Everyone stared at Kenja, dumbfounded. Aside from Hide and a couple of brave disciples who had witnessed the flame worm leave the burn mark on Shin’s robes, the remainder was baffled by Kenja’s words. If Kenja had indeed landed an attack like he claimed, then why was Shin standing there without any hint of injury?
Shin glanced down at the spot on his robes that Kenja pointed to. A ripple of realization struck him, and his face twisted terribly at the truth of the matter.
‘He tricked me!’
Shin’s pride was wounded. To be defeated in a duel by a powerful brother was not shameful, but for a peer of equal standing to pull his punches against him…it was humiliating. Not only had Kenja made a big show of his power, but he hadn’t used most of it.
Indignant, Shin was about to challenge Kenja once more when Hide’s voice broke the silence.
“Hmmm…you did land your attack on Junior Brother Shin…Very well. You may be excused from the duel,” she declared, giving Kenja an awkward smile. Shin bit his tongue to keep himself from opposing Hide’s decision while the classmates who had peeked at what happened were quietly explaining it to the rest.
The ‘duel’ was meant to teach Kenja a lesson in manners, but he thoroughly dominated his opponent at every turn, so continuing the duel at this juncture would be pointless.
The mid-level Qi Flourishing cultivator who was practicing with Shin earlier stepped forward from the group. “Brother, I have a question for you. Why did you eat five Qi Accelerant Pills during the duel, especially since you held back your attack on Brother Shin?”
His classmates behind them nodded their heads in agreement with the question; they were curious as well. Shin’s eyebrows furrowed before rising in astonishment at the newly-disclosed fact. Kenja had followed the great flame serpent from behind, so Shin was completely unaware of Kenja’s actions and motives from the start, missing his pill intake.
Kenja turned his head from the questioning disciple to Hide, looking for permission to answer his brother.
Hide’s eyes glimmered at the well-mannered Kenja as she gave him a nod of approval. It was unorthodox for questions to be directed to a student in the middle of a class, but truthfully, she was also curious as to why Kenja had wasted so many precious resources on a practice duel.
Kenja managed to maintain a straight face, even though he was surprised by the sudden question. He placed his hands behind him, adopting the graceful pose of a teacher about to impart knowledge to his students.
He had been Shizuka and Yoshie’s personal caretaker and mentor since he was a child, so his sage-like disposition had reached a high level for one at his age.
He heard Snail snicker from behind him. “Tell them that such a meager amount of pills is nothing to be concerned about.”
While it was true that Kenja’s wealth had reached a level where that number and quality of pills was quite literally ‘nothing to be concerned about’, Snail’s true intention was to flaunt their wealth in front of a crowd.
Kenja heard a hum come from Sakura directed at Snail. It carried a hint of protest against Snail’s suggestion.
Snail retorted, “Don’t be such a stick in the mud! It’s not like he can tell them the truth.”
The Flame Serpent Technique was in the manual Rin had given Kenja when he had first arrived in the sect. Not only was he unable to conjure a flame serpent, but the final result was an insignificant feeling of warmth at the tip of his knuckles. While he had practiced without the assistance of Snail or Sakura, he was unsure whether their help would be enough to summon even a small flicker in the middle of his duel.
The five pills served as insurance, and it was a good thing he used them. He had launched the strongest flame he could muster at Shin, and it was barely enough to form a wee worm that disappeared the moment it hit his opponent.
Stalling for a breath of time, Kenja surveyed the expectant eyes of his classmates as well as the angered and ashamed eyes of his Brother Shin. He gave a light cough indicating the beginning of his answer.
“I had several reasons for consuming so many pills, and they were all meant to be lessons for you all, including Brother Shin.”
Hearing his words, Shin and his classmates perked up and listened attentively. Likewise, Hide’s interest was piqued as she subconsciously leaned forward in anticipation.
“First is a simple lesson in brotherhood,” he stated simply.
Their eyes were glued to Kenja, but their foreheads creased at the mention of ‘brotherhood’. How does brotherhood have anything to do with taking pills in a combat duel?
“Brother Shin was the first to use a Qi Accelerant Pill, and while this was not against the rules, we were having an honorable practice duel between fellow brothers of the same sect! In such a duel, our goal should be to compare our proficiency in our skills and not the number of pills and tools we have saved up. For this reason, I chose to eat five and demonstrate that anyone could forego their own skills if their pockets are deep enough. As brothers and sisters, we should strive to maintain a fair duel without resorting to tricks; otherwise, we would have a rich mortal become our elder!” Kenja sensationalized his first point.
If they stopped comparing their skills as brothers and instead compared the depths of their storage bags, then how were they any different from greedy mortals who relied on treasures for royal status and authority.
Concerned with how his audience would perceive his makeshift explanation, Kenja relaxed his nerves once he saw their reaction.
They nodded their heads in agreement with every sentence he spoke, and their eyes brightened as if a fog was lifting from their eyes. Hide wasn’t exempt from the effects of Kenja’s words as she took a step closer to the students, her interest in the remainder of his explation rising.
Kenja stalled for several breaths as he formulated the rest of his explanation. He couldn’t possibly tell them the reality of his situation. Five pills was necessary for him to successfully perform one of the most basic techniques that all cultivators at the Qi Flourishing stage could perform with ease.
While sects and clans had their own secret skills and concealed crafts, the Flame Serpent technique was not one of them. Similar to the Wind Whispering technique, it was a common skill that even a destitute rogue cultivator could pick up after some time through experimentation or word of mouth, and different regions had different names for it such as the icy-cold Nanbing’s ‘Scorching Snake’ or the bleak Beixuan’s particularly popular ‘Pyrothon’.
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“Second is a lesson in respect! Since Brother Shin himself had dipped into his personal reserves, it would be disrespectful of me to hold back at that point. Moreover, I could tell Brother Shin is quite skillful that I feared any fewer would not guarantee my victory. You must always respect your opponent and never underestimate them!”
As Kenja continued with this explanation, he furtively glanced at Shin to gauge his reception. A flicker of pride and hope twinkled in Shin’s eyes which had carried a heavy shame up to this point. The quivering tension around him lessened as Kenja continued.
Kenja didn’t have a reason to make a permanent enemy out of the mildly obnoxious Qi Flourishing disciple, so one of his aims with his explanation was to raise his defeated brother’s self-esteem and ensure a demon didn’t develop in his heart.
To cultivate was to seek enlightenment, and the path to enlightenment was long and rigorous. Many obstacles would appear to hinder one’s journey, and a demon in one’s heart was a common example that could restrain one from advancing further. Many things could form a demon in one’s heart: pride, arrogance, fear, shame, or even a complex against a stronger peer.
While it wasn’t Kenja’s responsibility to resolve Shin’s demon, for Shin to conquer over it on his own would mean that he had to defeat Kenja in a later duel which would be difficult to accomplish if Kenja was not supposed to exist in the sect. For this purpose, Kenja preemptively prevented the possibility of a demon being borne within Shin’s heart and mind instead of allowing a demon that could never be defeated destroy the destiny of a cultivator.
What's more, if Kenja's true identity was ever discovered, then Shin might pursue Kenja until he could defeat his demons personally, giving Kenja a potential headache in the future. Boosting Shin's confidence now could be considered a win-win for both Shin and himself since it could avert an eventual clash.
The other onlookers showed a hint of confusion at the contradiction that spouted from Kenja’s mouth.
‘If you didn’t hold back, then what about your final attack?’
As if knowing the unspoken question that had reached everyone’s thoughts, Kenja resumed his explanation, “And the third and most important reason for my action was to teach you the importance of never giving up!”
He paused to let his words sink in, but their confusion only increased.
“Think back to the moment Brother Shin saw my attack. What did he do?”
He paused once more, waiting for a response. One of the girl disciples answered back unsure of how this point related to the lesson, “He closed his eyes.”
“Correct! He had closed his eyes which told me he had given up and accepted his loss. Do you see my point now?”
A third pause followed Kenja's query as he stopped to look at them with the eyes of a teacher in the middle of his lesson. He saw the myriad of furrowed brows and confused faces, and he slouched his shoulders with a dissappointed sigh.
“Very well, I can see you all have missed the point. Brother Shin, let me ask you a question.”
Shin snapped out of his contemplation and stepped forward to face Kenja.
“Imagine for a moment…what would have happened if you had opened your eyes the moment you sensed my attack?”
Shin arched one eyebrow down as he seriously thought about what he would do. “I would have…” he trailed off before his eyes suddenly lit up one breath later. “I would have dispelled the attack and launched my own!”
Given how small Kenja’s final attack must have been to cause such a small spot, any inept Qi Flourishing cultivator could have easily dispersed the attack by expelling a small amount of Qi from their body while unleashing a counterattack of his own.
Kenja affirmed Shin’s response with a nod.
“Precisely! We will encounter many things in our lives and that includes times when we are faced with hopeless situations or an insurmountable opponent. While it is natural to shrink away from such troubles, I want you all to remember that if you find yourselves facing such circumstances…to never give up! Brother Shin had closed his eyes which caused me to hold back at the final moment, but if it was an intentional ruse to lower my guard, then Brother Shin would be here lecturing you all instead of me!”
The eyes of Brother Shin and his classmates were sparkling at Kenja, fully grasping his lessons and intentions in their entirety. Hide appeared to be in a peaceful reverie, musing over the several teachings Kenja had imparted to his peers.
Kenja silently exhaled a relieved sigh. ‘I did it…’ he celebrated.
Kenja had panicked when his wasteful and extravagant actions were questioned because he did not have a reasonable explanation at the time. In truth, Kenja’s actions stemmed from his strong aversion to pain.
The main reason Kenja had launched an offensive attack was due to the fact that Shin’s attacks never weakened. From the first serpent onwards, each one was powerful enough to leave an awful burn on Kenja’s body, and he was merely biding his time until Shin released a weak enough flame that he could endure without suffering too much. However, once Shin borrowed power from his pill, Kenja knew that there would be no ‘weak attack’, so he was forced to go on the offensive to reach a less painful alternative.
Returning Shin’s attack back at him and following it up with his own while borrowing power from the pills was an act of desperation that he hoped no one would uncover.
Even now, he didn’t believe his explanation was adequate, but he could see that his words were enough to convince them. Having seen so many lectures, many of them more than once, and having regurgitated the information back to his sisters, he had a keen grasp on how to sway an audience’s mood and thoughts with his words.
Shizuka had an easier time grasping the lessons the first time while Yoshie required simpler versions with abstract examples. Additionally, they rarely progressed at the same rate, so Kenja would be compelled to motivate the one lagging behind with some vague advice or ideal that reinvigorated them.
Using his prior knowledge, it wasn’t impossible to come up with an answer for these disciples that not only satisfied their curiosity but also benefited their future behaviors.
Shin spoke up once more with a subservient tone and a cupped fist, “Senior brother, would you grace this junior with your name.”
Kenja was taken aback as he looked at the nodding heads of his other brothers and sisters. He turned to Hide for permission to answer the question which caused her to snap out of her daydream long enough to nod at him. She was also curious about his identity.
“My name is Kitamura Bolo. I was initiated into the sect several days ago,” Kenja declared.
He was a cautious individual, so he used the name of someone who actually was an outer-sect disciple since it was likely that the names of the disciples were recorded somewhere. Moreover, Bolo was the only individual he knew firsthand had entered the outer-sect recently, so it was unlikely they would see through the lie or know Bolo’s actual appearance. If trouble found the annoying Bolo as a result, better him than an innocent disciple.
Shin bowed his head to Kenja. “Thank you for your lesson, Senior Brother Kitamura!”
The mid-level Qi Flourishing disciple who asked the question bowed as well, causing the rest to do the same. “Thank you, Senior Brother Kitamura!” they said in unison.
Kenja heard a long sigh coming from the back of his neck. “Disciple…you have two of the rarest constitutions in the world, an unbreakable and unstoppable weapon, and the Supreme Me in your possession, and yet I fear your golden tongue is your most valuable asset…”
Kenja gave them a smile before turning to Hide. “Senior sister, may I speak with you in private?”
Hide wrinkled her forehead at the request. “That is fine,” she approved before opening her bag and motioning for a rock several times her size to fly out. The rock was cut into several square slabs before being stacked on top of each other in front of the class.
“Junior Brother Shin, clean up your mess and replace the tiles. The rest of you pair up and begin practicing your technique.”
She led Kenja away from the group curious to see what this astounding junior brother wished to speak about in private. Her impression of him had been completely overturned.
‘He reminds me of Hideaki,’ she compared Kenja to the First Elder’s direct disciple who was known for his intellectual prowess and strategic dominance amongst the Five Tributaries.
They traveled far enough to ensure the other disciples could no longer hear them. Hide turned to face her junior that had impressed her more than any other junior had previously. “You may speak, Junior Brother Kitamura.”
Kenja gave her a light smile before responding, “Senior sister, I wish to be excused from your class.”