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17 - Chen Zhen

After meditating for some time in her large but empty room, Jian Li felt like she was ready for some action. She was starting to get restless since Jian Ye never told her when she would be back after she gave them back their badges.

Jian Ye always had the habit of vanishing, but she always came back after some time.

While she was sitting on her bed, thinking about what she could do to use up her energy, she remembered what Jian Ye had suggested earlier.

Jian Li immediately got up and left to go find her elder brother. They had to spar.

She remembered that his room was not far from her own and as she knocked on the door, Jian Chen was sitting cross-legged in meditation in his room.

The room had been decorated with swords, shields, and spears. A large pile of books sat by his bedside table.

"Come in." Jian Chen said. Jian Li entered the room and was stunned.

"Li, what's up?", he said as he opened his eyes and smiled at her.

Jian Li just looked around the room in awe. She felt somewhat confused since her own room only had a bed. In contrast, she didn't even have a table by the bedside.

Both of their rooms had a large window, but his window was covered up by thick yellow curtains. His whole room was covered in a heavenly golden glow.

'Where did he even get those books from?' Jian Li thought to herself as she longingly looked at the books.

"I wanted to spar." Jian Li said.

In response, Jian Chen said nothing as he stood up to grab two of the blunt wooden swords on the wall.

Alarmed, Jian Li rushed to go and stop Jian Chen.

"Just not in your room. Ye wasn't exactly ecstatic the last time we did this. So, let's go to the arena like she suggested earlier. Please." Jian Li said.

Jian Li was practically wiping her sweat as she recalled what they had done after a "light" spar in his room.

Back in Qianye Village, the whole room had to be rebuilt. Everything including the windows and the bed got completely replaced.

What she felt the worst about, was that Jian Chen had not even seemed fazed in the slightest when it happened. Their eldest sister did not act in the same manner unfortunately though...

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As Jian Li thought about the catastrophe that could have been Jian Chen's new room, they each grabbed a wooden sword from the wall and left Jian Chen's room.

Outside the dormitory, they went to ask the first person they came across for the location of the arena.

They found a boy wielding a spear that led them to a large field located behind the dormitory. Several other disciples were sparring in the large arena he told them.

Jian Li and Jian Chen began walking towards the arena. They heard lots of shouting before they arrived.

"You better not lose!"

"You think I am scared of you?"

"Idiot!"

"Let's begin already!"

A young man stood in the centre of the largest stage in the arena dressed in a tunic. The tunic was a pale shade of red with a picture of a sword on the back. The man's hair was tied up in a bun with two small tails that fell past his shoulders.

All around him, the other fighters were also dressed in the same type of tunic but they were blue instead. They looked agitated as they stared down the man in the middle.

"Go on, hit him!", one of the men said.

Jian Li and Jian Chen arrived just in time to see the first man charging at the man in the middle. The man in the middle caught the man's sword with his left hand.

With his right hand, he punched the man in the stomach. The man in the middle then swung his left leg around and kicked the man in the chest. The man stumbled back and fell to the ground.

"That was fast," a voice said from behind Jian Li. Jian Li turned around to see a smiling young boy about her age standing behind her.

He had messy black hair and brown eyes. His tunic was also a shade of red. Jian Li then noticed the man's red badge. It said "Chen Zhen" on it.

"Yeah," Jian Li said. "That was fast."

Chen Zhen laughed. "Yeah, I guess he is pretty fast."

"I guess so," Jian Li said, still watching the man in the middle. It seemed as if the battle was coming to an end.

During the short time Jian Li had spoken to Chen Zhen, the man in red had taken out all the other men in blue.

They were on the ground, groaning in pain just like the first man. The man in red walked to the centre of the stage.

"You all did really well. All of you fought clean. That was very impressive. You all should be proud," the man in the middle said.

The man in the middle then turned his attention to the gathered crowd.

"Okay, now, so who dares to fight me next?", he said complacently.

The crowd quieted down quickly.

Jian Li watched Chen Zhen as he stepped up on the stage. Weirdly, she noticed that Chen Zhen's red tunic was a slightly different shade of red. It looked a little darker.

The crowd gasped.

"Wait, Chen Zhen is fighting?", someone in the crowd said.

"What's going on?", another person said.

Jian Li looked at him and she thought she saw amusement in his eyes but she couldn't be sure.

Chen Zhen's opponent, the man in red, seemed to be surprised by him stepping up to the stage too. He stared at Chen Zhen.

"I-Is something wrong?", the man in red nervously said.

"Don't you think you've done enough, Wu? We're core disciples, we aren't supposed to go around flexing to inner disciples. It's disrespectful to the sect," Chen Zhen said.

The man in red looked at Chen Zhen for a moment and then nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry.", the man in red then left the stage without saying another word.

Shortly, the large crowd dispersed in disappointment as Chen Zhen left the arena as well.

"Li, over here!", Jian Li heard her brother yelling from the distance and saw him pointing towards a smaller and more notably, empty stage.