Chapter 18: The Five Fingers Into Fist Formation

"Serah..." Zushi let out helplessly.

"Let's fight". Zax ignored Zushi and responded to Livai.

Instantly, four huge smiles spread across the faces of the four students behind Livai.

"Everyone, we are heading to the court". Livai glanced at the four behind him, in the process, informing Zax and his friends were the fight will be held.

The "court" in question was the same court Zax battled Don on and walked past with Susuya.

Couple classes of Beginner grade students practiced formations, as in the previous time Zax been to the court.

Most students were between the ages ten to fifteen. Fewer were around twenty years old and a handful of students were near the graduation's age, thirty years old. The cultivation level of all present Beginner grade students ranged between F level to D level Earth's Core Holder.

To all those watching from the side, the spectacle of mixed ages with similar cultivation level was a testimony for everyone who were accepted or rejected from Eden Formation, more or less from every Martial school, which signified a vital fact to anyone who dreams to stride upon the Martial path.

The essence of this spectacle was the old generation of Beginner grade students. These students and cultivators in the past were at the peak of their peers. Being accepted to Eden Formation indicated that at the time, in their generation, they were unrivaled. Years later, however, time revealed that the talent, aptitude and potential of these still Beginner grade students, was limited to the first steps one takes on the Martial path.

In contrast to those failed students, what was the so important vital fact, were actually the many others students who lacked the same qualities in the past and, as a result, could not enroll Eden Formation. A portion of those students, with years of hard work, outshined their past better ones, in less notable Martial schools.

On the court, the older generation students stood or sat in front of the younger generation students, either way, towering before them, merely so the younger generation students will always remember that although now they are the best among their peers, without the proper hard work their future will be ignominious.

As for the salvation of the Beginner grade student who were getting close to the graduation age, in Eden Formation the sole method for them to save some face was to take and pass the test to the Intermediate grade.

Zax and the others reached the court with tense air separating the two groups.

"Stop!" The closest teacher to the two groups shouted when Livai approached him.

The teacher was an Advanced phase Mist Master, but he was quite old and graduated as an Intermediate grade students from Eden Formation, before getting a teaching certificate and returning as a teacher. His status in the school entitled him the same respect as the top Intermediate grade students. Nevertheless, Livai still was very much courteous when he came over and made him stop the practice.

After the old teacher shouted, the six other teachers also stopped their classes.

"Teacher, we, Advanced grade students, want to use the court for a short fight". Livai said in a placid manner. As if simply letting the teacher know his thoughts, rather than apologizing for interrupting the lesson and asking permission to borrow the court.

Livai's voice was not strong, but the moment the students and teachers saw the group of Advanced grade students, such an absolute silence followed that even a pin drop could be heard.

Put aside Zax, Anet and the four from Livai's group, Livai alone aroused immense feelings of veneration from the students and teachers. There was not one person among them who did not recognize the number two of the Advanced grade students.

As for Zax and the impression he left in his first visit to Eden Formation. While many students ran to the windows of the three grades buildings, there were not many opportunities to clearly see him between his confutation with the Disciplinary Class and Don.

Those who were capable of seeing him and taking a picture of him were a few and mostly from the Intermediate grade building. The Beginner grade students were too scared from angering their teachers by jumping around to the windows, and the Advanced grade students did not care about a strife between Intermediate grade students until it was too late and Don led Zax away from the three grades buildings.

Eventually, the Intermediate grade students with pictures of Zax had to hand over their Callers to the school and go through a crafty questioning process that meant to contaminate the credibility of their memories.

With regards to the memories the seven teachers had from Zax, at the time, they were busy calming their students.

Thus, other than the Disciplinary Class and the Student Council Class, about seventeen other students knew how Zax looked like and none of them was currently in the court.

Hearing Livai, the teacher's face beamed with delight. Spars between Advanced grade students occurred regularly, but not on the school's court. The Advanced grade students had their own private arenas inside their building. If Anet spent a little bit more time in getting to know the Advanced grade building, then training, she also would have come to know the existence of the arenas.

The teacher did not know why Livai wanted to spar in the court and he was not about to ask. Forgetting his students, it was an unprecedented chance for him to watch and maybe gain insight from the marvelous techniques of Livai, the second skillful Advanced grade student.

The other teachers had to same idea in their heads. Only, embarrassed to admit it out loud, they began to shout.

"Everyone, an honorable senior from the Advanced grade building is going to expound for you on the profoundness of our Eden Formation's techniques in the manner of a spar with a fellow Advanced grade student. Everyone, don't try to comprehend the techniques and methods of your honorable senior. Your cultivation is still too immature. For this occasion, it would be great fortune to just bear witness and meditate over what you saw in your private time".

These were the general word of the seven teachers. They were not familiar with Zax, the only indication they got that he is Livai's sparring partner, was how he stood out from the others. Also, the reason they praised Livai so much, was because they thought that the "short fight", was really a lesson to give some pointers to another fellow student.

The Beginner grade students obeyed their teachers while failing from concealing their excitement.

"This is ... this is..."

"Senior Livai!"

"It's him, yes! I can't believe we get to see senior Livai fight!"

"What are you saying?! My sister saw him in the half year Martial competition and said that his skills are the embodiment of our Supreme Ruler!"

"Unbelievable! I can't wait!"

"By the way, does anyone know who is the other senior Advanced grade student?"

"Not sure".

"Don't care. I want to see senior Livai's formation".

"Eh? Isn't she senior Anet, the newest member of the Student Council Class and principal Ram's Tal?"

"She is!"

"Whoa! She is so beautiful, like a goddess!"

"Yeah, yeah, no wonder she became principal Ram's Tal".

"And she and Livai are even younger than half of the students in our Beginner grade building!"

The Beginner grade students were naive and, regardless of age, did not even dream to measure their seniors. If Livai was more suitable than Anet as Don's Tal or how could it be that Anet became Don's Tal instead of him ... none of them entertained the thoughts.

The seven teachers, naturally, noticed Anet from the start. They did not give her special treatment due to the fact that they knew that she was inferior to Livai in both cultivation and skill, and because they did not have to from the first place.

Seeing and hearing the adoring eyes and words of the Beginner grade students and their teachers, Livai could not help but bask in the glorious manner he was conceived in. While he mostly had a level headed temperament and generally cared solely about his cultivation, he was also the type to relish in the acknowledgment others gave him. Especially when it came to the adorations of the Beginner grade students, they were the easiest to influence and it empowered his ego when he thought of how they looked at him as their idol and role model.

"Fellow teachers", Livai turned to the seven as if they were his colleagues. He liked their idea of letting him educate the Beginner grade students, and by setting his mind to do so, he felt that it would only be appropriate to refer to them as such. "There is no need to leave the court, arrange the students in a large circle". While verbally instructing, he even pointed with his finger.

The teachers obediently nodded and in less than a minute organized their classes into a large circle for Livai and Zax to spar in.

"Come here". Livai called Zax. By now he was prepared to make for himself such of an outstanding impression in his juniors' eyes that he stopped considering Zax as an opponent with the same level of cultivation, but a dummy for training.

"Zax, look at how confident the teachers are about this guy. Are you insisting on fighting him?" Zushi gave one last try to persuade against the fight. Beside him, Serah also showed signs of distrust on her face. She trusted Zax's strength, it was extraordinary since childhood, but even she could not ignore the reserved behavior of Eden Formation's teachers, the teachers of the best Martial school in El-Eden, toward someone that was supposed to be their student.

Zax turned and noticed the changes in Serah while glancing at Zushi. "I'm strong". He said resolutely and then smiled softly at his worried friends. "I can't be too excessive against a student with no good reason, but I can give you a satisfactory example of my strength".

Finishing talking, Zax proceeded to enter into the giant circle the seven teachers and their classes have made.

Watching Zax, the teachers did not give voice to their thought. Though, as an Advanced grade student he deserved and received their respect, the one they were enthusiastically interested in was Livai.