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The swords slept.
For the first time in months, the terraces of Cloud-Ridge glistened without the flash of steel. Weapons lay sheathed along the wall, dew collecting on their hilts. A thin mist curled across the stones, and the morning bells sounded deeper than before, as if echoing inside the mountain's ribs.
Ria stood barefoot in the courtyard, feeling the cool surface beneath her soles. The twin cores within her glowed softly—two suns breathing in rhythm. Since mastering the Mirror of Blades, their light had settled into calm strength, waiting for a new path.
Instructor Kao walked between the rows of students. "Today," she said, "we put down the sword. The weapon was always a mirror of the body. Now we polish the mirror itself."
Ren whispered from behind Ria, "Does that mean punching things?"
"Probably," she murmured, smiling.
Kao's gaze caught them both. "It means understanding things before you punch them. Form Five—The Flow of Hands."
---
They bowed. The practice began in silence.
Kao demonstrated: a slow raising of palms, elbows folding, the body turning with breath. Each motion looked effortless but carried a hidden pulse of qi that rippled outward like invisible water.
"Feel the current beneath your skin," she instructed. "Your body is the river; your will, the wind guiding it."
Ria closed her eyes and reached inward. The twin cores responded instantly, spinning faster. Qi flooded her veins, tracing every muscle, every joint. When she moved, the air followed—gentle at first, then circling her in a faint breeze.
> Martial-Skill Progress — 0 % → 4 %
Dual Rate Protocol Active.
The Boundless System's voice returned, richer than she remembered.
> New Title Unlocked — "Harmonic Combat Synthesizer."
Effect: Increases proficiency + comprehension of martial techniques.
All nearby cultivators gain × 4 growth and + 4 % skill each chapter.
A gentle pulse radiated from her body, invisible but unmistakable. Around her, students straightened unconsciously; their breathing synchronised; movements smoothed. The whole terrace began to move as one tide.
Kao stopped mid-motion, eyes narrowing in awe. "The mountain breathes again," she whispered.
---
The lesson deepened. Ria's hands flowed in patterns that no one had taught her, tracing spirals that seemed to fold space itself. Each strike ended not in impact but in dissolution—the energy leaving her palms drifted outward, meeting the motions of others and merging peacefully.
Ren tried to imitate her. His first attempt produced a burst of wind that knocked over three practice dummies.
"Too much river, not enough wind," Ria called, laughing.
He wiped sweat from his brow. "I'm all current, no control!"
"Then listen to the water, not your panic."
---
Hours passed. The morning light turned golden; the air thickened with power. Disciples who had struggled for weeks now found their rhythm within minutes. Every stance, every pivot connected through Ria's expanding field. Even the older masters moved more freely, their decades of rigidity melting into fluid grace.
> Martial-Skill Progress — 4 % → 8 % → 12 %.
Group Enhancement Field × 4 Stable.
Kao circled them, astonished. "It's as if each of you has trained for a year in a day."
Hanzo appeared at the terrace's edge, leaning on his staff. "Discipline and harmony. A dangerous combination," he said softly, though a smile tugged at his lips.
Kao turned to him. "It isn't danger—it's transformation."
---
Ria's focus sharpened. She felt every heartbeat in the courtyard, her own pulse weaving between them. When she struck forward, her qi connected with the others', guiding their momentum. A hundred hands moved with hers; a hundred breaths exhaled together.
The mist above the tiles thickened, swirling upward until it formed a translucent dome. Within it, the students moved like figures inside a water bubble, each motion pushing the next.
Ren, finally catching the rhythm, shouted through the haze, "We're swimming on land!"
"Don't fight the current," Ria called back.
"Not fighting—floating!"
He twisted mid-spin, using the air's resistance to flip gracefully. The class broke into laughter, energy rising higher.
> Martial-Skill Progress — 12 % → 16 % → 20 %.
Comprehension Level + 40 % (Collective).
The System hummed approval.
> Observation: User achieving Full Body Qi Integration.
Potential Arc Unlocked — Elemental Motion.
---
As the day waned, Kao ordered a final drill. "Pair off. Let your flows meet. No contest—only conversation."
Ria faced Ren again. They bowed, then moved. Their hands brushed, turned, circled; each contact sent ripples of qi through the air. The energy between them glowed faintly—silver from her, gold from him. Sparks of shared motion.
He grinned. "You're not going easy this time."
"Was I supposed to?"
Their movements quickened, still gentle but precise. When their palms met at the end, a pulse of power burst outward, scattering petals from the nearby plum trees. None fell to the ground—they floated, suspended in the glowing current.
Kao clapped once. "Enough."
The petals settled slowly. "That," she said, voice hushed, "is dialogue."
---
Evening descended. The sect gathered on the lower terrace to meditate. A low hum rose as hundreds of cultivators circulated qi through limbs newly awakened. Ria sat among them, feeling every motion echo through her own body.
> Martial-Skill Progress — 20 % → 24 % → 28 %.
Group Understanding × 4.
The Boundless System's whisper followed.
> Stage One — Martial Integration Complete.
Comprehension Enhanced by Harmonic Field (Stable).
Projected Collective Growth: + 4 % per chapter.
She opened her eyes. The night air shimmered faintly, filled with residual energy from the day's practice. It looked like a constellation hovering just above the ground—each star a student, each light pulsing in time with hers.
Ren leaned back on his hands. "You know, at this rate we'll reach godhood before lunch."
"Then lunch will have to wait," she said, smiling.
---
Later, after the others had gone, Ria remained alone beneath the moon. She practised the new form slowly, hands tracing arcs that left trails of pale fire. The energy coiled around her, shaping invisible patterns—one that looked almost like a fox leaping through starlight.
The System spoke once more, voice quieter than the wind.
> New Ability: Symphonic Body — Allows qi circulation through multiple participants.
Personal Advancement Rate: × 2 (maintained).
Martial-Skill Progress — 28 % → 32 % → 36 %.
Progress Log: Chapter 33 of 1 000 +.
Ria lowered her hands and looked over the sleeping mountain. The air was still, yet she could feel every disciple's slow, steady breath. Each pulse of life echoed within her—hundreds of hearts forming a single rhythm.
"The sword taught us precision," she murmured. "The body teaches connection."
A faint shimmer answered from the valley, as if the very world had heard.
She smiled, eyes bright with the reflection of moonlight on mist. "Then the next lesson," she said softly, "will teach us flight."
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