Letting out a sigh I stand up straight facing the Elder who is looking around at everyone with a scrupulous gaze.
"Olivia Helder, two points
Engres Jun, two points
….
Chen Bolin, zero points
Fred Boggs, zero points
Hisole Triss, zero points
Tang Ling, zero points
William Fey, zero points." As he speaks further and further I can hear the anger in his voice.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ZERO POINTS?! I HAVE BOTH SKILLS NEARLY MASTERED?!" The boy I heard speaking poorly of me early yells loudly in protest. His hair is bright red and his skin is a bit pale, despite that he looks to have a strong body.
*CRACK*
"AH!" The pale boy falls to a knee holding his shin as tears well in his eyes. Everyone seems confused as to what happened since it happened too quickly for them to see but I saw it. Elder Ulises grabbed a bamboo stick from thin air and smacked his shin before stepping back into place.
"This is not your family home, I am a laid-back man, but you will speak to me with respect. Now, as Mr. Boggs complained your abilities were indeed up to par." His eyes turn sharp as he looks between the young masters and misses, "But the exam was to see your learning capabilities, not your privilege. You are all lucky to still be here, learning these techniques outside the sect is forbidden."
"Any other questions?"
"I would like to know why I received two points? I feel as though I did not learn Devil's Rush adequately to be considered 'learned', Elder Uli."
Many of the downturned heads move to me but I do not mind them.
"The primary use of Devil's Rush is to quickly close the gap between you and your target. You learned to that degree which is sufficient to get a full point. Had you not broken your foot on Devil Strikes I would have given you a point and half for your quick ingenuity."
I nod my head low, "Thank you for your answer."
He holds up a hand, "Anyone else?" After a moment he nods, "Good, then we will move on to the next exam, the practical exam."
"Form three lines of six in front of me."
Since I am already near the front I step towards the front and start the middle line. The rest quickly scramble to find a line and the crouching Fred Boggs moves to start the line to my left.
"In this exam, you can earn a max of four points depending on how I grade your combat skills. You do not have to win for a good grade, you only need to prove your capabilities. Since this is a combat exam those who have learned skills before coming will have a sizable advantage there for those from noble families will be separated."
Sighs of relief ring out around me as I hear the redhead next to me click his tongue eyeing the boy behind me who shivers at his gaze.
Two small pouches appear in his hands as he holds them out. "Nobles will take from the left hand while commoners will take from the right. Come up one at a time."
Seeing the redhead step up first I wait for him before I move. As he pulls the slip out of the pouch I read it immediately. 'Tang Ling" The boy sneers as he eyes Tang Ling who is in the middle of the line to my right.
"Fred Boggs will fight Tang Ling in the first fight. Next."
Stepping forward I reach into the pouch, I try to peer inside but find myself unable. Seeing I'm not able to cheat I just grab a random one quickly and pull it out. 'Chen Bolin'.
"Engres Jun will fight Chen Bolin in the second fight. Next."
Stepping back into line I ignore the gaze of the thin boy who is standing right behind me. Olivia steps up next and takes a name from the commoner pouch. 'Chen Gou'.
"Olivia Helder will fight Chen Gou in the third fight. Next."
…
After everyone has received an opponent Elder Uli gestures to the center of the stone courtyard behind us. Six of the large stone slabs that make up the ground raise a foot into the air making a small rectangular stage.
"The only rule of the duel is no killing strikes, if you kill your opponent intentionally you will be expelled from the cult."
"What about unintentionally?" Asks the redhead who didn't learn his lesson.
"You will bear no penalty, but the Cult looks down upon people who kill their brethren." Taking a step onto the stage he gestures to Tang Ling and Fred Boggs, "Up."
They both nod as Fred happily hops onto the stage and Tang Ling steps onto the stage with a serious face.
The elder nods as he looks between them, "You may begin on my mark. Bow." They both bow to each other surprisingly they are both very formal.
"Begin."
Fred smirks as he holds out a hand, "Watch your step, princess."
Tendrils of water form at Ling's feet but she is already gone rushing forward at Fred. The tendrils rise from the ground following her but she quickly reaches Fred. With a quick sidestep he dodges her fist and nearly falls over.
With a grunt, he steps back throwing a hand at her, a thick staff of water launches from his hand. Ling's gaze is still serious she catches the rod of water with her arm against her chest and yanks him towards her. Fear showed on his face as her fist closes in on his nose.
Against everyone's expectations, her fist meets a wall of water less than an inch from his face. 'A boon?' I ask myself.
Fred's face turns to a grin, "Gotcha!" The staff of water fades as he wraps an arm around her and tries to throw her onto the ground but she doesn't budge. It's not that she is heavy it's that Fred has stopped moving for some reason.
Surprise fills me as I see blood dripping from Fred's eyes, ears, and nose. With wide eyes, Fred crumbles to the ground like a heavy sack while Ling stands straight looking at him with eyes full of disdain.
Elder Uli nods as he raises a hand towards Ling's side, "Tang Ling wins for 4 points, Fred Boggs loses with two points. A fantastic use of sound Ms. Tang."
Ling nods deeply, "Thank you, Elder."
The elder grabs Fred and sets him behind where he stands against the stage without healing him.
"Engres Jun and Chen Bolin, step up."
Stepping onto the stage the thin boy with dark hair gets up across from me. I notice a lot of hostility in his eyes which confuses me, I don't think I've ever talked to him or interacted with him in my life.
"As I said with the last two, you may begin on my mark, now bow."
Just as I was taught, I do a courteous bow but young master Chen does not share in my courteousness as he merely bows halfway.
"Begin."
"Glad I got the blind one!" He yells like some generic villain as he rushes at me.
His speed is nothing too great so I simply wait for him to get near. Seeing his fist coming straight for my face I move just enough for it to narrowly miss my face. Unlike when mother hit me I am fast enough to dodge anything he sends at me.
His face sours as he sends another punch at me which I dodge as well. His eyes glow in a red and silver fire as I recognize the flames of Joor ignite in his eyes. His fists are bathed in a red aura as he begins to move faster.
Again I dodge his fist with little trouble as I can easily see it coming. As I step to the side I see a large opening in his left side as he begins to swing wide with his right fist. Concentrating on my boon I strike at my fastest speed hitting the left side of his stomach. Ice erupts from the impact far more than the last time I used my boon.
Against my expectations, Bolin flies off the stage into the crowd of kids below. They all dodge his ragged body as ice coats the ground around where he lands. His skin is dyed blue as a thin layer of ice covers his clothes. The ground below me is also now covered in ice and I can feel my palm is a bit cold.
Looking at my palm my blood runs cold thinking I may have just killed someone. Before I can rush off the stage I am held back by Elder Uli. The elder raises a hand towards Bolin and a ray of yellow light bathes him and his skin returns to a normal color.
I let out a long sigh of relief as I see Bolin sit up taking a large gasp of air showing that he is in fact alive.
"Engres Jun wins with four points, Chen Bolin loses with three points."
I notice the elder's eyes flick to me, "As expected of the Fist Monarchs descendant. If I could give you five points I would, you have quite incredible vision."
Although I am not happy about the praise I nod my head, "Thank you, Elder."