The Spar

That afternoon, Lin Zhiyue went to the martial arts field to practice her swordplay as usual.

Qi Yan was already there. He stood at the edge of the field with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the melting snow on the distant mountains, and only turned around when he heard her footsteps.

Today, he wore his usual red and black martial attire, with his pitch-black saber hanging from his waist. Jiang Yuezhan had also arrived, standing straight at the edge of the field with his iron sword in hand, his expression calm.

“You two will spar today,” Qi Yan said, casting a glance at them. His gaze lingered on Lin Zhiyue for a fraction of a second before shifting away. “Keep it friendly.”

Jiang Yuezhan drew his sword from its sheath. The tip of his iron sword lifted slightly toward Lin Zhiyue as he performed a standard sparring salute. “Senior Sister, please guide me.”

Lin Zhiyue nodded in response, drew her Azure Scale Sword, and walked to the center of the field to take her stance.

The two exchanged salutes and then moved almost simultaneously.

The iron sword and the Azure Scale Sword clashed in the center of the martial arts field, producing a crisp metallic ring.

Lin Zhiyue's first strike was a probe; she didn't use her full strength, letting the tip of her sword slide along the spine of Jiang Yuezhan's blade.

Upon parrying, Jiang Yuezhan immediately flicked his wrist to counter with a sharp upward slash. His momentum was fierce, and his speed was much faster than she had anticipated.

She took half a step back to evade, her heart tightening slightly. This kid had made more than just a little progress since their last spar. Whether it was his strength, speed, or the angle of his strikes, he was significantly sharper than before.

But she was no pushover either.

She quickly stabilized her center of gravity, channeling her ice and wind spiritual energy into the blade. Frost patterns began to condense and take shape along the edge of her sword.

Over the next dozen exchanges, she began to take him seriously. Jiang Yuezhan's swordplay was solid and precise, and every step he took seemed meticulously calculated. He had clearly put in an immense amount of hard work in private lately.

Gradually, she began to feel the pressure. As a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator facing an early-stage Foundation Establishment opponent, she shouldn't have felt this much strain, but Jiang Yuezhan's striking style was so tricky that she was forced to constantly transition forms to cope.

Standing at the edge of the field, Qi Yan watched their flashing blades move back and forth, his brow furrowing slightly.

Sensing Qi Yan's scrutinizing gaze on her, Lin Zhiyue felt a surge of anxiety.

She couldn't allow herself to be matched or even suppressed by her junior brother. That would be far too embarrassing.

Gritting her teeth, she weathered a flurry of rapid attacks from Jiang Yuezhan while her mind raced for a solution. His swordplay was too precise; she wouldn't gain any advantage in a head-on clash. But what if she approached it from a different angle?

She feigned a weakness, intentionally shifting her weight slightly forward. The momentum of her Azure Scale Sword made it look as though she was losing control and about to stumble forward.

Sure enough, Jiang Yuezhan seized the opportunity, his iron sword slicing in from the side to intercept her path. Just as his blade was about to clash with her Azure Scale Sword, Lin Zhiyue abruptly shifted the angle of her wrist. Instead of meeting his strike head-on, she used his own momentum against him, catching the guard of his iron sword with the side of her blade and using his forward thrust as a fulcrum to snap her wrist upward.

The iron sword flew from his hand, spinning twice in the air before landing on the green jade stone floor with a sharp clatter, sliding half a foot before coming to a stop.

The martial arts field fell dead silent for a couple of breaths.

Jiang Yuezhan looked down at his empty right hand, then at the iron sword on the ground. His face remained expressionless, but his lips twitched slightly as if conceding defeat.

He bent down to pick up his iron sword and cupped his hands toward Lin Zhiyue. “Excellent move, Senior Sister.”

Lin Zhiyue leaned on her sword, catching her breath. Her heart was still pounding, and a thin layer of sweat beaded on her forehead.

Just as she was about to say it was merely a stroke of luck, Qi Yan walked over. He approached Lin Zhiyue first and placed his hand on her wrist.

Lin Zhiyue felt a warm current of spiritual energy enter her meridians, circulating once through her body.

A moment later, Qi Yan released his grip, having confirmed that her spiritual energy was stable.

Only then did he turn and take two steps toward Jiang Yuezhan, placing a hand on his wrist to inject a strand of spiritual energy to check him as well.

Qi Yan let go, satisfied that both of them were unharmed, and cast a calm glance at Lin Zhiyue. “That redirection of force just now was very clever.”

Jiang Yuezhan sheathed his iron sword and stood quietly behind Qi Yan.

In the time since he had joined the sect, it was far from the first time he had noticed how biased their master was toward his young senior sister.

Although Qi Yan taught him with equal seriousness, whenever Lin Zhiyue came to practice her swordplay, Qi Yan's gaze would linger on her a bit longer. If her strikes were too slow, he would give her extra pointers; if she broke a sweat, he would tell her to rest before continuing; and if she suffered even the slightest injury or discomfort, Qi Yan's reaction was always faster than anyone else's.

He used to think their master simply had a cold and taciturn personality, treating everyone the same way.

Only later did he realize that was not the case...

Jiang Yuezhan hung the iron sword back at his waist. He looked up at Lin Zhiyue, who was talking with Qi Yan in the middle of the field, and said, “Your swordplay was great today, Senior Sister,” before turning to leave first.

Only Lin Zhiyue and Qi Yan remained on the martial arts field. The sun had begun to sink into the west, and the slanting rays cast their long shadows across the ground.

“Master,” Lin Zhiyue said, sheathing her Azure Scale Sword and choosing her words carefully. “Junior Brother is progressing so quickly. I almost couldn't hold my own.”

“Mm,” Qi Yan murmured. “He is fast, but your timing just now was excellent.” He paused, then added, “Did you hurt your hand?”

“No,” Lin Zhiyue replied, rotating her wrist. “It's just a bit sore.”

Qi Yan said nothing more, turning to walk off the field. After a couple of steps, he tilted his head slightly and tossed a remark over his shoulder. “Rub some medicinal oil on it later.”

With that, he made his way down the stone steps, his red and black silhouette gradually fading into the twilight.

Lin Zhiyue stood in place, watching his figure disappear around the corner of the stone steps, before looking down at her wrist.

She had indeed twisted it slightly during the spar to redirect his force, but it wasn't serious.

Rubbing her wrist, she headed back toward her courtyard. Along the way, she ran into Jiang Yuezhan, who had already reached halfway down the mountain.

Her junior brother walked toward her and nodded. He didn't stop as they crossed paths, but his voice drifted over with the wind, carrying the firm confidence unique to youth. “Senior Sister, I will definitely defeat you next time!”

Lin Zhiyue paused in her tracks and turned to look at him. “I'll be waiting!”

The boy ahead unhurriedly added with a chuckle, “Master will definitely be worried for you when that happens.”

She stood there for a moment, watching her junior brother's retreating back, then shook her head and continued walking toward her courtyard.

As she passed the dining hall, she caught the fragrant aroma of food drifting out. Pausing at the entrance, she wondered if she should add a new flavor to tomorrow afternoon's milk tea.