Dad came back out a few minutes later, looking slightly stressed. "Your mother wanted to reorganize the entire storage room. Anyway, how was your practice?"
"Good! I think I'm getting better at sensing the Nexis flow." Kai tried to sound like he hadn't just absorbed the complete cultivation base of a Tier 4 cultivator and gained Tier 5 level power.
"Excellent!" Dad smiled, then picked up the wooden practice swords. "Now let's continue weapon training. I'll show you some basic defensive moves."
He demonstrated five defensive sword positions—blocks, parries, deflections, redirect, soft against strong. Simple movements meant to protect yourself from attacks.
"These are foundational. Watch my stance carefully. Your weight should be centered, knees bent, sword angled like this..."
Dad performed each move slowly, explaining the principles behind them.
"Now you try."
He handed Kai the child-sized wooden sword.
