The Path Forward

Lassim sat quietly in front of Sect Master Volten. 

The words, "What kind of fighter do you want to become," echoed in his thoughts, turning over and over as he tried to think about it. 

Volten's orange-tinted eyes watched Lassim with patience and expectation. The Sect Master had seen countless disciples rise to power over his many centuries of life, and he knew that the next step in Lassim's development would be one of the most critical.

"I… don't know where to start," Lassim finally admitted, his voice heavy with uncertainty.

Volten leaned back in his chair, his cloth-wrapped fingers tapping thoughtfully against the surface of his desk. "That's normal. Most cultivators who reach your stage have had centuries, even millennia, to figure out their techniques. You've had what? Nine years?"

"Less than that," Lassim said with a nervous chuckle.