BAB3 -Chapter 20

# Chapter 20: Disciples of Ten Styles

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The following two weeks were a flurry of activity.

Xay spent half his days perfecting martial forms with the Master Grandmas and deepening his breathing techniques under Grandma Xiu’s watchful eye.

At Dragon Hall, he mastered the aggression of Tiger Style and the agility of Leopard.

He finally lasted more than two minutes against Master Hui—who rewarded him with a grunt and a clean sweep that sent him flying across the field.

“Hmph. Better,” Master Hui had said, which Xay took as very high praise.

He attuned to the elegance of Phoenix Style, then went on to learn both the precision of Crane and the harsh, sweeping motion of Eagle.

“You float with purpose, but remember—purpose without precision is nothing,” Master Mei had warned. “Flow with the wind.”

In Tortoise Hall, he embraced the calm stillness of Tortoise Style alongside its relentless momentum.

He likened it to being both the immovable object and the unstoppable force. It was more Rox than Rox.

“You rush too much,” Master Li had said, her voice vibrating through the stone. “Even the river waits to carve the canyon.”

He also took time to train the coiling strikes of Snake Style and the footwork-heavy, forearm-driven forms of Mantis.

Mantis was strangely satisfying. It was mechanical, compact, and clean. Snake, by contrast, demanded a level of subtle control that felt almost theatrical.

And on the back side of the mountain, Xay continued to visit Mao, pulling technique from the chaos and refining it with his own personal twist.

“Too much order makes your brain soft,” Mao had muttered once, standing upside-down in a bamboo tree. “Chaos builds instinct.”

Xay learned quickly thanks to *Adaptability* and *Psionic Monk*, but mastering martial forms wasn’t quite the same as fighting effectively with each style.

He was becoming more proficient overall, but internalization was a separate process.

Unlike Xay, who bounced from hall to hall, the others generally chose a single place and returned to it daily.

Kimi happily stuck with Tiger Style, her every move bold and energetic. “It’s the opposite of ballet—hard and brutal. I love it,” she had said cheerfully.

Valiant began mimicking the younger students starting their Leopard training and racing them daily.

Lexi returned dutifully to Crane Style, her focus razor-sharp. “It reminds me of music,” she had told Xay one night. “Every motion has to be exact, like a note in a solo.”

Willow adopted more Eagle-like tendencies with each passing day. She still didn’t speak, but Xay noticed how her gaze had grown sharper.

Tyra trained exclusively with Mao and the golden monkeys. “It’s so much fun,” she had exclaimed, laughing with wide-eyed glee. “No rules!”

The day Mao brought out a bamboo staff and revealed a whole new dimension of Monkey Style, her eyes practically sparkled.

Rox remained at Tortoise Hall, often seen in low, rooted stances beside Shifu Wu.

“It’s so much harder than it looks, Sunshine,” she had told Xay during breakfast. “Chaining and breaking multiple forms of momentum at once.”

Shifu Wu had chuckled. “She’s already impressed the Hall Master.”

Her Sphere Skill let her manipulate her own momentum, but Tortoise Style taught how to generate power without as much build-up. She focused on hitting harder with less movement.

Sasha and Sophia thrived with their new weapons and Snake Style. “Snakes don’t chase,” they had said in perfect unison, twirling the parasol and the whisk. “They wait in ambush.”

The two also practiced breathing methods with Grandma Xiu, who had Amy and Ezra studying a Tai Chi–infused version of Mantis Style.

“It’s like carrying liquid energy in slow motion,” Ezra had said, her brow furrowed.

Amy nodded along. “But it’s sharper than it looks.”

Grandma Xiu made sure everyone learned at least recovery breathing.

“Breathing is healing,” she had laughed, urging everyone on after breakfast.

But most importantly, she forced everyone to take breaks and have fun.

“No, no—this is not a work camp,” she had snapped, while waving a rolling pin. “You go play!”

The other half of Xay’s time was spent exploring the mountains with his friends.

They saw where the food was grown and harvested, where the cloth was spun and woven, and where the wood and bamboo were shaped by skilled hands.

Nearly everything was a communal effort, with monks and nuns alike pitching in to keep the community running smoothly.

They went on hikes—well, reverse hikes down the mountain—swam in the cool, winding streams, and leapt off tall waterfalls.

Rox dared Xay to go pet an angry bear—so he did. Amy rode a friendly gazelle like it was a noble steed, until Valiant grew jealous and challenged it to a race. He lost.

One afternoon, they saw a baby bird tumble from high in the trees. By the time they reached it, the bird had already died.

Amy crouched beside it, her heartbroken. “It was just a baby..”

The twins knelt quietly and bowed their heads.

Then Ezra stepped forward and knelt down, placing her hands over the small, still body.

A pale light pulsed from her palms as she activated a technique.

**Technique Identified: Resurrection Rite.**

***Resurrection Rite (Mender Sphere)** - Perform rite to revive the recently deceased, restoring a portion of their vitality.*

The air thickened as the rite took shape, a pulsing light wrapping around the bird in small circles before sinking into its body.

After a moment, the bird slowly stirred and its feathers twitched weakly.

Tyra immediately knelt and cupped her hands over the bird, activating *Nature’s Touch* to seal its internal wounds.

Everyone stared in stunned silence.

Xay was the first to speak. “That was.. incredible. Can you revive Awakened?” he asked carefully.

She stood, slightly panting. The technique had clearly taken a lot out of her.

“Only if their core is still intact,” she had said, her expression still somber. “And their essence hasn’t been cultivated away.”

Later that week, Sasha and Sophia even leveled up after helping to fend off a pack of wild monsters near the base of the mountain range.

“We’re Level 15!” they had happily exclaimed.

Xay and the others tried dinner in the Communal Hall, but mostly ate with Grandma Xiu, who was always more than inviting.

The Master Grandmas often stopped by for dinner too.

Master Mei teased everyone’s posture, Master Hui checked everyone’s progress, and Master Li mostly ate in silence, only speaking when giving sage-like advice.

Grandmaster Wu also visited a few times, generally to dote on Shifu Wu and taunt Xay behind Grandma Xiu’s back.

“Damn, brat,” he’d muttered while passing by.

Mao even showed up one night. Grandma Xiu hugged him tightly—very tightly. Then she dragged him off and dunked him in a hot bath before he could escape.

“Ahh! Big Sister!” Mao had shrieked. “You’ll ruin my untamed charm!”

“You smell like fungus, monkey dung, and alcohol,” she had barked, tossing soap and a brush at his head. “Now scrub!”

Xay didn’t think he’d be back anytime soon.

But once Mao was clean, without all the vagabond gunk, it was clear that he was easily as strong as the Hall Masters.

He just refused to answer to “Master Mao,” no matter who said it.

Xay found himself wondering how this relatively small, hidden community could rival one of the Big 5 from New Meridian.

And more than that, he started to wonder what else might be waiting out there in the wider world.

***

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Early that next Sunday morning, Xay woke up determined.

He had been recognized, accepted, and trained by Master Hui, Master Mei, Master Li, Grandma Xiu, and even Mao.

Surpassing his peers with no history of martial arts, he’d learned the beginner, intermediate, and master level forms of each style in record time.

Surprisingly, Grandma Xiu had been the hardest to impress—but Xay had still managed it.

Mao couldn’t have cared less about all the ceremony, but he at least admitted that Xay’s grasp of Golden Monkey Style was “passable.”

Mao still called him “Unfunny,” though.

Xay and his friends had five weeks left on the mountain, and he had finally earned the right to train under Grandmaster Wu for the remainder of their stay.

He was both excited and nervous—excited to grow stronger, but nervous that Grandmaster Wu might be weird about it.

There was no telling what he considered training.

After getting dressed, Xay and Dragon had a hearty breakfast with the others.

He kissed Lexi and Kimi goodbye, hugged everyone else, and then took to the air, heading for the central plateau.

He hadn’t been back since that very first day, when the old man had casually turned his own technique against him.

It had been a humbling experience, to say the least.

With Dragon by his side, Xay landed on the open field directly in front of the Grand Temple.

To his surprise, Grandmaster Wu was already there, waiting for him.

He stood tall and regal, one arm folded behind his back, the other slowly stroking his long white beard.

“Well, brat?” he asked, one brow raised.

Xay placed a hand over his palm and bowed. “I’ve come to ask for training from the Grandmaster.”

Grandmaster Wu remained silent for a long moment, studying him.

“Do you believe you’re ready?” he asked at last.

“I’ve been approved by the Hall Masters and the House Master,” Xay replied.

“I’m well aware,” Grandmaster Wu said calmly. “But the question stands—do *you* believe you are ready?”

Xay didn’t need to think about it.

He wanted to be strong. He wanted to protect the people he cared about. He wanted to defend those who couldn’t defend themselves.

And if he was being honest with himself—he still wanted to be the best.

“Yes,” Xay declared wholeheartedly. “I’m ready.”

“We’ll see,” Grandmaster Wu said, withdrawing his arm from behind his back.

He was already holding a small white pebble, balanced calmly in the center of his palm.

In that same moment, the pressure around Xay surged explosively as the grandmaster fully unbound his aura.

Red stone bead talismans poured from beneath his sleeves like a river, fanning out behind him in a controlled cascade.

Xay counted twenty-seven, then fifty-four, then eighty-one, and finally one hundred and eight.

They spun rapidly, rotating in four opposing, concentric circles behind Grandmaster Wu’s back as thunder cracked overhead and lightning flashed across the sky.

Dragon teleported backward, moving away from the full assault.

Xay didn’t move, panting with sweat dripping down his brow as his heart pounded in his ears.

It felt like staring down a demigod with home field advantage.

“Take this pebble from my palm, and I will train you,” Grandmaster Wu boomed, his voice shaking both the mountain beneath Xay’s feet and the sky above.

Xay wasn’t foolish enough to believe he had a real chance at snatching the pebble. But he’d come prepared.

Bones rattling from the pressure, he steeled his nerves, placed a hand over his fist, and bowed slowly.

The motion was shaky—he struggled on the way down and even more on the way up.

“May I have the pebble?” Xay asked.

Grandmaster Wu was silent for a long, agonizing moment. Then, all at once, the crushing pressure vanished, and the corners of his mouth curled into a smirk.

“Sure,” he said, casually tossing the pebble to Xay as the talismans flowed back into his wide sleeves.

“Wasn’t too sure you were going to get it, brat,” Grandmaster Wu said. “Some fights you win with your head, not your martial arts.”

His grin turned lopsided as he gazed off into the distance. “Then again, my Li-Li wouldn’t take a complete idiot as her Tudi.”

Xay just stood there, caught somewhere between pride and discomfort, as Dragon floated quietly back to his side.

“Anyway,” Grandmaster Wu said, snapping out of his thoughts. “Come.”

A golden light flared around Xay and Dragon, and in the next instant, they vanished.

They reappeared in a lush grotto teeming with life.

Thick vines curled around giant boulders, bioluminescent flowers glowed softly beneath the canopy, and the air shimmered with energy.

The vital energy here was so dense that Xay struggled to see through it with his *ESP*.

All he could make out was that they were at the base of the central plateau, hidden deep between the surrounding mountains.

Grandmaster Wu stepped in front of an ordinary-looking boulder and performed a series of hand seals.

A ripple of golden light shimmered across its surface, and then the boulder vanished completely, revealing a stone staircase beneath.

“Come,” the grandmaster said, tucking his hands behind his back as he began descending the dark passage.

Xay followed close behind.

“From what you’ve shown so far, it’s clear you possess both talent and determination,” Grandmaster Wu said. “And it’s commendable to seek wisdom from your elders.”

“But as your strength grows, the number of people at or above your level who can still train you will quickly diminish. That does not mean your pursuit of growth should stop.”

“You must learn to train yourself. To examine your abilities, refine them, and internalize. Enlightenment and muscle memory play just as large a role in growth as learning new concepts.”

“Martial styles, techniques, Bloodline Abilities, Skill Talents, Innate Talents—there’s a great deal to manage in battle. To fight at your peak, you must know your abilities inside and out. You must know yourself.”

They descended deeper underground until they reached another hidden barrier. Grandmaster Wu stepped forward and parted it with ease.

Beyond was a softly glowing cavern.

The walls, ground, and ceiling were completely covered in white moss, purple vines bearing some kind of orange fruit, and pulsing, multicolored mushrooms.

A sparkling blue, impossibly still spring occupied half the space, and the vital energy in the air was the densest Xay had ever encountered.

“Welcome to the Vitality Spring,” Grandmaster Wu said fondly. “Here, you’ll meditate on all you know—and all you lack. In total isolation.”

Xay frowned. “Isolation?”

Grandmaster Wu nodded, gently pushing him forward. “No distractions. You want to grow stronger? Then better yourself from the inside out.”

Dragon moved to follow, but Grandmaster Wu raised a hand. “He must do this alone.”

Dragon glanced at Xay, her bright silver eyes blinking at him asynchronously. Xay just shrugged.

He wasn’t thrilled, but a few days without Dragon wouldn’t kill him.

She backed off, hovering near the doorway behind Grandmaster Wu.

“The fruit and mushrooms are edible,” the grandmaster added, already resealing the entrance. “I’ll see you in a month, brat.”

“A month?!” Xay shouted as the entrance vanished completely.