March 7th and Yunli arrived at the contestants' lounge. A glance around revealed quite a few people warming up.
"Wow, there are so many people," March 7th said.
"March 7th, before the Wardance begins, let your master give you one more lesson," Yunli said. "You know, Grandpa often tells me that objects resemble their owners. A person's weapon reflects their habits and personality.
"You've seen me, Little Fish, and Yanqing wield our weapons, haven't you? Pick any one of us and tell me what you noticed."
Listening to Yunli, March 7th frowned slightly and gave it some serious thought. Then she looked at Yunli and said in all earnestness:
"Master Yunli's sword looks thick and heavy, just like Black Cleave, but it doesn't have that... really... antique? Grand? Historical feel that Black Cleave has? Anyway... uh... I think your taste could use some improvement, Master Yunli."
Yunli looked annoyed. "I told you to figure out your opponent's fighting style. Who asked you to critique my Old Iron?
"Observe your opponent's weapon and figure out what tactics they're good at and where their weaknesses lie. That's a shortcut to victory. For example, an incredibly heavy greatsword clearly isn't suited to a prolonged fight, so you should choose tactics that draw things out."
"Why did you just tell me your own weakness?" March 7th asked, puzzled. Then inspiration struck, and she gave Yunli a suspicious look. "Wait, Master Yunli, neither you nor Little Fish looks like you'd have trouble in a prolonged fight."
Yunli blinked and glanced away. "We were born with superhuman strength!
"Never mind that. Anyway, you need to learn this skill. As your master, I don't want to see you lose to anyone else.
"Then again, you've learned so many Jumping Slash techniques from us that most people would