"I'm not the one who smiles cheerfully at others before trying to kill them in cold blood," Joane replied to Shen directly, without caring about pleasantries.
Kizaer scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed, before saying, "I didn't do it on purpose; he asked for a serious fight, and I acted on reflex… hahah."
Ciona intervened, "Alright, let's go before we're late for school. We might receive some kind of mission today or any other obligation." The group nodded in agreement with Ciona's observation, and the four students set off.
After a while, the quartet entered the courtyards of the Free Feather Martial Arts School and, following instructions, made their way to the Resources Department.
=====
The previous Day
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Professor Lin drew four names from the bag and read them aloud. "Team 1, come forward and collect your medals: Ethan, Marcele, Cleyton, and Luís."
The drawings had begun, and no one noticed the momentary stiffness, or the glance Professor Lin quickly directed toward the administrative pagoda where the office of Venerable Director Ling was located.
Upon hearing their names, the respective students approached one of the supervisors and retrieved the medal with the number 1 inscribed on it. They then hurried to the Administrative Department to register their names as members of Team 1, Class A-2.
For now, the teams would be identified only by numbers.
After completing the mid-year exam and depending on the evaluation and performance of the teams, they might have the right to choose a name for the team themselves or receive a title representing the team based on the teachers' assessment.
"Team 2 – Come forward and collect your medals: Wang, Titus…" Professor Lin continued, and the same scene repeated as the students received their medals during the team draw.
After drawing several teams, Professor Lin reached into the bag and pulled out some names. However, with a casual movement, he pretended to have read the content before saying, "Team 6 – Come forward and collect your medals: Joane, Kizaer, Shen, Ciona." The quartet approached and silently retrieved their respective identification medals, then headed to the Administrative Department to register their new team.
---
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"Team 6 – Class A-2: Kizaer Verdam, Ciona Han, Shen Strider, Joane Armanci. – You four should report to the Resources Department in the morning and collect the emblems corresponding to your team. Don't forget to attach them to your uniforms as soon as you receive them." The supervisor working in the Administrative Department instructed the students.
"If any of you are seen wandering around the school without your team identification on your uniform, the entire team will suffer a penalty in credit point calculations."
"For any team mission to be accepted in the Missions Department, all four team members must agree on the chosen mission and submit the request together, including each person's signature."
The supervisor continued speaking with a tired and disinterested look. "Credit points will be divided in two ways: Individual credits will simply be called Personal Credits or PC, and team credit points, without any novelty or suspense, will be called Team Credits or TC."
"Simply put, you'll receive PC directly from the teachers for completing specific tasks, winning fights and tournaments, and fulfilling individual missions, among other things. And you'll receive TC directly from teachers due to specific circumstances, winning fights and tournaments or when submitting completed team missions."
The Administrative Department supervisor concluded the instructions in an almost robotic manner.
After providing some bureaucratic procedures that the new team would be subject to during their years of study, he dismissed the four students from the counter. Then, without warning, the supervisor left to attend to a new team that had arrived.
In a lifeless manner, the man repeated the same spiel again. It seemed that the afternoon would be long for that supervisor.
The four students of Team 6 exchanged glances, and before the awkward silence could drag on any longer, it was Shen's voice that caught the attention of the new members.
"Well, let's end our day today by simply introducing ourselves to each other, what do you think?" Shen suggested to the team with a friendly smile. "I know everyone is tired, but it's better to take this first step cordially so that our team may build good relationships with each other."
Joane, standing next to Shen, nodded and was the first to speak. "My name is Joane Armanci; I'm part of the younger generation of the Armanci clan. I enjoy fighting, training, and the feeling that I'm getting stronger. I hate lies and cowardly people. My fighting style focuses on dominating and immobilizing my enemies. My clan resides in the northern district of the city."
Shen simply looked from Joane to Ciona e Kizaer and spoke. "My name is Shen Strider; I'm part of the younger generation of the Strider clan. My fighting style is directed toward mastering, controlling, and wielding the sword, along with a sharp mind—I work on both. My swordsmanship skills in practical training and my sharp mind in books. I hope to cooperate and do my part in this team. My clan also resides in the northern district of the city."
Ciona stepped forward and said, "I'm Ciona Han; my family is known for our business, the 'Great Han Emporium,' due to the commercial establishments we have in the city and our trade routes outside it. My fighting style focuses on precise strikes to critical points through agility and dexterity. I'm not afraid of heavy training, and I'm quite competitive. My family lives in the southern district of the city."
Finally, Kizaer just looked at the others and said, "I'm Kizaer Verdam… Well, I live with my grandfather in the southern district of the city. I train a lot, and Ciona and I have been childhood friends. There's nothing I particularly dislike or hate, but I think it's nice to share something tasty to eat with someone."
Shen and Joane looked at Kizaer a little confused by that introduction, but before their expressions could reveal their confusion, a sudden understanding dawned on them: Kizaer was a student of humble origins.
Shen and Joane didn't care much about Kizaer's humble background; in fact, it made no difference to them.
Both students were accustomed to dealing with all kinds of people during internal and external clan affairs, so their new companion's humble origins didn't bother them at all.
Perhaps if Kizaer had introduced himself first, both Shen and Joane would have kept their introductions simpler, avoiding any discomfort when Kizaer presented himself.
Fortunately, Kizaer seemed unfazed and unafraid of his new companions' backgrounds.
After a brief moment, Shen said, "Alright, it's a pleasure to meet both of you, Ciona and Kizaer. Joane and I have crossed paths before, not as friends, but it seems that's something we'll need to change in the near future."
Joane nodded. "Agreed. The better we synergize with each other, the greater our chances of success in missions and increasing our odds of victory in any fights we may face."
After her statement, Joane paused briefly, evaluating her own words before continuing, "Look, I'm a bit tired, and I have some personal matters to attend to. So, I can't stay longer at school. Why don't we meet tomorrow at one of the Edge Markets?"
Ciona agreed. "I think that's a good idea. Let's meet at the West-South Edge Market; it's the closest to the school."
"Alright," Joane nodded.
"Agreed," Shen replied immediately.
Kizaer nodded in agreement. "Ciona and I always meet in the South District before walking to school. We'll wait for you both in front of the 'The Glutton' restaurant."
======
Present Time
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The Resources Department Supervisor handed each of them an emblem inscribed with (6-A-2), which respectively represented Team 6, Class A-2.
After receiving their emblems and attaching them to their martial uniforms, the team members exchanged glances before Joane spoke up.
"Isn't number 6 considered unlucky?" Joane furrowed her brow.
Ciona responded with a slightly awkward laugh. "Well, I'm not entirely sure, but it does seem like a numbering that doesn't symbolize good fortune, haha."
Shen maintained his calm gaze, but there were faint notes of dissatisfaction in his voice. "Well, the number 7 signifies luck, and as we know from popular sayings, 'bad luck precedes good luck'… Still, it's not very comforting to think that way; after all, it means that everything we do will be unlucky first."
"And why does that matter?" – everyone turned to the source of that statement.
Kizaer shrugged and stood there with a look that alternated between seriousness and irritation. It seemed that discussing matters related to 'luck and bad luck' wasn't something he enjoyed.
"Number 6, Number 7, luck, bad luck. Neither makes any difference."
Kizaer continued seriously under the scrutiny of his teammates. "My grandfather always says: 'Luck is the failure that failed. If you need luck in a battle, it means you haven't trained enough and need to rely on 'luck' that your enemies may commit mistakes during the fight.'"
"…"
"…"
"…"
The three looked at Kizaer in silence.
"What's the matter?" Kizaer asked, realizing he was being scrutinized by the team's gaze.
"HAHAHAHA, you really are a strange kid, Kizaer. I'm starting to like you!" Joane said after laughing.
"Well, I can't disagree," Shen replied.
"What your grandfather says makes sense; our team shouldn't focus on auspicious or inauspicious things. Let's always do our best and ensure that we never need the 'failed failure' to have a chance." The corners of Shen's mouth were slightly upturned, revealing a satisfied smile.
Despite Kizaer's abrupt statement, Shen admitted to himself that he liked that perspective.
Ciona simply smiled in silence because she already knew what Kizaer thought about luck and bad luck, and she was somewhat pleased that her friend received some form of acceptance.
After that morning interaction, Team 6 headed to the Pavilion of Knowledge for their academic classes.
This first part of the morning was always the most peaceful.
However, despite the calm academic environment of the Pavilion of Knowledge, the majority of students were restless.
After the end of those classes, they would head to the Flow Pavilion, where tests would be conducted to determine the synchronization level of each student's Flow Cultivation.