…but the collision never occurred.
A feeling of weightlessness prompted Kenja to open his eyes.
Two centimeters from the tip of his nose, an open palm had appeared between his face and the ground, halting his downward momentum.
The hand waved upwards toward him, Kenja's body moving with it until he was standing once more, the dizziness vanishing imperceptibly, his arms and legs no longer limp.
A man whose bald head barely reached Kenja's belly button stood in front of him, smiling up at him.
Kenja clasped his hands and greeted him, "Disciple has seen Fourth Elder."
"What a coincidence running into you again, girl. One really cannot tell how fate ties two people together," he replied while tugging his beard hairs down in a sage-like manner.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, you shameless old goat!"
A torrent of water poured onto the posturing Fourth Elder, soaking him from head to toe.
Kenja looked at the source of the sound and found the tall elder with a thin moustache scowling in the short elder's direction.
In front of him stood the Third Elder who had retreated away from Kenja at some point.
He was currently wrapped in vines growing from the grass below his feet. Red and white flowers bloomed from his thick mutton chop.
Steam came off Fourth Elder Ariyoshi Miji as he instantly vaporized the water drenching his body. Paying his rival no mind, he addressed Third Elder Kondo, "What's the meaning of this? Bullying my little niece—"
"Our niece," Sixth Elder Gao Diao corrected him. He was annoyed that he could not personally rescue Kenja, but beating Ariyoshi Miji in a footrace was not something he could accomplish in this lifetime.
"—We won't stand and watch anyone punish an innocent disciple, even if it's you, Third Brother," Ariyoshi Miji added additional flowery rhetoric in hopes of appearing noble and honorable to Kenja and the rest of the sect.
"Who's bullying whom? You two interrupted our acknowledgment ceremony! We have already exchanged offerings, and now she only needs to kneel."
Smoke rose from the vines restraining his body as they ignited and burned to ash.
"Now move away, so that Little Hikaru can complete the ritual," he called Kenja by his fake given name to create the illusion of intimacy in front of the other elders.
It took only seconds of stunned silence for them to understand the situation. Both faces of the Fourth and Sixth Elder darkened, simultaneously sending Elder Kondo a cold glare.
He had failed to undo the Soul Oath placed on Matsushita Hizumi, so his next best idea was to become Kenja's master.
After becoming Elder Kondo's second disciple, Kenja would also become the junior sister disciple of Matsushita Hizumi, naturally reconfiguring their relationship.
If that was insufficient, Elder Kondo could also command Kenja to release the Soul Oath since disciples must accept their master's instructions.
"Impressive. You can throw away your dignity so easily while keeping a straight face."
"Che, this isn't what we agreed upon, Third Brother."
A formal acknowledgment ritual involved several details that were often considered necessary.
Similar to when two got married, the ritual needed witnesses to recognize the legitimacy of the new master-disciple relationship—the more, the better.
While it was not a mandatory step to complete during the ritual's process, the future master and disciple would exchange personal gifts as commemorative tokens of this day.
Similar to how a dowry and betrothal gift were used to showcase the extent each party in a marriage valued the other person, the quality or sentimentality of these personal gifts would demonstrate each party's sincerity.
Finally, the ritual would culminate in the disciple kneeling or kowtowing to the master they wish to worship, and the master approving their offer of reverence with a nod and official acknowledgment of their new relationship.
Even though their conversation was blocked from prying ears, Elder Kondo had the whole sect watching. After tricking Kenja into handing his own sword over and holding the sword Elder Kondo had crafted, all he had left to do was make Kenja's forehead touch the ground.
By that point, very few could do anything to refute him.
With so many witnesses and an elder's word, even if the other elders did not believe him, the circumstances would be out of their hands. Hirai Hikaru's reputation would be tarnished if she claimed otherwise, eternally besmirched as an ungrateful and unfilial disciple that immediately renounced her master shortly after worshipping under him.
"Little Hikaru wishes to study my craft. I hope my brothers can congratulate me for finding another good seed."
It was true.
With this performance, Elder Kondo's first and main goal was to undo his primary disciple's Soul Oath.
If Kenja were a mere servant or outer sect disciple, or just a new inner sect disciple, he would not resort to such drastic deception. But because Kenja was a disciple of another elder, it was inappropriate to interfere with a fellow elder's disciple too much unless Kenja became his disciple as well.
He had more than one reason for coercing Kenja under his tutelage.
Kenja was not just any elder's disciple. He was Elder Kazane's disciple.
If Kenja became his disciple in weapons and smithing, a link would naturally form between the two masters that could bring them closer together.
They could meet to discuss Little Hikaru's progress and chat about her advancements.
He could inquire of Kenja for bits of information regarding Elder Kazane, such as her likes and dislikes, her dreams, and maybe what she desired in a man.
Perhaps he could recruit Kenja's assistance in his plot to capture Elder Kazane's heart.
He could definitely shave a decade or two off his century-long plan to romance Elder Kazane!
And most unexpectedly, Kenja demonstrated the traits of a potentially good seed for one embarking on the path of weapons.
He was loyal to his sword despite its horrendous status and appearance, treating it like a person rather than a tool.
Moreover, his strength was unusual.
Kenja could hold up Elder Kondo's sword without circulating any Qi.
This was not a feat any regular little boy at the Qi Flourishing stage could handle, and it was usually those with natural talent or a deep foundation that could do such a thing.
As for a girl, at least in Elder Kondo's many years of life, he had yet to see a display of such strength at such a weak cultivation without utilising Qi.
Females proficient in the Dao of Weapons or in smithing were a small fraction compared to the males. Being the master of such a woman in the future would bring him great pride and boundless fame.
The more he interacted with Kenja, the more convinced he was that accepting her as his second disciple would not end in a loss.
"Third Brother has been spending too much time with Sixth Brother. Now, I can't tell which of you is more like a weasel." Fourth Elder Ariyoshi Miji leaned down to take off his shoes, spending several seconds wiggling his bare toes.
Sixth Elder Gao Diao took out several bags and tossed them to Shimizu Mizutani before unfastening his sleeves. "Che, the goat's speech might lack in eloquence, but he has a point. I did not know Third Brother could be so sly."
Shimizu Mizutani passed an order to several disciples who made the remaining disciples withdraw several dozen meters backwards.
Third Elder Kondo saw that things were getting serious, so he put on a pair of black, leathery gloves before taking out the largest sledgehammer Kenja had ever seen from a storage bag and standing it vertically beside him, causing a small tremor underneath their feet.
The handle's length exceeded Elder Kondo who was already several heads taller than Kenja, and the size of its head was bigger than the entirety of Fourth Elder Ariyoshi Miji.
He refused to confess to their accusations, "This old man has always been open and aboveboard, but since my brothers are eager, I will oblige. It's been several years since we last sparred, hasn't it? Who wishes to go first?"
Fourth and Sixth Elder exchanged a quiet glance before snorting.
"Che, no need for turns."
"Yes. The winner takes the prize."
Third Elder Kondo nodded to show he understood their meaning. "Agreed."