The higher a martial artist climbs in rank, the heavier their backside needs to become.

In other words, a martial artist should sit still and not wander around too much as they reach higher levels of mastery.

Menial tasks are for second-rate martial artists. Errands can be delegated to first-rate martial artists. And when you reach the peak level, you only appear after at least one out of ten subordinates has died, emerging at the last possible moment with the proper gravitas.

It’s not a coincidence that peak-level martial artists seem to always show up late, long after a crisis …