Shen and Kizaer locked eyes, neither of them speaking for a few seconds. Kizaer analyzed Shen clinically, while Shen remained relatively calm, displaying his direct and impeccable demeanour.
Kizaer intensified the pressure of the Aspect of Violence on Shen, and after a few seconds of being bombarded by that specific pressure, Shen reacted. He clenched his fists, furrowed his brow, and subtly shook his head in a negative signal that went unnoticed by everyone except Kizaer.
After a brief, silent episode of tension between Shen and Kizaer, unnoticed by Ciona, Joane, and Ruth, Kizaer ceased directing the pressure of his own cultivation toward Shen. His cold and aggressive gaze returned to a calm and pleasant one, the look he always wore when among friends without assuming the role of a leader.
