Waterstrider

Canvas Town, Tseludia Station, Pantheonic Territory, Fourthmonth, 1634 PTS

The path of a true martial artist was paved on the bodies of their foes. Allies and enemies alike would become a martial artist’s stepping stones as they progressed further and further on the pathway to immortality. This was what I was trying to teach the disciples. Some achieved an easier path through luck and talent, while the rest, as I once had, needed to fight for every fragment of an opportunity if they wanted to dream of a higher stage.

As I had expected, very few took me up on my offer to let them opt out of the competition. We had ended up with a bit over fifty disciples who still wished to compete for the remaining slots. I was heartened to know that so many understood just how valuable the techniques of the downpour sect were. I turned to Rachel, who had tagged along as she had been to all of the training sessions so far. Apparently she found the idea of my working as a teacher to be inherently amusing.

“Could you set up a bracket?” I asked.

“Do you still want them to use weight classes? Or split the men and women?”

For the purposes of a spirit of fairness, and a way to find talents, not just those born with large physiques, we had elected to separate the entrants at the entry examination into weight classes for their duels. But reality was not so fair, and we had already taught the disciples some martial arts. As martial artists, they had passed the level at which ‘weight class’ meant anything aside from the level of their martial arts.

“No. There will only be one pool,” I said.

“I see. Done. Do you want me to display it?”

I scanned the room, trying to envision how it would look if the space was split up.

“We have enough space for about eight rings. Just display the first eight pairings.”

Before she even said a word, I noticed the eyes of the disciples below us begin to glance up, and I knew that she had already set up the display. The powers of a Terran Shade truly were convenient at times such as this.

“You will be paired up to fight in duels. The sixteen names displayed will each duel one another, and then we will move on to the next sixteen, and so on until your numbers become sufficiently low. You may using training weapons, or you may fight unarmed if you wish.”

Rachel’s explanation was more than sufficient for the disciples, who were quickly directed using her powers to their respective arenas. One of the matchups was a rather average looking boy with a physique on the slender side facing off against one who was tall and stocky. I had kept track of most of the disciples in terms of skills and face, though I had not bothered to learn any names. Both of the boys had some decent talents, and a lot of potential. The larger one was even talented enough I would have considered him for a personal disciple, if I were a genesis practitioner. Most assuredly, his talents lay there, and not in the formless domain. If he made it to the end of the tournament, I would break this news to him. I would not teach the Downpour Sect’s techniques to someone who would ruin their future by learning them.

The arenas were very simple, merely circles a bit more than three meters in diameter. They were ringed not by lines, but by the bodies of other disciples who were watching the fights. I couldn’t blame them, as watching a fight was far more entertaining and useful than merely sitting around and waiting. It was good to see how others fought, helped one learn how to handle their own opponents, and prepare for if one were to face up against them in a future bracket. All of these purposes I supported.

I could only focus on so many things at once, so I decided to watch this match over the other seven. The others looked like they would be either a match between the talentless or unbalanced enough that the winner was certain. The two boys bowed to one another, and the fight quickly began.

“Hm?” asked Rachel, noticing my interest in the fight. “That’s… Reinwan Dan and Han Yu? What sparked your interest with the two of them?”

Reinwan Dan, the larger boy, immediately set his stance to the first of the basic forms, one which focused on a strong foundation that assisted in defense. Meanwhile, his opponent immediately went on the offensive, sword in hand. While both of them wielded blades, Reinwan, true to the attributes of his build, held a larger, heavier sword, the sort designed for cleaving, had it been a real weapon instead of a mere mass of polymer. Conversely, his opponent wielded a blade with more balanced attributes, a jian like I preferred as well. In my opinion, it was the weapon most perfectly designed for formless motion aside from perhaps a whip.

“Who do you think will win?” I asked.

“Hmmm… Reinwan certainly seems to have the advantage in talent and physique,” she said.

“This is true. But I expect Han will win this match.”

She glanced at me, raising an eyebrow curiously. Behind her, I noticed that the three disciples standing behind us were trying to act dignified, but all three were very clearly listening in on our conversation. One of them, the girl named Qian, was also intently watching the same battle that Rachel and I were. I wondered if she was friends with one of the boys.

“And why is that? I don’t have a model of their personalities, so I can’t run proper simulations.”

I smiled, as I thought back to one of the few memories of the past which remained untainted.

“Because he wants it more. Normally, in a tournament like this, there would be more rules than we gave them. Some of the disciples will rely entirely upon the stances and tactics we’ve taught them. Others rely on their experiences.”

Rachel tried to ask another question, but I ignored her, focusing on the fight. Han swept his sword at Reinwan’s chest, but a powerful blow by the larger boy was able to break his stride, and Han even had to take a step backwards to block the greater strength he faced. He switched from his aggressive second stance to the fluid third stance as he reacted to a second swing coming in from the larger boy.

One of Reinwan’s feet moved closer to allow his swing to reach, ruining his defensive stance, and Han took advantage, the fluidity of his own stance allowing him to transition back into the aggression of the second basic form and close the distant past Reinwan’s extended guard. His sword crashed into Reinwan’s ribs, causing a grunt of pain. The wound, which would have been incredibly damaging had they been using real weapons, would merely bruise the boy. He staggered backwards, but was able to regain his footing.

“Talent lies not only in one’s physique, nor in one’s capability with the art,” I said. My words were directed at Rachel, but I was really speaking for the benefit of the disciples who still stood behind me. “There are as many forms of talent as there are stars in the night sky. Reinwan surpasses his opponent in all fields but one.”

Han did not let up his assault, not allowing Reinwan to raise his sword again. His sword quickly rose above him, crashing down on Reinwan’s undefended collarbone. He managed to achieve this twice before Reinwan thought to push forward with his feet, and cause Han to back up. With the second swing there was an audible crack, and I knew that this time he had managed to snap bone.

“The difference between the two of them lies merely in martial capability, which is something born both through talent, but also through experience. Reinwan has the power, but had never been in a real fight until he entered the sect. And so he will lose this fight.”

Reinwan continued his forward momentum, making another strong swing that pushed Han further back, but Han sidestepped the blade before making another swing, this time at the legs. Caught in the shifting of his position, Reinwan toppled over, slamming heavily onto his back. Before he could kick at Han’s legs or raise himself again, he was met with the dull point of the practice sword at his throat. The victor had a wide smile on his face as the match was decided, that of a man who could truly come to enjoy battles. The boy really did remind me of myself when I was younger.

I turned back to Rachel, who was nodding at my comments.

“It seems you really do have a stronger understanding of martial arts than me, even still.”

Though she had likely seen far more battles than I had through records, Rachel was lacking in the most vital component: first hand experience. In my opinion. Unless she could find a way to truly simulate that, she would never surpass my ability to analyze a martial artist.

“This will be beneficial for both of their futures,” I said. “Reinwan should not win this tournament anyway, and an early wall in his path will drive him to improve. And Han just needs to fight more, so I can see if he will hit the limits of his talent.”

I had actually considered taking in Han as a disciple, but had ultimately chosen not to because I felt that given the nature of his talents, he would win the privilege if he truly did deserve it.

The other matchups were ending up as well, and there had been no particular surprises in them either. It was only after they started training their miasma that many of these martial artists would truly grow their skills. For the moment, the slumbering fiends among them remained dormant. For now, natural capabilities and pure martial skill would decide the victors of this tournament, as I had intended.

Martial Weapons: [While there are noticeable differences in the utility between certain weapons in the hands of martial artists versus mortals, most of the weapons used by martial artists are merely the same types wielded by mortal armies prior to the development of firearms, in many civilizations. Swords are by far the most popular weapon, as their dynamic utility takes advantage of the speed and flexibility that martial artists have, but there are martial arts designed for great power from axes, perfect control of whips, and excellent usages of shields. Even weapons that would be ludicrous and near impossible for mortals to wield effectively see use by certain martial sects, such as the meteor hammer and the rope dart. Tseludia Station, however, is dominated by sword wielders, as the Hadal Clan largely teaches its disciples only sword arts and fist arts.]