First Impressions, Last…

Shifu once told me that the way to win a woman's affection is to make a lasting first impression. At the age of 7, I did not understand what he meant. Now, at 10 and 7 years old, I still do not understand. Shifu babbles about unnecessary stuff when he had too much to drink. I thought perhaps, at that time, he was having trouble with the recent flower he wanted to fondle. Shifu loves to fondle his flowers a little too much, I'm afraid.

I am an inner disciple of Divine Martial Sect. Like Yin and Yang, Divine Martial Sect is formed by two palaces: The Hall of Martial Dragons and The Hall of Divine Phoenixes.

Every three years the sect hosts a friendly competition. This occasion allows the disciples of the sect to interact with one another and demonstrate their skills. One of the major events is the sword fly-by.

As a martial practitioner, riding a flying sword is a honed and most practiced skill. It is a great chance to show the disciples from the other hall your martial prowess.

Don't get me wrong, flying a sword is a simple and basic skill for a practitioner. But flying in a group and in close formation is a different matter, entirely.

I worked very hard to make it to this year's flying line-up. There's a goddess I wanted to impress and this was my only chance to get her to notice me. A lot of the brothers are aiming for her, as well as some seniors, so it's a tough competition to be honest. I'm not going to lie, although I am confident with my skills, I am slightly nervous. I genuinely like her.

As the event progressed, I looked around anxiously to make sure my goddess was watching. It would be odd to show off without someone to show off to.

I easily found her amongst the crowd, flashing her dazzling smile. And as if she felt my gaze, she turned and faced my direction.

My mind went blank in an instant. My inner self was screaming in ecstasy. She looked back at me!

Dazed, I turned back when I heard the whistle blow. It was time. But for the life of me I couldn't focus, my heart was incredibly shaken.

As the group flew by the crowd, as part of the formation, a nervous brother unluckily missed a turn. In an effort to save his hide, he grabbed on to the nearest person which happens to be my unfortunate self. Due to the sudden turn of events, my foot slipped and slashed my newly made shoes.

It was as if time stood still.

The shoe slowly fell and landed squarely on the upturned face of my beautiful goddess.

At that moment, I could hear Shifu's voice echoing in my ears, saying, ''Make a lasting first impression…"

The end… or is it?