“Thank you for wanting to help me, Halin,” Seyun said. He kept his voice as steady and respectful as if he were addressing Hall Mistress Soran at the council stone. “Because you meant that offer seriously, I’m going to give you the exact rules of the Answering Spirit vein without hiding a single word.”
Halin nodded quickly, his hands still resting near the closed Account Book.
Seyun explained the two rules of Master Uren’s tablet. The ninety-day unassisted season lock after an honest reconciliation. Then, and the total requirement that a worthy rival possess an independent ambition capable of obstructing the bearer—Halin listened with the intense, literal focus of a village boy who had never had a senior fighter explain high spirit vein theory to him as an equal.
“Even if I disagreed with you on purpose during practice?” Halin asked after a moment, frowning slightly as he tried to work through the mechanics. “If I trained with Master Daro’s sword forms and argued against your staff routes in the yard, wouldn’t the channel count that as opposition?”
“Try to picture that in your own chest, Halin,” Seyun said gently. “Suppose you stood across the yard from me next spring with a practice sword in your hand. You said, I’m going to block Seyun’s left lane today. Why would you be blocking my left lane? Because you wanted my left lane to fail, or because you were hoping that blocking me would help me advance?”
