I spent the remaining days in Mount Hua catching up on the homework I had barely glanced at before, trading conversations with Seraphina that were increasingly less frosty (at least from her side), and pouring myself into learning Illusion Sword. Time, as it often does when one's hands are full, slipped by without notice, and soon it was time to leave.
Standing before Master Li on the morning of our departure, I bowed deeply, my words sincere. "Thank you for your teachings, Master. I'll carry everything you taught me with me."
Master Li gave me one of his rare, warm smiles—the kind that made you believe, for a fleeting moment, that he wasn't the same man who had subjected you to waterfall training for hours on end. "You're my first and only disciple, Arthur. Don't put shame on my name. And make me proud in the Sovereign's Tournament—I'll be watching."
"I won't let you down," I said, the weight of his words settling over me like a mantle.
