Sunday morning dawned with a light rain shower and a deep gray mist that swept through the sect.

  Kevin took one look out the window, then went back to bed. He’d had enough mist for a lifetime, and he’d earned a break after such a productive week.

  He enjoyed another hour of luxurious sleep and a second of quiet reading before heading down to breakfast. While the steady patter of rain continued, the mist had cleared enough to no longer bring back concerning memories.

  The cafeteria was quiet this long after his usual breakfast. Less than a dozen students were present, only one of whom he recognized.

  Kevin waved at James from TEC-109, his least competitive class, but otherwise kept to himself.

  After breakfast, he donned a heavier, water-resistant robe and braced himself for the weather outside. The temperature wasn’t too bad — despite being on a mountain, the entire sect was strangely warm — but the constant drizzle soon wormed its way through his protection.

  He hoped it would clear by afternoon or his cultivation session with Amelia would be less than pleasant. Assuming it even went ahead. Given her dislike of the practice, he could see her using the weather as an excuse to get out of it.

  Kevin would have been tempted to put his own morning session off if not for being able to use his body as a battery. As it was, he could tough out the twenty minutes needed to fill up on Qi.

  That was unpleasant enough, and he was quick to jog back to his dorm for a hot shower when he’d finished. With stored Qi, there was no need to leave his room, so Kevin spent the rest of the morning cultivating in comfort.

  First, he filled his sealed land with as much Fire Qi as he could stand. So far, he’d seen little progress in increasing that quantity, so he finished long before lunch.

  Hints of whiter cloud cover in the distance gave hope the rain would clear in a few hours, so Kevin moved on to cultivating stored Earth Qi. Even in the Fire courtyard, nearly half of the energy he pulled in was Earth.

  Using it now would leave him nothing but a mass of Fire Qi for later. However, his planned session with Amelia should mitigate that. He could use that time to refresh the Earth Qi in his reserves, allowing him to continue cultivating something other than Fire.

  It looked like the day would be heavy on cultivation, which he had no issue with. While the week might have been beyond productive, there had been far too little time spent on advancement for his taste.

  At times, he’d even had days with a net Qi loss after a particularly energy-intensive class.

  Feeling the next breakthrough drift away like that was painful, like his dreams were slipping through his fingers.

  This morning of focused cultivation reversed that trend, pushing him ever closer to the fifth grade. Even beyond the wonder of progression, the act of cultivation was something Kevin enjoyed on its own merit.

  As the hours passed, the stress he hadn’t been fully aware of faded, and deep relaxation washed away the week’s trials.

  When he snapped his eyes open, there was a broad smile on his face. So what if he had a mountain of things to do? Or if he competing with more advanced cultivators?

  He’d managed everything so far, and he’d far exceeded his expectations in doing so. This was only the beginning of his path, and he would continue accelerating until he reached his dream.

  By the time Kevin had finished a hearty lunch, the rain had slowed to a faint drizzle so light you could barely notice it. This break in the weather was just what he’d been hoping for, and he wasted no time grabbing his practice equipment.

  The sect was quieter than usual as he jogged through it, with no more than half the normal number of disciples moving around. It seemed even cultivators needed a break for one day a week.

  Formation Courtyard one was deserted when he arrived, and the sight brought a smile to Kevin’s face. While the other FORM-115 students could have practiced earlier or be coming later, the idea that he was the most diligent was a nice one.

  He had to catch up somehow, after all. Pushing his cultivation would help to an extent, but the remaining gap would have to be covered by superior skill.

  Wasting no time, Kevin settled into a steady rhythm of flag lobbing. The muddy ground produced some odd results when his flags struck it, but on the whole, it was easier than firm dirt.

  It was also good to experience different conditions; he wouldn’t put it past Elder Fischer to throw all sorts of surprises at them during the competition. She seemed like the kind of teacher who’d throw questions you’d never covered into an exam to see if you’d been learning on your own.

  To avoid overworking his arm again, Kevin wove periods of martial arts training into his practice time. With only footwork to practice for the Sinking Sands, it provided a relaxing break while still pushing his skills forward.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  The minutes became hours as Kevin’s lobbing ability grew with each throw. When he’d first learned the technique in class, it had felt like he was tossing flags into a void with nothing but hope they would land.

  Now, he could see how his movements affected where the flag ended up.

  Releasing later in the movement shorted the arc, bringing the landing point closer. Moving that release earlier extended the arc, increasing the range. Rather than being mere luck, hitting the target was a simple matter of release timing.

  Getting it right was far from easy, but the basic principle wasn’t hard to grasp.

  Over hundreds of shots, he improved until he could hit close to his target three times out of five, a massive improvement over the dozens of tries he’d needed in the first class.

  With another few practice sessions, he should be able to assemble a full pattern with only a few errors.

  Until Fischer made it more difficult, of course. Until now, she’d allowed them to focus on throwing in a straight line. To hit a target to the left or right, they’d shifted where they were standing until the new point was straight ahead.

  It was a method that would be impossible in a dynamic combat situation. Fischer would no doubt add angled throwing in soon, perhaps even in the next lesson, further complicating the technique.

  That was a worry for later, however. He’d made more than enough progress for now, which was good since he was running out of time.

  The notes he’d exchanged with Amelia since their lunch had nailed their cultivation session down to four PM, which was growing close after three hours of practice.

  If he left now, he’d have just enough time to wash off the sweat before meeting her at the Earth Courtyard.

  Despite showing up a few minutes early, Kevin found Amelia waiting by the edge of the massive chasm surrounding the Earth Courtyard.

  Instead of wearing something heavy-duty to ward off the ongoing drizzle, Amelia had opted for a light purple, dress-like robe. If not for the umbrella above her head, she would have been soaked waiting for him.

  The strange device floated with no apparent support, keeping her dry while leaving her arms free. One hand held an open book she was reading, the other a woven mat rolled into a tube.

  Kevin snorted, shaking his head. Why hadn’t he thought of that? It seemed she’d be nice and dry while he’d be sitting on the wet stone of the courtyard. He’d have to look into equipment like that for the next time it rained.

  A simple mat should be easy to purchase with squares, but a magic umbrella was likely outside his budget. Perhaps he could find one with a stand?

  Amelia glanced up as he grew closer, and a smile flashed across her face. Snapping her book closed, she slipped it into a satchel slung over one shoulder, then waved him over.

  In the few moments it took him to arrive, she’d already pulled out a blank page and held it up between them.

  Hello Kevin, it’s nice to see you again.

  “Hi, Amelia,” he greeted, offering an arm. “It’s nice to see you too.”

  Now that he was within arms’ reach, the strings of Qi reaching from her shoulders to the umbrella were impossible to miss. Nor was the lack of energy within the mundane object.

  “Ah… is that a technique you’re using?” Kevin licked his lips nervously, pointing toward her floating shelter.

  Amelia laughed silently, unable to cover her face this time as she reached out to clasp arms.

  Indeed, it is a simple adaption of a floating sword technique. I had little interest in the weapon art itself, but this is quite useful.

  The slight tilt of her head toward the subject of their conversation was nonchalant, but the hint of a smirk on her face gave her away.

  “Impressive,” Kevin chuckled as he recovered from the casual display of talent. While they’d discussed how much she enjoyed learning techniques before, seeing the results was something else.

  Who else would learn a technique for telekinetic sword fighting just to float an umbrella?

  Beyond the surprise, he was glad to see her comfortable enough to joke about it. He’d picked up hints that she was uncomfortable displaying too many of her abilities, so it spoke well of their growing friendship.

  “Why not use the fighting technique, though, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Amelia shrugged, glancing away with a light flush.

  Producing any measure of strength with the technique requires too much energy to be worth it. In a fight, I need all my Qi for talismans.

  Kevin frowned, fighting the urge to pry further. He’d thought talismans were like formation flags, with the bulk of the required energy provided during their creation.

  Amelia must have noticed as she sighed and continued writing.

  Go ahead and ask. I don’t mind; It’s come up in my talisman classes anyway.

  Kevin searched her face before responding, wanting to be sure she was comfortable. Her tattoos were shifting in a way he didn’t have context for, but there was a tiny smile on her lips.

  “OK then, but feel free to tell me to mind my own business.”

  “Don’t talismans require a fraction of their total cost to activate? I thought that was one of the big advantages, allowing you to use more techniques in a fight than most cultivators could manage.”

  Amelia hesitated, tilting her head to the side. After a few moments, she lifted her page again as fresh text spilled across it.

  You are correct. For most people, the low activation cost and the wide variety of options are the primary advantages of talisman use. That is why they have become so popular.

  It is not unheard of for a talisman master to prepare hundreds of different techniques, giving them solutions to any situation they can plan for.

  However, that path is not one I can travel. Normal ink doesn’t like me, so I am unable to write anything permanent.

  A flash of sadness crossed her face as Amelia tapped the page she held, ink already retracting into her fingertips.

  Kevin blinked, thrown by the response. How could ink not like someone? He’d thought her writing technique had been a method of convenience, but it seemed like something else entirely.

  Then again, he’d wondered if she had a unique constitution or something. Part of him ached to ask, but he knew that pushing further was too personal for this early in their friendship.

  Amelia had a hint of hesitation in her pose now, as if worried about his reaction. It would be best to lighten the conversation. “That must be rough,” he nodded, a sympathetic smile on his face.

  “Let me know if you want to talk about it, but for now, I’m just curious how you’re taking talisman classes at all.”

  The bright smile that flashed across Amelia’s face showed he’d made the right decision. In an instant, her hesitation was gone, and she held up a finger.

  With a flick of her wrist, a thick paper card ending in a cloth tassel appeared in one hand while the other held her usual page.

  While blank, the style suggested it was intended for talisman creation. Much like his formation flags, it would need considerable work before it was ready.

  Or it should have; instead, Amelia narrowed her eyes as inky blood flowed from her fingertips. Moving faster than her usual writing, it formed intricate patterns across the blank face.

  A moment later, her energy flowed into it, forming a completed talisman.