Empyrean Rebirth |Jing Yuan & Dan Heng|

☾-Swords Clash-☽

"I have a new trainer for you," said the white haired general with a smile as he gestured to the lady next to him. "Though you have already met briefly, I would like to introduce you again to Lady (Y/n), a princess from one of the six palace grounds of the Xianzhou Alliance."

"General Jing Yuan!" (Y/n) scolded by saying his entire title. "You didn't need to out me like that," she muttered quietly to him with a frown.

Chuckling, Jing Yuan simply replied, "Worry not. You have my word that Yanqing will not speak of your status of being a princess. I've taught him better than to do such things."

"I hope you know that I'm putting all my trust in you, else this will seriously cause problems for me..."

"Ahem..." Yanqing cleared his throat to let the two adults know that he was still present. "I don't mean to be rude, general, but a princess? Training me? A princess isn't skilled enough to train a future sword champion, much less even wield a sword! And, I already have the best master anyone could ever ask for: a Xianzhou legend; the general of the Cloud Knights of the Luofu!" He said this with much pride and arrogance that (Y/n) almost wanted to speak up and tell him off for assuming such things about her before the general himself beat her to it.

"Yanqing, that is no way to speak about a lady like that," he spoke in a stern voice that reminded her of how her own father would chastise her whenever she misbehaved. It brought a feeling of nostalgia, but as much as she loved them both, there was no way she was returning. The Luofu was her new home until the marriage fiasco was dropped. "Princess or not, Lady (Y/n) should be given a chance to show off her worth in a spar which demonstrates what abilities she has."

To this the blonde haired knight scoffed, but listened to his master's words anyways. Golden eyes that were not as glamorous as Jing Yuan's met the lady's (h/c) irises as Yanqing sheathed his sword and walked up to the tall general, looking up at him.

"Fine. I'll spar with her, but if she doesn't impress then there's no way I'll train with her no matter how skilled she is. She's a princess after all," Yanqing glanced over at the young woman before continuing. "Princesses aren't meant for waving around the same weapons warriors do."

Sighing in slight disappointment, Jing Yuan gave an apologetic look to (Y/n) as he went into a hallway to open up a cabinet filled with spare swords. After inspecting the array of options there were, he returned to the large training room with a simple yet elegant sword that looked too nice to be just a mere training sword. He handed the weapon to (Y/n) who quickly admired the blade before heading towards the centre of the room where Yanqing was waiting with his sword ready in hand.

She took in a deep breath and exhaled, preparing herself to fight. From behind, Jing Yuan told them to prepare and raise their swords. As the two raised their swords at each other, a sudden gust of cold air coming from Yanqing's direction hit her in the face.

"You're no match for me," he said with a grin. Of course, she just had to be at a disadvantage having no ability to wield any element. Still, she wouldn't let that stop her. All she had to do was recall all the training she and her mother did back home behind her father's back and surely it would be enough.

"Swords at the ready... fight!" Jing Yuan's voice filled the room to start the match.

Out of seemingly thin air, Yanqing quickly summoned six swords made of ice and directed them at (Y/n) with his sword. Upon being hit and stumbling back, the young boy moved forward with another smaller scale attack which she scrambled to deflect. There was no doubt in her mind that this fight would definitely be a challenge. None of the training her mother had put her through would've ever prepared her for facing off against an opponent who wielded elemental power.