Ascender Vast stood still, his breath steady, his eyes cold. He stared down at his unconscious opponent, disdain flickering beneath the glint of his narrowed gaze.

The young man lying at his feet had shown promise. Speed. Spirit. But in the end, potential alone wasn't enough in a fight like this. Vast hadn't even broken a sweat.

Weak and Predictable. The young man's fighting style relied entirely on his flashy ability. It had no substance, no adaptability. It was a pattern Vast had seen too many times.

Ascenders often treated martial combat like an afterthought. With their supernatural powers, why bother refining the technique?

After all, most of the time, they were fighting mindless beasts, not people. But that mentality was dangerous.

Against humans, tactics mattered. People adapted. They manipulated terrain, used weapons, and capitalized on even the smallest mistake. Real combat wasn't about throwing the flashiest attack. It was about survival, precision, and control.

Ascenders came in all kinds. Some had complex abilities, others had simple ones. The weaker ones fought smart, using the environment to balance the scales. And the stronger ones didn't play games. They were ruthless and took hold of any opportunity presented before them.

That was real strength.

'I should've joined House Feng when I had the chance.' Vast sighed, his arms folding behind his back. 'Lena Feng… she's the type who understands what real fighting is.'

His opponent on the ground had also opened his Second Soul Gate. Like him, his mastery was Level Two. But even so, the difference between them was like earth and sky.

Vast wasn't just strong, he was built for this. Trained since childhood. Sculpted by the Vast family's endless resources, molded into a weapon.

That is why Lord Aaron chose him.

"How weak," he muttered with a scornful snort.

He turned, ready to leave, when the training room door slid open.

Someone stepped inside.

Vast paused. His eyes shifted toward the entrance. A first impression flashed through his mind:

'She looks weak.'

The newcomer was a young woman. Raven-black hair framed her pale, alabaster skin. Her dark eyes were unsettling—deep, distant. She wore a tight black vest, exposing lean, muscular arms marked with scars—and a strange tattoo etched along her forearm. The sun runes shimmered faintly, but Vast wasn't an enchanter. He had no idea what they meant.

Still, something about her made him hesitate. He stared at her for a moment longer before breaking the silence.

"Are you here to train?"

The woman glanced at him, her expression calm. Her eyes moved past him to the unconscious man still sprawled on the floor.

"Yes," she said. "I'm looking for someone to train with. Someone experienced in martial combat."

She stepped further inside, her boots clicking softly against the floor. "Also… someone should call a nurse for him."

"They're already on their way." Vast raised an eyebrow. "Wait. Did you say martial combat?"

She nodded.

"You're a martial artist?" His voice sharpened with a sudden spark of interest. For the first time all day, Vast's eyes lit up with restrained hope.

The woman crossed her arms and tilted her chin up with quiet defiance. "Of course. I'm just here to see how well I fare against real people. I've been training with machines, but you know how it is—machines can never mimic a human's instincts."

'Heh. Maybe she's not as useless as I thought.'

Vast stepped away from the exit, slipping his hands into his pockets as he made his way back to the center of the training room.

At first glance, she didn't seem like much. Striking, sure—she had presence—but her energy? Practically nonexistent. Almost no Zenshi signature.

But Vast wasn't just an Ascender, he was a martial artist. And martial artists knew how to sense pressure.

This woman carried a battle aura. A quiet, heavy, compressed Battle Aura.

She wasn't some show-off waving powers around. No, she was dangerous in a different way.

She's hiding something. And that makes her interesting.

"If this is your first fight, young lady…" Vast's tone deepened, thick with confidence. "Then I'm your worst possible opponent."

The woman smirked, her arms falling to her sides. Her smile didn't reach her eyes—it was a knowing kind of grin, the kind born from experience.

"I wouldn't mind. Actually, that's exactly why I chose this room." Her voice was smooth, her posture relaxed. "I want a true exchange of fists. No tricks. No spells. Just combat."

Vast's brown eyes sharpened, a gleam of mischief dancing in them. Now this was what he lived for.

Most Ascenders relied on powers and gimmicks. They ran from pain. They trained half-heartedly, confident that their flashy techniques would carry them. But this woman asked for the one thing that required courage and discipline: A real fight.

He smirked, stepping into position.

"You're speaking my language," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's see if your fists can keep up with your confidence."

'This will be over quick, but at least you've earned my respect, woman,' Vast thought as he clenched his fists and stepped into position.

Just then, the entrance door slid open. A group of healers in standard white robes entered swiftly, their boots tapping across the reinforced floor. Without a word, they lifted the unconscious Ascender from the center of the room onto a stretcher and carried him out.

Silence returned the moment the doors closed.

Now it was just the two of them—Luna and Michael Vast—alone in the expansive white and grey training room. The walls here were made from specialized materials, strong enough to contain a battle between two sorcerers for at least ten minutes. In other words, it was built to withstand an all-out Ascender-level fight.

There would be no holding back.

Vast stepped forward, then respectfully cupped his fists and bowed—a traditional greeting among martial artists.

"My name is Michael Vast. I'm twenty-one. Born and raised in Newrou… or Sector 6, if you prefer. I'm a highblood. Son of Lord Vast."

Lara returned the gesture, bowing with composed grace.

"Lara. Twenty years old. I'm from the Outskirts."

His expression froze for a moment. The Outskirts?

That explained a few things. No clan name. No Zenshi signature. An unconventional fighter, possibly self-taught. The Outskirts were non-registered, semi-autonomous zones barely monitored by the main government. People from there were often seen as lawbreakers, rebels, or survivors of rough bloodlines.

To most highbloods, they were beneath notice.

His eyes betrayed a flicker of surprise, maybe even judgment. Lara caught it instantly.

She raised a brow, voice steady. "Is something wrong?"

Vast snapped out of his thoughts, exhaled slowly, and shook his head.

"You don't look like one."

"I get that a lot," Lara replied coolly. "Anyway… should we fight?"

Vast stepped back with a grin and slipped into a low, combat-ready stance. His brown eyes sharpened, glowing faintly with focus—predatory, calculating. The moment his weight shifted, the aura around him darkened.

This was his rhythm. The intimidation phase. Every fight had one. He'd already played this match out in his mind a dozen times. She might land a few decent hits, but he'd win without needing to go all out.

Luna faced him in silence, her posture calm, unimposing. Her stance wasn't flashy—just a standard forward guard with both fists held close to her face. No flourish. No tension. Her dark eyes remained still, like a pair of black mirrors.

Then, without warning, she moved. She struck with a sharp, fast side kick that he blocked with a single arm.

'Too easy.'

He reached out to grab her leg, but it vanished, withdrawn in a flash.

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Bam!

An impact came out of nowhere as her fist slammed into his face like a coiled spring snapping forward.

Vast stumbled back by five steps, the strike rocking through his skull. For a second, his mind blanked. When his feet finally grounded, he stared at the floor for a moment, dazed.

What the hell just happened?

He hadn't even seen the punch. Just felt it. A clean, tight blow that hit harder than it should've.

The fight had officially started.

Luna didn't wait for him to gather his thoughts. She lunged again, closing the distance with silence and precision. Another strike came flying toward his chest. He raised his arms for a textbook block.

But it wasn't a punch. She switched midway, converting the blow into an open palm strike with a seamless twist of the wrist.

Vast barely caught it in time. He pivoted, narrowly dodging the strike, then surged forward before she could reset. His footwork was clean, fast.

"My turn."

His eyes flashed, and with a grin, he drove his knuckles into her right abdomen, a solid counter.

The training room trembled from the shockwave as Luna was blasted from the center and slammed into the wall with a heavy crash.

At the front desk, the receptionist, Gina, stared at the monitor with wide, stunned eyes. Ever since Ascender Vast had joined the guild, she'd seen him train, spar, and win—but never like this. Not with this intensity.

'Is Ascender Lara really that strong…?' No one would think that the twenty-year-old woman had the fighting knowledge of a one-thousand-year-old master.

Back in the training room, Luna stepped out of the crater in the wall, her body unscathed. Dust rolled off her as she moved like smoke in the wind. Her Qi had reacted instinctively, protecting her from the surprise blow. It absorbed the damage, distributing the force before it could break anything vital.

It's a shame she couldn't go all out. That much power would only raise questions she wasn't ready to answer.

Without a word, she charged forward again, leaping into the air with a downward kick aimed straight for Vast's skull.

Boom.

Vast raised both arms and caught the strike, but the impact drove him down. Cracks spiderwebbed beneath his feet, snapping across the reinforced floor.

"Tch." He gritted his teeth and pivoted, grabbing her leg and flinging her back.

Luna twisted midair, flipping twice before landing with feline grace. Her body barely slowed before launching forward again.

She closed the gap like a shadow. Vast could barely keep up with her speed.

Then, the storm came —fist after fist hammered into his gut, his chest, his jaw. Blindingly fast. Each blow packed enough force to shake bone, and before he could mount a proper counter, he was forced into full defense.

Vast roared, arms raised in a desperate flurry of blocks. He tried to meet each strike, but it didn't matter. Luna's fists were too fast—some he could track, most he had to guess. Every blow he failed to block slammed into him with punishing force, rattling his bones and searing pain through his ribs and arms.

'What the hell is this?'

He was beginning to regret ever closing the distance.

She wasn't giving him a second to breathe, let alone time to augment his body with Zenshi. She moved with an assassin's tempo—one strike melting into the next, no wasted motion, no mercy.

Then, just as suddenly, she stopped her assault.

Vast jumped back, breathing heavily.

Across from him, Luna calmly lowered her fists. Her gaze—dark, emotionless—studied him with the distant curiosity of a scientist examining an experiment.

'So this is Michael Vast,' she thought, having recognized him earlier from the documents she reviewed. She had hoped one of the guild's best would at least prove impressive in some regard.

He wasn't stronger than her, of course. That was never the question.

Few Second Gate Ascenders in the world could outmatch someone walking the True Path. The only real threat they posed was their ability to draw power from Domains—a trick Luna didn't have in her arsenal.

Still, if Aaron Phillips had picked this boy for his academy, there had to be something special about him.

"Maybe it's just the Aura," she muttered under her breath, disappointed.

Then she blurred forward—faster than before.

Vast had just enough time to brace as she lunged in with a knee aimed for his ribs. He caught it, teeth clenched—but then her body twisted. With a fluid snap, her leg retracted, and her palm shot upward.

Crack!

The heel of her palm slammed beneath his chin. His head snapped back—but as she followed through, his fist met her chest in the same instant.

Pain exploded through her ribcage. Luna gasped as the air was driven from her lungs, and she stumbled back, coughing.

Cough. Cough.

Blood hit the floor.

'That strike was laced with Zenshi. So it's his control over zenshi.' Luna figured.

Vast launched himself forward, fury burning in his eyes. His fist glowed with light-blue Zenshi, the raw energy crackling in the air as he threw it like a boulder aimed to crush bone.

Luna shifted just in time, dodging by a hair's breadth. The moment his fist sailed past her, she pivoted on her heel and drove a sharp kick into his gut.

Thud.

The force sent Vast back—but he didn't even hit the wall before she was already moving again, a blur of motion. She closed the distance in a blink, her hand cutting through the air like a blade, palm angled directly for his throat.

It was a finishing strike. Lethal, if she wanted it to be.

But Luna pulled back her strength at the last moment, reducing the impact just enough to spare him serious injury.

He was an excellent martial artist. He could've definitely held his own against a Luna from two years ago.

Unfortunately for him, this current version of herself was more familiar with martial arts. She had full command over her strength thanks to the essence in her body. And most importantly, this version of herself didn't need to hide her strength, especially when she needed to gain Aaron Phillips's attention.

She needed word to get out that she beat one of his candidates. Vast seemed very confident in his abilities, so it was obvious that he was a top candidate. However, whether her opponent was a candidate or not, Luna was prepared to crush them just to prove her skill to the Guild.

'I am sorry for using you as a stepping stone.'

The tip of her palm struck true.

Vast gasped. The breath in his throat turned sharp, jagged like glass. He stumbled back, knees slamming into the ground as both hands flew to his neck.

He choked. Wheezed. Eyes wide with disbelief as they locked onto her, burning with humiliation and rage.

How? This small, quiet woman. This nobody from the Outskirts.

She stood calm, still as stone, staring down at him with that same cold indifference. That look. Gods. That look made his blood boil.

Was she mocking him?

Vast's jaw clenched. His pride cracked. With a growl, he surged back to his feet and tore open his Second Gate. A blast of pressure swept through the room like a pulse of lightning, making the walls groan faintly under the force.

A short sword formed in his hand, glowing with awakened runes. They pulsed and breathed like living things, hungry for blood as he poured Zenshi into them.

Across from him, Luna arched a brow. 'So he's breaking the rules,' she thought.

And she smiled.

A flicker of shadow danced across her fingers—and then the Shadow Wolf Dagger appeared, dark and silver, its edge humming with silent menace.

Vast lunged, rage in his swing as he brought the blade toward her neck.

Clang!

Luna parried cleanly, her dark eyes flashing gold as she poured life essence into her weapon. Sparks scattered, steel shrieked, and Vast's sword was pushed aside.

His swings were tough, but Luna managed to block each one without much struggle. Her dagger skills had improved a lot since the Kraken two years ago.

Plus, because Vast had lost his control, Luna easily saw through his attacks. They were too slow. And because they were too slow, she moved quicker and finally knocked the sword out of his hand.

Vast didn't have time to react. Before he noticed it, he was thrown across the training room after the woman hit him in the chest with another palm strike. It was quick and powerful, proving that there was a difference in strength between them.

He stared at her for a moment, then lost consciousness.

Luna had won.

On the other end of the cameras watching the fight, Gina and her workmates were staring at the screens with shocked faces. The Guild had recorded Vast as one of the strongest ascenders at the moment. He was talented in both martial arts and overall abilities.

If he had been defeated by this newbie, did that mean that he was weaker than her? No. This was clearly connected to the quality of their skills.

"She didn't need zenshi to beat him."

"She's strong enough to send him flying just like that."

"Is she a legacy? I heard she was recommended by House Ares, especially Lord Adam. Is she his apprentice?"

"No, you idiot, Lord Adam is too young, and he doesn't fight like that. That's martial combat…from the East."

"The East? Are you saying that they fight differently?"

"No, it's the difference in her movements. She moved calmly, like someone with years of experience. No child of war can be that calm during combat."

Gina listened to her colleagues break down what they had just witnessed. As guild members, they knew a thing or two about martial arts since it was part of their training. They knew the difference between someone experienced and someone who wasn't, someone confident in their style and someone who wasn't.

Even a mere receptionist was familiar with such. In a place that dealt with ascenders, it was necessary because it allowed them to separate the good and the bad. The Guild was like a large screen that helped pick out talented ascenders or bring out the potential in the ascenders with it.

However, Miss Lara had successfully fooled the Guild by coming under a recommendation.

If her superiors found out that the person she received is the one who has taken down one of their best, they might have to question her use to the Guild.

'I need to go!'

She jolted her seat and ran to the training room as fast as she could.

When the sliding doors opened, Miss Lara was staring at the defeated Vast with a cold expression. She held a sinister-looking dagger. It leaked out a deathly presence that made Gina shiver at first glance.

She swallowed her saliva and walked into the room after steeling her heart.

Miss Lara dismissed the sinister dagger and moved her cold gaze to Gina. "I apologize if I caused any damage. I got carried away."

Gina quickly shook her head. "No, Miss Lara….I now know why House Ares recommended you. I made the mistake of not doing an evaluation test. If I had known you were this strong, I would've already referred you to Sir Phillips." She nervously looked around.

Lara smiled. "Can we do it now?"

Gina nodded. "Yes, we can. But first, let me gather the room's data."

"But wait…I have a question."

"You may ask," Gina responded with a respectful tone.

"How good should my evaluation results be to join Sir Aaron Phillip's academy?"

Gina lingered for a few moments, then said, "High is all I can say. Sir Phillips is a very complicated individual, but all of his Ascenders end up becoming great people. He is a perfectionist, so Vast losing to you won't make him happy. By doing this, you've put me and the Guild in a tough spot." She showed frustration as she called for the control panel.

A holographic screen appeared in front of her and displayed all the data the room had collected.

'She didn't use any zenshi!' She was surprised as she cruised through the room's data readings. According to the display, Miss Lara was just above the average strength of a first gate user. There were some abnormal spikes in the readings. But those could be read as adrenaline bursts because they weren't persistent.

Gina stared at the screen with an unchanging expression. Then turned it off and walked out of the training room with Miss Lara for the evaluation.

***

"So this is the evaluation room?" Luna whispered, her eyes scanning the small room Gina had led her to. The white room wasn't much like the training room earlier. But the technology was very similar to the one they used in the Eastern Settlement.

A single large display was ahead. Thanks to the holographic pixels holding it together, it floated in the air.

Before, it was a single silver sphere hanging in front of her. Luna had touched it enough times to know exactly what this ball was.

An appraisal sphere.

This complex work of advanced sorcery was solely created for the purpose of appraising ascenders and check for their capabilities and how powerful they were. The spheres were the handiwork of the Geniuses of Night, who were mundane humans that came together to create something like this to let ascenders know how powerful they were upon awakening and advancing to the next gates.

Before this was invented, ascenders had to rely on feel to know exactly how powerful they were. For some, like Lena, their zenshi would show that the level of mastery has gone further, while for the majority, their learning the level you were on was based on feeling.

"Please touch the sphere."

Gina's request reached Luna, and a smirk appeared on her beautiful face. She had already charged the sky pearl around her neck. It was already discharging small quantities of zenshi into her system.

She endured the pain of having zenshi in her system. Her face stayed calm as she proceeded to place her hand on the sphere. There was a warm feeling, followed by a sharp pulse of energy. Luna could feel the sphere interacting with her body.

The feeling was…weird.

A few minutes passed, and sweat was dripping down her face. The pain was much worse than she expected. The war of energies happening in her body left her shuddering by the time she withdrew her hand from the sphere.

Once it finished reading the data, the screen ahead turned itself on and displayed her readings.....

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