Chapter 311: Cultivating Mana with Qi
Originally, Zae Zin Nim hadn't cared about what happened to the Frontier nations at all, and even now she struggled to get excited about Earth Union politics. But over the course of time, as she became more entrenched, she started to think about it differently. Kai was willing to travel across the world in order to help her face her father, because their goals were united now. She could help him defend his home from the monster incursions.
"Again!" Inafay called. "Faster!"
The other woman used her elemental powers to launch a dozen targets into the air at random angles. Zae Zin Nim drew on her Coldfire Corona and used it like an imitation of qi attacks, picking off the targets one by one. She managed to burn them all before they hit the ground, but not before they reached the top of her arcs.
"Your speed is great," Inafay said, "but you still hesitate a moment at the beginning. You don't have to balance mana, you can just hurl it. Everything should be as easy as moving a finger."
"I am accustomed to qi," Zae Zin Nim mumbled.
"And I don't know anything about that, I'm just trying to help you based on what I know."
"It wasn't a criticism. You are very skilled." Zae Zin Nim lowered herself into a fighting stance. "I want to spar again."
They met in the center of the garden, Zae Zin Nim's palm meeting the gust of wind the other woman hurled from her fist. Even though the Coldfire Corona completely negated the wind, she wasn't able to pierce forward like she would with qi. Her opponent was already dancing to the side, wind whisking her feet from place to place, forcing Zae Zin Nim to switch to defense.
Technically the purpose of their sparring was for both of them to learn to rely entirely on a solitary source of energy for their upcoming duels. It had stopped being that for Zae Zin Nim after a single day. Inafay might be weak by the scale of the world, but she was truly skilled. Perhaps not as skilled in hand-to-hand grappling as a martial artist, but her style was a very good match for her abilities and she used them effectively.