Master Geifong and Lu Gao stood six feet away from each other, each with their eyes focused on the other. Lu Gao held a bokken – a wooden sword – in front of him, with chainmail-backed gloves protecting his hands. He looked calm and composed, a surprise considering his opponent held an actual Miao Dao, sharpened with care. It was obvious he trusted his master.
Master Geifong kept his Miao Dao in his scabbard for the time being, the hilt pointed up as the sword rested at his hip. Like always, Geifong kept his hands behind his back, placidly gazing at his student. "No Manifest Powers, no Divine Reach, just pure skill. Both I and the Savior will be able to tell if you break this rule. I will likewise be restricted."
Lu Gao nodded, his expression turning even more serious. They stood apart from each other for what felt like minutes, Lu Gao starting to sweat.
"BEGIN," yelled Geifong, who grabbed the hilt of his sword and threw it, sending the Miao Dao into the air, twirling. Lu Gao rushed in to close the distance, arriving just as the Miao Dao came back down, sliding into Geifong's palm as if it was always there.
Lu Gao jabbed at the master's throat with his bokken, and Geifong twirled the blade in a semi-circle, the flat of the blade resting against the side of the bokken. The jab was diverted, harmlessly passing Geifong's neck by scant inches as he slid his blade against the bokken, shoving the blade further away as his blade reached the mail-backed fingers of Lu Gao.
Sparks flew from the impact.
Lu Gao withdrew his sword before launching into a flurry of cuts, slashes, and stabs, each of which Geifong deflected with a spin of his sword or a twirl followed by a thrust. Admirably, Lu Gao managed to ward off each strike, sweeping upward to redirect a chopping slash from Geifong or parrying a thrust by pushing the flat of his bokken against the strike.
Geifong was a veritable whirlwind, every movement flowing into the next with ease as if he was the wind itself. Each motion was like a work of art; a perfect example of the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Most of his motions involved rotating the sword in some way, his hands gliding up and down the hilt to adjust for the necessary range of motion and strength.
Once, he spun his blade like the hand of a clock, bringing the blade from perpendicular above his head to parallel to his body, smacking away Lu Gao's bokken as he used the momentum to carry himself into a twist, stopping his blade a fraction of an inch away from the now-open right side of Lu Gao's person.
Every now and then, Geifong would switch to a one-handed grip to allow for the extra inches in reach it provided, letting him keep Lu Gao at bay but becoming vulnerable to Lu Gao's own two-handed attacks. The master chained a counterattack or block to every maneuver he implemented as if the entire fight was choreographed from the beginning.
In total, Master Geifong landed what would have been three hundred mortal blows in a real fight in under five minutes, with Lu Gao managing to strike three against his master. After they bowed to each other when the spar ended, Geifong showered the young man with praise for this feat, saying it was by far the greatest any student had managed against him.
He dismissed Lu Gao and turned to his audience. "Well, Savior, what did you think?"
"Extremely impressive, Master, although I am a bit confused as to why you threw your sword like that."
"Excellent eye. While it leaves the user vulnerable, most Miao Dao are too long to draw from the scabbard by oneself with ease. Short of having someone nearby to draw it for you, which will rarely happen in a battle, this is the quickest way to unsheathe one. That is why good instincts and an agile body are ideal for the blade, as those will keep you safe if you find yourself suddenly accosted.
"It is also important to note that while usable against swords, the Miao Dao works best against polearms, due to the emphasis on gliding the blade against the opponent's weapon that the martial art emphasizes. If Lu Gao was using a spear, for example, he would have been lucky to land even a single hit on me. As it is, he already beat the previous record by two. Truly, a student to be proud of.
"So, are you certain you wish to embark upon the journey of the Miao Dao? I will accept no less than your full effort."
Fate didn't need long to think it through. He placed his fist against his open palm and bowed. "Please, teach me the ways of the sword, Master."
"Rise," Geifong said, eyes twinkling. "Dinan, would you kindly reserve a Dilation Chamber for us?'"
"Of course, Master. Thank you for agreeing to teach the Savior." The princess bowed and hurried off, leaving the two of them alone.
Geifong placed his hands behind his back, another breeze ruffling his hair and giving him the appearance of a master of masters… or it would if his strange, halved face didn't ruin his image.
Fate worked up the nerve to ask about it. "Master, if I may ask without being rude…"
"Yes, yes, what is it?"
"Why do you have a beard on only half of your face?"
The surrounding froze. Every student in the garden stopped what they were doing and craned their necks, surely wanting to hear the answer to the question that had perplexed them for years.
Geifong smiled like a wise old man who had learned the secrets of the universe. "Two reasons. One, to reflect the two types of blades I have sworn my life to mastering. And two…"
Even the slight breeze froze in its track, the trees themselves seeming to lean inward to hear the secrets of the mystifying master.
The master's smile turned to a grin. "It looks pretty cool, doesn't it?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Fate was sure he saw a few of Geifong's students fainting.