The days following Lorean’s departure blurred into one another especially quickly. It wasn't a surprise as routine returned, dawn came, then it bled into dusk, and returned again after the night had passed. It was the perfect kind of cycle that greatly satisfied Siu's needs. If one thing he ever learned as a kid, it was that time always moves forward, that it will have a solution for everything, even for the most unbreakable conundrum... because there would be a time when it no longer matters. Time always won... and that knowledge, that there will be a moment when no issues matter anymore, had always put his mind at ease. Even if just temporarily...

  And when he felt calm, the daily rhythm he established was a simple thing to repeat as he kept mastering all the remaining basic stances. Of course, Elder Thane no longer visited or personally supervised him, as their arrangement had come to an end. Of course, that was never meant to last, and Siu knew that. The Elder’s original task was to hammer the Sect's foundations into every fresh batch of disciples, not to shepherd one boy out of hundreds. So he wasn't disappointed or angry when he lost the Elder's oversight of his training.

  But it also did not mean he wasn't going to ask him for his advice.

  However, before he could bother him again, Siu had to have a very good reason to do so... Which meant that most of his morning began with training in the form of the Iron Ox...

  By the time the sun came up, Siu had already stood at the center of the booked training ring for hours, barefoot, feeling the stone with his toes. After reading the scrolls he was allowed to borrow, reading the Sect's manuals, this form demanded perfect stillness. It was harder than it sounded at first... Although learning the crane wasn't easy either, remaining still was more complicated than moving. In the end, it made him throw down his shoes, having to feel the ground, barefoot, allowing him to perceive every little change and sway his body made, and make sure it stopped doing it. Stay still... no matter what. Hours were spent on nothing else but killing his own instinct and urge to wobble, to lean one way or the other. His mind didn't make it easy, sometimes wandering off, making him flinch, having to start over from the beginning... again. And again... and... again. And when he finally felt he had completed it, it was time to restart it all, with new weights added to his limbs, following the Sect's instructions, forcing his body to learn to stay still... no matter what.

  Of course, it was not the only form Siu began training in, as he divided the week's days to practice one of the last remaining basic forms, ensuring he could maintain a type of progress that he was satisfied with. So, what followed the Iron Ox was the Wild Cat form, which demanded a wholly different skill set. As the name suggested, it mandated a cat’s agility, leaving Siu feeling utterly clumsy and inflexible when he first tried to follow the scroll's teachings. Even his own balance, which he had picked up while training in the crane, had betrayed him, causing him to fall over multiple times. It was... harder to do this via text than to have someone standing with him, instructing his movements and hitting his body when he made a mistake.

  But... that was the privilege of a Core Disciple, not even that of an Inner Disciple... And he was neither of those two. Shaking away the sudden thought, he returned to practicing, deciding that if a cat's agility is needed, he would stretch his limbs accordingly. With that thought, some of his days were all about training his muscles, his joints, which meant he had to split himself in two... almost.

  "Well..." He groaned, trying to endure the pain he was feeling in his limbs, groin, and almost everywhere else, maintaining a split for as long as he could on the top of two poles, "This should prepare my body for what comes after tempering my bones..."

  He wasn't wrong. Even if he was still a long way from stepping into the Flesh Morphing stage, what he was doing was laying the foundation for it. Gradually, as the days passed, training with the weights, practicing the ox's stance, then switching to stretching himself to the limits the following day, he realized he didn’t need to abandon one to grasp the other. Around the second week of his constant training, the moment he lowered his center and anchored his stance just enough, the cat’s form flashed across his mind, finding his balance much more easily... And when he relaxed that same stance, he could come out of it much faster than before, as if his ox had gained... speed.

  It was on the twentieth day that it finally clicked together at once, allowing him to flow between the two forms at will. Chaining it together, he pivoted on one heel, dropping low into the cat’s crouch, then rolled the motion upward, taking a deep breath, his chest expanding, readying to take an imagined enemy's strike head-on, withstanding it, with arms crossed before his chest. Visualizing it, he could almost feel the hit, and with a flash of newfound inspiration, his arms shot out, just like a cat's claw, not only striking, but countering his invisible enemy, merging two forms into one.

  "If..." He suddenly stopped, opening his eyes and looking at his arms, flexing them, a realization finally flashed through his mind, "If I knew of the Snake form... I could probably not only block... or counter... but also grapple them. I would have an answer for every type of opponent... Too bad Elder Thane said the rest of the forms are... too advanced for my current level."

  Still, with a sudden, renewed drive, for the following weeks, Siu chased that same sensation, as if he was obsessed... and in a way, he indeed was. He repeated the transitions thousands of times, from Ox to Cat, Cat to Crane, Crane to Ox again. Each time he failed, he slowed down, dissected the rhythm to see where it went wrong, until it became a kind of meditation. The constant visualization, the repeating patterns, the strain it was putting on his body would probably force some people to stop, take a break, rest from the technique a little... But Siu refused to let himself fall into false security, postponing just because his body hurt... No. Not even that. The medicinal baths were taking care of the aching bones and muscles; what pain he was feeling was all from his mind alone, trying to tell him to relax... it was one of the pitfalls, and he wasn't going to sink into it because he wouldn't want the Old Man's memory in his mind come and berate him while sleeping.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Working through the pain, many times literally, as he accepted jobs around the sect, be it mundane work in the kitchens or signing up as sparring partners, he made sure to keep training the forms, lifting crates like an ox, and delivering packages with the swiftness of a cat. With constant training, even when working, Siu no longer thought about switching forms by the end of the month. His body moved on its own, all his weight and his flow bleeding seamlessly into one another, matching his breathing.

  It was what made him feel ready to search for Elder Thane again, more than a month later since they last spoke to each other.

  Arriving, the Elder’s usual training ground was as he remembered, just as windy and loud. At the same time, Elder Thane stood before a group of Outer Disciples, correcting stances and training them in the basics, foundational-level skills... Routine... nothing more. Noticing the arriving Siu, his expression barely shifted, and he only nodded at him, watching as Siu stopped, waiting patiently until he finished the current exercise... Which happened only an hour later, when Elder Thane finally barked an order to stop.

  “Well?” he asked dryly, walking over to Siu after ignoring him for so long, “You planning to stand there until the next century?” He chukled, finally forming a smile.

  "If I have to," Siu bowed, cupping his hands. “I came for a formal evaluation, Elder Thane. I need an experienced eye to tell me if I am doing well or should start over again.”

  “You trained in the Iron Ox, haven't you?” Thane’s mouth twitched, just barely, “I could tell... I saw it in how you stood and waited... But do you think a month is enough to build a proper understanding of it?” He asked, yet deep down, he had hopes, because learning the crane was also done in the same timeframe. If he could do the others, too... He was indeed looking at someone who had the sign of a Core Disciple.

  “No, I am not good enough to say I mastered anything,” Siu said simply. “But I think I’ve finished laying the foundation so that I can move on to the advanced forms. I have a feeling that nags me inside, that I need all of them together, otherwise I am only learning how to use one leg, not both of them.”

  "..." Remaining silent, Elder Thane's eyes flashed as he looked at Siu, realizing that the boy had indeed caught onto the most crucial part of it all, “Fine. Show me.”

  "Thank you," Siu bowed again and stepped into the training field, facing Elder Thane, unbothered by the curious looks from the others, who by now knew his name well.

  Just as on all the days before, Siu began with the ox, demonstrating it, and while the other spectators saw nothing but him standing still, Elder Thane knew that this type of stillness was different in itself. Then he watched the sequence play out, the footwork, the shift of weight in Siu's body, the seamless chaining of the different forms with no stumble or stutter between them. He couldn't help but smile for a moment before wiping it off his face, knowing that if Nue ever tried to bother him again, she would find it even harder to keep up with Siu's counters.

  “Elder...?” Siu asked as he finished his demonstration, feeling it was one of the better sequences he had done so far. He even found himself a bit out of breath, wiping his forehead, looking at Elder Thane, a bit nervous and excited. For a long time, he said nothing, just kept looking at him. Soon, Elder Thane simply crossed his arms and closed his eyes, going over it in his mind, over and over again.

  “I will be damned... You’ve done it,” he murmured, tapping his finger lightly against his forearm. “Don't get excited, though! You indeed have learned them, but you haven't mastered them. Still, you are on the right path, even without me looking over your shoulder...” He glanced at Siu again, "Your control is rough, but your flow is correct.”

  "I see." Siu inclined his head, furrowing his brows, thinking, "Elder Thane... Am I ready?”

  "Are you?" He asked back, surprising him, “Spider, Fox, Dog, and Snake,” he repeated, “Four more remains... Maybe you are ready... Maybe not."

  "Um... I think I am." He answered, no longer hesitating, straightening himself, his eyes becoming determined, "I am."

  "That's a better answer." Elder Thane nodded, letting his smile show, "I will bring you the rest of the technique and let you learn it."

  "Thank you–"

  "Don't." He raised a hand, surprising Siu, "I haven't finished! Borrowing the full scroll is seven Sun Crystals."

  "..." Hearing that, Siu's face finally changed a shade, going a bit white then red, as he began twitching the edge of his eyes. It was something Elder Thane found immediately hilarious, as the always composed kid was finally close to losing his temper and showing a shocked expression.

  "Who told you cultivation is cheap?" He laughed, watching Siu try to rein in his composure.

  "N-nobody..." He answered, gulping down his next words before they could slip out, "I am going to... save up then."

  "Do that." Elder Thane nodded, not about to have him cut corners, but of course, he would also throw a helping hand towards Siu. There was a difference between sharpening a blade and grinding it down, "I have multiple tasks open in the Mission Hall. Go, ask the clerks for it, and complete one or two of them... Then you will have the money to continue."

  "A mission?" He asked, his eyes flashing, his ears perking up. "And one that... I need to ask for?"

  "Duh." He snorted, making Siu flinch, reflexively trying to dodge an incoming baton... which of course didn't swing at him this time around, "The dangerous ones are not public... we aren't about to cripple our disciples if they are not ready for the job now... are we? Pride can kill a man, not to mention eager kids like you lot. So... Don't take it lightly."

  "I won't." He bowed, cupping his hands, "I will be back with the CC, Elder Thane."

  "Mhm," He nodded, watching Siu hurry away, "I have no doubts about that..."