Strax was sitting on a large rock in the center of a sunlit clearing, with Bela standing in front of him. She had her arms crossed, clearly sizing him up as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. The training had been intense, and he was beginning to feel the weight of the lessons the Vermillion sisters had been imposing on him.
"You're not as clumsy as Cassandra said," Bela commented with a slightly provocative tone, a mischievous smile appearing as she twirled a strand of her hair. "But you still have a lot to improve if you want to survive in the cultivation world."
"Cassandra said I was clumsy?" Strax asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked more curious than offended, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "That's interesting, considering she spent half the time tripping over her own words when talking to me."
