The Jade Shadows Must Die [Cultivation LitRPG]

Starting his day off with training was quickly becoming an enjoyable rhythm. There was something calming about that small period of relative emptiness before others started to trickle in.

Unfortunately, it wasn't to be that morning. Just a few minutes after he'd begun his thousand blows, a voice called out to him from the training cell entrance.

"He's slowly dragging you down to his level, hey?"

Rix turned to find Luna grinning in at him while she munched on a rice ball.

"What?" he asked.

She nodded to the dummy. "You don't even have your staff this time. I know I mocked you for hitting a literal unarmed man, but he can take it, I promise."

Rix hesitated. This girl genuinely didn't seem like a threat, but the idea of revealing that he lacked even a basic style just felt like a bad idea. He didn't want to tout his weakness any more than necessary.

"I'm just practising my hand-to-hand," he said, trying to sound casual. "It's been a while, so I'm just working through some drills Master Zhen gave me."

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. "I know the feeling. It's all you do as a child, but once you get your weapon, you tend to forget about it, right?"

Not wanting to bog himself further in his white lie, he simply nodded.

Luna shoved the last of her riceball in her mouth, making an appreciative noise, then walked over to join him at the dummy. Dropping into a combat stance, she threw a single sharp punch at the dummy's head. The blow landed with a loud thud, nearly causing it to topple over. It was every bit the equal of Yutaro's punch from the previous day.

"That brings back memories," she said with a grin. "In my sect, they don't even let you touch a weapon until your eighth birthday. 'A mountain's height is measured from its base,' my trainer used to say."

Rix's eyes widened fractionally. A sect. That explained a lot. Sects were something of a novelty in Cloudpiercer Citadel. They lived in the wilds outside the city proper, mostly removed from its day-to-day commerce. They occasionally ventured in to trade, but that was the only contact the city really had with them. Like the Martial Corps, they produced Martial Souls. They had their own techniques, styles, and Fractured Realm portals, but they were generally regarded as inferior organisations — children playing with sticks.

Luna being from a sect explained a lot. She may well have never been to the city before, and rumours said the sects had all sorts of strange ideas about the best way to progress down the Martial Path.

He couldn't contain his curiosity. "Which sect are you from?"

"The Falling Leaf," she replied, standing a little straighter.

He hadn't heard of them, but in truth, his question was somewhat redundant, since he hadn't heard of almost any sects. "Do you have your own style or techniques?"

She smiled. "You think I'll just give away our secrets because you asked? That's information you'll have to earn. But I'll give you a chance. I believe you still owe me a training session." She had that look in her eye again, the strange curiosity he'd seen several times before.

"I believe I never agreed to any such thing," Rix replied. It occurred to him in that moment that perhaps he was reading her persistence all wrong. Was there a chance she was actually interested in him romantically? Was that what that look was? It was a disconcerting thought. He'd had a few flings throughout his teens, but they were little more than distractions, fun and physical. He didn't have time for distractions now. His life no longer had space for anything beyond his mission.

Besides, how would that sort of thing even work in prison? There wasn't much in the way of privacy, except at night when they were counted into their cells, which obviously wasn't practical. If that was what Luna wanted, she was going to be disappointed.

She studied him for another few seconds, her eyes calculating. "That may be strictly true. Okay, hmm, what can we bet that will actually get you to agree?"

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not interested in betting?"

She ignored him completely, instead clapping her hands. "I know! If you can land a single clean punch on me in the next ten minutes, I'll give you my next three training hours with Master Zhen."

Rix opened his mouth to turn her down, but the words caught in his throat. That was a good offer. Assuming it was possible. Training was a particularly valuable resource for someone in his position. And while he still had some way to go mastering the thousand blows, it wouldn't be long before he'd be ready for more.

Then there was the matter of the bet itself. He knew the girl was good with a blade, and his hand-to-hand training was lacking, but a single punch? Surely he could manage that.

"Can we even trade our training hours?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I don't see why not. We can confirm with the elder if you like."

Rix blinked several times. "And what do you get if I fail?"

She grinned. "The satisfaction of knowing my skills are still up to par."

He sighed again. Whatever his reservations, that offer was too good to turn down. "Assuming Master Zhen says it's possible, I accept your terms."

"Wonderful."

The old man was sitting at his post as usual. He watched them with an unreadable expression as they approached.

"Excuse me, master," said Luna. "We have a question for you."

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The man arched one eyebrow. "A question? Goodness, what did I do to deserve such a gift?"

Rix didn't take the bait. "I know you said your 'one hour a week' policy was a strict order from above, but is she allowed to trade her hour to me?"

Master Zhen's eyes narrowed, and he looked to Luna. "Were I a lesser man, I might be wounded by such a callous disregard for the benefits of my wisdom, inmate."

Luna raised a hand defensively. "Oh, please, I mean no offence, master. I merely need a bargaining chip to get this one into the ring with me. I've offered him several of my hours if he can land a clean punch."

The elder's eyes took on a twinkle. "Land a clean punch? Are you sure about that, young lady? I don't know if you're aware, but he's been training that punch religiously for several days now. The dummies are already starting to whisper in fear at his approach."

Rix felt his cheeks grow hot. "I'm literally doing what you told me to!"

That only made the man's smile grow wider. "Ah yes, following instructions. Truly the measure of greatness."

Rix's anger surged, but he tamped it down. Judging by the man's expression, he knew he was being contradictory. He was just trying to get a rise out of Rix.

Rix wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

For Luna's part, she remained solemn. "I promise to be extra careful, elder."

Master Zhen made a show of weighing the situation up. "Well, it should be an amusing diversion, if nothing else. Very well, I'll allow it."

Luna smiled. "Thank you, elder."

There was something about the exchange that made Rix feel like, somehow, he was getting the raw end of the deal, despite having nothing on the line. But it was too late to back out now.

The two of them returned to their training cell and squared up about ten feet apart. Luna's combat stance differed from the one Rix had been taught. She was completely front on, with her feet parallel and her hands held flat and away from her body, rather than tucked in tight like his.

Rix found himself biting the inside of his cheek. Now that he was here, he realised he hadn't really thought through what proper sparring actually meant. With the right conditions, he could strike a stationary target with a strong blow some of the time, but that was a world away from hitting a moving target. Especially one that was also trying to hit you back.

"I'll just defend," she said, as if reading his mind. "Your ten minutes start now. Come at me."

Rix glanced over at Master Zhen, who was still at his station. The man was sitting back in his chair with his arms folded, his eyes fixed on them. He raised an eyebrow again.

Not knowing what else to do, Rix rushed forward and threw his fist at Luna, doing his best to mimic the punch he'd been training. He aimed low for her stomach; the largest target he could think of. She hadn't said where the blow had to land, only that it was clean.

It only took her a single step to send his fist sailing wide. As his momentum carried him forward, he felt her hands briefly across his back, and then he tumbled to the sand.

He spun to glare up at her. "I thought you were only going to defend."

She shrugged. "That was defensive. The momentum was yours; I just gave it a little nudge." She bounced up and down on her feet and smiled. "Come on, the clock is ticking."

Exhaling sharply, Rix pulled himself up and came again. He tried a combination this time, leading with two quick jabs from his front fist before unleashing a wicked body blow with his dominant hand. He did his best to put his mass into the strikes the way Master Zhen had shown him, but it made little difference. Luna simply bobbed left and right to avoid his first swings before stepping back and letting his power punch cut the air in front of her.

"You'll have to do better than that," she said. Her grin was wide and full of joy.

That the bout continued in that fashion. Rix tried everything he could, mixing up his attack patterns, trying to lull her into a rhythm, rushing in close to try and bring her to ground, but none of it was effective. She didn't even need to block. Her body was just never under threat. In truth, she didn't seem significantly faster than him. What she had was an uncanny anticipation. No matter what he did, she seemed to read it before he'd even fully begun his attack.

As the minutes ticked by, he grew more and more frustrated. Technique began to abandon him as his emotions took reign. Several times, he considered using Energy Surge. The situation was tenuous. The bout was being closely watched by a much more powerful Martial Soul, not to mention Luna herself. A sudden burst of speed would be noticed and perhaps questioned.

On the other hand, he desperately wanted to stop looking like a fool. There was no question now that he was horribly outclassed. Glancing over at Master Zhen, he found the man chuckling quietly to himself. He'd clearly known what the outcome of this would be when he'd agreed. He expected there was no way Luna would actually lose. That fired something in Rix's belly.

The next time he came in for an attack, he abandoned all proper form, opting for pure speed instead of power with a single lightning-quick jab. As the attack closed in, he pushed just the tiniest bit of qi into his Energy Surge, causing his fist to suddenly accelerate. Luna's eyes widened, and for a brief moment Rix thought he had her, but she adjusted, lifting an arm to nudge the blow wide. It was the first time he'd even touched her, which was a small victory, but far less than he'd hoped for.

She took a step backwards, surprise still painted on her face. "Interesting," she said, cocking her head. "Now what exactly was that?"

"Maybe I've just been holding back?" he replied. His adrenaline was spiking now, fuelled by the tiniest taste of success.

She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. Her expression turned contemplative for several seconds before her smile returned. "Well, you should probably stop. You've got three minutes left, and by my measure that was far from a clean blow."

He found himself grinning too. With the decision to deploy Energy Surge made, he had plenty more to give.

He came again. Now, injecting the tiniest bit of qi at random intervals, just at the tail end to speed up the impact. It was the most delicate use of qi he'd ever attempted, and he hoped it was enough to go unnoticed by Master Zhen.

Rix mixed up the timing of when he used Energy Surge, trying to catch Luna off guard. She, too, shifted strategies, relying more frequently on blocks and parries. Her arms moved like ribbons in the breeze, whipping back and forth, creating an impenetrable wall of space in front of her. He took some small joy that her expression had slipped into one of genuine concentration, but it was another hollow victory. After two more minutes, he'd come no closer to striking her properly.

After a particularly wayward strike sailed wide, she again sent him stumbling away with a carefully placed shove. "Is that really all you have?" She sounded almost disappointed.

Rix grimaced. Though she wasn't taunting him in a cruel way, it bit at his pride nonetheless.

"Let's up the ante then," she continued. "Five weeks of my training hours if you hit me in this last minute."

So far, he'd been judicious with his Energy Surge, trying to keep it subtle. She'd clearly noticed the effect, but had made no further comment on it. Meanwhile, the old master wasn't even paying attention anymore, his nose once again buried in a book. In truth, at that moment Rix didn't much care what people saw. With time dwindling and frustration mounting, all he could think about was reclaiming a little dignity.

He sucked in a deep breath and let out a growl. Fine. If she wanted to see him do better, he would.

He kept the first few combinations the same as before, hoping to convince her that was all he had. And then, with thirty seconds to spare, he struck. Rather than simply firing off Energy Surge for a split second to accelerate his fist, he feinted one way, then poured all his remaining qi into the technique and shot forward like an arrow.

Luna barely had time to widen her eyes before he drove a punch up into her stomach. Her mantle crackled, but it was a solid blow that caused her to double over.

Rix expected her to look annoyed, but instead her smile split her face from ear to ear. "Now that's the kind of thing I was expecting!"

Rix furrowed his brow. "If that's what you were expecting, why did you bet at all?"

She shrugged. "It was the only way to get you to show me what you could do with whatever that other energy you have is."