Lin saw the two of them entering through an opening in the hastily constructed arena, wide, conical hats hiding the top halves of their faces. "I thought there would only be one." She said, stating it more like a question.

"No idea, maybe it was actually supposed to be two coming down, and we just didn't know?" That was Junko Yu. Her answer was accompanied by murmuring going through the crowd, multiple disciples asking themselves the same question. It was an unlikely assumption, their teachers had never not told them about things like the number of people participating in any competition or demonstration, just like it was known that the seven best Novices would be selected.

"The taller one is an Adept." Lin suddenly said. She had closed her eyes and tried to get a grasp of the two's spirit, while Aya sitting next to her looked troubled for some reason.

"An Adept?! Are you sure? He can't be that much older than us." Junko exclaimed, trying to sense his cultivation for herself.

But before either of them could say anything, Adept Lu turned from the conversation with the two unknown disciples. Lin caught him grimacing, which he hardly ever did, though the man hid it as fast as it came, and began addressing the assembled disciples who had come to watch as much as those who would participate. His voice, clear and sonorous, easily reached even the farthest rank, aided by his spirit.

"These two honourable young heroes have descended our sect's prestigious mountain to enlighten you on the vastness of heaven and to improve not only the vision, but also the grit and ambition, of a new generation." He paused unnaturally, as if someone had interrupted him, gave the two visitors a glance, and resumed like nothing happened.

"Without further ado, let our contenders in this friendly competition step forward. Novice Ren, disciple of Master Darkhaven, and seven of our brightest."

Lin didn't even listen to the Adept proclaiming the names, they were without consequence. She stared at Ren, now there was no longer any doubt in her expression. It was him, it really was! She wanted to scream, run up and embrace him, scold him for taking so long, and all at once.

"It really was Ren, huh. You think he wants to talk to us after this, Lin?" Aya said, touching her shoulder.

Lin bit her lip and let her thumb run over her chin. "I don't know, but he better. It's been a year now, and it looks like he is doing well for himself." She said.

Aya only shook her head and focused back on the arena, ignoring Junko's asking looks.

Ren and the first Novice that would face him stepped forward, a boy who was known for his fierce fighting style and strong body, but before Adept Lu could announce the start of their spar, the young Adept who came together with Ren began addressing the Novices.

"Why don't you just come at him together? I honestly thought that the demonstration would be against an Adept." He said, making the other Adepts grimace while the chosen Novices had to endure the humiliating words of Zhi Mu, faces becoming red, and fists clenching with suppressed anger. The worst thing was that he didn't sound malicious, it was more like he simply stated a fact of life, and anyone who debated it was nothing more than a moron. The sky was blue, a Master was stronger than an Initiate, and normal Novices could never hope to defeat Ren, even if they came in hordes.

'What did you learn up on the mountain, Ren?' Lin thought as she watched him eyeing the different Novices as well as Adepts. 'He won't really want to fight them all, right?'

The atmosphere had quickly turned, from cheerful, to so tense that one could cut it with a knife. Adept Lu clearly didn't know how to respond, while one of the other instructors looked even more humiliated than the Novices.

"What are you waiting for? You heard the young Lord, attack him together, and don't hold back!" The man barked, pronouncing 'young Lord' like it was an insult.

The first Novice rushed Ren without another thought, charging head first into the fray, Lin thought he was going to throw a punch immediately. The others were only a moment behind, making eye contact once before they followed, fanning out in every direction.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

There were now seven Novices coming at a boy almost four years their junior, yet Ren was still refusing to move, not even drawing his blade. Despite the first Novice's apparent eagerness, he did not attack immediately, and neither did any of the others. They were encircling him, slowly moving around him, waiting for an opening. In the elementary division it was customary to include lessons on fighting in a group, after all, many missions would require multiple people working together seamlessly.

Ren's body remained relaxed, but Lin could see his spirit fanning out around him. It was an amazing display for anyone who could make it out, only she was unsure if any of the Novices he faced were able to perceive it perfectly without going into meditation, as Ren's art wasn't visible to the naked eye. They knew that something was wrong, that the boy before them was dangerous and was doing something with his spirit, but that instinct and caution was ultimately overcome by their shame and confidence in their own abilities. They attacked.

The first boy fell with nary a sound, Ren's fist buried in his stomach, eyes bulging in disbelief, and no recollection of how the younger boy bypassed his guard. At the same time multiple arts flew towards him, blazing flames, torrents of water, and streams of wind aimed straight at him with their users right behind ready to capitalize on any lapse in judgement.

Ren's left foot struck out like lightning, heaving the first Novice and flinging him between the different attacks, directly out of the arena.

It was all the warning anyone got when Ren suddenly moved. Lin was unable to follow him with her eyes, and neither could any of the Initiates watching. The arts flung at him were cut apart by streams of spirit dancing about, intertwining in strange patterns, and the only reminder Lin got that these disciples were actually the strongest that the elementary division had to offer was the fact that one of the girls managed to block one of Ren's punches with crossed arms before being taken out by another smooth spinning hit to her head without being able to retaliate in any way.

The almost effortless way he dodged, weaved, and cut apart any opposition truly was reminiscent of an Adept showing off the gap between the two realms, yet he was clearly still a Novice. She thought about how the young Adept had said that he should have fought against an Adept, and now, after witnessing this demonstration of power, because that was clearly what it was, she began to wonder. Could Ren beat one of the weaker Adepts? It was scary to think that the boy she had grown up with had already become this strong while she would still struggle against any single one of his current opponents, if she could even call them that, lying on the ground as they were, unmoving. She shuddered, He was scary.

Lin clenched her fist, her thoughts jumbling against each other. 'No, I won't be scared of him, it has only been a year, and he is still the same boy I knew... right?' She tried to calm herself, while another treacherous voice whispered in her mind. 'A year can be a long time though, and he hasn't even visited me once.'

While Lin was lost in her thoughts the arena had quieted down, even if people believed the disciple of a Master could defeat seven Novices, even if they came at him together, none in the crowd had thought it would be the slaughter that it was.

"Th-the winner is Ren of the weapon division." Adept Lu unnecessarily stuttered out, forgetting any honorific, obviously in disbelief. The other Adepts eyed the boy with veiled apprehension, faces stony.

'After all', Lin thought, 'it wouldn't be proper for an Adept to be seen fearing a Novice, no matter how talented.'

Ren glanced around the arena, letting everyone see his dark eyes, as hesitant applause began ringing out, though it seemed to fall right off him like a light summer rain reflected by an expensive umbrella.

Lin thought his eyes slid over their sitting place more than once, but it also might have only been wishful thinking from her side. Without saying anything, he used a movement art to appear next to the young Adept in a green robe.

They briefly exchanged words with the teaching Adepts, not letting anyone hear their conversation, and then left the premises after receiving respectful bows, some more reluctant than others.

After turning, the two immediately vanished in a blur of movement and spirit. Lin could see Adept Gao's, who had incited the Novices to attack, eyes widen briefly before he smoothed out his expression again. Lin shook her head, the man clearly wasn't the brightest flame.

The atmosphere in the arena was somewhat awkward, disciples discussed what happened with their friends, some pitying the Novices who still lay on the floor and were only just receiving help, others were gleeful, fervently talking about how they would become a Master's apprentice themselves once they joined a division. Lin, Aya, and Junko only exchanged a few hushed words, wanting to discuss everything in the relative seclusion of their house.

They were just about to leave when Adept Lu cleared his throat, like he always did when the atmosphere wasn't to his liking, and he tried to make himself heard, letting his voice echo through the arena and suppressing every other sound. "The young heroes and us, your teachers, in light of the brevity of today's exhibition, have come to the decision that the two young heroes will spend today in our division and have volunteered to train together tomorrow with everyone who is willing from sun's rise till at least midday." He paused briefly, looking around with a tight expression as if he was going to say more, but ultimately decided against it. "That will be all."