Milan stood at the top floor of the pavilion that overlooked most of the sect area. From her point, she could see the training grounds very clearly.
Beside her stood six of the ten senior disciples remaining in the sect, not including herself. Shane was nowhere to be seen yet, and the eldest Senior Brother and Sister were probably off checking with the patrols.
"Sister Milan!" said a rather cheerful voice.
Milan turned her head to see Teal skipping towards her, her ponytail swishing back and forth.
Behind her walked Alec, who was as calm as usual, the exact opposite as the energetic junior sister, Teal Mei.
"Good morning," Milan greeted without turning around.
Teal jumped and clung onto her arm, flashing her puppy eyes. "Senior Sister," she wailed. "Must you always be so cold! Give me a smile!"
Milan pushed her off, annoyed. It seems simply giving people the cold shoulder in this place just never works. "Mind your behavior, how will you act when the junior disciples see you?" she scolded.
Teal crossed her arms and pouted, rocking back and forth on her heels. "Who cares?" she shouted, the tips of her short hair bouncing at her shoulders. "They will still have to follow my orders!"
Alec suddenly appeared between them, stopping the argument. His footsteps were always silent, and his smile was just too creepy sometimes. "How about we just pay attention to what's happening below?" he said, his voice dancing up and down.
Teal leaned against the railings. "Oh, so there's two!" she exclaimed. "I wonder where they will be sent to this time?"
Milan crossed her arms and examined the girl and boy that trailed Teacher Li through the training grounds. "Hm, probably nothing special again. If they are satisfactory, Teacher Li may send them off to the lower sects with the others.
Teal jumped up and down excitedly, pointing her finger. "Ooh! Look, Senior Brother! They're going to do that punch test again!"
Alec and Milan glanced down. The boy was making the first move.
Milan wrinkled her nose. The pillar could not be taken down, what the masters are looking for are the power in the pun-
As if on cue, the ground suddenly started shaking, and the pillar sprouted significant cracks.
Milan looked down in surprise, as did the other six senior disciples.
The floor...the ground of the training field is special. It was meant to absorb the power of hits so no damage was to be made on the property during training. It is shaking so much...just how much power was behind the punch?
Suddenly, the pillar exploded, and the millennium stone came flying apart.
Alec quickly threw up a glowing shield, and even his creepy smile was dropped. He was stunned, as were the rest of the disciples.
Milan gripped the railings with both her hands, gawking at the damage.
"Woah..." a fellow senior disciple was heard marveling.
Teal was the first to break the silence with an ear-piercing squeal. "He's so powerful! Senior Brother! I want to meet him!" she bubbled.
Alec was too lost in his thoughts to mind Teal, who was tugging on his sleeve.
The millennium stone...broke?!? How is this possible?
He glanced down at Teacher Li and Elder Sima uncertainly. Could it be that this boy be who they were all looking for at this time?
"Yo, I heard a huge explosion. What happened?" a voice interrupted.
Milan and Alec turned their heads to see Shane grinning at them from behind.
"Tch." Milan turned back around. Useless, he is.
She smirked. A powerful ally has come to them, I wonder how Shane will react upon seeing someone stronger than him like such?
Shane leaned over the railing, squinting his eyes. "What? What- what happened here?" he shouted, baffled. "Is the millennium stone pillar broken?"
Alec smiled at Shane with somewhat an edge to it. "Junior Brother, it is clear before your eyes. Yes, it's broken," he said, stating the obvious.
Milan gave Shane a side-glance, but she didn't expect to see his pale expression, all of a sudden.
His eyes were wide and the color was drained from his face. Even his arms seemed to be trembling.
She sniffed. "Senior Brother Shane...is there something wrong?" she asked coldly.
"H- him...," he stammered under his breath. "Why...why is he here?"
Milan raised an eyebrow and Teal glanced up at Shane.
"Brother, you know him?" Teal said sweetly. "Introduce him to me, will you?"
He didn't seem to hear her, and he seemed lost in his own world. "I...I have to destroy him. I'll show him I'm a man," he continued to mutter. "I'll kick his f*cking *ss."
Alec smiled pointedly. "Brother, I am sure cursing is not allowed here in the sect," he reminded curtly. "Do you hold some sort of grudge? It is not wise to create trouble during this time."
"Urgh..." Shane bared his teeth, his eyes turning red. "Don't stop me," he suddenly growled.
Then, he leaped over the railings of the pavilion.
"Shane!" Alec called out in warning.
But it was already too late.
"What is Shane doing?" Reina Lang, another senior disciple, cried out. "Is he trying to cause trouble again?"
Milan and Alec shared a look.
Alec flicked his wrists and climbed onto the railings, as did Milan. "Sisters, Brothers, I'll try to get him back," he announced.
He and Milan jumped off, and at the same time, the spiritual form of his crane appeared beneath them, catching them before they fell.
They landed on the grounds, blocking Shane's view of the two masters and two guests.
Alec and Milan bowed in respect. "Teacher Li, Elder, sorry for the intrusion, we'll take care of Shane."
"What do you mean, take care?" Shane yelled. "Don't try to stop me! I'm here to deal with that punk for not knowing his place!"
Milan whirled on him. "Do you really want to get kicked out?" she said dangerously.
Alec blocked Shane from moving forward. "Think wisely, Brother," he warned.
Teacher Li cleared his throat and the disciples turned to face him. "Shane, what do you think you're doing?" he boomed. "Was yesterday's punishment not enough?"
Shane gritted his teeth. "Master!" he protested, pointing a finger at the boy. "It was him! It was him who did that to me! Let me teach him a lesson!"
Teacher Li opened his mouth to start another round of scolding, but the boy stepped forward.
Milan eyed him.
The boy seemed just about their age, but something about him also made him feel much more mature. He had long black hair and was wearing white clothes. His skin was fair, and looking at his eyes, he didn't even hold an ounce of fear while Shane continued to curse at him.
His eyes flashed darkly as he took another step forward, sending chills down Milan's spine.
Even the girl who stood behind him showed no signs of uncertainty or nervousness.
Who were these people?
"If you want to fight, then let's do it," the boy suddenly spoke. His voice was low and filled with power, Milan could feel the pressure from just those few words.
Shane shook free of Alec's grasp and dropped to a stance. He glared at the boy with all his might. "Master! He agreed! I hope you won't interfere!" he shouted.
Teacher Li darted his eyes between them and sighed. "Alright, alright."
He backed away with Elder Sima and the girl, and Alec and Milan made way.
The two stood in the center of the grounds and Milan examined both of them carefully.
Shane was prepared, his fists up and knees bent. She knew he planned to attack first with all his power, judging from his fuming expression. But on the other hand, the boy just stood still, waiting.
He didn't even seem to care.
"You'll pay," Shane spat.
The boy only blinked. "I hope you won't regret it."
Shane roared. "You b*stard!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
His fists burst with flames and his muscles bulged. In a blink, he was flying forward, the air around him sizzling.
Milan held her breath. Why isn't he moving?
Suddenly, the boy disappeared from where he was standing and appeared right beside Shane as he ran forward. He stuck his leg out and Shane tripped, falling on his face.
Alec pressed his lips in a thin line. That easy?
The boy sneered. "Come on...is that all you got? How boring."