13 Chapter 12: Master and master?

The plan that Azula and I had devised together was starting to work. Gathering some rumors, which I supplemented with my knowledge of the canon, we were able to gain some insight into Piandao's character even before meeting him. Azula had no trouble piquing his interest with her remarkable intellect. I could observe Azula's intelligence, cunning, and excellent acting skills from the front row as she followed the master to the stone garden.

Everything was going according to plan; all that remained for the princess was to perform well during the sparring session.

Most of the plan had been devised by her, and I merely refined and smoothed out some of the sharper edges. Starting an acquaintance with demonstrations of status and hints at threats wasn't the best idea, but Azula rarely acted differently. She impressed with her quick wit, but at the same time, her flaws that hindered her from living and developing saddened me. Childhood traumas were showing their full colors.

If only she didn't have these weaknesses, my task would have been much more difficult. However, one cannot remain indifferent when witnessing her diligence, dedication, and brilliance. Yes, like any person, Azula had both positive and negative qualities that made her personality quite unique, but undoubtedly, she deserved at least respect.

During my time within her, I achieved considerable success. I learned a lot about this world and the workings of life energy, Chi, within a person's body, all while continuing to study my own spiritual life and self-improvement as a spirit. Yes, I wasn't idle while residing within Azula, even though it might have appeared that way from the outside. Let Azula continue to think that I do nothing while she sleeps. However, she is a clever girl, and she probably suspects something.

I doubt she would appreciate the fact that I review her memories of her entire life when she has dreams. Well, they weren't exactly dreams, but rather deep memories that she might not even remember. I had almost exposed myself when I had just started doing this. Thankfully, I had quickly figured everything out and didn't wake her during her dreams. It was doubly fortunate that her brain automatically erased, or in this case, placed back her deep memories that I extracted and viewed from the depths of her mind, like immersive movies. Thanks to this, I was able to learn so much about the Fire Nation and its people in just a few days at sea. However, watching someone's memories made time feel somewhat different. In one night, I could easily review several decades of her life.

Forcing Azula to go to Piandao was the best idea that had come to mind. Having gained the much-needed time, I began to act, and now I was reaping the rewards of my efforts. My spiritual vision, which used to only allow me to observe Azula and all the processes happening within her body, as well as see her aura, had expanded significantly. Now, after numerous experiments, training sessions, and experiments, this ability allowed me to see the world much more broadly. I could even see through material objects like walls; this was just a small part of my spiritual vision's capabilities. It now enabled me to see other people, their auras, heartbeats, breathing, and, most importantly, the flow of Chi within their bodies.

Comparing Azula's Chi with other Firebenders, I noticed many differences. It was these differences— in their breathing, energy flows, the presence of vortices or accumulations of Chi, the diversity in the quality of energy pools, and the way energy circulated through their bodies—that made Azula stand out. These differences made her stronger than all the Firebenders I had observed, not to mention her strong genes, intelligence, and extensive training. From my perspective, she was already on par with her father, if not very close. And in terms of energy, she far surpassed even Azula, which was attributed to her more potent blue flames.

Previously, I had never seen a more refined Chi structure than what was present in Azula. I had considered what I saw to be ideal or something close to it. However, now, as I observed Piandao, I realized my initial assessment was flawed. What was happening within the true master's body was far superior and of higher quality compared to Azula's Chi system. There was nothing excessive, everything was simple and without errors. Chi flowed through the sword master like an ideal, flawlessly functioning mechanism that had no imperfections, squeezing out exactly what the situation demanded without making a sound or wasting a drop of energy in vain.

If we imagine Chi as a flowing river that winds its way along the entire course, Azula's Chi flowed slowly in some places, quickly in others, and sometimes too erratically, forming whirlpools in some areas and lingering due to unnecessary obstructions in others. Azula's river was still pure and suitable for drinking, possibly even tasty, but not as perfect as Piandao's. The master looked like an ideal, with his river flowing much simpler—without whirlpools or unnecessary obstructions—perfectly smoothly throughout its course, neither slowing down nor speeding up. Even his body, despite his old age, looked remarkably young.

Comparing their energetics, I tried to remember all the differences between the two recognized geniuses so that I could recreate the same, if not better, energy structure for myself once I had resolved the issues with my body.

Meanwhile, Piandao, along with Azula and the butler, stepped into the back yard of the castle, where the stone garden was located, as well as a convenient sand-covered area for training and sparring. Oh, what was about to happen now! I could clearly sense something was going on, and the hawk that had been perched on Princess Azula's shoulder left, flying to the nearest wall. How I wished to witness their life energy in action during the battle!

"Show me everything you're capable of," they stood facing each other. The Master's Chi began to move several times faster. He was ready for the fight, while from Azula, I sensed an excessive self-assuredness, but her Chi also accelerated. She did not consider him a serious opponent, which was a grave mistake.

"Absolutely do not underestimate him; he's much stronger than you can imagine," I decided to help the girl not completely lose face.

"As you wish, Master," Azula replied confidently and immediately launched an attack.

A blue fireball shot towards Piandao. For a moment, his eyes widened in surprise, but his body's reflexes easily allowed him to dodge the attack, and his combat experience guided him on how to counterattack.

Having failed in her initial attack, Azula was forced to dodge the sand that was flying in her direction from a simple sword swing. She managed to save one eye; the counterattack was too sharp. The Master did not hesitate and immediately followed with a lunge.

Closing the distance instantly, Piandao did not allow her to create fire. Dodging the direct lunge, Azula did not expect the attack to continue. However, that was exactly what the Master did, attempting to strike with the hilt of his sword. Rolling backward, she evaded again. She glanced toward her opponent and caught yet another wave of sand in her eyes.

Blinded!

Azula didn't lose her composure; she immediately created a fire shield and, with another movement, turned it into a fiery wave. She directed it towards the Master. Unable to see anything, she continued to hurl fire arcs one after another in the direction where the Master might be. Unlike the princess, I could clearly see how he easily evaded the blind attacks, gradually increasing the distance between himself and his opponent, wary of the hot flames.

On the fifth blind attack, Azula decided to wipe her eyes with one hand while continuing to attack with the other. It was precisely at this moment that Piandao chose to strike.

"Ouch!" she squeaked like a girl and fell to the ground, feeling a sharp pain in her forehead. The strike from the hilt of Piandao's sword had hit her. Unperturbed, she immediately got up, preparing to continue defending herself.

"That's enough. Wipe your eyes, and we'll continue," the master said to his opponent.

Both of them froze in place, and after a moment of contemplation, Azula began wiping her eyes, trying to restore her vision and get rid of the sand. Everyone understood that instead of the sheath, the master's sword could have come flying, ending the fight with her death. Less than a minute had passed, and the brilliant princess tasted defeat. Piandao was a genius and a true master of his craft, rumored to have never lost to anyone. Only by seeing him in battle did I believe that he could defeat even a hundred mages with the support of an army.

Taking advantage of her overconfidence, he had defeated the Firebending and close combat master with effortless ease. Azula simply couldn't make use of her skills, and Piandao had expertly deprived her of her sight with a simple but incredibly fast move, making efficient use of the terrain. It was simple and brilliant, and I was greatly impressed by his swift victory over the brilliant princess. Unfortunately for her, she lacked experience in battling various opponents, while Piandao had experience hundreds of times over.

"I did warn you not to underestimate him. Get up and continue; show your determination and resolve. No matter how many times you fall, the most important thing is to get up and keep fighting!" I decided to encourage Azula, guiding her on how to act. But could she cope with the humiliation and her own anger?

"I must say, your skills don't impress me much," the man remarked with a hint of disappointment as he picked up his sheaths, holding them in his free hand.

"Don't make excuses; assume your stance!" I advised Azula, sensing her boiling anger.

"I wasn't ready," the girl aggressively replied, unaccustomed to defeat and battles with such cunning opponents.

"A true warrior is always ready for battle, not to mention a master. If you see an advantage, use it. You mentioned that you consider yourself a master where you come from?" He played on her pride and overconfidence, sensing her arrogance, and decided to test how well she would control herself in battle.

"Oh, after such words, don't expect any mercy from me," Azula replied with a smirk as she got up from the sand.

"Reining in your emotions in a battle with me? You're either trying to insult me or excessively confident. It would be an honor for me to die in battle. Try to kill me if you want to win!" Adding some grandeur to his speech, he assumed a combat stance.

"As you wish, master," Azula adopted her unique Firebending stance, which was more effective than the standard Firebender stances.

The sun's rays warmed the grass and the earth, and the wind howled in the distance. In an instant, the battle began.

This time, Azula didn't allow herself to be caught off guard by dirty tricks. She focused entirely on the duel, expecting anything. It was much harder for Piandao to catch her off guard. Several attempts to blind her with sand were unsuccessful. Using fire to keep her opponent at bay, Azula felt her superiority. However, Master Piandao dodged incredibly quickly, and none of her attacks even grazed him. But he didn't rush to throw his sword at her either, lacking alternative long-range attacks. Instead, he started provoking her and mocking her slow attacks.

"Not fast enough. Are you here to show off or to fight?" the master taunted, effortlessly evading attacks, whether they were fiery blades, arcs of fire, or simple fireballs. Piandao was too quick for her fire.

"Just a simple provocation; don't pay attention to it. Watch his movements," I encouraged my princess as she continued to face the greatest swordsman in the country. However, it wasn't really necessary; the girl herself understood everything perfectly.

"Skills like yours would be more suitable for the circus! Maybe you should reconsider becoming a warrior? Being a circus performer seems to suit you much better," the master continued to provoke.

Externally, Azula remained calm and composed, but I could feel her anger bubbling within. Although her anger didn't seem to hinder her during the fight, she clearly disliked the master's fighting style. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do about it, and her attacks continued to miss their mark.

This continued until Azula created a fire dagger and moved in for close combat. She fought quite impressively in close quarters. However, despite her youthful strength, acrobatics, and agility, Piandao continued to hold his ground, giving her a worthy challenge. Skillfully dodging each other's strikes, they engaged in this dance, swiftly moving across the sandy arena.

Two masters were battling on equal footing, although I could see that Piandao was holding back slightly, not revealing everything he was capable of. It was a captivating spectacle, watching the flow of their chi systems at work. The battle was both beautiful and dangerous, and it seemed like they were evenly matched, with no one knowing who would emerge victorious. But unexpectedly...

"Phew!" A successful spit in the eyes was accompanied by a blow from the hilt of the sword. Azula found herself once again in the sand, blinded and humiliated. The master's dirty move had worked on the princess once more.

"Get up! Don't you dare give up, get up!" I encouraged the princess, wanting to watch the battle and the chi of both participants a bit longer. However, she didn't need my encouragement and got up on her own.

Standing up, Azula wiped her eyes again and prepared for battle. Ignoring the pain, suppressing her emotions, she was ready to fight and learn. Once again, the cycle repeated itself: fire, evasions, close combat...

This time, Azula was deadly serious. Driving the master back with her fire, she decided to use lightning. Piandao had no time to react, despite the somewhat lengthy process of creating lightning; it took her a few seconds to release the deadly magic that knew no barriers. The master simply threw his sword in front of him, and the lightning hit it, dissipating into the sand. Azula hadn't expected this turn of events at all...

"Your mastery of lightning leaves much to be desired. It takes too much time to create it. Nothing would stop me from throwing my sword at you and ending the fight," the master slowly approached his sword, pulling it out of the sand with a single motion.

"Shall we continue?"

The next half hour of the battle was less colorful.

Azula used everything she knew, wanting to defeat and humiliate her opponent, but Piandao easily held his own against the agile girl. Although she didn't use lightning again, her arsenal was vast even without it. The princess put up a worthy fight, using all her combat experience and her training in firebending and hand-to-hand combat, but it wasn't enough to win. She began to learn and think more broadly. She managed to blind the master with sand once, but he quickly countered by knocking her to the ground, either through a form of spiritual vision similar to mine or an exceptionally keen sense of hearing—whichever it was, it was impressive.

In any case, the battle continued for quite a while. Throughout this time, Azula fell into the sand quite often, but she kept getting up, showing her determination and resilience. Ignoring the bruises, bruises, and injuries she sustained. There was one moment when she even managed to defeat the master, knocking him to the ground thanks to a distracting maneuver involving a hairpin. This marked the end of their sparring, with the first victory going to the princess, who took her friend Ty Lee's name. I don't want to think about how many times Azula suffered defeat and ended up in the sand.

"Ha, I suppose that's enough. It seems old age is catching up with me," the master said calmly, rising from the sand and sheathing his sword, signaling the end of the duel.

"I didn't notice that it hindered you in any way from defeating me," Azula calmly replied, a bit stung by the master's words. She had won due to her skills, cunning, ability to learn, and find solutions to any situation, not because Piandao was being slowed down by age.

"True. How old are you, Ty Lee?"

"I turned fourteen a couple of weeks ago, Master."

"You're young and already so skilled. I'm impressed with your abilities. I suppose you dispatch the city's masters much faster and easier?"

"That's correct."

"Their low standards of mastery haven't changed at all. Do you still wish to learn the art of swordsmanship under my tutelage?"

"It worked out, didn't..." but Azula wouldn't even listen to me, answering on her own.

"Yes. In just one fight with you, I've learned a lot, including not to underestimate opponents who don't wield bending. Our duel has only strengthened my belief that I can learn something new and valuable from you. Please, become my mentor," Azula replied with conviction, maintaining an icy calmness within herself. She was indeed a superb actress.

"After our fight, I've seen enough qualities of a promising future warrior in you. I will become your master..."

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