Empyrean Rebirth |Jing Yuan & Dan Heng|

☾-Beyond the Skies-☽

If you're still sticking around with this fic, thanks for bearing with my inconsistent updates haha...

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Clang after clang after clang could be heard from inside the training hall of Exalting Sanctum. Though two swords kept clashing against each other in a low stakes spar, one of their minds wasn't completely in the room. It'd only been a couple of days since Jing Yuan had left and she was already missing his presence. Even as she was sparring with Yanqing, even as her sword deflected each of his blows, her mind was not in the moment.

A swing from above. A swing from below. A swing from the side. Her hand moved with ease to deflect each hit without having to think about it. That is until one of Yanqing's hits managed to knock her sword out of her hand, finally bringing her back to the present as she blinked a few times.

"What's got your attention today?" The young boy questioned while sheathing his sword. "You're not as focused as you usually are, Lady (Y/n)."

"Oh..." she softly responded while going to retrieve her sword. "I didn't realise I wasn't paying attention."

Yanqing scoffed, crossing his arms as he observed how completely out of it the princess was today.

"Does this have to do with the general leaving?"

As she shook her head she replied, "Yes, but... it's fine, nothing to worry about. We're supposed to be training right now, aren't we? I should be focusing on that right now." Yanqing rolled his eyes, giving her a 'you think?' look. She took a deep breath and raised her sword up, pointing the tip at him. "Then let us continue."

With a shrug, the young Cloud Knight unsheathed his sword and immediately summoned his six extra swords out of instinct. In an overwhelming flurry of ice, (Y/n) was just barely able to dodge the initial attack before being struck in the back by half of the ice swords. She let out a yelp and held her hand up to signal Yanqing to stop.

"What did I say about elemental powers today?"

Remembering what he had promised at the beginning of today's training, he sheepishly dismissed his six swords away, acting as if nothing had just happened.

"At least I've got your attention on swordplay now," he grinned, earning him a look of disapproval.

"Right idea... wrong execution," she sighed. "I suppose after that stunt you just pulled, now would be a good time to give you some feedback. Your brashness still shows when you brandish your sword. Stop showing off before the match even begins; opponents will mock you of your maturity as a swordsman."

"What do you mean?" The blonde groaned. "How am I still 'showing off?' Haven't I made any improvement from our first lesson?" The lady paused for a moment to think of her words.

"I have seen some improvement, but you need to keep your true skills hidden away at the beginning of a match," (Y/n) finally said. "I, as your instructor, know you better than other opponents you'll face who won't show you mercy. When you take your stance at the beginning of battle, you're giving yourself away already. Wipe that confident and arrogant grin off your face, hide that prideful aura of yours, and don't taunt the opponent with words only useful for feeding your own ego."

"...What is that even supposed to mean?"

"Do you know why I told you elemental powers were off limits today?" The lady sighed, purposely avoiding his question. When Yanqing shook his head she continued on. "In order to refine your swordsmanship, we need to first fix that... attitude of yours. You boast too much about how talented you are and yes, although you can back it up with the skills you've been working on for a long time, you need to be humble. I'm sure neither the previous Sword Champion nor the General go around flaunting how powerful they are, showing off their trump cards at every opportunity given, now do they?"