"Bloodline Ability?!" Lazerim asked, no less shocked than any of the other children who overheard their conversation.

The only people who weren't shocked by Wukong's declaration were Ace's group, Aiden, Mathias, and Wukong.

Hell, even Alissa, who'd been travelling alongside Ace for the better part of a year, was beyond shock by this new revelation.

You have to understand, Bloodline abilities amongst humans were simply too rare. As far as most people knew, only the descendants of the four supreme warriors were blessed with bloodline abilities and even then, it was clear from the current state of the Baruch clan that their bloodlines were waning with each generation.

"Mmh," Wukong nodded. "He calls it haki!"

"It really is just one surprise after another with you, isn't it?" Joel asked as he stared at the obsidian blade of his opponent's polearm in disbelief.

However, Ace had no intention of talking any longer. "[Soru]!"

For the first time since their fight began, Ace finally took the initiative.

Joel gritted his teeth as Ace suddenly appeared in front of him and unleashed an onslaught of attacks.

He had assumed that when he began using his lightning to coat his blade, he would easily be able to dominate, but as Ace began to attack, no matter what he tried, Joel couldn't find a way to break his flow. Even when insta-casting [Piercing Bolt], Ace managed to easily dodge without breaking his flow.

If that wasn't bad enough, Joel noticed small chips starting to form on his blade after each block. He knew if this continued, it wouldn't be long before his weapon broke and he lost, and yet, despite knowing this, there didn't seem to be anything he could do to stop the inevitable.

Despite being the stronger of the two, Joel was being thoroughly suppressed. It was like Ace could read him like a book and perfectly counter his next move before he even finished making it.

The longer it went on, the more mistakes Joel began to make, and Ace made sure to punish him for each one.

Several cuts and gashes started to appear on Joel's body, and even though it was just a practice match, Joel never showed any sign of giving up.

Yulana watched her young master get dominated with clenched fists and red eyes. She knew that it was her fault he was forced to fight that monster so early. If she hadn't insulted him, he likely wouldn't have embarrassed her in the way he had, and yet, instead of holding herself accountable, she held Ace completely responsible.

Unfortunately for her, Ace had no idea what she was thinking, nor would he care even if he did. All he wanted to do was finish this as soon as possible. Using his [Armament] for extended periods put quite the strain on his body, and he knew he still had more fights after this one.

Then, as though Ace had a guardian angel looking out for him, his glaive finally cut his opponent's sabre in two.

Joel looked at the glaive resting mere millimetres away from his neck and then at his broken blade. He couldn't believe he had lost. Not only was he older and at a higher realm, he had also resorted to breaking his vow and used magic, yet…

Ultimately, he didn't say anything. Instead, he simply carried both halves of his broken sabre in his hands as he left the arena.

Many were surprised by the fact that Joel wasn't chosen to be a disciple, but Joel didn't seem to care as he retook his place by Yulana, who appeared too scared to say anything.

"The Dawson boy didn't manage to pique your interest, Kong?" Kimika asked, turning to her Junior brother.

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"Whether it's his talent as a warrior or mage, it's first class," Lazerim added. "He even managed to insta-cast a rank one spell with the power of a rank two spell. Though it's not quite the same as insta-casting a spell of your rank, it's not much easier."

"Not interested," Wukong outright rejected. "Until this king becomes a saint, this king refuses to take on a single disciple."

Whilst the instructors were talking amongst themselves, Ace was eyeing his classmates, trying to figure out who was next.

As his eyes fell on Killian, all he got was a simple thumbs-up and an encouraging smile. Though he didn't say it, Ace understood that Kil had no intentions of fighting.

"What about you?" Ace asked as he focused on Alissa, who was, as usual, right beside Killian.

"Who wants to fight a freak like you?" The silver-haired girl snorted.

Ace could only smile helplessly at that. Ever since she found out about his comprehending 'one with the glaive', Alissa had taken to calling him a freak instead of his actual name. But before he could voice a reply, he noticed someone walking towards the stage from the corner of his eye.

Upon realising who it was, a helpless smile appeared on his face, especially when he saw the cold glint in her eyes.

She may not have been the strongest in terms of realm. Still, Amira Rohault was, without a doubt, the most talented person present, especially when considering her age, and warrior and mage cultivation. And for the simple fact that she was cherry-picked by Wukong's mysterious master, Ace knew that she more than likely had the combat ability to back it up.

Ace could hear the chuckling of Wukong and the other instructors, but he didn't dare take his eyes off his approaching opponent. It was partly because he was scared of what she would do if he did, but it was also because he quite literally couldn't.

Despite being so much older than her mentally, there was something mesmerising about her. Just like the first time he laid eyes on her, his cheeks began to flush red, and his heart began to race.

It was only when she was a mere meter away that he noticed a golden light coating her now outstretched palm as she spoke. "[Purifying Light]."

That was the first time he'd heard her speak. He was so distracted by the sound of her angelic voice that he didn't notice the fatigue that had started to build from his last fight disappear until he saw her elegantly drink the contents of her metal flask before it disappeared into the storage ring on her right index finger.

"You healed me?" Ace asked in surprise.

"I want you at your best when I defeat you," Amira replied calmly.

Ace didn't reply immediately. Instead, he just stared at his soon-to-be opponent in a daze. As he stared at her, she stared back, but the longer she looked into his jet-black eyes, the faster the ice melted.

"Interesting," Aiden voiced as he watched the two children staring at each other.

"What's so interesting about puppy love?" Wukong asked back as he impatiently waited for the two love birds to start what should be the final round.

"Don't you find it interesting that they're so fascinated by each other even though this is obviously the first time they're meeting each other?" Aiden asked with an intrigued smile.

"What's interesting about two brats finding someone of the opposite sex attractive?" Wukong replied, answering the man's question with another question.

"Think about it. Objectively speaking, Alissa's no less attractive than my adorable little niece over there, and yet Ace has always been utterly indifferent to her looks.

Then there's Lauriella and Kimika. They're both nation-toppling beauties in their own right, and as fully-grown women, their beauty isn't what a prepubescent child's could compare to. And yet Ace didn't so much as bat an eyelid in the face of either of them." Aiden explained as his smile grew wider.

"My adorable little niece is no different. As the princess of the Rohault Empire, she's been introduced to all sorts of attractive males of her own age and older, many of whom have tried all kinds of extravagant acts in their attempts to court her knowing she'll be a beauty no less than our Lauriella and Kimika, yet she's always been completely indifferent to each and every one of them, wanting to spend more time focusing on her training than anything else.

Don't get me wrong, Ace is a handsome boy, but he's not the most attractive boy around either. Still, as soon as she locked eyes with him, she was no less entranced than he was." Aiden said, unable to hide his fascination.

"Okay, when you put it like that, I admit it's a little odd," Wukong said as he turned his attention from the two youngsters back to his master's husband. "But what does any of it mean?"

At that point, it wasn't just Wukong who was interested. Each of his senior brothers and sisters hung on Aiden's every word with rapt attention. Unfortunately, they were destined to be disappointed.

"I have no idea," Aiden replied simply. "I just think it's interesting."

Wukong and the others rolled their eyes before turning their attention back to the pair in the arena. Though they were disappointed by the lack of answers, they weren't surprised. They knew how eccentric this martial uncle of theirs could be when he found something that caught his attention.

Aiden, though, simply smiled as a curious light flashed across his eyes.