The training ground fell into an uncomfortable silence as the Moonlight Sect disciples waited for someone to step forward. Their arrogant smiles and condescending gazes made it clear they were here to demonstrate their superiority rather than provide genuine training.
Just as the tension was becoming unbearable, some students from the Azure Sky Academy stepped forward simultaneously.
"I'll fight you!" declared the first student, a stocky young man with determined eyes.
"No, let me fight first!" insisted the second, pushing forward eagerly.
"I want to go first!" argued the third, not wanting to be left out.
The three students began arguing among themselves about who would get the honor of facing the Moonlight Sect disciple first. Their competitive spirit was admirable, but their lack of coordination was evident.
Luke lament, the red-haired Moonlight Sect disciple, watched this display with growing amusement. A smile spread across his face as he raised his hand to stop their bickering.
"There's no need for you three to argue," he said with mock generosity. "You can all come at me together. It'll save time."
The three students stared at him in shock, their mouths hanging open. Even fighting him one-on-one seemed like an impossible challenge, but all three together? It was either an incredible insult or a sign of just how vast the gap between their abilities truly was.
"Don't worry," Luke lament added with a patronizing tone, "I'll make sure not to hurt you too badly."
The three students—Wei Bi, Zhou Xi, and Kang Nan—exchanged glances. While they felt humiliated by his dismissive attitude, they also realized this might be their only chance to land even a single hit on a Moonlight sect disciple.
Before the fight began, they quickly introduced themselves.
"I'm Wei Bi!" announced the first student, rolling up his sleeves.
"Zhou Xi the name!" declared the second, cracking his knuckles.
"And I'm Kang Nan!" said the third, adjusting his stance.
Luke lament nodded lazily. "I'm Luke Lament, outer disciple of the Moonlight Sect. Let's begin."
The three students nodded to each other and launched their attack simultaneously.
If he was going to be this arrogant and confident, then maybe they could teach him a lesson about underestimating others.
They rushed forward together, unleashing a barrage of punches from different angles. Their strategy was simple—overwhelm him with numbers and force.
But Luke lament moved like he was dancing rather than fighting. He took a casual side step to the left, then stepped back, then stepped forward, then back again. His footwork was fluid and effortless, as if he could predict exactly where each punch would land.
While moving with these seemingly simple steps, he easily avoided every single attack. The three students' fists cut through empty air as Luke lament swayed between their strikes like a leaf in the wind.
All the watching students were amazed by this display. The difference in skill was so vast that it looked like Luke lament was playing a game rather than fighting.
Then, as Wei Bi threw a punch toward his stomach, Luke lament caught the student's wrist with one hand and took a side step. Using Wei Bi's own momentum against him, he swept the student's legs from under him, sending Wei bi tumbling to the ground.
Zhou Xi immediately tried to punch Liu Feng in the face, but the Moonlight Sect disciple simply leaned back slightly, letting the fist pass harmlessly in front of his nose. In the same motion, he used his other hand to deliver a light slap to Zhou's back, sending the student stumbling forward and losing his balance.
Kang Nan, seeing his two classmates down, desperately lunged to grab Liu Feng from behind. But Luke Lament swiftly caught Kang Nan's wrist and yanked him forward, breaking his balance. Then, gripping him tightly, Kang Nan's feet lifted off the ground as he was whirled through the air, with Luke at the center of the spinning arc.
After several dizzying rotations, Luke Lament abruptly released him. Kang Nan was flung through the air, crashing to the ground and rolling several times before coming to a stop, too disoriented to rise.
The entire fight had lasted less than thirty seconds. Three students had been defeated without Luke Lament even drawing his sword or using any cultivation techniques. He had relied purely on superior footwork, timing, and martial arts fundamentals.
The watching students stood in stunned silence. The gap between academy students and sect disciples was even larger than they had imagined.
Luke Lament dusted off his robes casually, not even breathing hard. "Is there anyone else who wants to try? Perhaps someone who might provide a bit more challenge?"
His eyes scanned the crowd before settling on boy with red hair, who had been watching the entire exchange.
"You there," Luke lament pointed directly at student with Red hair.
The Lament family was one of the three major families in the capital of the Silver Moon Empire. When Luke Lament noticed a boy with striking red hair, curiosity sparked in his eyes. He pointed directly at the youth, eager to issue a challenge that would impress his fellow female disciple.
Luke's gaze shifted briefly to the young woman in white robes adorned with moon embroidery, her cold expression betraying no emotion. Turning back to the red-haired boy, he declared with confidence.
"Don't worry. I'll suppress my cultivation to match your realm, and you're welcome to use your sword."
The red-haired boy knew he couldn't back down from such a public challenge. This was a rare opportunity to gain valuable experience fighting an outer disciple of the Moonlight Sect, an organization he greatly admired.
Drawing his sword with practiced ease, he assumed a battle stance.
"I am Rainer Lament from Earth class, Ki refining 5th stage." he announced clearly.
The name caught Luke completely off guard. His eyebrows rose in surprise—he had challenged the boy purely because of his distinctive red hair, never expecting to encounter another member of the Lament family at this academy.
"Which branch do you belong to?" Luke asked, his curiosity now genuinely piqued.
"The outer branch," Rainer replied without hesitation.
Luke nodded thoughtfully. An inner branch member would have been a different story entirely, but an outer branch descendant?
And on top of that, he was only in the Ki Refining Realm, whereas Luke himself had been at the Element Disciple Realm, First Stage, at the same age. His initial interest began to wane.
"I am Luke Lament of the main branch," he stated matter-of-factly, then gestured for the fight to begin.
Rainer exploded forward at full speed, his sword cutting through the air in a horizontal slash.
Luke effortlessly avoided the attack with a casual backward leap. Without missing a beat, Rainer converted his horizontal strike into a diagonal slash, but Luke sidestepped it just as easily.
Drawing upon his elementary sword style, Rainer planted his foot firmly, leaned forward, and launched himself into a powerful vertical strike.
To Luke, however, these basic techniques appeared almost childish. He glided to the side with minimal effort, watching his opponent with mild interest.
Frustrated by his opponent's evasiveness, Rainer shifted tactics. He pulled his sword back and adopted a thrusting stance, then launched himself forward, driving his blade toward Luke with every ounce of strength he possessed.
Luke's response was almost theatrical. With a confident smile, he raised his hand as if to pluck a flower. As Rainer's sword approached, Luke simply raised two fingers and caught the blade between them, stopping the attack cold.
Gasps echoed across the training ground as every Azure Sky Academy Earth class student stared in disbelief. Rainer's eyes widened as he watched his full-powered thrust stopped completely powerless by two fingers.
With casual indifference, Luke flicked his fingers. The sword vibrated violently, tore free from Rainer's grip, spun through the air, and buried itself deep in the ground several feet away.
Though amazed by the display, Rainer refused to surrender. He immediately closed the distance and launched a sweeping kick. Luke simply lifted his leg and stepped back, avoiding the attack with the same effortless grace.
Seizing what he thought was an opening, Rainer rolled forward across the ground and came up swinging. His fist shot toward Luke's midsection just as Luke's own fist moved to intercept.
The collision produced a sharp crack that echoed across the silent training ground. Rainer's body flew backward, hitting the ground hard before rolling several times and coming to rest in the dirt, clearly outmatched.