“You want to do what?”

“What's the problem?”

Cheng Guk Lung put down his brush and rubbed his face. He had dark circles around his eyes that rivalled Tsubaki's. “No... I suppose that makes sense. Who do you want to spar against?”

“Whoever wants to rumble? I want to find out how much I've recovered.”

Eitsu lay on the floor, playing idly with a ball of paper that Cheng Guk Lung had crumpled up and tossed aside.

“Well there's plenty of muscleheads at Hanasan who would want to try fighting a divine cat. I'll ask around.”

“Thanks, Che-Cheng... Ugh... Cheng...”

“You're doing well.”

A day later, almost the entire sect was once more gathered in the clearing below the five schools. The atmosphere was just as festive as the picnic had been the week before. There was food being passed around, and a few boxes for gathering betting money. Even the tutors were joining in.

“That was quick,” Eitsu remarked from where she dangled in a tree.

Cheng Guk Lung looked exasperated. “As soon as I started asking around the schools, they almost wanted to start fighting you immediately! I had to work hard to make them delay it for a day. Next thing, all classes have been cancelled and the entire sect is here...”

“Good. So who's first?

“Well, since everyone was in such a hurry, it hasn't been decided yet. The school head thought it might be good to have the disciples do some sparring too, and some of the stronger ones can then fight you. I think some of the masters are itching to have a go too.”

“I want to go first! Let me fight her!” A young man in the robes of the Reflective Arts School was yelling across the clearing. His eyes were sharp as knives, and they glinted in Eitsu's direction. The people standing next to him groaned and tried to act like they didn't know him. “Come on, let's go!”

“Ugh, that guy.”

“Good, I don't want to sit around.” Eitsu jumped neatly down from the branch, limbering her arms one at a time.

“Are you sure? Jiàn Kuàng¹箭矿 - 'Arrow' 'Metal Ore'. might make a lot of noise, but he's one of the best cultivators of his generation. He's already on the edge of breaking into the expert level of the Second Dāntián.”

“Is that supposed to be impressive?”

Cheng Guk Lung put on an academic air and began to explain, “Our cultivation arts are based on the movement of spiritual energy through the three focal points of the body, the dāntián. Jīng, the energy that we are all born with, is transformed into Qì, vitality, in the Lower Dāntián. Qì becomes Shén, spirit, in the Middle Dāntián. And Shén is transmuted into Wúwéi, nothingness, in the Upper Dāntián. Once one is able to transform Shén with complete efficiency into Wúwéi, they Ascend, achieving a divine state of being.”

“... you're asking me to be worried about a brat who isn't even anywhere near achieving divinity? Did you forget who I am?”

Cheng Guk Lung looked awkward. “To be honest... we don't fully understand what you are, Lady Eitsu. A kaibyou, a yokai, a divine cat... They're not terms we really understand around here. Without a point of reference, we can't really determine what that means.”

“Hm. Alright. I guess I'll just have to show you what it means.” She strutted into the open space in the centre of the clearing and stood with a grin on her face, arms folded. “Alright, where's the kid who wanted to fight me?”

Jiàn Kuàng shot forwards. He carried a long, single-edged blade, a dāo²刀, and an arrogant attitude. “That's me! Get ready!”

“Gods, people like this really exist,” Eitsu scoffed. She casually called over her shoulder to the watching crowd. “So, are there any rules?”

Zhào Xīn tapped the butt of her spear against the ground. Despite the noise of the audience, the sound cut through them all, bringing instant quiet. Cheng Guk Lung stood by her, ready to translate.

“The rules are as follows: Anyone may challenge anyone, and the challenged person may refuse the challenge. We will not have any foolishness or bullying – if the staff decide the match up is uneven, even if both participants agree, we will not allow the match to go ahead.

“There will be no fights to the death. The matches will last for an eighth of a shí, or if one of the participants surrenders, or obviously cannot continue. The staff will intervene if significant injuries occur.

“All of you, remember that this is a learning opportunity, not a time to indulge egotistical desires or settle grudges.

“If the two of you are ready, participants, introduce yourselves.”

“Jiàn Kuàng, Disciple of the Reflective Arts School, Second Dāntián Adept.” He bowed quickly and eagerly before returning to his ready stance, an aggressive over-the-head grip on his blade.

“Eitsubyou no Mikoto, Manekineko.” Eitsu grinned and cracked her neck. “I'll be demonstrating what it means to be a divine being.”

“Participants, I will count down from three. Are you ready?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Yep.”

“Three. Two. One. Start!”

Jiàn Kuàng sprang forward with remarkable speed, his blade stabbing directly towards Eitsu's face.

Or where it had been.

She was already behind him.

To many of those watching, her movements were an undefinable blur. There was no mistaking, however, that in less than a second, Jiàn Kuàng was lying on the ground, dazed, his blade clattering belatedly over on the other side of the clearing.

Only those who had broken through to the Third Dāntián were murmuring amongst themselves.

“That was... what, three... no, four moves?”

“Four. One, she ran towards him. Two, used his shoulder to flip over behind him. Three, landed, and four, kicked him directly in the Kidney One point, Yǒng Quán³涌泉.”

“Five. You missed when she knocked the dāo from his hands before the flip.”

Everyone's eyes turned to look at Eitsu with a new kind of respect. Tsubaki yawned.

“Are you bored, my priestess?”

“Well I can't see any of those fancy things you supposedly did, so of course I'm bored.”

“Should I go slower next time? You seem to like it when I go slow.”

“Do whatever you want,” Tsubaki said indifferently. Cheng Guk Lung declined to translate this conversation for everyone else.

“Jiàn Kuàng, pick up your weapon and return to the audience, please,” Zhào Xīn said. “I hope that is a lesson for everyone to not underestimate their opponents. Lady Eitsu, would it be possible to allow the children to test each other for a while?”

“Yeah, whatever.” Eitsu threw herself down beside the large cushion where Tsubaki sat, under a parasol, and dropped her head on the dancer's lap. A moment later, a hand began to stroke her hair. Tsubaki watched the matches impassively, not looking down once.

Eitsu dozed in the warm sun. The initial matches were of little interest to her, as disciples in the lower ranks slowly determined their relative strengths. She only began to reawaken as the senior disciples, those pushing the edge of breaking into the Third Dāntián, began to compete. At last, one young woman, wearing green robes, entered the arena and bowed respectfully in her direction. Like Zhào Xīn, she carried a wooden-hafted spear, although hers was shod with some kind of grey stone, where the Master's was heeled with spiritual jade.

“Lady Eitsu, I humbly request your teachings. Will you spar with me?”

Eitsu, rising to all fours, stretched her back. “Well, you're polite enough, pretty lady. I'll fight you.”

“You're beyond saving,” Tsubaki commented.

“I know,” Eitsu replied with mock sadness. She bounded over to where the disciple waited.

“Lady Eitsu, my name is Niǎo Qīng Yè⁴鸟轻叶 (Niǎo Qīng Yè) - 'Bird', 'Gentle', 'Leaf'. of the Gales of Battle School. I am at the upper limit of Second Dāntián Expert. I hope that your teachings will assist me to break through into the Third Dāntián.”

“Nice to meet you. Let's see what we can do.”

Zhào Xīn raised her voice. “Participants, are you ready?”

Both competitors replied in the affirmative.

“Three. Two. One. Start!”

Unlike Jiàn Kuàng, Niǎo Qīng Yè immediately bounded backwards, a green glow forming around her hands. A whirl of leaves from the trees nearby raced to surround Eitsu, obscuring her vision. Simultaneously, several narrow spikes of wood shot out of the ground towards her.

Almost casually, Eitsu leapt upwards, her lithe body twisting gracefully to avoid the spikes. She charged out of the leaves and was confronted by the tip of Niǎo Qīng Yè's spear. Rather than try to block it, she sidestepped minutely and bent her back, curling over the haft of the spear and seizing Niǎo Qīng Yè's leading hand.

“Good.”

Eitsu threw her.

At the last moment, Niǎo Qīng Yè just managed to jab the point of her spear into the ground before she flew into the audience. Instinctively, she thrust the length of her spear out before her with both hands, and sides of Eitsu's fists slammed down on it. If it had been someone else, the defensive gesture might have worked. Eitsu shattered the weapon easily, her hands halting just above Niǎo Qīng Yè's face.

Niǎo Qīng Yè gasped, trying to catch her breath. “Th...Thank you... for... your teachings... Lady...”

Eitsu held out a hand, and Niǎo Qīng Yè dropped the wreckage of her spear, letting the kaibyou help her up.

“Not bad.”

“Thank you... I learnt... Please, excuse me... I have to go...” Niǎo Qīng Yè dashed away suddenly, a glazed look in her eyes. A few of the senior disciples of the Gales of Battle School hurried away after her. Eitsu turned to Cheng Guk Lung quizzically.

“It's okay, it looks like she's learnt something,” the scholar said. “We may see another Third Dāntián breakthrough.”

Eitsu resumed her position on Tsubaki's lap. “Was that more entertaining?”

“I don't know. I still couldn't see much, Eitsu-sama. Only you flirting.”

“Were you jealous?”

“Continuously.”

The matches from then on progressed much more slowly. Those who had broken through to the Third Dāntián had exponentially more skill than those who had only awakened their Second Dāntián. Many of those at lower levels of spiritual power had long given up attempting to follow what was going on, some returning to self-directed training and study. Eitsu fell asleep.

“Hey.” A voice interrupted her slumber. She opened a single eye to see a middle-aged man crouched before her, clad in the red robes of the Clear Sight School. A fire was burning in his dark eyes.

“I wanna fight you.”