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"Yes, elder!

" Mia cupped her hands and lowered her head in a dignified bow. Normally, one would remain in the position for a while. The longer they would remain motionless, the greater the respect the bow would convey.

nBut Mia didn't mind any of that. With her back arched, she angled her head and glanced over at me.

nI took a deep breath only to exhale it through my nose and nod my head. Then, I turned around and approached her, only to place a hand on her shoulder.

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"Don't worry. You can do it,

" I said, encouraging Mia to the best of my ability.

"Trust your training. Believe me, I know how hard you worked,

" I added, adding a smile to the package of encouragement.

nMia straightened her back the moment I stepped aside. She then moved forward and stopped exactly two steps away from Vaner.

nHer chest moved as she took a deep breath, held it in her lungs, and then exhaled. As the air left her body, I could tell how her focus spiked up.

nShe moved her body into a striking position.

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"It seems that she does everything the same way you did,

" Vaner muttered while glancing over at my face.

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"I'm a pragmatic person,

" I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

"If something works for me, I believe it's likely going to work for others just as well.

"

nIt was the simple yet sound explanation I came up with. We were just a random disciple of the sect and his slave. That alone made it hard for anyone to believe we just so happened to be both geniuses with the divine constitution.

nAs such, it was given that the question of what powered our advance would come up sooner or later.

nAnd there was no way in hell I would ever tell anyone about my system!

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"Elder, I'm ready,

" Mia announced, not paying any mind to my and Vaner's small exchange.

nLooking at the girl, I could see that she was indeed prepared. There was no hesitation in her eyes, firmly locked on the man in front of her. Her body was perfectly still, without as much as a single twitch or tremble.

n'She grew so much,' I thought with satisfaction.

nRight now, the old, shy Mia was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a warrior determined to change her fate with her own fists.

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"Go on,

" Vaner encouraged Mia, putting his shield up with nothing more but a wave of his hand. The smile on his face proved that he himself was interested in just how strong the girl became.

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"Mia closed her eyes and took another breath. Speaking up managed to shake her focus a little, so she took her sweet time to regain it. Right now, a single hit was about to determine her future.

nAnd she clearly wasn't going to take any chances, even if she could execute a perfect hit without a perfect focus.

nMia stepped with her light leg, twisting her body and sending her right arm towards Vaner's chest. Rather than going for a quicker but weaker straight punch, her arm traced a curve in the air.

nHer fist struck the barrier. A bunch of electric sparks appeared right at the point of contact, only to disperse an eye's twitch later.

nIf I wasn't focused on observing the exchange, I would likely miss that sight.

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"Huh?

" Vaner exhaled in shock, taking a step back.

nI tightened my jaws. Despite Mia's hit being as perfect as it could be, the barrier didn't even crack.

n'Was it too early for her?' I thought, anxiety running through my soul. The fact that Vaner's shield still stood made me forget about the earlier peculiarity.

nOn the other hand, Vaner looked sharply at the girl, only to move his head and give me a strange look. He continued to alternate his eyes between the two of us for a moment, only to ultimately relax his face and lower his magical shield.

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"Is something the matter?

" I asked, tightening my fist so heavily the nails of my fingers cut into the skin of my palm.

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"No, there is nothing wrong at all,

" Vaner replied, hesitation still all over his face. I could only hear his deep breaths for a few more moments.

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"Anyway,

" the elder finally snapped out of his thoughts, raising his eyes at Mia and smiling.

"You are very well qualified not only to advance but also to become my direct disciple,

" he said before turning his head towards me.

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"Now, let's see how much did you progress,

" he said, his smile turning into a smirk.

n'I knew it,' my thoughts darkened while my face remained perfectly still... or so I hoped. Without a mirror anywhere around, I couldn't even judge that. 'He isn't going to let me off easily for before,' I realized before stepping forward.

n'Just the way he phrased points that he believes I'm not necessarily qualified to become his direct disciple,' I noticed before casting all those spare thoughts aside.

nThe best I could do right now was to focus my all on the punch.

nNo matter what, I did my absolute best to make the most out of everything that was happening so far. If that would be too little, then so be it!

n'Still,' I thought, taking a position against the elder. 'From his reaction, those sparks were far more important than I can realize,' I figured out, casting a quick glance at the girl.

nMia stood right beside the two of us, holding her delicate hands tightened into fists. The anxiety in her eyes made it seems as if she was aware of what was going on.

nBut there was something else besides the anxiety in her face. I simply couldn't put my finger to deciphering that different emotion.

n'Anyway, if she has some hidden talent, she should be safe from now on,' I thought, satisfaction filling my soul.

nEven if I were to fail the test right now, she would be freed from slavery. And if she really had some hidden talent, then there would be scores of people willing to protect and groom her in my place.

nAs such, I had nothing to worry about.

nMy eyes moved back to the elder's face as my breath slowed down. All the emotions washed off my face, leaving a completely neutral, dead-pan expression.

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"Elder, I'm ready.

"

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