With everything that had occurred, all of the second-year students that belonged to the Red Headband group were allowed to return. This was thanks to Amir's convincing words to Murkel.
No one quite knew what he had said that day, but he had managed to calm down the principal into making a decision. Not only that, the students were only asked very simple questions about the events that had occurred, and they weren't really probing either.
The students themselves didn't want to ask about it because it felt like they had gotten away with murder for the situation they were in.
Although it wasn't all bells and whistles for the group. The second years were to stay in the main academy. They weren't allowed to interact with any of the other students or teachers other than those that had been assigned to them in the main academy.
They also weren't allowed to leave but would still be given regular training. Rather than like students, they felt like prisoners.
As for the area they would train in, it was an area of the academy they hadn't been in before. Little did they know that the academy had more than one area that was filled with beasts for the students to take part in assessments in.
An area similar to the one located at the back of the academy that led to the land of flog. There were also two more areas to the side that had a forest filled with the same type of beasts.
These were smaller, and apparently were a place where the teachers themselves would use to train if they were learning techniques. The openness of the area was ideal for them, since there was less risk of them damaging things than in the actual academy itself.
Currently, the second-year students were training away, but they had split up because they all had their own individuals that were helping them, things that Murkel the principal was aware of.
He believed that the only person that was currently training the students was the Vice-principal. With the principal being the head of a clan, he was busy with a number of other matters and even had to leave the academy from time to time, so things were left to the Vice-principal, which allowed him to do some things.
In the forest, in one open area, Gunther was present. He had both of his swords out filled with Qi, and looking ahead of him, he was staring at his opponent who was huffing and panting and had parts of his clothes ripped up.
"You would have died four times already if I was taking this seriously, you need to fight as if your life is on the line because it is on the line," Gunther said.
"Are you just trying to piss me off more!" Mada shouted back. "You don't say this crap when Ricktor is fighting against you."
Currently sitting on the ground and cultivating was Ricktor. He was taking a break.
"That's because you and him are two different people, and the way you two fight is different, the only thing you two have in common is that you're young masters with the privilege of being one, so shut up and fight!" Gunther claimed.
The two main disciples had been training with Gunther, who had been pushing them more than he would have done if they were any other students. Coming from the same place as them being a main disciple, he thought he was best to guide them.
In the same forest, in another area, there were three Red Headband students standing next to each other, Tinson, Violet, and Joe. These three were listening intently as they stared at their teacher wearing a black mask covering the bottom part of his face.
"The fighting that I will be teaching you might not seem the strongest, but I assure you, in every clan, it has its uses. You are lucky in a way that you are from the Dark Faction because although I am a wanderer, my skills are most suited to those that have the morals of the Dark Faction," Cronker explained from the Crimson Crane.
He had remained absent from the fight with the principal because he had quickly analyzed that his assassination-type skills would be useless in the particular situation. With everything going on, he was sure that the Crimson Crane were safe but would have difficulties meeting him.
So in the meantime, he wanted to do his part. These three students had been neglected compared to the rest because they weren't as strong as the others. It had reminded Cronker a bit of his past, so he took them under his wing for now, teaching them the same techniques and skills that he knew.
Lastly, in the forest, there was the final group. Amir was standing there in the center, there appeared to be no one around him apart from the trees in his sight. That's when the first rustling could be heard, and Safa had come out from the bushes and charged at full strength with her spear.
She shoved it forward, and Amir had avoided the strike by lifting his leg up in the air. As he threw it down, though, the large leg had hit something solid, and it wasn't Safa. Instead, Simyon was there with his two hands held up, his feet digging into the ground, and he was baring his teeth as he took on the large leg had hit something solid, and it wasn't Safa. Instead, Simyon was there with his two hands held up, his feet digging pain.
Safa went to strike again as she shoved her spear forward towards his stomach. It looked as if a large amount of Qi was about to emerge from him, but that was when a blade could be seen floating in the air.
Grabbing onto the blade and swinging both swords, Liam was there and had gone to strike right at the back of Amir's head.
Moving his leg off from Simyon, he lifted his other leg and performed a sweeping kick in the air. Its strength had hit Safa's spear, and it had crashed into Liam's blade, at least he thought it had.
Although his leg had hit the blade, it had hit nothing but the blade, and instead with the other sword, Liam had quickly done a first strike swiping his blade right across the Vice-principal's stomach, it was a clean hit.
The first one that they had managed after the fight. Thankfully, Amir's Qi was still far stronger, and was able to block the hit.
"That was good," Amir commented. "I think that is the first hit you have successfully landed. Your teamwork is great, and Liam, you have improved immensely each time we go through this. Now, instead of working together, you will need to try and improve your individual strength."
Before going on one by one though, Safa had a question on her mind. "About Raze…"
Before she could say anything else, Amir interrupted her. "I have told you not to mention that name. I already assume he is alive; when you will meet him again I do not know, but all of you have to rely on your own strength."
Safa seemed a little down by this, but that's when Simyon thought he could ask a question, one that wasn't about Raze.
"And Dame… did you ever manage to find his body?" Simyon asked.
Amir shook his head to that one. "There was no trace of him whatsoever; it appears the principal's Qi had gotten rid of him completely. It is best if you think of him as dead."
