As the days slowly passed by, Bale would spend his time either meditating or sparring with his fellow disciples. On some days, he would even pay a visit to the first floor of the sects library and peruse the books available to him. Though the knowledge wasn't grand, it allowed him to deepen his understanding and solidify his foundation.
One month passed.
Two months.
The third month came and slowly drew to a close. Bale had spent these months repeating his daily routine of meditation in the morning, then, after a quick midday meal, he would spar with the disciples, practicing the things he learned from the books that he had read.
It had been easy enough to develop a friendly relationship with his fellow outer disciples. Because of this, they had helped him during his initial weeks there. He especially drew closer to one disciple in particular - her name was Shale. She was a quiet girl, though not shy. She only really spoke when she needed to. As for her martial skills, they weren't great, but neither were they subpar. Among the rankings she was about the middle. Her appearance, just like her ranking, was average. She wasn't an exceptional beauty but her skin was fair and not marred with blemishes. Her cheeks had a slight rosey complexion to them. Her black hair fell to her shoulders, but was pulled back into a ponytail. She was slender in all aspects, but it still exuded a feminine charm.
Though Shale wasn't outstanding, many were still captivated by her. The males found her attractive while the females found her endearing. So all wanted to get close to her. Yet despite their attempts, she always maintained a distance between them. It wasn't a physical separation, for she would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with others, but more of a psychological and emotional distance. Yet, when she began associating with Bale, that distance seemed to fade away. It wasn't evident at first, but as the days and weeks passed everyone could see that the invisible wall that she usually kept up slowly faded between the two.
This sudden shift in Shale caused some to grow jealous of Bale. And as much as they disliked seeing the two get along so well, they also knew why. Bale was a broken soul. Shale was also a broken soul. They complimented each other. So how could they not grow close? Not to mention they both were extremely kind and endearing, making not liking them nearly impossible.
But nonetheless, they were simply friends. Nothing more, nothing less. Did that mean there were no feelings? Who could say, for they were man and woman, and they were close, thus it was possible for feelings to form. But whether they actually did, no one could say for certain except for Shale and Bale themselves.
—————
Two months later.
A low rumble could be felt throughout the sect. Some disciples stepped out of their rooms, others looked about curiously, elders raised an eyebrow, but all shared the same thought - someone had fortified and solidified their aura. Naturally, both outer disciples and elders alike assumed it was one of the top outer disciples since inner and core disciples had already done so long ago. As for which outer disciple, none were sure, but three came immediately to mind - third ranked outer disciple Lan Yao Kong, Second ranked Irys Guam, and finally first ranked Danz.
Many believed it was Danz since he had been closest to fortifying his aura last they had seen him, feeling that it wouldn't be long before he broke through. The other two, though people knew they would break through, they felt it would still be some time.
Danz stepped out of his room, followed by Irys Guam, looks of bewilderment shared between them. When others saw them, they immediately went up to congratulate Danz. But alas, their praise was for the wrong man. Though Danz was a proud young man, he couldn't take credit for something that would be proven untrue. He immediately refuted their praise. "I have yet to break through," he told the others. Surprised, the disciples turned to Irys, but she immediately said that she hadn't broken through either. That could only mean...
"Impossible!" Danz snorted, a look of bewilderment plastered on his face. "Lan Yao Kong May be one of the top three, but he has only just begun his journey to solidify his aura. There is no way he could have broken through so soon!" Just after uttering these words, Lan Yao Kong came jogging toward them from around a building. He beamed at them, and for a moment, the small group felt as though that were the case.
'Did he really break through?' They all shared this thought.
"Brother Danz! Little sister Irys! Which of you two broke through?" Lan Yao looked between the two, smiling with pride and admiration. Of the top students, he felt that only these two were the closest in breaking through to the next level. Now, he just needed to find out which it was so that he could congratulate them. But they simply stared at him with weird looks. Looks that suggested to him that he might be wrong. But how could he be wrong? He definitely wasn't the one who had broken through, so it naturally must be one of these two! But before he could ask, soft crunching could be heard. Slow, methodical steps passed behind them. The group turned, all practically in unison to see who this person was. As their eyes landed on him, everything seemed to click into place.
Bale had a layer of sweat across his forehead, and he took deep and heavy breaths, but he had a huge smile across his face. 'I've done it!' He took a deep breath as he finally relaxed and sat back, leaning against the wall of his room. It had taken nearly half a year with constant practice, reading and meditating, but Bale had finally managed to summon and solidify his aura. Now all he had to do was fortify it and he would be able to break through to the next level.
But he couldn't celebrate for long.
A soft rumble rolled beneath him, and he could ever so slightly feel the power that traveled through the air. He knew at once someone had taken their first steps into the realm of a true swordsman. Though he called himself a swordsman, he knew only a true swordsman would be one who could kill without an actual sword. All they needed was sword intent. And that was a level he hadn't reached yet.
As Bale came out of his room, he noticed a small crowd approaching, with a single person heading the group. As they grew closer, he could make out the individuals. Some were outer disciples whose ranks fell toward the bottom. Some had rankings that fluctuated between the upper and lower middle half of the rankings. What surprised Bale were the three people that were behind the leader. Danz - first ranked outer disciple, Irys - second ranked, and the third ranked Lan Yao. The leader of this small mob, however, completely caught him off-guard.
He was an inner disciple, though he was ranked last among his fellow disciples. It was said that he hadn't even stepped into the realm of true martial arts, so many rumors spread that he had become an inner disciple through bribes, blackmail, or some other form of illicit means. However, it was simply because he had been deemed as a genius who would take the martial arts world by storm. So the elder that brought him into the sect had immediately promoted him to inner disciple. Unfortunately, though he made vast improvements with his martial prowess, he simply could not break through to the next level. It had been five years, and in that time those who had expectation of him slowly gave those up and put him in the back of their minds.
It had taken quite a long time, but Quan Hanzou had finally succeeded. He finally broke through into the realm of martial arts. He could feel the difference. Finally, the other disciples would stop looking down on him, making nasty remarks behind his back. But first, he wanted to put a certain outer disciple in his place. He needed to let Bale know that Shale was his, and his alone.
As the group approached, Bale took a few steps forward. The air was stiff and tense. Something was going to happen, and if he was guessing correctly, in was going to involve himself and Quan Hanzou.
"Disciple Bale, I challenge you!" Quan Hanzou exclaimed as he approached. This exclamation caught many by surprise. Why was an inner disciple - especially one who had just broken through - challenging an outer disciple? That question was answered soon enough. "Shale is my woman! I won't allow you to have her!"
That statement caused everyone's mouth to fall open, including Bale. 'Is this man an idiot?' Was he really issuing a challenge out of jealousy? Unfounded jealousy, but jealousy nonetheless. And the answer was yes. No one could believe it. When had Quan Hanzou been interested in Shale? As far as they could recall, the two had never even spoken to one another. Yet this man claimed to love her. Since he had come to challenge Bale, he must have either seen the two together at some point, or heard of the rumors that the two were more than just friends. Although many outer disciples knew the truth, the rumors still spread. Either way, the flames of jealousy were fanned within Quan Hanzou's heart, and they would not be quelled so easily.
With an expectant gaze falling upon him from the crowd, Bale could only sigh inwardly. If he declined, many would call him a coward, but if he accepted it was tantamount to admitting that their relationship was more than that of two close friends, and that was a relationship that many already questioned as it was. If he went through with this fight, who knows what rumors would end up being spread about Shale.
With a raspy sigh, Bale issued for Quan Hanzou to follow him into his room.
'Ho? What do you think you'll accomplish by bringing me into your room?' Quan Hanzou began to step forward.
This turn of events irked the crowd that had followed. Once the two were inside, the group would not be able to hear their conversation. But it couldn't be helped. They would simply have to wait to see the outcome. But what happened next surprised everyone.
At the same time that Quan Hanzou has begun to move forward to follow Bale, Bale's room door open and out stepped a sleepy-looking Shale. Bale froze in place. Quan Hanzou stopped mid-step, a look of shock on his face, the whispering crowd behind the two grew silent. All that could be heard were the birds as they sung their songs in the wind.
What was at most a minute of utter silence felt like an eternity. That silence was only broken by a guttural yell.
"Grrrahh!!! Bale!!! I'll kill you!!"
'... Sh*t.'