CHAPTER 278: YANG JIAN

The cultivation session had been deeper than any Grim had experienced before.

Hours had passed in what felt like minutes as he circulated mana through his channels, feeling the power of Húxiān’s realm enhancing every breath he took.

When he finally opened his eyes, the spirit who had been watching him was still sitting directly in front of him.

"Impressive focus," the spirit said. "Most mortals find the ambient energy here overwhelming at first."

Grim studied the figure before him. The spirit appeared to be a man in his thirties, with sharp features.

He was crouched with his arms resting on his thighs.

His robes were simple but well-made, and there was something about his posture that was different from most people.

"You’ve been watching me for hours," Grim observed. "Should I be concerned?"

"That depends," the spirit replied with a slight smile. "Are you the type who dislikes scrutiny?"

"I’m the type who prefers to know who’s doing the scrutinizing," Grim said, rising from his meditation position. "Especially in a realm where I’m clearly outmatched by everything around me."

"A reasonable preference," the spirit agreed, also standing. "I am Yang Jian. In life, I served as a general and a problem solver for various courts."

The name meant nothing to Grim, but the way Yang Jian carried himself suggested he was very strong. "And now you observe students in divine training grounds?"

"Only when my interests are peaked," Yang Jian replied diplomatically. "Death provides certain freedoms along with its limitations."

"Such as the freedom to interrogate visiting mortals?"

"Such as the freedom to satisfy curiosity about unusual cultivation," Yang Jian corrected. "Your methods are weird. You have certain mana conduits blocked."

Grim considered how much to reveal. "I’ve had unconventional training growing up."

"Clearly," Yang Jian agreed. "Your mana circulation follows patterns that shouldn’t work, yet you achieve results that exceed your apparent skill level. Either you’re naturally gifted beyond normal human limits, or you’ve had guidance from someone with extensive knowledge."

"Does it matter which?"

"It matters greatly," Yang Jian said with conviction. "Natural talent suggests potential for growth. External guidance suggests dependency that could become a weakness."

"And which do you think applies to me?"

Yang Jian was quiet for several moments, his sharp eyes studying Grim with obvious intelligence. "Both, I suspect. You have natural ability, but you’re also receiving instruction from a source you’re not acknowledging."

[Perceptive,] Caius observed in Grim’s mind. [This one was clearly formidable in life.]

"What gave it away?" Grim asked, choosing not to deny the obvious.

"Your breathing technique is flawless, but it’s not instinctive," Yang Jian explained.

"Someone taught you how to do that. Your combat stance shows training, but the foundation is incomplete. And your mana control..." He paused, tilting his head slightly. "Your mana control is being subtly guided by something external."

"You can see that?"

"I can see many things that most cannot," Yang Jian replied without elaborating. "Which brings me to my questions about you specifically."

"Such as?"

"Who are you, really?" Yang Jian asked directly. "Not your name or your titles, but who you are beneath the political maneuvering and careful presentations."

Grim considered the question seriously. Few people had ever asked him that so directly, and fewer still would have been able to detect evasion.

"I’m someone who’s lost everything multiple times and rebuilt it from nothing," he said finally. "Someone who’s learned that power is the only reliable constant in any realm."

"And what do you want from life?"

"Justice," Grim replied automatically, the answer he’d given so many times it felt natural.

Yang Jian’s expression sharpened immediately. "That’s a lie."

The accusation caught Grim off guard. "What?"

"Justice is an abstract concept that requires moral authority you don’t possess," Yang Jian said calmly. "You don’t seek justice. You seek something far more personal and far more dangerous."

Grim felt heat rising in his chest, both from embarrassment at being caught and anger at the accurate assessment. "You don’t know anything about me."

"I know enough," Yang Jian replied without concern for Grim’s growing anger. "Justice seeks to restore balance and protect the innocent. Revenge seeks to inflict pain on those who’ve caused it. Which one drives you, really?"

The question hung in the air between them for a moment. Grim could feel Caius’s attention focused on the exchange, waiting to see how he would respond.

"Revenge," Grim admitted finally. "I want the people who destroyed my family to suffer as we suffered. I want them to lose everything they value, the way we did."

"Better," Yang Jian said with satisfaction. "Honesty is the foundation of real strength. Lies weaken you, even lies you tell yourself."

"And now that you know the truth?" Grim asked. "Does it change how you see me?"

"It makes you more interesting," Yang Jian replied. "Revenge is a powerful motivator, but it’s also a dangerous master. Many who pursue it end up consumed by it."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning your current path leads to one of two outcomes," Yang Jian explained. "Either you achieve your revenge and find yourself empty because it wasn’t as satisfying as you imagined, or you become so focused on vengeance that you lose everything else worth having."

"What’s the alternative?"

"Learning to channel that drive toward something larger than personal satisfaction," Yang Jian said. "Revenge can be a starting point, not an ending point."

"You sound like you speak from experience."

"I do," Yang Jian confirmed. "In life, I pursued those who wronged my family with single-minded determination. I achieved my goals, but the cost was higher than I anticipated."

"What cost?"

"Everything else," Yang Jian said simply. "Relationships, peace of mind, the ability to find satisfaction in anything except the next target. Revenge became my identity instead of my motivation."

Grim felt an uncomfortable recognition in the description. "How did you change?"

"Death provided perspective," Yang Jian replied with dark humor. "Though I suspect you have opportunities for growth that don’t require dying first."

"Such as?"

"Training that pushes you beyond your current limitations," Yang Jian said. "Combat that forces you to evolve or fail. Challenges that reveal whether your strength comes from within or depends entirely on external circumstances."

"You’re offering to train me?"

"I’m offering to test you," Yang Jian corrected. "Whether you learn anything from the experience depends entirely on your willingness to face uncomfortable truths about your current abilities."

"What kind of test?"

"Combat," Yang Jian said simply. "Real fighting, with real consequences for failure. No safety measures, no guarantees of survival."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then you continue your current training with Húxiān and learn whatever she chooses to teach," Yang Jian replied. "But you’ll always wonder whether you could have been more than you are."

Grim studied the spirit’s face carefully, searching for deception or hidden motives.

Yang Jian waited patiently, clearly comfortable with silence while Grim made his decision.

"When do we start?" Grim asked finally.

Yang Jian smiled, and for the first time, Grim caught a glimpse of the warrior this spirit had been in life.

"Now," Yang Jian said, his form beginning to solidify as he prepared for combat.

He finally stood up and said. "Let’s see what you’re really made of, young cultivator."