Pei Jing walked through the gray air one step at a time. The same air that held the swordsmen in place parted around his shoulders. He could hear their boots grinding in the dust and their breath coming harder with each step.
The Astral Bone Blade stayed on his back. Most of the men could barely hold up their own swords. He wanted to take the weapons away from them while they were still in reach.
Their captain saw him coming and put all his weight into a cut. The white-jade sword moved slowly enough for Pei Jing to see the frost breaking up along its edge. He leaned back. The blade passed under his chin.
Pei Jing tapped the flat with one finger. The qi already moving through the domain carried the tremor into the jade. The captain’s wrist gave with a crack. The sword fell from his hand, and Pei Jing pushed him off balance. The man landed flat in the dust. He reached for the sword with his other hand, then found he could not drag himself close enough to touch it.
Two students tried to reach Pei Jing at once from opposite sides. He caught both blades. They snapped in his hands, and the men fell when he turned their own qi against them. The pieces of their swords stuck in the limestone where they fell. He used the qi already running through the field to turn theirs aside. It cost him nothing beyond keeping the…
