BAB3 -Chapter 18

# Chapter 18: Rising Phoenix

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Early the next morning, Xay woke to Kimi stirring atop him.

“Good morning, handsome,” she said with a smile, her head still resting on his chest.

“Morning, beautiful,” he replied with a contented grin.

She’d been so excited about her win the night before that she’d quite literally dragged him off to bed.

Not that he was complaining.

Xay had to even put up a *Force Ward* around the room to muffle the sound. She’d been especially eager.

Lexi had taken Dragon to spend the night in her room, teasing that the little one’s eyes didn’t need to see what was about to happen in Xay’s.

After a lingering kiss, Kimi pulled herself up to get ready for the day. Xay watched her head back to her room before pulling on more of the cream-colored martial clothing.

It wasn’t a hoodie, but it was super comfortable.

A smirking Lexi met him in the hall with Dragon by her side.

“How was your night?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows.

“You’re annoying,” Xay joked, stepping past her.

Lexi just laughed, following close beside him. Xay took a moment to admire her.

She filled out her qipao more than most—her ample bust pressed together in a way that made his mouth water.

Catching his gaze, Lexi gave a playful shimmy and blew him a kiss. “Come on, babe. Let’s get breakfast.”

Grandma Xiu, Ezra, and Amy had prepared another healthy egg scramble for everyone. Bowls were set up near the back exit so people could eat, wash up, and be on their way.

Ezra and Kimi’s spar the night before had caught the attention of each Hall Master.

Master Hui, Black Master of Dragon Hall, proudly staked a claim on Kimi—which suited Kimi just fine, as she’d only been interested in Tiger Style anyway.

But there was far more chatter over Ezra. For one, Grandmaster Wu had several questions about her skill and techniques.

The Master Grandmas, however, all insisted she needed better close combat training—something Xay couldn’t help but agree with.

Her spirits were very powerful, but she needed more than just her *Phantom Form* if someone—or something—ever got in close.

She had access to *Necrotic Edge*. So, with some form of in-depth martial dagger training, Ezra would be even more of a force.

***Necrotic Edge** - Coat the edge of a blade with necrosis, leaving flesh deteriorating wounds that cause damage over time.*

Xay wanted all of his friends to be as strong as possible. But he also enjoyed having Ezra around.

He wasn’t at all against adding her to his team, but that would probably have to wait until after they graduated from Cosmos.

Grandma Xiu eventually shooed the Martial Grandmas away and declared she’d be taking both Ezra and Amy under her wing. The arguments stopped after that.

After breakfast and some light greetings, everyone paired off and headed out for the day.

Kimi and Tyra took Valiant with them to Dragon Hall. Shifu Wu and Rox returned to Tortoise Hall, bringing Sasha and Sophia along with them.

The twins had been buzzing with excitement ever since Grandma Xiu gave them that bit of advice about the parasol and whisk.

It made Xay happy to see just how free they seemed here.

*Maybe they were never meant for the city. Their rotten family certainly never deserved them.* He thought.

Ezra and Amy stayed behind with Grandma Xiu, who warned Xay not to slack on his vital energy practice—or take on too much at once.

“I’ll do my best, Grandma Xiu,” he said with a silly grin, but quickly straightened up when she waved her rolling pin at him.

That thing was dangerous.

Lexi laughed as Xay and Dragon made a daring escape, teleporting into the air with spiraling twin Jetnir Orbs.

She met them in a swirl of darkness, and together they headed off to see what Phoenix Hall had to offer.

It only took a moment for Xay to notice that Willow was following just behind them.

“Oh, nice to see you, Willow,” he said jovially. “How’ve you been enjoying the place so far?”

She said nothing, not even glancing his way.

“Yeah, I thought you might say that,” he sighed.

“Why are you so obsessed with this?” Lexi asked, her brow furrowed. “She doesn’t talk.”

Xay scoffed. “You weren’t there. She’s fooling you all,” he said, shaking his head emphatically before slowly narrowing his eyes. “Not me, though. You can’t fool me.”

Dragon narrowed her eyes too—she had never fully trusted the owl in the first place.

Xay laughed in a mock manic glee as Willow wholly ignored them both.

Lexi shook her head. “Weirdo.”

As they approached, Xay felt the wind picking up all around them. Several streams swept across the peak, blowing in different and converging directions.

There were also more airborne non-Awakened in the area—monks and nuns leaping great distances and falling far more slowly than they should.

It wasn’t full flight or even Air Walking; there were brief steps on hard surfaces between long stretches. It was an elegant kind of gliding.

Xay slowly descended with intention, not wanting to be hurled out again for using *Psychic Blink* to enter.

Beyond the red bannered outer wall and arches was a stark contrast to what he’d seen at Dragon Hall just the day before.

Built directly into the mountainside lining the peak were three distinct pagodas emblazoned with the imagery of eagles, Lesser Phoenixes, and cranes, respectively.

There were open-air pavilions, but instead of spreading out flatly, the spaces rose upward in a mesmerizing display of verticality.

Each pavilion chamber varied in height and total number of levels. Phoenix Chamber was by far the tallest with the most platforms.

Its highest reaches had no floor at all—only swirls of wind for those skilled enough to ride them.

Eagle Chamber, to the right, stood second in height but had fewer platforms than Crane Chamber on the far left.

Xay noticed that far more women trained here than men. Even the children’s pagoda held only three boys, each performing deep stretches.

Lexi broke away, gravitating toward the Crane Chamber, while Willow fixed her gaze on the Eagle Chamber with silent intensity.

The lower sections of the Crane Chamber featured practitioners balancing on tall wooden poles set into the ground. The poles were barely wide enough for a single foot, demanding impeccable balance and precise movement.

In contrast, the lower pavilions of the Eagle Chamber emphasized jumping and leaping—monks and nuns moved in and out of range like the ebb and flow of an aerial tide.

As Xay let his eyes sweep over the platforms, identifying notifications began to appear atop his vision.

**Fighting Style Identified: Imperial Eagle Style Kung Fu (Basic).**

**Fighting Style Identified: Heavenly Phoenix Style Kung Fu (Basic).**

**Fighting Style Identified: White Crane Style Kung Fu (Basic).**

Xay snorted. *Of course, Willow likes the one ‘Imperial’ style.*

“Impressive, isn’t it?” a silky smooth voice around Xay, carried on the wind.

Master Mei, Red Master of Phoenix Hall, had appeared just above him. The body-length sleeves of her red and gold qipao billowed gracefully in the breeze.

Xay’s *Extrasensory Perceptions* had only just caught her presence seconds before she spoke.

From this angle, he could just make out the open-winged, red phoenix tattoo on her right leg.

Remembering himself, Xay quickly placed a hand over his fist and bowed four times.

She let out an amused little chuckle. “You don’t need to be so stuffy here,” she said, opening her ornate hand fan to cover her mouth. “I’m not Hui.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Xay shrugged.

“I also have no intention of punishing you for your actions on the first day,” she continued with a laugh. “I’m sure you’ve had enough of that already.”

Xay rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, trying not to think too hard about it.

“Besides,” Master Mei went on, “here in Phoenix Hall, we praise those who reach for the skies. Come.”

With a small gust of wind, she swept Xay and Dragon up, pulling them along with her toward Phoenix Chamber.

Xay looked around helplessly. The other pavilions were too spread out for anyone to notice what was happening.

He sighed. She’d said she wasn’t Master Hui, but getting pulled away the moment he stepped through the arches gave him a strong sense of déjà vu.

At least the ride was nicer this time. It was far smoother.

Master Mei effortlessly carried them to the very top of Phoenix Chamber.

From a distance, Xay hadn’t noticed the petite woman seated in midair, deep in meditation.

She wore red martial robes similar to Master Mei’s, and her long red hair was tied into a massive, multi-layered bun atop her head.

Her eyes popped open as they approached. “Greetings, Master Mei… and the Infamous One.”

Xay sucked his teeth. *Not the best name to have already.*

Master Mei laughed musically. “This is my Daitu, Meng. Meng, this is my granddaughter’s Tudi—he goes by Xay.”

Xay gave a small wave, still suspended by Master Mei’s wind stream. Watching him closely, she let go.

He dipped for only a second before catching himself—standing on air as if it were solid stone. Dragon flapped her butterfly wings once, effortlessly hovering in place.

Master Mei snapped her fan shut with a sharp crack. “I witnessed this ability from afar, but I wanted a closer look. You stand on air through aura alone?”

Xay shrugged. “Bloodline Talent.”

“Remarkable,” she said, flashing a sharp, predatory grin that made Xay slightly recoil.

“You shall learn my arts,” she continued, completely ignoring his reaction. “But first, you move too stiffly. Your Poise is high, but your body needs far more range-of-motion conditioning. Meng, stretch him. Hold nothing back.”

Before Xay could react, emerald-colored cords of mana snapped into place around his elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles.

**Technique Identified: Cord Bind.**

***Cord Bind** - Bind targets with weaved cords of mana.*

Master Mei watched on patiently as Meng proceeded to knead Xay’s body like dough—boneless, tendon-less, jointless, muscle-less dough.

She pulled, twisted, pushed, twisted, rotated, twisted—some things Xay couldn’t even identify—and then twisted some more.

With a bored expression, Meng forced him into every kind of split imaginable, then pushed each one into deep oversplits before making his knees bend in the same motion.

She pushed him past the edge, but made sure not to go far enough to break anything.

Xay was sure he’d be at least three inches taller by the end of it.

His little traitor of a companion left him to suffer in the hands of sadistic madwomen, floating down to hang with Lexi as she practiced Crane Style archery.

But Xay pressed on, gritting his teeth as he was pulled in ways that surely defied biology.

His shin shouldn’t be close enough to his face to lick.. Right?

Keeping mana flowing throughout his body helped him adapt quickly, thanks to his high Poise.

But maintaining vital energy breathing seemed to ease the process even further.

Xay balanced it all with *Zen Meditation* on his second cognitive thread, finally lapsing into a calm acceptance.

After an hour and a half—though it felt much longer—Master Mei snapped her fan open, then shut again, the sharp sound grabbing their attention.

“That’s enough. Meng, on me. Phoenix Style demonstration. Just watch for now, Xay.”

The cords around Xay’s limbs dissipated, and he slumped down. His body felt like warm mush—loosened, flexible mush, but mush all the same.

Master Mei and Meng faced each other, then clashed in a whirl of motion.

Each strike was superseded by a full spin. There were no hard blocks, only fluid counters that redirected blows down and around.

Their movements were elegant and graceful—almost hypnotic.

Every step was a sweeping one, and the flowing transitions between stances seemed more important than the stances themselves.

Xay quickly found himself immersed in the beauty of it all.

The two powerful women moved around each other in a delicate dance of punches and kicks that was equal parts poetry and combat.

Master Mei circled her arm swiftly, letting her loose sleeve coil around Meng’s wrist before pulling sharply.

Meng didn’t resist. Instead, she let herself be drawn in, rotating her body 180 degrees and kicking her leg high over her own head.

Master Mei spun around the kick, sweeping her leg out wide in a standing half-split.

Meng responded with a twisting backflip as Master Mei whirled like a top.

All of it took place midair, seamlessly incorporating the wind into every motion.

It was high-level combat designed specifically for midair. All power came from sweeping rotation rather than pushing off the ground.

The need for extreme flexibility became blindingly obvious—without it, you’d either fall or fail to generate enough power to fight effectively.

Xay had become so engrossed in their demonstration that he didn’t even notice Dragon reappear at his side.

“Now it’s your turn,” Master Mei said, drawing her fan once more. “Your Bloodline Talent allows you to skip the ‘Gain Your Wings’ process—but don’t think that means you can skip the early forms. Begin.”

Meng then led Xay and Dragon through the opening stances, allowing them to grow familiar with the sweeping arcs before transitioning into the full forms.

Wings Spread Across the Horizon; Sky Pierces Feather Tail; Butterfly’s Flight Over Five Peaks.

Xay cleared his mind and focused on the motions, whipping his limbs through the air and letting his hands and feet guide his momentum.

As Meng gave verbal and visual instruction, Master Mei offered physical corrections with precise taps of her fan.

Ascent Past Lotus Tower; Two Winds Chase the Sun; Swallow Hooks a Falling Star; Spiraling Plume Ignites the Hollow Sky.

The movements felt entirely foreign to Xay. In many ways, Phoenix Style was a direct opposite of Dragon Style.

He wasn’t used to such openness and fluidity. To perform the stances correctly, there could be no rigidity in his muscles at all.

You struck with the air itself.

It took a bit longer than usual, but after several repetitions, Xay managed to grasp the beginner forms.

His Innate Talent and second Sphere Skill once again pulled more than their combined weight.

Dragon, on the other hand, was not a fan of all the spinning.

She gave him one of the most unimpressed looks he’d ever seen from her. Xay tried his best not to laugh.

“You learn extremely quickly,” Master Mei commented with a sharp grin. “We can move right into Intermediate Forms.”

Xay grimaced. “While I’d love that, I promised to meet with Tyra and check out Tortoise Hall.”

Master Mei’s perfectly manicured eyebrow twitched, ever so slightly.

She cleared her throat and lifted her fan to hide her mouth. “Yes, one must keep their prior engagements,” she said sweetly.

“But do come back,” she added, her tone dropping several octaves as she eyed both Xay and Dragon. “There is much yet for you both to learn.”

“Of course,” Xay replied, slowly drifting away with Dragon. “Thanks for teaching us. We’ll be back soon.”

Once they were a safe distance away, Xay glanced at Dragon. “She might actually be scarier than Master Hui.”

“Excuse me?” Master Mei’s voice drifted gently on the breeze.

“Nothing!” Xay blurted, immediately teleporting away.

He reappeared near the entry arches and waved goodbye to Lexi before heading toward Dragon Hall.

A short, *Psychokinesis*-assisted sprint through the air brought him to the hall’s outer walls, where Tyra was waiting, quietly tending to a cluster of plants.

“Hey, you,” Xay called out with a grin, catching her attention. “Need a ride?”

Tyra looked up, a bright smile spreading across her face. “How about a race instead?”

Before Xay could answer, she shot into the air on a gust of wind and took off.

Xay tore after her, hurling himself through the air.

Laughing, Tyra slipped ahead, twisting the wind behind her to push him back and slow him down.

Xay teleported around her, reappearing out front just as they reached the peak housing Tortoise Hall.

“Total cheater!” Tyra laughed.

“You cheated first,” Xay shot back, chuckling.

“Fine, then the race was a tie,” Tyra said, pushing past him.

“What? I clearly won.”

“Nah.”

The two playfully bickered as Dragon caught up. Then, they finally entered the hall, fully taking in all the new sights and sounds before them.