentence by a young woman who suddenly entered the scene.

“Hey, Zen’er. Why are your hands shaking like that?”

“Um… who are you?” asked Ming Hong.

He was ignored.

“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were nervous,” said the young lady.

“I am, a little.”

“Even after all that training we did? Just how picky do you think these elders are?”

“I can’t help it.”

“Jeez. Wait here.”

With that, the young lady went over to another area of the waiting room.

“Who was that?” asked Ming Hong.

“She’s my friend, Fang Hua. I met her a few days ago.”

“A few days ago?”

And yet she didn’t contest to her calling her Zen’er… Was it because they were both girls, or did she just despise him that much?

Before long, Ming Hong heard a series of footsteps approaching from behind, and when he turned to see who it was, he almost cursed.

Why did it have to be him of all people?

Tang Zen also noticed the newcomer. It was Shao Tianlan, who was being pulled by one hand and was holding a book in the other.

The title of said book read “The Art of Breathing: It’s More Than Just Ventilation.”

“Now, talk some sense into her please,” said Fang Hua as she turned an expectant gaze toward Tianlan.

Tianlan, who had suddenly been dragged here, was at a momentary loss for words. All he had been told along the way was that Tang Zen was feeling nervous about the initiation.

What was he supposed to do about that?

“Uh… Don’t worry about it… You’ll be fine…”

“Thank you, Sage Tianlan. And sorry for interrupting your reading,” said Fang Hua with a bow.

“Is that all?”

“Mm.”

“Then…”

Tianlan bowed slightly and turned to leave. Fang Hua gave him an enthusiastic wave goodbye.

After he was gone, she turned around to face Tang Zen once more.

“See? Even Sage Tianlan says there’s nothing to worry about. So just keep calm and do your best.”

“Mm.”

With that settled, Fang Hua left and joined back up with the rest of the Fang Clan juniors who were discussing which childish sage’s figurine would sell the best.

A while later, Tang Zen noticed that her hands were no longer fidgeting.

***

“All new disciples, please make your way to the main stage.”

Within the waiting room, all discussion came to an abrupt halt as the disciples listened to the announcement. It was now the moment of truth, and they all wanted to set their minds in the right place before proceeding.

Tang Zen was no exception.

She closed her eyes and utilised Dragon Breathing to put herself in peak physical condition, ready to display the full extent of her abilities.

Once her forehead began to perspire, she stood up and headed to the main stage with everyone else. And once she emerged from the waiting room, she could see and hear the massive crowd that had gathered to watch the initiation. On three sides surrounding her, there were thousands of white-robed youths, and on the fourth side sat the venerable masters who were split into three groups: the core disciples, the elders, and the prime elders.

Tang Zen’s eyes immediately focused on her target. A woman who had a smile on her face, and whose youthful glow belied her age. She was wearing a special set of clothes reserved for the prime elders, and hers differed from the others by the clouds that were embroidered on them. Those clouds represented her chosen sword style, the Cloud Series, of which she was incredibly accomplished.

Among the five sects, Prime Elder Murong was the undisputed most powerful female cultivator. And even when one included the men, she couldn’t be said to be any lower than a joint second place with her fellow prime elders, only losing out to her own senior brother, the leader of the Shimmering Sword Sect.

Such a person was who Tang Zen had set her sights on, and she knew it would take something extraordinary to impress her.

“Alright, new disciples. The time has come for you to show everyone what you’re made of.”

With the announcer’s declaration, the audience erupted into applause, which surprised the disciples on stage.

“You may now begin!”

***

The first phase of the initiation was simple. All of the new disciples would use whatever method they wished to show what they had learnt over the past week.

Some chose to spar in pairs, some used props, and some displayed their sword techniques by themselves.

Tang Zen chose the last option, but with a twist.

She closed her eyes and conjured a shadowy opponent in her mind’s eye. This person wasn’t visible to anyone else, but through Tang Zen’s sea of consciousness, she was able to see it as if it were standing right in front of her.

This was an application of the internalisation realm, and it allowed for novel practice methods such as fighting oneself.

Tang Zen didn’t choose that option though. Instead, her shadow resembled someone else. Someone with piercing blue eyes who stood tall and seemed immovable.

If she was going to display her abilities, then what better partner was there than the strongest person she knew?

With her eyes closed, Tang Zen created mental border lines that would prevent her from bumping into other disciples, then unsheathed her Autumn Blade, holding it vertically with her right palm placed under its hilt.

This was the first stance of the Lotus Series: Standing Lotus, and with it active, she was able to block out all distractions coming from the other disciples and focus her attention fully on her opponent.

Said opponent slowly unsheathed his sword and stood in a casual stance, one that seemed riddled with openings, but also completely solid at the same time.

These contradictory senses came from the fact that Tang Zen knew her opponent’s abilities well. She knew that his stance was one born of absolute strength. That any perceivable openings could only be taken advantage of by those similarly powerful, and that she was far from that level.

That said, she didn’t conjure him to admire his strength. She knew that he would best pull out her potential for the elders, and in particular, Prime Elder Murong to see.

And she wasn’t wrong.

Even though the opponent was one she had conjured herself, she didn’t take the easy way and reduce his abilities to a level she could easily cope with. His movements were so swift and sharp that she found herself quickly losing ground.

Every swing, every slash, and every thrust of his sword was meant to kill, and in such an intense situation, Tang Zen had to employ the best of her tactical ability and had to push her body to the limits.

As a result, she heard the sound of her sword slicing through the air for the first time.