My training began almost immediately after our arrival. Laela trained as well but was not trained in everything I was. First they trained me in combat but they then introduced me to several large volumes of poetry and literature to read, which is a daunting task when you can’t read the language very well. It took me weeks to learn enough to really grasp what I was reading. Soon I was reading Sun Tzu, Fenggen and Confucius.

As I read I learned about philosophy, war, history, and what most people call mythology. At the time I believed like you do now that so much of our myths and legend were just made up stories but as I got older and saw true events become myth I realized that I was wrong. I myself have been part of mythic events now and I take more stock in what was written long ago. I found myself entering a New World and by doing so I was finally letting go of the life I had once had.

“You read more than my monks do, Michael.” Shang Zu said as he walked with me before my morning training. “And your advancement in skill is immeasurable. I wish I had met you in my younger years when I could fight you without fear of damage.”

“You are young enough Master.” I smiled thinking he was either the same age as I was or younger. “Age has its benefits.”

“As does youth.” He smiled. “But you have both my friend. You have seen more lifetimes than most people could believe and yet you still look like you are in your early twenties. It reminds me of my early years.”

“My age helps only in my understanding of the world Master Zu, not my abilities in it.” I smiled. “You should know that the world changes so much in such a short time and there is so much of it. My home is on the other side of the world from here.”

“How old do you think I am boy?” He started to laugh. “I’m not some young child I’m over five hundred years old boy.”

I was taken aback by his statement. “You’re that old. I had no idea. I thought you were at most one hundred years, I had no idea you were that old.”

“People like you and I have long lives my friend.” He said leading me to the training place. “We are not like others. Have you not found that in your books? The ones that are older than human, the dragon bloods, I think that the proper word is Sadian.”