Chapter 13: Bending and Chi

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

In response to the master's resolute answer, Azula slightly inclined her head, acknowledging Piandao's mastery.

"It's a great honor. I will put forth all my efforts to ensure your time is not wasted," she replied respectfully, maintaining the persona of Ty Lee. Whether she was lying at this moment or not was impossible for anyone to know for sure.

"Good words. From this moment on, your training in the art of wielding cold weapons begins. We shall start right away, but first, you need to freshen up and..." Piandao glanced at his steward, who had been observing the duel all this time.

"Fat, please be so kind as to bring my student one of the training blunt swords," the steward bowed with an unruffled expression and left to retrieve the sword. During the course of the fight, he had ceased to be amazed at the girl's mastery, which surpassed all other potential apprentices Piandao had encountered in his life.

"Don't linger on this; he's probably testing how resilient you are. You can make yourself look perfect before bedtime or in the morning, but not right now," the spirit's voice echoed in the girl's head.

At this moment, Azula took her ring from the sand, which she had used earlier to secure her victory, and fashioned a simple ponytail to keep her hair out of her face during further training. To prevent her hair from obstructing her vision, she had to shake the sand out of her clothes and hair. Finished with that, she turned to the master.

"Master, I am ready for my lessons."

Piandao had been observing her actions with a calm demeanor all this time.

"Excellent," the sight of her preparations brought a smile to his face. "Follow me."

They moved a bit farther from the castle, closer to the rock garden where another platform lay, adorned with a white lotus tile at its center. Standing in the middle, the master drew his sword. With the scabbard in his left hand and the sword in his right, he began to speak.

"First and foremost, you must remember that the weapon is an extension of yourself. Treat it as a long and sharp extension of your arm. A swordsman always knows the length of his blade and the distance to his target," Piandao explained while demonstrating smooth sword movements with sharp lunges and evasions to emphasize his words.

"A sword may be a simple weapon, but in the hands of a master, it becomes deadly. Just as boundless as your imagination, so are the possibilities of the sword. During our fight, you may have noticed how I used my weapon in unconventional ways. That was just a small part of what a sword can do, and I have mastered it. The surroundings play a significant role in battle. Everything that surrounds you is important, just like your imagination. The tiniest detail can become crucial in determining the outcome of a fight..." Piandao continued, sharing his wisdom and experience with Ty Lee, who listened attentively, committing both his words and movements to memory. She mentally visualized their meanings and applications in combat.

Piandao spoke a great deal of wisdom and insight, and even the spirit chose to listen silently without interjecting any acerbic comments amidst the master's words. After a brief speech, during which Fat brought a sword to the girl, practical lessons began. Guided by her instructor, Ty Lee started learning various sword techniques. The greatest swordsman only had to correct and explain the proper way to execute these techniques and why they were important. Along the way, he marveled at his new student's brilliance and quick thinking.

Ty Lee absorbed everything like a sponge, rapidly assimilating knowledge. She already possessed combat skills and a well-developed body. With her high intelligence, learning something new posed no challenge. She simply needed to memorize the limited set of sword techniques, ingrain them into her reflexes, learn to use the terrain effectively, and, of course, incorporate them into her own fighting style. Most importantly, she had to make the sword a part of herself, become accustomed to it, rely on it, and understand its capabilities. Of course, she couldn't become a master in a day, but she had made significant progress.

"Your ability to learn is somewhat intimidating. It took you less than a day to memorize all the stances and positions. Your strikes aren't perfectly precise yet, but with this progress, you'll refine all the techniques to perfection within a few days," Piandao marveled at the end of their training, finishing with a final sword technique and sheathing his weapon. Ty Lee followed suit, sheathing her blade in its scabbard.

"I have a great teacher. As you said, a sword is a simple weapon, but the key is knowing how to use it," Ty Lee replied, clasping her hands around the sword blade in its scabbard and bowing her head in acknowledgment of her instructor's greatness.

"No need to downplay it. An apprentice's achievements are solely their own, and their mistakes are the full responsibility of their teacher," Piandao replied philosophically, gazing at the beautiful crimson sunset.

The man, impressed by her brilliance, had been so engrossed in Ty Lee's training that he had completely lost track of time. Every teacher and master would be thrilled to have such a student—one who absorbed knowledge and learned so swiftly that it inevitably evoked associations with the fury of an element. Ty Lee had pleasantly surprised the master with her aptitude, a talent he had noticed during their fight but had only truly appreciated during their training sessions.

"That's enough for today. Let's head back to the castle. Fat will assign you a room and show you around the castle," Piandao said, making his way towards the doors without displaying any signs of fatigue. His newly acquired student showcased no less endurance.

"Before we go, I'd like to send a letter with my hawk," Ty Lee added.

The master paused and turned to look at her. Then he shifted his gaze to the bird that had been observing their duel and later their training sessions from the castle wall. Since they had ventured outside, the creature had perched on top of one of the castle walls. Ty Lee raised her hand, and the bird immediately noticed its owner's command. Within a few seconds, the dragon hawk gracefully flew over to her hand, demonstrating excellent training and obedience.

"I'll give you some parchment and a brush..."

They headed back to the castle. There, Azula, posing as Ty Lee, sent a letter with her instructions to her ship using the dragon hawk. Following that, Fat showed her around the castle and its various rooms. The castle was enormous, and only a small portion of it was occupied by other servants and staff.

Night was approaching.

The apprentice modestly had dinner and then went to wash up before bedtime. Surprisingly, the spirit remained silent for a long time, clearly contemplating something. But the princess herself had much to ponder. It had been a long time since she had received such a blow to her pride. Azula had believed that with her current skills, she was a very powerful firebender, stronger than most other Fire Nation citizens, except her father, the most powerful firebender, and perhaps his older brother. Piandao had shown her quite vividly that this was not the case. Yet, she didn't feel humiliated, even though she had lost and had been thrown into the sand in quite dirty and humiliating ways. It had all been instructive and practical. She acknowledged this, as well as the mastery of her new mentor.

"How are you?" the spirit suddenly inquired while she was soaking in the very small bath.

"I'm starting to miss the palace with its servants and hot springs," she replied in a hushed voice, taking a moment to rinse the sand and dirt off her body.

"Such tender feelings," the spirit remarked with a smirk, but his words didn't seem to faze the girl.

"There are plenty of children of admirals, generals, and other ministers who live without facing any hardships. I understand their necessity, even though I do miss the palace's luxuries. The path to the top will always be more challenging than the fall from it."

"Someone's in a good mood. The princess has condescended to explain," the spirit continued in a friendly tone.

"I was beginning to think I missed your voice, but now that you're talking... could you please be quiet for a little while longer?" she replied with a touch of sarcasm, relaxing in the bath and closing her eyes.

"We talk to each other as if we're friends."

"Yes..." A sinister smile involuntarily appeared on Azula's face. "Friends."

"I want to talk to you about something important before you sleep. But for now, just answer me this: what do you think of Master Piandao? Impressive, isn't he?"

"I must admit, he's much better than any of the other instructors I've had. The rumors about his strength and brilliance actually downplay his achievements rather than exaggerate them. If simple soldiers possessed even a quarter of his abilities, the Fire Nation would probably have won the war long ago. I have to admit, spirit, that the journey to this master was the right decision, even though I had my doubts about your plan at the beginning," the girl replied confidently, not exaggerating in the slightest. Azula was greatly impressed by Piandao's skills, and she wouldn't mind having soldiers who possessed even a fraction of his abilities.

"I'm glad you appreciate my idea. Our further adventures will continue to amaze you, but don't doubt yourself. With me, you will become the most powerful firebender in your people's history," the spirit concluded with an intriguing tone, teasing her curiosity.

"Of course, you won't tell me anything about your plans or goals until I come up with a worthy poem, will you? Should I try to compose one right now?" Azula responded with indifference, knowing well that the spirit wouldn't reveal anything so easily.

"No, focus on your training. Right now, I wanted to talk about something else."

"And what is that?"

"Have you noticed the difference between yourself and them?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your chi circulation system isn't as refined as Piandao's."

"Chi circulation system? What is that? I've never heard of it."

"Wash up, and then we'll talk in your assigned room. This conversation won't be a short one," the spirit concluded, intriguing the girl but not satisfying her curiosity.

After washing herself clean of sand and dirt, Azula dressed in servant's clothes, as her own were sent for cleaning, and made her way to the room assigned to her. The windows revealed a starry night sky, but Azula paid it no attention. Instead, she climbed onto the bed, extinguishing the lamps.

"What did you want to talk about?" Azula began with a hint of curiosity, making herself comfortable on the less-than-ideal sleeping arrangement.

"For starters, tell me everything you know about your internal energy, Chi, and how it relates to your firebending," the spirit quickly responded. In its voice, Azula could detect hints of contemplation and slight anxiety.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in this?"

"Piandao made me think about many things. Unlike you, I saw his Chi and how it works. It's vastly superior and of better quality than what you're doing. I'm interested in discussing a few of my speculations with you. So, will you tell me?" The spirit's unease became slightly more noticeable.

Azula interpreted this in her own way. Perhaps the spirit just wanted to discuss an interesting topic with someone. Or maybe there was another purpose behind it. Perhaps during the encounter with Piandao, the spirit learned something truly important.

"Why not? Maybe you'll share something interesting, or even useful."

Following these words, Azula went on to explain, in the finest detail, the essence of firebending, the interaction of Chi with firebending, and the meager knowledge she had about other benders and their respective bending arts. She paid particular attention to comparing and contrasting firebending with other bending styles. The key difference between firebenders and all other benders was that they created their own element rather than manipulating an existing one. However, nothing prevented a firebender from manipulating someone else's fire, even if it was natural fire, such as that from a forest wildfire.

"Indeed, rather limited. I thought you would know much more about your own bending," the spirit commented.

"What? I was taught by the best masters. I doubt anyone knows significantly more about firebending than I do," Azula replied, disagreeing with the spirit's words. But this did not seem to satisfy the spirit; it was not done with its inquiry.

"Your knowledge is limited, and you lack awareness in many areas. You only gave a surface-level description of Chi and didn't even mention Chi pools. Perhaps tomorrow you should discuss Chi with the master," the spirit pondered with a slightly disappointed tone.

"Fine, then. Why don't you enlighten me about Chi and bending since you seem to know so much?" Azula replied, slightly irritated by the spirit's words.

"Of course, that's why I brought up this conversation. Listen and remember; feel free to ask if anything isn't clear," the spirit replied and began to explain its view of Chi, bending, and benders.

Chi, or metaphysical energy, exists within every living being, whether human, animal, or insect. In all humans, there are seven Chi pools located in specific areas throughout the body. Two are on the head, with the rest scattered across the torso: the crown, center of the forehead, throat, heart, abdomen, sacrum, and the base of the spine.

These seven pools form a system that interacts with one another. This system can be perfected through external influences, such as training, rituals, or other means. The Fire Lotus ritual, for instance, served as a purifier for this system, cleansing it of impurities and improving the quality of Chi within the body. With a flawless system, filled with abundant and high-quality Chi, a person becomes stronger, faster, more agile, more durable, and likely healthier and longer-lived. Many bending masters who lived for centuries attribute their longevity to this fact.

"Everyone has their own unique Chi, as unique and individual as each person in the world. Notably, a firebender's Chi can be easily distinguished from that of an ordinary person. The internal energies of benders from different elements also differ.

Of course, this energy is linked to bending. Firebenders can use their Chi to create and control fire, lightning, heat, or warmth. The bender's body tenses up, and then a technique is performed, accompanied by the release of Chi, resulting in firebending. With better control of their Chi, the strength, accuracy, and speed of their bending increase. Advanced forms of firebending, such as lightning and heat manipulation, become accessible with excellent control. Since Chi is inseparably linked to a bender's body, having a strong body significantly enhances the power of their bending. They go hand in hand, as performing powerful bendings strains both the body and internal energy.

Benders of other elements don't release their Chi but rather resonate with their respective element nearby, which allows them to control it. For clarity, it would be helpful to communicate with masters of other elements, but that won't be happening in the near future.

Chi is also influenced by external factors. Emotions, proximity to the sun, Sozin's Comet, and for firebenders, correct breathing are especially important. External factors can either enhance or diminish any form of bending. But let's return to the Chi system. An ideal Chi system indicates a perfect body, which positively affects the soul, mind, and everything else connected to the body."

"Your lecture was enlightening, but what's the purpose behind discussing this?" Azula asked with interest, quietly absorbing the spirit's insights.

"It's quite simple. I can attempt to enhance your Chi system by influencing the energy pools, similar to what I did with Piandao, purifying them and making them perfect," the spirit suggested with enthusiasm.

"What will happen to me if you succeed in doing this?" Azula inquired cautiously.

"Most likely, you'll reach the peak of your abilities, enhancing your control, firebending prowess, and so on, minor details. You'll live longer and the like. It will happen just like with the flower ritual, but the effect will be stronger, I believe," the spirit kindly responded.

Azula pondered. As she stared at the dark ceiling of her room, she weighed all the risks and potential benefits. After contemplating the proposal and the situation, she spoke:

"Interesting offer, but I can't agree to such risks and uncertainties at this moment. You mentioned that Piandao achieved everything through training. I think it's better to gather more information before taking such actions with significant consequences. You've never done anything like this before, right? The likelihood of making a mistake is quite high," Azula calmly declined, concealing her true reasons for refusal—her uncertainty about the endeavor's success. However, the spirit quickly understood.

"I understand; you don't trust me that much. That's okay; I'm not upset. Just talk to Piandao about Chi and its pools tomorrow. That's all I ask. You can relax and rest now. I'll find something to occupy myself with if you don't have any other questions," the cohabitant through the body understandingly replied, deciphering the true reasons behind her refusal.

"Goodnight, spirit," Azula bid.

"Goodnight, Azula."

Soon, the two consciousnesses swapped places. Azula fell asleep, yielding to her conversational partner, who had plans of his own for the night...

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