Author's Note: Just a friendly reminder that Grandmaster Wu Kong and Sun Wu Kong are in no way related.

The new robes felt heavy. Unlike your old robes which were made of light silk, the new garment was thick. The added weight however, meant more protection. The cloth was denser, padding your body better than the delicate silk. Sturdy yet flexible leather wrapped around your waist and protected your solar plexus and sternum. The tunic, made of thick cotton, would defend against blades, and along your forearms were leather bracers. Though your chest and back were left bare, it made little difference. After all, your previous garments were so thin they offered were little more protection than tissue paper.

Though eager to return to Yang, you knew you needed to prolong your reunion just a while longer. Relieved as you were to discover that she was still alive, you were far too aware of just how close of a call it had been. How close you had come to falling. Your fight with Adam Taurus had left you bloodied, bruised, and beaten. Next time you faced him, and you knew there would be a next time, you needed to be ready. You needed to be better. For now, Yang would have to wait, to ensure her safety. You wouldn't fail her again.

The High Council of Sun Zhang knew your mission was important. It was why they retrieved you, why they armed you, and why they bestowed upon you the title of master. Now, they taught you personally. Mastering the many fighting styles of Sun Zhang takes decades of daily rigorous training. Conditioning the mind and body to be hard as iron and flexible as water. You had ten days. For the next ten days, from before the sun rose until after it set you studied under each of Sun Zhang's greatest teachers.

For as long as you could remember, you had always greatly resented most of the High Council. The way they sat comfortably on the highest floor of the temple, looking down at the disciples. Other than Jiao, the Grandmasters rarely took an active role in training the disciples of Sun Zhang. Despite this, they were amongst the greatest fighters in the world. None of them had earned the title of Grandmaster without reason, and though your fighting abilities were greatly above average compared to the rest of Remnant, you were still a small sapling standing beneath the shadows of giant oaks.

The eve before your training was to resume, Grandmaster Roth instructed you to meet him on the peak of the highest mountain before the sun began its ascension. It was a long journey, and the moon was still high in the sky when you began your trek through the mountains. As sweat trickled down your forehead and back, you recalled the words Grandmaster Yi had told to you the previous day.

"Our greatest teacher in life is nature." She had said. "It is a force more powerful than any of us. Today man thinks of itself as the dominant force of Remnant, but we must all remember from what we came, and to what we must all return."

It gradually became colder as you continued your ascension through the mountains. The air was thin here, and breathing became more difficult, each breath laborious and heavy.

"Nature comes in five forms." Yi explained. "Before man, the ancient world consisted of five great powers. The sun, the moon, the earth, the skies, and the seas. And just as man comes from nature, so to does man come in five forms. Birth, prepubescence, adulthood, elderhood, and death. Man has five limbs, five fingers, five toes, five senses. In the days to come, you shall learn the secrets of nature's five elements from each of Sun Zhang's Grandmasters."

You gasped for air as you finally reached the peak. Looking up, you saw Grandmaster Roth looking over the edge of the cliff face, gazing over the vast forest as the sun began its climb over the horizon. You moved to stand next to him. Below you stood the monastery, its great walls standing only several inches high. You watched as the tiny pinpricks that were the other disciples began to fill the courtyards and begin their training. Off in the distance was the Kingdom of Vale, Beacon further behind it, still in shambles. And in the east was the island of Patch, where you knew you Yang was waiting for you.

"When do we get started." You asked, interrupting Roth's silent meditation.

"Relax Brother." He said calmly, his eyes still closed. "Appreciate the beauty of nature while you can. Catch your breath for a moment. Relax. Because once we begin, there will be no rest until we are finished."

You nodded, and inhaled deeply, appreciating the warmth that came with the rise of the sun.

"Today you learn the ways of the earth." Grandmaster Roth said, his eyes still closed. "Let us begin."

Without warning, Grandmaster Roth sent a quick backfist towards your head. You barely reacted in time, raising a hand to block. Even then, you were sent staggering, your arm throbbing painfully.

"Earth is the element of determination." Roth said, his stance high, hands in front of his face. "Hard and unyielding is the way of the earth."

He ran at you with a flying knee. You dropped both your hands to stop the attack, but the force still sent you back. One of his elbows came thundering across your jaw while the other hammered on your back. You dropped to the ground; your breath gone.

"Since the dawn of time, the Earth has cared for mankind. From the ground it provided food, and in its embrace we found protection from the elements."

You pushed yourself to your feet and assumed your stance. Knees bent, arms extended, palm up. As Grandmaster Roth grew closer, you threw a roundhouse kick at his stomach, but he rose his right leg to block. Your shin collided with his own, but while you clenched your teeth in pain, he simply stood erect and unphased.

"The Earth was man's first protector. To be earth is to be a shield. You are your own defense, and the defense of those around you. Your body must be stone. Hard and unyielding."

His fist came flying towards your face. You raised your hand to intercept, like you had with countless other opponents in the past, but his arm collapsed at the last second, his elbow smashing against your forearm, knocking your guard to the side. He struck you in the temple on the return, his arm wrapping around your neck and pulling you into a knee.

For the rest of the day you worked on strengthening your body, turning it into armor. Your shins and forearms were your first line of defense, so Grandmaster Roth had you condition them by hitting them against large stones. Roth revealed a collection of bamboo sticks he'd brought, and tested your body by breaking across your arms, legs, chest, and back. By the end of the day your body was covered in bruises.

The next day was much of the same, but with more practical combat. You were taught how to utilize your entire body as a weapon. Hard bone was the best way to strike. Elbows and knees, the forehead and shoulders. Even the hip, when implemented correctly, felt like a blow from an Ursa.

"Tomorrow you train with Sister Wu Kong." Gradmaster Roth said on the eve of the second day. "Continue to condition your body until it is hard as stone. Once you master the ways of earth, there will be no need for armor or shields."

________________________________________________________________________________

Training with Grandmaster Wu Kong was held in the dense forests surrounding Sun Zhang. Training with Wu Kong was mostly long hours of holding one deep stance, sinking your weight into the ground.

"To be wood is to be a tree, solid and rooted." She said as you held a deep horse stance. "The key lies within your stance. You must have a solid base..." She swept one of your legs out from under you and you fell with a thud, "or else you are easily unbalanced."

Grandmaster Wu Kong taught you how to generate power through your root. How the energy came from your connection to the earth, and how that energy traveled through your body and into your limbs. In addition, she taught you how to absorb your opponent's energy and direct back into the ground. She stood on one leg in a crane stance.

"Remove my balance." She said.

It should have been easy. Just a simple push and she would fall. But her ability to redirect your energy was incredible. Her body sank, her knee bending and core tightening, all the while her shoulders were relaxed as she accepted your force and turned it into nothing.

"Now you try. Take your horse stance."

You returned to the temple that night covered in dirt.

________________________________________________________________________________

From the forests you went to the caves. Your footsteps echoed off the stone walls, mixing with the sounds of water droplets falling from the stalactites, forming small pools on the ground. The sun's light crept in through cracks and holes in the cavern ceiling, small splashes of green showing their presence in its rays. Grandmaster Ischi sat meditating under one of the sun beams as he awaited your arrival.

"Master (L/N)." Ischi said. "Come, sit. I made tea."

Despite his offer, you were hesitant.

"I don't bite." He said. "Despite my complexion."

"Forgive me." You bowed. "Grandmaster Roth's last invitation has left me hesitant."

Ischi chuckled. "I'm not Grandmaster Roth. If I'm going to attack you, it will be on fair terms. Makes it that much more impressive once I best you."

Smirking, you sat across from The Lion, accepting the cup he handed you. You sipped appreciatively from your cup and listened as Grandmaster Ischi spoke.

"Metal is very similar to earth; both are solid and unbending. But whereas the earth is dull, metal is sharp. If earth is your shield, then metal is your sword. Metal is persistent. It is relentless. Even the strongest of shields will eventually collapse, given time. Today we live in an age of metal. Man has abandoned the protection of the earth, and with metal, has forged its own way. To be metal is to be relentless. Always forwards."

Clearing away the cups and teapot, Grandmaster Ischi placed himself some five meters away from you. At the sound of the first water droplet echoing through the cave, the two of you began. His movements were fast, covering the distance between you in the blink of an eye. You raised your arms to shield yourself, using your shins and forearms as Grandmaster Roth had taught you, but eventually, Ischi broke through your guard and struck you hard in the sternum.

"Again." He said as he resumed his position.

The sound of the water hitting the ground and he was upon you once more. You stumbled back as his continued to rain down. They were not strong, at least, not as strong as Grandmaster Roth's, but the sheer number and speed at which they came was insurmountable.

"Again."

The next day was spent working with Rhino's Horn. Grandmaster Ischi held his own blade tightly in hand. The air split as his sword came down. You quickly raised Rhino's Horn to block the blade, but Ishchi simply pulled back and hit again, and again, and again. Eventually you dropped to one knee, crumbling under the weight of his blows.

"Stop retreating." Grandmaster Ischi shouted over the sound of the clashing steel. "Metal moves forwards. Always forwards. A single shield falls beneath a hundred swords. Remember this (F/N); it is not in metal's nature to retreat."

"I don't get it!" You shouted in frustration, throwing your blade to the side. "Grandmaster Roth said hard and unyielding was the only way to ensure victory, but now you say persistence and relentlessness. What is the point in teaching me if everything you teach contradicts each other?"

Ischi sighed and lowered his blade. "(F/N)." He said. "At the same speed, if a train and a car drive at each other head on, what will happen?"

"The car will be destroyed." You answered.

"But the train will continue unscathed." Ischi continued. "Neither the car nor the train retreated. Both were relentless. Both were metal. But in the end, it was the train that survived. Why?"

"Because," you said slowly, starting to understand, "because the train was stronger. It had better protection."

________________________________________________________________________________

On the morning of the seventh day you met Grandmaster Fan Lang. The sun burned bright overhead, and there were no trees or buildings to offer any shade in the field in which you trained. Sweat dripped from your brow and neck, your exposed torso slick in just several minutes of standing.

"There is a relationship between the five elements." Fan Lang said. "Even you must have come to realize this by now."

You scowled at his words but allowed him to continue.

"Fire is much like metal. It is strong and aggressive. But unlike metal, fire is alive. It is volatile and destructive. It burns with passion. When you fight, you must fight with passion!"

At his last words, Grandmaster Fan Lang rushed you with a series of kicks. Quickly stepping back, you raised your left hand to avoid a kick to the head, your right leg raised, the shin shielding your torso. Dropping to his knees, Fan Lang swept out your leg from beneath you.

You breathed heavily and did nothing but lay there. It was obvious he had bested you. Time to start again. You closed your eyes and tried to catch your breath, appreciating the shade that shielded you form the sun's rays. But then you remembered there were no trees and opening your eyes you saw Grandmaster Fan Lang's leg speeding towards you. You rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding his axe kick.

"Get up." He spat. "Fight! Fight as if your life depends on it!" His stepping side kick sent you flying backwards. "Because one day it will."

Training with Grandmaster Fan Lang was by far the most difficult. There were no breaks. No respites. No time to catch your breath. Every attack was followed by another, and the heat of the sun and lack of water was beginning to make you dizzy.

"Get up!" He shouted as you struggled to push yourself to your feet.

"I... I just need a minute... to rest." You gasped.

"Fire does not rest!" He shouted.

You brought your arms up to shield his flying roundhouse, but his spinning back hit you right in the gut, knocking what little breath you had regained from your lungs.

"Fire does not stop!"

Roundhouse, front kick, side, round, jump spin back, sweep, axe, crescent, spin back, spin hook, jump spin hook, jump 540 triple roundhouse.

"Fire burns! It destroys everything until there is either nothing left to destroy, or it is finally extinguished."

You tried to get up, but you couldn't. You were tired, sore, and thirsty. Your muscles would no longer allow you to stand, so you crumpled to the ground in exhaustion.

"Pathetic." Fan Lang hissed. "If you cannot fight you die."

"Fight?" You scowled, glaring up at him. "I can't even stand."

"And that is why you fail." He said. "It is why you failed to learn the ways of Sun Zhang. It is why you failed to prevent the White Fang's plot to lead the Grimm into the city from Mountain Glenn. And it is why you failed at Beacon, to protect the woman you l..."

His sentence was left unfinished as your fist collided with his jaw.

________________________________________________________________________________

"I heard your training has gone well." Grandmaster Yi said as you stood with her next to a lake being fed by a waterfall. "Brother Fan Lang says you fight with much fire in your heart.

You said nothing, instead scowling at the mere thought of the man. Punching him in the face didn't seem to phase him as much as you had hoped.

"Today you begin to understand the last element; water."

Raising her hands in a stance similar to your own, she beckoned you closer. Gently, she placed the back of her left forearm against your own. Her left leg stepped across her right, and you moved with her, constantly circling but never engaging.

"Water is flexible." She said as the two of you continued to circle each other. "It adapts. If you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup. If you put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle. If you put water in a teapot it becomes the teapot. You too must be able to adapt. If the pattern changes..." Instead of taking another step counterclockwise, she switches her stance and steps the other direction. Her right-hand sweeps to the inside of your left and captures the wrist, her left-hand stoppings just millimeters away from your striking your face. "you must change with it."

Grandmaster Yi's style of teaching was much different from the others. It was very patient and calm, much like Jiao's was. The two of you continued to walk in circles, attempting to trap the other or catch them off guard. Every time she managed to trip you up, she offered guidance, advice on where you went wrong and how to fix it. Then she would attempt the same movement to allow you a chance to show you'd understood her lesson.

"Water is different from the other elements." She explained as you continued your training. "Unlike the others, water does not draw its strength from the muscles. To block a punch, you must be strong and fast, but water requires neither because water does not require that you block. Water only requires that you accept the attack and simply move with it. Adapting to the new position and the opportunities it presents."

As you circled, you quickly stepped behind Grandmaster Yi with your right leg, using your arm to throw her over. You were sure you had her, but at the last second she took a half step back with her left leg, and using the momentum from your attack, threw you over her own leg.

"More importantly," she continued as she helped you up from the ground, "water is patient. Given time it will conquer all things. It extinguishes fire, erodes earth, rots wood, and turns metal to rust. In the end, water always wins."

________________________________________________________________________________

You were set to depart from Sun Zhang that evening. You had just finished packing your things into a duffel bag when Sister Kya stepped into your room.

"Come to say goodbye?" You asked, shouldering your bag.

"Hardly." She scoffed, pushing herself off the doorframe. "The council wishes to speak to you."

You nodded and motioned for her to lead the way. You expected to be escorted to the top floor of the monastery, but instead you were led to the main courtyard. Standing just before the large oak doors that marked the exit were the Grandmasters. It was the first time you had seen them all assembled outside of the main temple.

"Master (L/N)." Grandmaster Yi said. "Before you depart, we have one final lesson to impart."

You nodded to let her know you were listening.

"The sun must always yield to the moon. And in turn, the moon will yield to the sun. As such, no one element is stronger than its brothers. Earth prevents the flow of water, water extinguishes the flames of fire, the heat of fire melts metal, the sharpened blade chops wood, and the wood's roots break the earth. But metal can purify water, water feeds and nourishes wood, the wood feeds fire, fire leaves behind ashen earth, and earth gives birth to metal. So you see, the elements are a continuous cycle. They have the power to destroy and to create."

"Why are you telling me this?" You asked, understanding what she was saying but not so much as why she was saying it.

"Because you must understand balance. The balance between elements. The balance between good and evil. Understanding this is imperative to understanding the war in which you fight. You must help restore balance to Remnant, but in order to do this, you must first restore your own balance."

"I don't..."

"You must let go of any resentment to which you still cling." Ischi instructed.

"What resentment?" You asked, still confused. "What do I need to let go?"

"Only you can answer that."

Author's Note: The contents of this chapter may have felt a bit like Avatar: The Last Airbender, and there's a reason for that. Avatar was an incredible show that really managed to teach the essence of much oriental philosophy while at the same time being an amazing television series. The movements for each style of bending were actually based on real life martial arts. Waterbending was Tai Chi Chuan, Earthbending was Hung Gar Kung Fu, Firebending was Northern Shaoling Kung Fu, and Airbending was Bagua Zhang. In traditional oriental philosophy however, there are five elements: earth, wood, metal, fire, and water. You will notice that during this chapter, the skills and combat styles each of the Grandmasters taught were different from one another. Earth, I based on Muay Thai, a fierce style of close quarters combat that emphasizes utilizing the whole body as a weapon and strengthening the shins and forearms to use as armor. Wood was Hung Gar, which focuses on deep stances and powerful movements derived from the connection to the earth. Metal was Xingyiquan, a Chinese martial art characterized by aggressive linear movements and short ranged explosive power. Fire I took as Subak, the predecessor of Tang Soo Do, Taekwondo, and Shotokan. A large array of fast, powerful kicks, with traditional straight-line horizontal punches. A nice blend of traditional hard and soft style martial arts. Water I based on Tai Chi Chuan, just as Avatar did. Soft gentle motions that emphasize circular motions and redirection of an opponent's energy.

I personally prefer traditional styles of martial arts steeped in rich histories, as opposed to modern day fighting styles like Krav Maga and boxing. That doesn't mean I don't love those styles. Krav Maga is absolutely devastating and I would love to learn it. The important thing is to remember that each style is incredible in its own right, and the more well rounded an individual is, so long as they truly understand what they're doing, the more devastating of a fighter they will be.

"It is important to draw wisdom from different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding other, the other elements, the other nations, will help you become whole." -Uncle Iroh