The morning mist sat low over the lotus pond, curling gently across the surface of the water. Su Lin sat cross-legged on the wooden platform, back straight, hands resting on his knees. He had been there since before dawn, watching as the sky shifted from gray to gold.
A faint breeze stirred the air, carrying the scent of damp stone and pine. In the distance, the sound of training drums echoed through the Su Clan estate. Servants were starting their routines. Disciples preparing for morning drills.
Su Lin stayed where he was.
He watched a lotus petal drift across the pond, slow and unhurried.
In his last life, he never sat still. Always chasing the next goal, always out of breath. He had rushed through everything only to find most of it wasn't worth the pace.
This time, he was doing things differently.
Behind him, footsteps approached on the stone path. He didn't need to look.
"You're out early again," his mother said.
Wen Lanyin stood beside him, her voice quiet, her tone even. She didn't ask questions or offer advice. They stood in silence for a while, watching the pond.
After a pause, she spoke again. "The elders are beginning to talk. About this year's candidates."
Su Lin didn't look away from the water. "They always talk."
"More than usual."
He gave a small nod, nothing more.
She sat beside him on the platform, smoothing her robes. Her movements were slow, practiced.
"You've been consistent," she said. "That matters more than most things."
Su Lin said nothing. He didn't need to. His mother never pushed for answers.
A bell rang in the distance—twice, steady. Morning drills.
The mist had started to lift. Su Lin stood.
"I'm going to the east yard."
Wen Lanyin looked up. He offered her a small smile, brief, but sincere.
She returned it with a quiet nod. "Don't forget breakfast later."
"I won't."
He turned and made his way down the path, leaving the pond behind as the estate began to stir.
The clan grounds were beginning to wake. Servants swept the walkways. Younger children lined up in crooked rows for morning training, their voices rising and falling without rhythm. Su Lin passed them without comment.
Two older disciples crossed his path further down. One gave a polite nod. The other glanced his way for a moment longer before moving on. Su Lin didn't pay it much attention.
The east training yard was quieter. Tucked near the outer gardens and the old pines, it wasn't used as often. Most preferred the central yards where instructors passed by more frequently.
Su Lin liked the quiet.
He walked to the weapons rack under the covered awning and picked out a worn ironwood blade. The grip was smooth from use. No carvings, no decorations. Just a practice sword.
He stepped into the center of the yard and began.
The blade moved in clean arcs. His steps were steady, each movement balanced and controlled. He didn't push for speed. He didn't need to. The point was repetition, precision, quiet progress.
The wind shifted slightly, and Su Lin adjusted with it, almost without thinking. The blade followed his motion like an extension of his hand.
Further off, the noise of other yards carried faintly on the breeze—shouts, clashing poles, instructors calling drills.
None of it reached him.
He practiced until the forms were complete, then stopped. Not from fatigue, he wasn't tired. Just finished.
He returned the blade to the rack.
Footsteps approached across the gravel.
Su Lin turned to see a boy a little older than him walking down the path. Narrow face, quick eyes, red cloth tied around one wrist, a sign of a collateral branch. Su Yuren. Not close, but familiar.
"You're here early, as usual," Su Yuren said, stepping under the awning.
"Habit," Su Lin replied with a small nod.
Yuren glanced at the rack. "The elders are going through this year's sect nominations. My father said your name came up."
"Already?"
"They've probably been watching you since spring."
Su Lin didn't respond, just wiped his hands on the cloth at his waist.
Yuren added, "They'll want you. You're quiet, but you're not hard to notice."
Su Lin gave a faint smile. "You pay attention too."
Yuren shrugged. "I just talk more than you."
A short pause passed, not awkward.
"You'll do fine," Yuren said. "Don't leave the rest of us behind."
Su Lin looked toward the sky. "I'm not rushing. Just moving."
Yuren gave a single nod and started back down the path. "Evening drills?"
"I'll be there."
When he was gone, Su Lin looked once more at the empty yard. The blade sat where he left it, still and undisturbed.