-Extra chapter today-
When Lady Venti invited him in, Tianqiu had prepared himself for any trial.
Naturally, he had heard that Lady Venti was personally offering lessons to those willing. There was little regarding what lessons she would impart, but he remembered the whispers from his compatriots within the militia; of her skills in the sword, how it flowed and weaved like the waves of the ocean. He'd even heard rumors that Lady Guizhong herself complimented her blade, though the truth of that matter remained unknown.
He could have returned to the militia now that he had been healed, but he found himself hesitant. Not for anything against the militia itself, but rather due to his incompatibility with the techniques imparted to the common soldier. He was no amatuer in the manners of spearmanship, but he was far more talented in the sword. But alas the techniques offered by the militia favored spears instead, for they were the weapon favored by Lord Morax.
And so he'd come here to see if he could learn from Lady Venti instead. He wasn't alone in his decision—many other nobles his age wished the same, but they feared asking an adepti for aid. Thankfully he'd interacted with Lady Venti before, and he knew she was a kind adepti, one that willingly harmed herself to stop the corrupted General Longqu. He knew she would at least hear him out.
He followed her into one of the many training rooms within the dojo. She sat down on the floor and gestured for him to do the same. He sat on his knees before her, hands pressed into his legs as he did his best to remain calm.
He knew Lady Venti was kind and open, but sitting here now, placed before her gaze, he could understand why many found her just as terrifying as she was captivating. There was an unnatural brightness in her eyes, and it almost seemed as if she could peer directly into one's soul.
"Why have you come?" She asked.
He took a breath. "I find myself at odds with the teachings of the militia." He explained succinctly. "Having heard of your skill with the sword, I come to see if you are willing to instruct me."
"Oh, I am." She said easily. "The fact that you came up to me shows that you are different. And that's more than enough for me."
He blinked at her easy acceptance. "Truly?"
She nodded as she gestured at the empty dojo. "I mean, it isn't as if I have many options, do I?" She smiled as she hummed. "But I do wish to see how skilled you are, as a benchmark of sorts." She stood up, and with a flourish, an ornate white sword flashed into her hands. "A test, if you will."
He gulped as he felt the pressure slam down onto his shoulders. Her gaze remained kind, but the sense of danger was intimately felt. And that sword she held—it was undoubtedly a powerful artifact. He'd been lucky enough to glimpse at Lord Morax's Vortex Vanquisher once, and the sword in Lady Venti's hand felt somewhat similar.
He nodded as she stood up, unsheathing his own sword. His bright green blade had been created from some of the finest Crystals, forged by a master blacksmith. And still it paled in comparison to Lady Venti's sword.
She smiled teasingly, as if she could read his apprehension. "There is no need to worry. I will not aim to kill." She stared at his sword for a moment. "And you not need worry about your sword either. If it does happen to break, then I will compensate for it as best as I can."
He laughed wryly. His father would cry rivers if he broke this sword. Whether those tears would be from sorrow or gratitude due to who broke it remained in question.
No more words were shared between them. He watched her warily, sword kept aimed at her. He took a breath as he focused; though she had made sure she wouldn't destroy him, he knew he could not be lax either. Even the weakest adepti could defeat a hundred men, and Lady Venti was certainly no weak adepti.
A moment passed. Then anot-
His eyes went wide as he quickly brought up his sword, just in time to block an attack from his side. "How-!?" He whispered as he turned, but Lady Venti was already gone. Another attack came from behind him, then one coming from above, then two aimed at his waist. He managed to block them all, but they came far too close.
He narrowed his eyes as he blocked another. No-, it wasn't that he managed to block them. Lady Venti's strikes would slow as they came just inches before him, allowing him to react. It wasn't that he was fast enough; rather, Lady Venti seemed to be tested whether he could even react to her strikes at all!
And once he finally found himself used to her incredible speed, he found himself understanding why Guizhong had called Lady Venti's sword beautiful.
Her movements were more of a dance. Her sword moved with the grace of the ocean's waves, and the strength of a typhoon. Her blade would bend and twist like the strike of a whip, and each strike he blocked left his wrists reeling
It was humbling, in a sense. For if this was her skill in handling a sword, then how skilled must she be with a bow—the weapon she most favored?
Alas, he was human in the end, and soon his exhaustion caught up to him. His movements slowed, and he was soon knocked down, sending his sword clattering across the floor. Lady Venti stood before him, entirely untouched. Not an ounce of exhaustion showed on her face.
He breathed heavily, taking deep inhales as he slowly pushed himself up. His arms felt numb from the onslaught he'd undergone, and his hair was damp sweat. But he was satisfied, knowing he had given his all against an adepti.
Lady Venti sat before him, and there was a wide smile on her lips. "Well, that was fun." She said, as if she'd gone out for a game instead. He chuckled at her words, and she grinned in return. "I hope I didn't just push away my one and only student."
He smiled. "I am more excited than ever, Lady Venti."
She huffed in amusement as she stood up. "Practice will begin at 8 in the morning, and end at 2 past noon." She glanced at him. "I expect you to arrive every day, but you may take a leave if you provide an ample reason." She then added. "Ah, and you may take one of the rooms as your own, though I won't force you if you prefer your own lodgings."
He nodded. "Then I will head home for today." He smiled. "Master."
She rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright. Off you go." He chuckled, and after a bow, he left Lady Venti's dojo to head back home. It was time to share with his father the good news.
.
.
.
[Detected a significant shift in Destiny of the character -Xingqiu-. Achievement -Fate Defiance- has taken effect. Rewards have been moved to the Inventory]
I blinked as I watched Tianqiu leave. Getting a reward just for accepting a student surprised me, but what surprised me even more was the fact that the destiny I changed belonged to someone else. I had no idea who Xingqiu was—Liangqiu had no other son that I knew of—but the name felt…familiar.
Curious, I decided to check out the reward I received, and I was pleasantly surprised.
[Talent Scroll: Guhua Swordsmanship
A scroll that blesses any who reads it with a talent for the swordsmanship of Adepti Guhua.
Talent Synchrony detected! When used, upgrades the Talent [Swords Dance] to a new form and increases its grade to 3★]
I didn't know of any adepti called Guhua, but that didn't matter as much. Because my Genshin System had straight up offered to upgrade my [Swords Dance], and it couldn't have come at a better time now that I was officially teaching that Talent to others. So there was little hesitation as I used the item.
And my mind halted for a moment as information flooded into my mind. New techniques with the sword became familiar in an instant, and old forms I just used moments ago gained new depth. I stretched out my hand, and my movements became even more fluid than before.
[Swords Dance 3★
A dance of steel and sparks, performed across seasons and time. A ritual in service to the oceans themselves, granting the strength befitting of the ocean's crashing waves.
Increases Sword damage by 50%. Increases Speed by 25%. Increases Speed by an additional 2% every second of wielding the sword, reaching a maximum of 50%. The increase degrades slowly after combat ends.]
I smiled wryly. Well, that was quite a substantial boost, especially to my Speed. Tianqu was already struggling against how fast I was, even though I was holding back quite a bit. He would've been downed even faster had he faced me as I am now.
I placed my Sacrificial Sword back into my Inventory as I laid down on the floor. I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair. Being so polite and regal made me feel all icky, but it couldn't be helped. People viewed me as some form of immortal, and I couldn't change that at this point. It wasn't as if I had a better explanation regarding my abilities.
At least I got some lessons from Guizhong and Morax on how to act like that. And hey, if I got too tired, I could just stand and stare. It worked for Morax, so why not?
I smiled slightly. All that aside, today was a success. I finally had my first student, and I even upgraded my [Swords Dance]. Hopefully more people would eventually arrive to become my students, but all I could do was wait.
In the meantime,
My stomach growled, and I huffed. I was feeling quite hungry now, and there was no better time for a quick lunch. I've recently gotten hooked to this food stall that sold these wonderful noodles, and I was eager for another bowl.
Smiling, I stood up and left the dojo behind.