Chapter 82: The Unwanted Spar

The two weeks following Ren's mastery of the Third Tempering were a period of unsettling calm. He was a loaded cannon forced to sit in an armory, a storm compressed into a bottle. He resumed his routine, the perfect student, the quiet hero.

His nights were spent in quiet communion with Zephyrion, but their training had shifted. The ancient spirit began to impart the true knowledge of the Raijin: theory. He spoke of the Aether Weave not as a source of power, but as an instrument to be played, and Ren absorbed it all with a hungry mind.

The calm was inevitably broken by a summons. Not from the Elder, but a mandatory notice for all Apprentices—both new and old—to attend a special combat seminar hosted by the academy's foremost combat instructor, Master Garrick.

Ren walked into the grand sparring hall, a massive arena reserved for the academy's elite. The air was thick with the powerful signatures of dozens of second and third-year Apprentices. At the center of the hall stood a man who seemed carved from granite. His face was a web of scars, his arms were thick with muscle, and his presence was like a mountain—steady, immovable, and dangerous. This was Master Garrick.

"Welcome, Apprentices," Garrick's voice boomed, carrying across the hall without any Aetheric enhancement. "Today, we dispense with theory. Today is about practice. Combat is the only true teacher. You will spar."

He began to call out pairings. Then, his eyes landed on Ren. "Apprentice Ren," his voice boomed. "Our new hero. Step forward."

A murmur went through the assembled students. Ren walked to the center of the arena.

"Your file is… irregular," Garrick said, his eyes appraising Ren with a critical gaze. "It speaks of immense potency but little formal technique. Today, we will see what you are truly made of."

Ren expected him to be pitted against a senior apprentice. But Garrick had other ideas.

"Lin Fei!" the master roared.

A stunned silence fell over the hall. Lin Fei, who had been standing at the edge of the crowd, went pale. He was still a Rank 10 Initiate. To pit him against a newly promoted Apprentice, especially one with Ren's fearsome reputation, was a public execution.

"Master Garrick," Lin Fei began, his voice trembling. "I… I am not yet an Apprentice."

"I am aware of your rank, Initiate," Garrick replied, his voice hard as iron. "But you have a rivalry with this boy that is the talk of the academy. Settle it. Or is the pride of House Lin so easily discarded?"

Trapped by his own arrogance, Lin Fei had no choice. He strode onto the arena floor. "I will show you the difference between a true noble and a commoner with dumb luck!" he spat.

"This is an insult," Zephyrion's voice was a low growl. "Erase him."

Ren simply took a calm, ready stance. The gong sounded.

Lin Fei roared and unleashed his family's signature technique, the "Golden Serpent's Strike." A shimmering, serpent-like construct of golden Aether shot towards Ren with blinding speed.

Ren did not move. He unleashed a single, silent, invisible pulse of will. The Thunder's Echo. This was not the Echo he had used on Joric. This was the Echo of a Rank 11 Apprentice who had mastered the Third Tempering. It was not just a command to halt. It was a command to obey.

The Golden Serpent froze in mid-air, inches from Ren's face, its connection to its master completely severed. Then, to the utter, horrified disbelief of everyone watching, the serpent turned, its empty eyes regarding its own master.

"What… what is this trickery?" Lin Fei stammered.

Ren gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.

The Golden Serpent hissed and shot back towards its creator, moving with a speed and ferocity that was even greater than before.

Lin Fei screamed, throwing up a hasty defensive shield. The serpent slammed into it, and the resulting explosion of golden Aether threw him from the platform, his shield shattered, his body smoking, and his pride reduced to ash.

Ren stood in the center of the arena, not having moved a single inch. He had defeated his rival with his own attack.

In the stands, a stunned silence reigned. Master Garrick stared, his jaw tight, his test having yielded a result more terrifying than he could have ever imagined. He had tried to see how the volcano would erupt. Instead, he had just learned that it could command other volcanoes to erupt for it.