“If you stop speaking, this king promises, no one will think you’re dead!” Wukong said, interrupting the giant warrior from the War God’s Academy, not even turning around to face him.

  Brutus gred daggers at the ape-like man, but ultimately, he decided against saying or doing anything that could further provoke the madman.

  “If Ace joins, I want to join too!” Killian said excitedly.

  “Me too,” Alissa said, sneaking g the unsuspeg Killian.

  “Haha, with your talents, you’re both more than qualified to join the Yin-Yang Pavilion.” Wukong nodded with a pleased smile.

  “What about you, Ace? Do you dare to join a newly formed school for both warriors and mages with only two full-time teachers?”

  Ace immediately uood what Wukong was really asking. If he could trust them at the Pavilion to make the most of his potential, despite them being so cklustre in parison to the average institute.

  “If you dare to accept me, I dare to join you!” Ace replied with a fident smile.

  Wukong ughed happily hearing Ace’s answer. He uood that Ace was saying that if the Yin-Yang Pavilion dared to accept him, even after he provoked a warrior with the bloodline of one of the supreme warriors and the dignity of one of the most prestigious institutions on the ti, then he would put his trust in them.

  “Yahaha, good, good!” Wukong ughed victoriously, having recruited three top-tier talents. “Sihis king is in such a good mood today, let me, as your substitute teacher, give you your first lesson here and now. As students of the Yin-Yang Pavilion, losing is acceptable, but you ’t lose the pavilion’s face. If someories to insult the dignity of the pavilion…”

  As Wukong paused for dramatic effect, Ace, with the help of his haki, was the first person who realised that what was left standing in front of them was nothing but an afterimage. Turning his head, he noticed that Wukong was now stood behind the unsuspeg Brutus with a crystal white bo staff in his hand.

  ‘Where did the staff e from?’ Ace wondered as he watched from his spot.

  “…You remind them of their pce!” Wukong said in a pyful tone which put the fear of god in Brutus as he realised what was about to happen.

  “No, you ’t do th…”

  Before Brutus even had the ce to try and dodge, Wukong thrust his staff forth like a bolt of lightning. “Eat this king’s staff!”

  Brutus desperately wao dodge, but as the staff neared him, he felt as if space itself was pressing around him. He could only wat horror as the staff shattered his chest pte before losing sciousness.

  “S!” Muttered Killian as he watched Brutus’ body fly through the air breaking the giant doors of the hall.

  ‘How did he do that?’ Ace wondered as he repyed Wukong’s attack over and ain.

  Through his observation haki, Ace could sehat Brutus was trying with all his might to dodge but couldn’t. ‘It was almost as if there was something holding him in pce.’

  With a flick of his wrist, the glistening white staff in his furry hands magically disappeared.

  “Interspatial Ring,” Alissa said in surprise.

  Although she was extremely quiet when she said it, how could Ace, who was standing so close to her, not hear with his enhanced senses as a warrior of the sed rank? Despite being ied in knowing more, he kneasn’t the time nor pce to talk about such things.

  Looking at the church official with a carefree smile, Wukong flipped his hands, and a frost blue magicite core five times the size of the one Ace won from Brutus earlier magically appeared in a simir fashion to his Bo Staff.

  “Here, this should cover any damages,” Wukong said as he tossed the magicite core to the invigitor. “It’s from a rank nine Frost Python that attacked this king on the way here.”

  There was virtually no power behind Wukong’s throw, but the Radiant Church’s examiner showed unparalleled focus when catg it. Afterall, it was a rank nine magicite core. It was worth 5,000,000 in gold s.

  Though expensive, Wukong was well aware he only caused a few tens of thousands in damages at most. The reason he gave them so much was because, though he could be impulsive, he was still intelligent enough to know that ag as he did ihe Radiant Churches’ domain could be sidered rude on his part, and he didn’t want to offend them for no reason. Plus, he didn’t see the average rank ni as anything more than dinner.

  By the time the invigitor looked up from the treasure in his hand, Wukong had already strolled past him towards Ace, Killian, and Alissa.

  “Are you kids ready to go?” He asked leisurely, no longer feeling the o pay attention to anyone else present.

  Lance, who was still standing behind the guards that had prevented him from going forward earlier, genuinely felt like he’d aged ten years in the space of one day.

  He went from almost having a heart attack whe into a battle of words with that Brutus fellow, to feeling like he was on cloud nine seeing Killian’s results, to feeling both worried and angry when Ace said he was willing to give his arm as part of the bet, to ecstatic whe the record for the stro spiritual essence ever recorded in history, to feeling at aowards heaven for stripping Ace of the talent he believed he deserved when they found out he had no affinity.

  Still, he felt genuinely relieved when Wukong offered both boys a spot in ‘the pavilion’. That relief turned iement whenessed Wukong’s strength. As far as he was ed, the institution couldn’t be too bad with a powerhouse like him there.

  “Lance, e on, we’re leaving!” Ace’s calm yet immature voice woke him from his daze.

  He watched as the guards that had previously blocked his path hastily moved aside. Lance was well aware they moved due to the presence of Wukong, but it didn’t matter to him.

  He rao Ad Killian and gave them a giant bear hug. “Thank God you 2 are alright. You worried me half to death!”

  “o worry so much; I knew what I was doing!” Ace said fidently. “Ohat was that for?”

  Lance gred at Ace as he removed his hand from the back of the boy’s head. “What happeo being on your best behaviour?”

  Ace could only chuckle sheepishly, knowing he had probably caused Lanall amount of worry.

  “I’m sorry!” Ace said sincerely.

  Even though Ace didn’t regret anything he did or said here today, he was genuinely sorry about making Lance worry. He could hear the pani his voice when Ace volunteered to bet his arm. He hought for a sed he’d lose, but w Lance like that was the st thing he wao do. But at the same time, a warm feeling rose in his heart, knowing that Lance cared so much.

  “Just don’t do something so reckless again!” Lance replied, feeling Ace’s siy. “And don’t tell your mom! There’s no point in her w over spilt milk for no reason!”

  “Agreed!” Giving Milianna unnecessary worries was the st thing any of them wao do.

  “Ok, ok, this king doesn’t have all day. Let’s get going already!” Wukong said impatiently as he made his way towards the exit.

  Watg Wukong lead Ad the others out, everyone couldn’t help but think about how today’s must’ve been the most exg assessment in history.

  Ordinarily, it’d be lucky for one genius-level child to appear at an assessment. Every on a while, two might appear simultaneously, but for four to appear in one go is practically unheard of.

  And then all the drama that happened on top of it…

  No one kly what would happe, but they were all certain that today was just the start.

  When they returned, Milianna was gd they were all safe and sound but shocked to find the two new additions to their group. Despite her surprise, she immediately gave them both a warm wele, not seeming to notiind Wukong’s Ape like features.

  Lahen proceeded to expin what happe the assessment, leaving out anything to do with the flict between them and Brutus.

  “Thank you so much fiving my little Ace a ce Mr Wukong!” Milianna early said after hearing how Wukong was the only oo step forward to recruit Ace after seeing the results of his final assessment.

  “No need for thanks; this king was merely doing his job,” Wukong replied. “But if we want to make it ba time for enrolment, we must leave first thing tomorrow m.”

  “So soon?” Ace asked, slightly surprised. “I thought you said the school year didn’t start till February first. It’s still September, so we still have five months. Why the rush?”

  “You’re right. We do have five months, but The Yin-Yang Pavilion is based at the north of the Anarchids.”

  “Anarchids?” Ace asked, having never heard of it.

  “It’s oher side of the ti. Over 15,000 kilometres away.” Alissa answered, still in the habit of clearing up Ace’s fusion, before turning to Wukong. “Fet five months; that sort of distance will take the better part of a year.”

  “Normally, you’d be right, but this king decided to capture a pair of cloud wolves on the way down,” Wukong said proudly.

  “What are cloud wolves?” Ace asked when he saw Alissa’s eyes light up in uanding.

  “They’re rank six wolves that have the offerength of your average rank four beast.”

  “If they’re so weak, why did you look so surprised?”

  “Because even though they’re so weak offensively, in terms of speed, they’re no slower than a rank ni, but what makes them so special is their ba doesn’t matter what type of terrain they’re running on; their bance allows them to run as if they’re running on ft ground. Apparently, it feels like you’re sat on a cloud when riding one.” Alissa said, allowing her excitement to get the best of her.

  “And if a carriage of good enough quality is strapped to them, that feeling of travelling on a cloud will also be transferred to the carriage,” Wukong added.

  “Fet five months; if we travel on cloud wolves, getting there in three wouldn’t be impossible.” Alissa blurted out iement at the idea of riding on cloud wolves.

  “That would be true if we didn’t have to stop for food.” The Ape like powerhouse leisurely expined. “And it’ll take even longer as you three brats will be hunting for your own food for the duration.”

  “That’s too unsafe!” Milianna immediately interjected.

  “This king uands that it’s a mother’s job to love and protect her children, but your son is training to be a warrior now.

  As time goes on, his enemies will only get stronger. Unless Ace improve faster thahere may e a day when you, as a mother, have to bury your son.”

  Wukong was blunt with his words, but everyone present knew what he said wasn’t wrong. Even Ace, who’d typically be the first to e to his mother’s defence, ultimately said nothing. He better than most uood the veracity of Wukong’s words. He himself had wao say it for a while now, but whenever he saw the loving look on his mother’s face when she looked at him, his words would escape him.

  Milianna was no fool. From the day Ace had first decred his desire to follow the path of a warrior, she khis day would e eventually, but she never expected it to e so soon.

  “But there’s o worry,” Wukong added when he saw the look of deje on her face. “With this king there, nothing bad will happen.”

  “You promise to keep my son alive?” Milianna asked as she stared Wukong dead in the eye with an almost threatening gaze.

  “You have this king’s word!” Wukong promised as his mind wandered. ‘Women like you are far more intimidating than warriors like that idiot Brutus!’