Killian had never been one for trash talk, so when the rest of his classmates heard his provocative words, they couldn't help but be taken aback.

But whilst they were surprised, Brutus felt humiliated. Even though he wasn't even the one fighting, feeling the eyes of Killian and virtually every member of the pavilion on him, it was hard to stay calm, but before he could reply, Haydson's ice-cold voice rang through the air.

"Is this how the Yin-Yang Pavilion teaches their disciples to behave?" the monolithic sword saint asked as his emotionless eyes went from his disciple, who was stood with an almost vacant look in his eyes, back to Lauriella, the person he believed to be the strongest person present.

"Is this how those of the O'Brien Empire behave?" Ace asked back as he took a step forward to stand beside his sworn 'little' brother. "Arriving at the home of another and behaving as though it's their own backyard?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Haydson asked as he released some of his spiritual essences in an attempt to pressure Ace to try and remind him of his place.

Had he used his battle-qi, it may have had the desired effect, but he tried to put pressure on Ace's soul as spiritual essence was the easiest form of energy to use discreetly.

Unfortunately for him, Ace's soul had already reached the level of a saint. Haydson's spiritual pressure was more like a spring breeze to the dark-haired teen.

"Even now, you still resort to petty tactics. I guess I shouldn't expect anything more from those from the O'Brien," Ace sighed lightly.

Haydson looked at Ace in shock. The amount of spiritual essence he was using to apply pressure on the boy's soul should be enough for a ninth-rank mage to feel light-headed, and yet Ace wasn't phased in the slightest.

But as he heard Ace's statement, his eyebrows twitched. In fact, it wasn't just him. Whether it was Haydson, Kenyon or Brutus, they were all born and raised in the O'Brien Empire, so Ace's words struck a chord with each of them.

As an actual direct disciple, Ace's words should've angered Kenyon the most, but since the boy was likely his master's son, he was able to remain composed. Brutus on the other hand…

His mental state was already anything but stable, so when he heard the primary cause of his heart demon talk about the empire he thought so highly of, he snapped.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TALK ABOUT THE EMPIRE?!" The crimson-armoured warrior snarled. "MY O'BRIEN EMPIRE IS THE GREATEST!"

"Ooh, is that right? How about I give you a chance to prove just how great your little O'Brien Empire is?" Ace smirked teasingly. "Since this little lizard isn't even worthy of being a warm-up for me, how about you, a fully grown adult warrior at the peak of the seventh rank who's closer to 100 years of age than to mine, fights me?"

"Trust your son," Aiden whispered gently when he saw Milianna's body tense up from watching Ace provoking a powerful warrior of the O'Brien Empire. "Nothing bad will happen to him, I promise."

Milianna was facing a difficult inner battle as she stared at her son's back. She wanted nothing more than to believe in her son, and most of the time, she did, but the person he was indirectly provoking with his actions today was a man she had been taught from a very young age was one of the most powerful men on the whole continent.

As much as she wanted to believe in her son's potential and the ability of her master and the rest of her martial family to keep Ace safe, it was far from easy.

Still, whenever Aiden spoke, it was magically able to somewhat stabilise her turbulent emotions.

"Hahahaha! You really are the most arrogant boy I've ever seen in my life!" Brutus exclaimed as a savage and crazed light flashed across his eyes. "If you wish to be embarrassed by me, then so be it!"

"Wait!" Haydson commanded Brutus before he could take another step, turning back to Lauriella and the other instructors. "Do you intend on getting involved if the boy loses?"

Haydson didn't particularly care if Brutus lived or died, but since he was effectively the leader of this trip, if he were to allow Brutus to die on his watch, it would be a slap in the face.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Do we look as shameless as you lot from the O'Brien Empire?" Wukong snorted. "If that idiot is capable of beating Ace, then so be it. Even if Ace were to die at Brutus' hands, we would say nothing."

Hearing the freakishly strong ape-man's words, Haydson turned to Lauriella for confirmation. It was only when he saw her nod that he allowed Brutus to go forward.

At the same time, Wharton had just returned to his master's side, still in a semi-dazed state. Today was supposed to be the day he finally avenged his loss, but instead, he lost to an opponent whose name he wouldn't even have been able to remember until today.

"Wharton," Haydson called out, his tone more sombre than what Wharton was used to. "All of us lose at some point. What separates great warriors from average ones is how they respond in the face of defeat. Do you understand?"

"Yes, master," Wharton replied half-heartedly.

"Wharton, my baby," Lina hurriedly took her youngest son in her arms. "Don't worry, son. Your master is right, this isn't important. You're two years younger than those boys, you will definitely surpass them in the future.

Just wait. When you become saints in the future, and they're still mortals, you can crush them and make them grovel at your feet."

Haydson glanced lightly at Lina before looking back to his disciple, his brows narrowing slightly but ultimately saying nothing. What was going through his mind at that moment was a mystery to everyone but him.

"Pay attention, child. If you want to defeat Ace in the future, now's your chance to learn about his current strength and how big the gap is between you," The sword saint said as he focused his attention on the impending battle.

He didn't believe that Ace could defeat someone two and a half ranks superior. Still, with the confidence everyone on the side of the Pavilion was exhibiting as they watched Ace, it was clear that, at the very least, he really was the strongest of all the disciples present, meaning he was stronger than Killian, meaning he was stronger than Wharton.

"Hahaha, did you hear that, boy?" Brutus asked with an evil grin as he drew the broadsword strapped to his back. "Even if I kill you today, no one will bother to avenge you!"

"Joel, which arm did he use to break yours?" Ace asked lightly as he flicked his wrist, summoning the glaive Lauriella forged for him, paying absolutely no attention to his opponent's threats.

"His right," Joel replied helplessly when he guessed what Ace was about to do.

"Awwh, how adorable," Brutus chuckled maliciously. "Do you want to get reve…

ARRGHHH! MY ARM!"

"The disciples of my Yin-Yang Pavilion aren't so easy to bully," Ace said softly as he watched his opponent's arm fall to the floor.

"That's…

What…

How?!" Wharton stared at Ace in complete and utter disbelief.

All he saw was Brutus take a single step in Ace's direction before his right arm was chopped clean off by a man-sized blue crescent blade.

Wharton may not have been able to understand what just happened, but Haydson and Kenyon were both saints with a profound wealth of experience. They were able to understand exactly what Ace did, not that it did anything to lessen the shock. In fact, it was because they understood what Ace did that made them so shocked.

"Was that Impose?" Kenyon asked, unable to believe his eyes.

"It wasn't just impose," Haydson replied as he looked at Ace, finally understanding the confidence that his peers and instructors had in him, and more importantly, the reason behind his pride. "First, he used impose to compress the air around his glaive before using the fusion of both states of wielding to slash out with enough speed and power to create what was effectively a crescent-shaped blade of highly compressed air."

"He can't be any older than 15, and yet he's already reached the fifth rank, fused both states of wielding, comprehended Impose and able to use it with such skill?" Kenyon muttered to himself as his eyes shone with excitement. 'That level of talent…

He really is master's son!'

Ace didn't care for the shock of their 'guests' as he calmly strode towards his wailing opponent.

"Stay away…

Stay away from me. You demon!" Brutus shouted as he gradually backed away.

"Do you remember what you said to me last time I saw you?" Ace asked calmly. "That I would never become a saint because of my apparent lack of affinity.

Since then, you haven't improved in the slightest, but me…"

"You…

That's impossible!" Brutus stammered, thinking his eyes must be deceiving him.

"How's that possible?!" Wharton muttered in disbelief as he saw the crimson flames coating Ace's left arm. "I was there… I was there when they confirmed he didn't have an affinity to any of the elements."

Once again, Kenyon and Haydson were no less shocked than Wharton and Brutus, but whilst the latter was shocked by Ace's ability to generate fire as if he were a fire mage, the two saints were stunned because they could clearly sense that those flames were at the profound level, a level that was usually only reserved for saints and deities.

Wukong reaching the profound level was surprising enough, but this… this was something else. Wukong was over twice his age and over four ranks higher.

"Please…

Please don't kill me," Brutus begged with a mixture of tears and snot falling from his eyes and nose, respectively.

Originally Ace just intended to beat Brutus up a bit and send him on his way, but as he looked at his opponent, all he could think about was how much his mother had suffered in silence all these years after O'Brien dared to force himself on her.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the fire coating his arm seemed to react to his rage by burning hotter and hotter till the point where even the temperature in the surrounding area was affected.

"DIE!" Ace roared as he thrust his fist forth, sending a giant fist-shaped flame into Brutus, instantly incinerating the whole of his upper body.

'Now's my chance!' Kenyon roared in his mind as his body moved like the wind in Ace's direction.