Three days after the assessment, Yun Hao approached Wei Chen with a proposition.
"Train with me."
Wei Chen looked up from the shadow exercises he'd been practicing in the temple's side courtyard. Yun Hao stood a respectful distance away, hands behind his back, expression serious.
"Train how?"
"Sparring. Technique exchange. My tutor says competition is the best teacher." Yun Hao stepped closer. "Elder Shen approved supervised sessions if we're both interested. Non-lethal, obviously. Just practice."
Wei Chen considered this. On one hand, training with someone stronger would accelerate his growth. On the other, it felt like charity—the noble extending generosity to the commoner.
But then, pride was expensive. And Wei Chen couldn't afford expensive luxuries.
"When?"
"Tomorrow. After temple lessons. Elder Shen will supervise."
"All right."
Yun Hao smiled—genuine, without condescension. "Good. Bring your best techniques."
He left, and Wei Chen returned to his practice, mind already calculating.
Yun Hao was better. Objectively, measurably better. Which meant Wei Chen would lose.
But losing could still be profitable if he learned something.
Everything's a transaction, Merchant Liu had said. The question is whether the price is worth the gain.
Wei Chen would make this worth it.
The next day's temple lesson felt longer than usual. Wei Chen kept glancing at the sun's position, tracking time.
Finally, Elder Shen dismissed them. The other students filed out. Wei Chen and Yun Hao remained.
Elder Shen studied them both. "You understand the rules?"
"Yes, Elder," they said in unison.
"No techniques that cause permanent damage. No attacks above the shoulders. Stop immediately when I command." Elder Shen's gaze was sharp. "This is training, not combat. Understood?"
"Yes, Elder."
"Good. Begin when ready."
They faced each other in the center of the temple hall. Ten paces apart. Wei Chen's shadow stretched behind him, dark and patient. Yun Hao stood relaxed, confident without arrogance.
"Ready?" Yun Hao asked.
Wei Chen nodded.
Yun Hao moved first.
Water condensed from the air instantly—faster than Wei Chen expected—and formed into a whip-like tendril. It lashed out, aiming for Wei Chen's legs.
Wei Chen's shadow reacted. He pulled it upward into a wall, intercepting the water. The techniques collided, spraying droplets across the stone.
Yun Hao didn't pause. The water whip dissolved and reformed into three smaller streams, attacking from different angles simultaneously.
Multi-directional control, Wei Chen realized. Like my shadow technique but with water.
He split his focus. His own shadow divided into three defensive tendrils, meeting each water stream. The exchanges were rapid—block, deflect, counter. Wei Chen's core burned with effort.
Yun Hao pressed harder. Four water streams now. Five.
Wei Chen couldn't match it. His control slipped. One water stream broke through his defense and struck his ankle, wrapping around it and pulling.
Wei Chen stumbled. His concentration shattered. The shadow defenses collapsed.
Yun Hao's water formed into a sphere around Wei Chen's feet, immobilizing him.
"Yield?" Yun Hao asked, not mockingly. Just... asking.
Wei Chen tested the water prison. Solid. He couldn't break it without exhausting himself completely.
"Yield."
The water released immediately. Wei Chen stepped back, breathing hard.
"Good defense," Yun Hao said. "Your shadow wall technique is fast. I almost didn't intercept in time."
"Not fast enough."
"Fast enough to matter." Yun Hao gestured. "Again?"
They sparred four more times.
Wei Chen lost every round.
But each loss taught him something.
Round Two: Yun Hao demonstrated water sensing—detecting movement through moisture in the air. Wei Chen's shadow concealment didn't work because Yun Hao wasn't tracking visually.
Weakness identified: Darkness relies on sight. Opponents with alternative senses counter it.
Round Three: Wei Chen tried aggressive shadow manipulation—multiple attacks from different angles. Yun Hao created a rotating water shield that deflected everything.
Lesson: Defense can be active. Movement creates protection.
Round Four: Wei Chen feinted with shadows, then attacked from an unexpected angle. Yun Hao still blocked it, but slower. The feint had worked partially.
Insight: Deception works even against superior opponents. Imperfect success is still success.
Round Five: Wei Chen pushed his limits. Fifteen shadows attacking simultaneously while he used concealment to reposition. Yun Hao struggled briefly before overwhelming Wei Chen's defenses through sheer technique superiority.
Truth: Gap is narrowing. Yun Hao had to work harder that round.
After the final round, both were breathing heavily. Wei Chen's core felt like burning ice—depleted and aching. Yun Hao looked tired but not exhausted.
Elder Shen approached. "Enough for today. Wei Chen, your adaptability is commendable. You adjusted tactics between rounds. Yun Hao, your control remains exceptional but you relied on technique superiority rather than strategy. Both have areas to improve."
They bowed. Elder Shen left, giving them space.
Wei Chen sat against a pillar, recovering. Yun Hao joined him, maintaining respectful distance.
"You're better than I expected," Yun Hao said.
"I lost every round."
"But you made me work for it. Round five especially—I had to use advanced techniques to win. Six months ago, you couldn't have pushed me that far."
Wei Chen acknowledged this with a nod. Progress was progress.
"Your shadow feint in round four was clever," Yun Hao continued. "Where did you learn that?"
"I didn't. I improvised."
"Improvised?" Yun Hao looked impressed. "That's... unusual. Most mages follow established patterns. You create new ones."
"Because I don't know the established ones." Wei Chen smiled slightly. "No private tutor means no taught strategies. Everything I do is improvised."
"That's actually an advantage." Yun Hao leaned back. "My tutor teaches proven techniques, which is good. But it also makes me predictable to anyone who knows those techniques. You? Nobody knows what you'll do because you don't know until you do it."
Wei Chen filed that away. Unpredictability as strength. Interesting perspective.
"Want to know something?" Yun Hao asked suddenly.
"What?"
"I requested this sparring specifically because you're the only one who challenges me here." Yun Hao's tone was earnest. "The other temple students are competent but... safe. Predictable. You're different. You think differently. Fight differently."
"Because I'm desperate."
"Because you're hungry." Yun Hao met his gaze. "Desperation makes people sloppy. Hunger makes them sharp. You're sharp, Wei Chen. That's worth respecting."
Wei Chen didn't know how to respond to that. Compliments from Yun Hao felt genuine but also uncomfortable—like being acknowledged by someone standing on higher ground.
"Thank you," Wei Chen said finally.
"Don't thank me. Just keep pushing." Yun Hao stood, offering his hand. "Same time next week?"
Wei Chen took the hand and pulled himself up. "Yes."
They parted ways. Wei Chen watched Yun Hao leave—that composed, confident stride of someone who'd never questioned their place in the world.
Someday, Wei Chen thought, I'll walk like that too.
That evening, Wei Chen reviewed the sparring sessions in his mind while working at Merchant Liu's stall.
Five rounds. Five losses. But five lessons learned.
Water sensing countered visual stealth. Active defense was stronger than static defense. Feints worked. Unpredictability was valuable. The gap was closing.
"You look thoughtful," Liu observed, organizing inventory.
"Sparred today. Lost."
"Learn anything?"
"Yes."
"Then it wasn't really a loss." Liu set down a fake enchanted amulet. "Losing teaches more than winning. Winners become complacent. Losers adapt."
Wei Chen nodded, arranging trinkets on display.
Liu watched him work for a moment, then asked casually, "What are you saving for?"
Wei Chen's hands paused. "What?"
"The money. You've worked here six months. Never spent a copper. Everything goes into that pouch you hide under your bed." Liu's smile was knowing. "I'm a merchant. I notice these things. So what's the goal?"
Wei Chen considered lying. But Liu already knew he was saving. Might as well be honest.
"Instructor Feng. Private combat training. One gold eighty silver for three months."
"Ah." Liu leaned back, understanding crossing his face. "Temple lessons aren't enough."
"They teach control. Not fighting."
"Smart distinction." Liu tapped his fingers on the counter. "How much do you have?"
"One gold forty silver."
Liu's eyebrows rose. "Impressive. That's forty silver in six months, plus whatever your parents contributed."
"One gold. My parents gave me one gold when they found out what I was saving for." Wei Chen's voice was quiet. "They can't afford more, but they wanted to help."
"Good parents." Liu's expression softened slightly. "So you need forty more silver."
"Yes."
"At your current rate, that's... four months?"
"Three and a half if I take extra jobs."
Liu nodded slowly, then smiled. "I have a proposition. Want to hear it?"
"Speaking of your goal," Liu continued, "you've worked here six months now. Proven reliable, smart, discreet. I have a business proposition."
"What kind?"
"Partnership. Small-scale investment venture." Liu pulled out a ledger, flipping to a marked page. "I occasionally acquire magical items at estate sales or auctions. Minor artifacts, enchanted tools, nothing legendary. Buy low, sell high. Standard merchant practice."
He pointed at numbers. "Problem is, I have limited capital and time. Can't attend every auction. Can't bid on everything promising. So opportunities slip away."
"And you want me to... what? Bid for you?"
"More than that. I want you to invest." Liu's expression was serious now. "You put in money. I put in expertise and connections. We split profits. Seventy-thirty."
"Seventy for you?"
"I'm taking the larger risk. I'm the one with reputation on the line, the one negotiating with sellers, the one authenticating items." Liu leaned forward. "But here's the key: your forty silver? Invested properly, it could become sixty silver in two months. Maybe seventy if we're lucky."
Wei Chen's mind raced. Forty silver invested, potentially thirty silver profit.
But also potentially forty silver lost if things went wrong.
"What's the actual risk?"
"Financial only. This is legitimate business, not contraband. Worst case? We buy items that don't resell. We take a loss. You lose some or all of your investment." Liu's tone was matter-of-fact. "But I've been doing this ten years. I know what sells. My success rate is roughly seventy percent profitable, twenty percent break-even, ten percent loss."
"So statistically, I'm likely to profit."
"Yes. But statistics aren't guarantees." Liu closed the ledger. "I won't lie to you, Wei Chen. This is risk. Real risk. You could end up with nothing and have to start saving from scratch."
Wei Chen stared at the ledger. Numbers. Probabilities. Risk versus reward.
Forty silver invested. Six months of his work. His parents' gold plus his own savings.
If he lost it all, he'd be back to zero. Feng's training would be a year away instead of months.
But if it worked...
"I need to think about it," Wei Chen said.
"Smart. Take your time. Let me know in a three days." Liu returned to organizing. "But Wei Chen? Remember—fortune favors the bold. Sometimes the safe path is the slowest one."
Wei Chen walked home slowly, mind calculating probabilities.
Scenario A: Safe path
Keep working standard jobs
Three and a half months to save forty silver
Guaranteed progress, zero risk
Feng's training starts in four months
Scenario B: Investment
Risk forty silver in Liu's venture
70% chance of profit (20-30 silver gain)
20% chance of break-even (no gain, no loss)
10% chance of loss (lose some or all investment)
If successful: Feng's training in two months or less
If failure: back to zero, training a year away
Wei Chen's mind approached it like Elder Shen taught—methodically, analytically.
Expected value calculation:
70% × 30 silver profit = 21 silver expected gain
20% × 0 silver = 0
10% × -40 silver loss = -4 silver expected loss
Net expected value: +17 silver
Mathematically, the investment made sense. On average, he'd come out ahead.
But mathematics didn't account for need. He needed exactly forty silver. Coming out ahead "on average" didn't help if he ended up in that 10% failure category.
This wasn't just numbers. This was his parents' gold. Their hard-earned savings, given freely because they believed in him.
If he lost it...
Wei Chen stopped walking. Stood in the empty street, thinking.
What would Yun Hao do?
Yun Hao wouldn't need to invest. Yun Hao's family would just pay for the training. No risk necessary.
What would Merchant Liu do?
Liu would invest. Obviously. He'd calculate odds, manage risk, and act decisively.
What would Elder Shen advise?
Elder Shen would probably say: "Patience. Discipline. The sure path over the risky one."
But Wei Chen wasn't Yun Hao. Wasn't Elder Shen either.
He was someone trying to close a gap that widened every day his opponents had advantages he didn't.
Fortune favors the bold, Liu had said.
But boldness without calculation was just recklessness.
Wei Chen needed more information. Needed to understand exactly what Liu's success rate meant, what items they'd target, what contingencies existed.
He'd think about it. Sleep on it. Ask questions tomorrow.
Because this decision mattered. Maybe more than any decision he'd made since deciding to work in the first place.
Forty silver. His future. His chance.
He wouldn't rush it.
That night, Wei Chen lay awake, numbers swirling in his head.
70% success. 20% break-even. 10% failure.
His parents' gold. His six months of work. Everything riding on merchant's odds.
Is it worth it?
He didn't know yet.
But he'd decide soon.
Because standing still wasn't an option either.