Before most of Silent Edge woke for the day, Wu Jin sat in his office. Sa Gwan, Mu Jang, Cheng and Yeol joined him.
"The Alliance leader in all his wisdom, has moved the tournament up. Do we have any first-rates that can participate?"
"Any that are ready have surpassed first-rate." Cheng said.
"Our best bet is those three." Jang added.
Wu Jin looked at Sa Gwan. He simply nodded.
"Can we have them ready in a month?" Wu Jin asked.
"We will force them to be ready." Cheng looked around.
Yeol stood. "I will gather some items from the Tang vault. Something to help them undergo body transformation and reach first-rate.”
"We must win this tournament. It is our chance to have our own sect, and step out of the shadows. That was the deal with Jaegal Li." Wu Jin looked between them all.
"You have two weeks for the foundation techniques, then two for weapon techniques. Make it happen."
All four men bowed and left the room. Wu Cheng turned before he left. "Have faith in them son, they are the future." He smiled and left.
--
As morning struck Silent Edge, Wu Jin gathered the three boys again.
He hung his head. The boys looked at each other. "I don't want to unload this on you boys. So I will tell you the problem, and the solution. Then I will allow you to make your own choices."
The boys looked even more confused.
"In a month, the Alliance tournament takes place. Silent Edge will be participating. If we can win the tournament, the Alliance has agreed to officially recognize us as a sect."
"Sweet." Jinhu said.
"Indeed, the tournament is only for first-rate warriors and below. So far, nobody that has walked through that gate has mastered the techniques your masters are going to teach you."
Wu Jin sighed. "The ones we could send have surpassed first-rate and stepped into master territory. The future of this sect, rests on your shoulders, but it is your choice whether you choose to carry this burden or not."
Ilho stepped forward. "This sect gave me a chance when no one else in murim even considered me as a living person."
Jinhu stepped forward. "You let a dummy like me in, so now you're stuck... sect leader."
Blue stepped forward. "Where else am I going to go? Tang? Wudang? I'll pass, this is my home now."
Wu Jin looked between the three boys. A smile started to form. Ilho started to open his mouth.
CRACK
"Good, now get out of my sight and go train."
The boys bowed and left to find their masters.
Wu Jin watched them go. "Things are going to get very interesting around here. If they can manage to master those techniques."
--
Blue found himself in his room studying his grandfather's scroll. "Seriously, none of this makes sense, for something called flowing, none of this seems to flow."
Blue stood and took a stance, he tried to mimic what was laid out on the scroll. Each time he stumbled, tripped, or fell right on his ass.
[System Notification]
[Flowing Steel Comprehension: 10%]
[A river does not stumble over stones]
"What the hell does that mean? Is that Comprehension for you or me, because this shit makes no sense!"
Blue threw himself on his bed. "No way I master this in a month. Where the hell is Cheng and my uncle anyway?"
As if summoned Wu Cheng flung Blue's door open. Blue leaned up to see who it was, and was met with a pack smacking him in the face.
"What is this?" He asked.
"Just some supplies. We have two weeks to make this work. Better not waste it. Lets go, your uncle is waiting." Cheng chuckled and walked out.
Blue threw the pack over his back and walked outside. Cheng and Yeol were both on the roof.
Yeol looked down. "Keep up."
Cheng and Yeol jumped, leaping from building to building until they stood atop the main gate.
Blue sprinted after them. He finally reached the gate. "Can you guys at least slow down. I haven't even learned qinggong yet."
"You're about to." Cheng laughed, as they both jumped tree to tree.
Blue once again ran after them. He dropped the pack and kept running. Then he stopped. He turned and ran back to the pack. "These two crazy old bastards." He reluctantly picked up the pack. He looked up at the sky. "You're not any better grandfather."
Blue finally caught up with the two elders at the base of a mountain just outside of the Alliance stronghold.
"About time." Yeol laughed. "There's some jerky in that pack, be a doll."
Blue sat on a rock and took out the jerky and passed them out. "Why are we training out here."
"This is where Yoryeon tried to train us." Cheng took a bite.
"Flowing Steel consists of two parts. The qinggong, and the combat applications. You must learn the qinggong first." Yeol said.
"We never did..." Cheng chuckled. "...but we remember the torture your grandfather put us through when we tried."
Yeol laughed. "Now we are going to relay that torture onto you."
"Of course you are, you sure you trying to help me master this, or you both just take joy in others pain?"
Yeol stood. "Only time will tell. Now pay attention. The first two movements are key. They sre the foundation." Cheng and yeol spent all day showing Blue. When he tried they were there correcting his form, moving his feet. Helping him with the flow of his qi.
"Father told me, the flow of your qi, is just as important as the form. If they do not match, you will drop. Focus on that."
The trio spent 5 days training at the base of the mountain. On the 5th night while blue slept, Yeol and Cheng sat around the fire.
"That boy is a damned monster." Cheng looked at blue. "5 days, and he has gotten further than either of us did in years."
Yeol turned and looked at him. "I see now why father took so much pride in him. A shame Jinho wouldn't let him learn as a child."
"He wanted him to have a peace that your brother never found. A peace that only exists outside of the Jianghu."
"Yet, here we are. Do you think he can master it?" Yeol asked Cheng.
"As long as that array the former Jaegal patriarch installed is still up there, then yes, I believe he may." Cheng looked up the mountain.