The next day after returning, as they were told before, Raze and his group were transported and promoted to the Red Headband group. Although they knew about it beforehand, it was news to the rest of the groups.
The Blue Headband users watched them give their final goodbyes to their teachers. Raze even gave a little wink toward teacher Tod, who had caused a few problems for him while he was there.
The Blue Headband students were delighted that those from the group, those no-names, were getting appreciation, as it started to give them a bit of hope as well.
"They really did it, those no-names, all of them are Red Headbands now. I thought they would have at least gone to Yellow first."
"What else was the academy meant to do? They beat the best of the Red Headband users. If they didn't get promoted to Red, then what would that even mean? It just wouldn't make any sense. This is the only thing they could do."
"Yeah, but can you really say it's because of all the others, or was the only reason they won due to the White Dragon?"
Another thing that had happened while they were away was the spread of the name White Dragon. As the students went back home to their clans to relax and spend time with their families, they learned of the tale of the assessment being spread across the Dark Faction, and further as well. Little by little, Raze and his group were learning of the name as they would hear it in passing.
After saying their goodbyes, Safa got one last talk with the head of the Blue Headbands, Teacher Lee.
"The spear techniques that I have taught you may very well surpass anything you find in the skills library. However, even if there are no skills worthy of your learning, it is still important to study others' skills. As you do, it will allow you to know how other attacks work and in turn allows you to create a counter.
"Perhaps studying a sword technique will allow you to show the difference between the sword and spear."
Hearing all of this, Safa tried to open her mouth, and although a few noises came out, they were nothing close to words. She wanted to say thank you, but instead all she could do was bow down.
When the others arrived at the Red Headbands' place, they noticed how grand it was compared to theirs. The space wasn't cramped, and it was the same as their outside courtyard.
The equipment they were using to train was well kept and wasn't heavily worn either. As for the inside, even the rooms were several times larger.
"Man, talk about wanting to treat everyone fairly, what even is this!" Liam complained. Although he quickly realized that he was now the one on the receiving end of all of these goods.
The group headed over to the head of the Red Headbands, who stood waiting in the center of the main building. Quite a few of the students had gathered to see what was going on, and to their surprise, they saw a bunch of no-names entering the place.
"This is sickening; soon they're going to let ants achieve those things."
"Hey, but if they're strong, should we really care? I mean, they deserve the Red Headbands, right?"
In the eyes of many of the Red Headband users, those who had no name were lesser humans. It felt like they were watching a pig receive an award. Sure, some pigs were stronger than humans, but they still stunk of crap, ate crap, and were there to be eaten.
Seeing the no-names enter the place that was sacred to them, they felt like they were seeing the same thing now, awards being handed to those who were just meant to be servants. Who cared if they could do things better than them?
Surprisingly, the main disciples just watched from afar, from the doors of their rooms, and didn't have much to say at all.
"You are now officially Red Headband users!" Igon, the Red Headband teacher, said. He was a man who seemed quite stern, someone who said few words and had a scruffy appearance, with a rough beard and long hair.
However, one knew he had to be strong, since he was the head teacher in charge of the rest of the Red Headband users. It was safe to assume that he would be stronger than the rest of the head disciples.
"Don't let this get to your heads! Although some of you, I believe, are deserving of this position, others will have to prove themselves." When Igon said these words, he was specifically looking at Liam.
"Me?" Liam said, pointing at himself. "Remember, we don't offer Qi pills. You are to get stronger on your own feet. There are always those that are at the back of your heels, so you need to continually stay at the top." Igon continued.
After tying the headbands around the top of their heads, that was all the teacher had said. Now they were standing around looking at all of the eyes that were locked on them.
"You would think after Raze taught them a lesson with their strongest, they would be less hostile, but I guess it's hard to change a society that has been the same way for a long time," Dame commented.
Simyon was looking over his shoulder, and quickly turned away because he could tell that Ricktor was looking at him.
"They've all gotten quite a bit stronger in the coming week," Dame continued. "Their families must have spent and gone through a lot after you beat them, but I guess they have no clue how much stronger you've gotten."
Around an hour later, after everyone had settled in, the teacher Igon had called all of them out to the courtyard.
"Alright, everyone, since it is the second month at the academy, this means that all students are allowed to enter the library again! I advise you all to choose your skill wisely; this is important because you will need it for our next assessment, and it could be the difference between life and death!"
