Yi Lan was sitting in his office and was currently on the soul communicator. Ever since he picked up Karni from the Green Tiger Town, he had tried to slowly but surely entice Karni into joining the Spirit Pagoda.
It was something that Spirit Pagoda entrusted him with, but his plans got ruined one year into the process.
"Yes… Yes… Yes, sir I have tried to offer those benefits as well, but the kid still wouldn't budge." He stayed silent for a moment. "I understand, but all that the kid offered was that he will personally assist me in the future, it looks like he has a backer."
"The Tang Sect?" Asked the person from the other side of the line.
Yi Lan sighed and confirmed. "Yes sir, it's the Tang Sect. They are already personally teaching him, though he is not yet a member."
The voice on the other side sighed. "That's fine then, there's nothing we can do if they already pay so much attention to him. What about the other prospect?"
Yi Lan laughed self-mockingly. "She didn't even consider us from the start. While she is also backed by the Tang Sect in secret, she simply said that 'She'll join if Karni does.'"
The line went silent, until a long sigh escaped it. "Good on your report, keep in touch." The connection was cut.
Yi Lan had an annoyed expression on his face. He could tell that they weren't happy with how he handled the situation, but there was really nothing he could do.
"Damn Mo Qing, he really beat me this time." He took some documents from the table and put them in the drawer section called 'Prospects'. He then stopped and picked them back up.
"He really has grown a lot since then, despite wanting to bring him into the Spirit Pagoda, he probably doesn't belong here." Yi Lan sighed. "It all went downhill after that exam period three years ago."
… … …
Three years ago.
Karni woke up feeling… unnaturally rested. He felt his own body thrive on how rested and lazy he was feeling right now.
It was a divine feeling. Incredibly comfortable.
He looked towards Siduo. She was still sleeping. He didn't want to wake her, but he didn't feel like going back to sleep either. He seemed to have had some high-quality sleep after constant studying.
He went to grab a bite and left Siduo to sleep calmly in their cram room. The kitchen hadn't even started up yet. He woke up in the early morning. The sun was just rising.
All he could do was grab a bunch of leftovers. A bunch. He packed himself full of food. He was starving. And oddly enough, the food felt better than usual.
He went to the courtyard but simply didn't have the energy to train. His body was screaming at him to just lie down and be lazy. Not sleep, just… rest. He sat down at a tree by the side of the training field in the Wu Family Courtyard. He simply laid there and enjoyed the vibe.
Breathing felt so easy to do right now, his body felt calm—wishing for rest yet full of energy. He did not do anything and then… he felt it. His body's energy started flowing naturally.
As opposed to the golden flow from his focused cultivation, this one had a light cozy green feel. The colour of nature. It was a slow flow, but a good one.
Karni immediately started to cultivate… only to realise that as soon as he focused on it and stopped resting in a comfortable pose… the green flow slowly vanished.
"Huh…" Karni made his body comfortable again; a theory formed from the simple experience.
And wouldn't you know it, the green flow appeared again. Cultivating while resting. Karni could hardly believe it.
He fell into a trance. He wasn't doing anything, only lying there, but the energy kept on flowing. And it felt of a higher quality than his usual cultivation, not counting the golden strings.
"Already relaxing after one tough exam?" Karni heard a familiar voice.
"Teacher Ye?" Karni opened his eyes, the energy dissipating. "I wasn't. I mean, I was, but…"
"It's fine. You deserve to rest after all of that." Teacher Ye looked around. "Between you and me, it was the Vice-Principal who made the exam harsh."
Karni blinked, not knowing how to reply to that. Only then did he realise he wasn't at the academy. "Teacher, what are you doing here?"
"Came to talk to the Wu Family about your and Siduo's results. There are some things that will change soon."
"Eh? What, did we do something?"
"Mmm. Yes." Teacher Ye smiled, then laughed and left, leaving Karni confused in the courtyard.
Karni sighed, knowing this teacher by now. It was not like he could say or do anything as a kid. There was, however, one thing he had yet to test properly. Resting and cultivation could wait.
His second ring shone a brilliant yellow.
… … …
Two and a half years ago. Beginning of Third year of Elementary Academy.
"We challenge you!" In front of Karni and Siduo stood two former, and current challengers. Yu Tian and Li Tai. They were their classmates, though recently, Karni and Siduo have separated themselves from the rest of the class. Perhaps that was why the two were challenging them.
Li Tai and Yu Tian. The Sword and the Shield. After their defeat, they have lost the arrogant attitude. Instead, they were approaching them with a competitive spirit at the moment.
The two have been undergoing special training by their families. Similarly, Karni and Siduo have recently been allowed special resources by the academy to make sure their foundation was solid.
However, Li Tai and Yu Tian were feeling confident. They knew the academy was pouring resources into Karni and Siduo. Everyone could tell. Despite that, they had an edge over them. The academy was building their foundation as Soul Masters. Meanwhile they have been practicing through combat.
"Sure." Karni and Siduo accepted. It's been more than a year since they faced the two. This was going to be exciting for both of them.
"And use your full power." Li Tai said.
"Eh?" Karni reacted, while Siduo just scoffed. "We're Soul Grandmasters, you know that, right?"
"Yes." Li Tai nodded.
Yu Tian sighed on the side.
"Let's go!" Li Tai was excited and started walking toward the sparring field.
Yu Tian stayed behind. "When we lose, would you be willing to fight us as if you were at the same power level as us?"
Siduo scoffed even more. "He was a fool, but your way of thinking is just sad." She got up and followed Yu Tian.
Yu Tian stared at her back, feeling slighted. "I just want to fight on an equal playing field."
Karni sighed. "Technically, we are. I think that's her point. Especially at our age."
Yu Tian got confused.
Karni explained while starting to follow the other two. "We are of the same age. Cultivation speed is just as much a part of our power as our skills. Li Tai wanted a true test of skill, which is foolish, but brave. You, however, are taking the coward's way out… at least I think that's what she meant."
Karni looked at the boy. "It's the mindset that's important, that's all."
Yu Tian followed Karni out, while being deep in thought. He was definitely less confident than Li Tai, but it did give him a different perspective, even if he didn't agree with it.
They got to the field and got ready.
Karni got in a fighting pose, while Siduo did not.
Karni was inwardly sighing. These were kids in both body and mind. She didn't have to act like that. But she was acting like this for his sake as well. She was basically handing the fight over to him.
"Fine." Karni grumbled.
Li Tai looked like he was positively fuming, while Yu Tian finally looked somewhat offended.
Siduo started counting down from next to Karni, which made the two even angrier. She was disrespecting the Cloud Sword and the Dragon Shield families.
"Start." Siduo said.
Li Tai and Yu Tian charged. Yu Tian in front with the shield and Li Tai hiding behind. The same tactic they used the first time, though clearly more refined.
Karni stood there and took out the Staff of Prediction. He started spinning it. Silently, he chanted to himself. Tap… Tap, tap… tap. Tap.
One Stack. He hadn't fully understood it yet. But the power of his Staff of Prediction grew through certain movements.
Tap, tap, tap… tap. Two Stacks.
The shield approached. The face on the it looked ferocious. Karni stopped the shield the same way he did last time. A single jab right in the middle, slightly to the side to imbalance him.
But the Shield did not fall this time. It struck and even pushed back. Not that Karni did not know that would happen.
He side stepped before the slash from the Cloud Sword on the right even came. He moved his body awkwardly but with balance. He and Yu Tian caught each other's eyes.
Karni's second Soul Ring shone. Siduo closed her eyes on instinct in that same moment. Karni's eyes turned yellow-gold.
Yu Tian immediately froze. Not because the skill made him freeze, but because of what he saw. There were tens of Karnis. All of them golden. He didn't know it, but he was seeing the possibilities of future. There were so many he could hardly figure out where he was.
Siduo grumbled on the side. She once used that effect against Karni. Overwhelmed him with golden shapes of the future. Now he was using the same tactic against others, as well as her during sparring. This was why she instinctively closed her eyes.
Karni made contact with Li Tai's eyes the next second, just as Li Tai was trying to attack him again.
Karni caught his balance with the Bo Staff smoothly; his back bent at an awkward angle to dodge it. And at the same time, his skill went off again as Li Tai and Karni were staring at each other. Li Tai froze as well. He wasn't sure what to do.
Karni's eyes were the path to activating Karni's second Soul Skill. Vision Bestowal. It shared Karni's future sight with others. Sometimes a bit too well. That was what Karni counted on to control others.
He simply tapped their heads in the next second, and both of them fell. Four Stacks—Karni counted mentally.
The fight was over.
… … …
Two years ago.
Karni took a deep, deep breath. He was out of breath. Sweating buckets. His energy was low. He was wishing he could just rest and feel that amazing green energy from within. That cultivation method has become a staple of his now. Resting and cultivating at the same time. It was a godsend.
But he could not do that right now. The point of this exercise was to not rest.
There was a whole obstacle course for him. It was made to push the limits on Karni's body. Not in terms of strength, nor in terms of endurance, but in terms of pure flexibility and consequently balance.
The only way to get through the course was to bend in impossible ways. Bending one's own body at the perfect angle of 90 degrees.
But that wasn't enough. These came one after another, Karni had to move from one side to another in one move.
Karni started the obstacle course. He bent at that impossible angle and lost balance. But he used the loss of balance to smoothly swing his body to the other side of the course and squeeze through the next. It was one swell motion. From right to left, and with the momentum… he straightened out.
Next up, he bent down the other side, almost touched the floor and swung back up yet again. He was doing circles around himself and used his own momentum to control his loss of balance in a way that imbalance would bring him back into balance. It was turning into a proper movement technique, relying on the core of one's body.
However… A swing from the side touched him slightly. Karni lost balance without control, tried to bend further to regain it, but slipped and fell.
As he fell, another obstacle hit him, throwing him off the course.
The movement has clearly not been complete yet.
Karni laid on the ground, arms stretched looking at the midday sky. It was barely noon and he was already so tired. However, he had to admit. The training was working. His muscles were developing unnaturally well. Particularly so in terms of flexibility.
He did not know how or why his body developed this way. Others confirmed that this training would not have that effect on most people, but it did on him. Without this flexibility, there would not be his imbalanced movement.
He could bend his hands, knees and fingers, all of them in the most… unnatural ways. By now, it had enhanced his body's flexibility by almost fivefold. He was looking forward to how this would progress in the future.
Karni closed his eyes, enjoying the slight respite… when a shadow covered his face.
"Tired?" Siduo asked.
Karni sighed. "Yes…"
"Good. Again."
… … …
One and a half year ago. First Year of Intermediate Academy.
"Three… Two… … Two." Karni tapped with his Bo Staff. He tapped with the Drumstick form. Not just the Drumstick, but on the Drums themselves.
The drums boomed throughout the building, though of course, by now, the family installed sound insulators.
Karni finished drumming his heart out. Then he stopped, slightly out of breath.
"24 Stacks. I reached 24." Karni was tapping his leg nervously. But he still did not get it.
Stacks… he called them Stacks as if they were an actual thing, but he decided what rank they were based on instinct. The difference from Stack to Stack was inconsistent. Karni simply based it off of a big enough increase in power from Stack to Stack.
There was an increase in power the longer Karni fought with the Staff of Predictions. It was the only consistent aspect of Stacks; there was an increase of power. But he still didn't fully understand it. Stacks was simply a name he gave them to count how much the power increased.
He could reach those 24 Stacks with the help of drums, but he could never do it during battle. He was stuck at 13 Stacks in that regard. There was something about drumming and the rhythm, but he could not consistently replicate anything. It honestly frustrated him.
A person knocked on the door. "Yes? Come in."
"Hey there drummer boy. First class starts today. Teacher Ye came to pick us up ourselves."
"Eh? Why?"
Siduo shrugged. "I don't know. She did not tell me."
Karni nodded. "Alright. I'll be right out."
Siduo left and Karni stretched. He took one more look at the drums and nodded to himself. That was his second set of drums… his old ones… met an unfortunate end during his experiments with the Stacks.
He spun the Drumstick form of his Martial Soul and stuck the ends together, reforming the Bo Staff. Then he exited the room and met with Siduo and Teacher Ye.
Teacher Ye took them to the academy herself. She did not explain anything, promising that it would be a surprise.
They went past the classrooms where the other classes were. Then they went past the first-year intermediate class, even noticing Li Tai and Yu Tian in there, but Teacher Ye still continued.
They arrived in an empty classroom with no one inside.
"Welcome you two." Teacher Ye began. She seemed slightly giddy as she said this. "To Special Class created just for you two. All of Star Luo City Academy's hopes and dreams have been placed on you."
… … …
One and a half year ago… and two hours later.
"Let's begin the first proper class of this special curriculum I mentioned earlier. Beside all of the additional knowledge we'll be filling you up with, combat will be the main focus of your class. It will be on the level of the Advanced Academy, so don't expect me to be kind."
Karni and Siduo nodded happily to that. If anything, they wanted this. They were going to study higher classes, higher levels of Mecha Engineering, higher everything. But Combat was by far the thing they looked forward to the most.
"I like those faces. But first, since I wasn't looking over you two myself the last two years or so, I want to see where you stand in terms of your combat skills."
… … …
One and a half year ago… and two hours later… and ten minutes later.
Teacher Ye was rubbing her eyes as she looked at the final parts of the battle.
… … …
One and a half year ago… and two hours later… and ten minutes later… and one minute ago.
Karni was in a losing battle. No matter how much weaving and dodging he did, or how much he confused her with Vision Bestowal, Siduo still managed to find him. She had an instinct for when he tried to surprise her.
He hadn't quite gotten to know her perfectly. Especially not after her second Soul Ring evolved. Hell Hundred Claws. It caused him all sorts of problems. Hundred attacks all in one consistently overwhelmed him once he got the upper hand.
Karni tried to flex with Vision Bestowal, pushing the skill to the limit, using up his Spiritual Power but Siduo found him nonetheless. Her eyes were sharp. Her second Soul Ring shone, and Hell Hundred Claws crashed upon Karni from left and right. There was no dodging that.
Or was there. Karni bent backwards and split his Martial Soul into two at the very last moment. Drumsticks blocked the Hell Hundred Claws from both sides, and Karni used not only the position of his body, but also the force that Siduo's attack put onto him to imbalance himself backwards and then move to the side and stand back up. He had built up a few Stacks alongside that and was about to attack when…
"Stop."
… … …
One and a half year ago… and two hours later… and ten minutes later… again.
Teacher Ye was rubbing her eyes as she looked at the final parts of the battle.
"What was that at the end?" Teacher Ye questioned. She was looking at Karni.
"Erm." Karni felt embarrassed. Was she praising him for that dodge? "I used Siduo's power and my imbalance, but directed the force sideways to rebalance and-"
"No. Not that." Teacher Ye sighed. "That thing with your Martial Soul. You split it into two?"
"Ah? Yeah." Karni nodded.
"WHY? Why weren't you doing that before?!" Teacher Ye practically screamed.
Karni shrunk back. He honestly did not think that much about it. Was it that big of a change? He also only really practiced with the Bo Staff before, so he was used to that instead.
Teacher Ye tapped her foot. "I see how it is. Okay. Class over for today. Rest and think of what you did wrong. I need to plan some things."
Karni and Siduo were left there standing, but Siduo burst into laughter. "Someone's in trouble."
… … …
Now.
A jab directed into the claws was used to block an ability from fully activating.
Siduo's sharp claws activated her first of the two yellow rings as she sped up immensely to the side of Karni.
Karni however stepped away with the uncanny movement, with unnatural timing of his body, before Siduo even activated her Soul Ring ability.
Karni still wielded the gold and silver Bo staff, with a snake running alongside it. His hair was of darker blonde than before, while his eyes now had a glint of gold beneath his usual bluish-grey colour. Karni had become a child that looked slightly bigger than his peers at 10 years old. His muscles were particularly more defined.
Siduo, who just completely missed with her claws now had long auburn hair mixed with black stripes. Alongside those she currently had black cat ears in her bright hair and a frustrated look on her face. This dance had been going on for some time. She too was now much taller and had a great balance of slenderness and muscles on her body. She looked more balanced as compared to Karni, which was natural, as she was an Agility and Assault type Soul Master.
The exchange was repeated one more time, but this time, she reacted incredibly quickly, as if she expected it.
She made what seemed to be a 90-degree turn towards Karni, while he continued to move away. This was a dance they had done many times in the last few years and in Siduo's words, Karni was getting "more and more annoying."
While moving away, Karni was lightly tapping the ground with the Staff while spinning it in his hands. When the Staff passed the eyes on the third spin, his eyes seemed to change into bright yellow.
As soon as Siduo saw that, she immediately closed her eyes and stopped, trying to run to the side instead. By now this reaction was completely ingrained in her.
On the other hand, Karni ran straight towards her. The slight taps of the Bo Staff still present. His second Soul Ring was currently shining brightly, and one could hear the staff making swoosh sounds because of the continuous spinning.
Every tap, Siduo's ears twitched. Finally on the 8th tap, she decided to change direction and open her eyes again, gunning straight for Karni. The Stacks had reached too high a level.
Karni did a strong step into the ground as if to lock his foot in and then reached out with his whole body in a straight jab. One foot in the front, one in the back, maximising the power of his body to aim for her head. To do so, his body had to be even more flexible than Siduo's at the moment. It was the use of his imbalanced movement in an offensive way.
Siduo eyes carried some visible fear as she activated her first Soul Ring to make a small adjustment, barely scraping past Karni's Bo Staff jab. In the process, she looked into Karni's eyes which were still yellow gold and immediately regretted it.
Before her appeared dozens of golden shapes obscuring Karni's true position, even while she was barely 2 metres away. The golden shapes which looked like Karni were so dense that she could only base his position off of his Staff, but that was enough for her.
She finally knew how Karni felt when she made his predictions unreadable. It wasn't just an effective use for sudden confusion anymore. It was a proper tool to overwhelm others. Ironically, the initial intent of the skill was supposed to be supportive, so he could share his vision of future with others. Yet somehow, he used it offensively more often.
Her second Soul Ring activated brightly as hundreds of claws struck towards what she thought was Karni's position. She hit with full might.
She felt something connect with her claws but before she had time to know if she hit what she was supposed to, a vibrating short staff that was releasing a soft humming noise hit her face from the side.
The force was as she expected: big. And her cheeks felt numb as if they had just gone through a painful massage. This feeling translated to the rest of her head as well.
Her sight cleared a few seconds later. She was on the ground as she rubbed her cheeks. But she heaved a sigh of relief as she noticed that Karni was, like her, also on the ground. Her mark hit true.
In Karni's left hand was the Drumstick version of the Bo Staff which had a few claw marks on it. Meanwhile the drumstick that hit her face was in his right hand.
Karni, despite being on the ground, was full of smiles. "Another draw, eh? It seems you were struggling quite a bit there for a while, Sisi."
"Oh shut up… Well, I guess you really are becoming a control system Soul Master even if it's slow." She tried to tease back.
"Hey, it's not me who's still on the ground." Smiled Karni back, already on his feet.
"Be quiet and help me get this fuzzy feeling out of my head, will you dear?" Her last sentence was made in a grandma-like persona.
This was a draw. They were still using the rules of 'who dirties their butt first is the loser'. If this was a match where one incapacitated the another the one who would currently have the advantage would certainly be Karni.
All of the Siduo's Hell Hundred Claws was absorbed by Karni's left Drumstick. This knocked him off balance and he fell to the ground while hitting her with his right hand. The pressure was too much for him to use his movements to rebalance, even if it was his specialty. Meanwhile, Siduo fell due to being unable to withstand the hit. This has been the usual result of their spars these days.
The result being a draw was quite impressive considering he was fighting someone who reincarnated from this plane.
Karni had to admit that if not for Teacher Ye's training the past year and a half, he would not have gotten to this point.
The academy, thanks to Mo Qing's persuasion, gave special resources to training Karni and Siduo. They were known as the two geniuses in the Intermediate Academy even before they got into it. That was why the Special Class was created.
Their personal combat teacher became Teacher Ye, who was previously in charge of teaching them Mecha Engineering, while Mo Qing himself taught them in class alongside being their master in Mecha Designing and Manufacturing.
The fact that an advanced academy teacher such as Teacher Ye, and the Vice-Principal himself were overseeing their studies—of kids who were only in the Intermediate Academy—showed how much importance the academy gave to Karni and Siduo.
The only other two students who were being supported by the academy, albeit less intensively, were the Sword and the Shield: Li Tai and Yu Tian. However, since Karni and Siduo were in their own class now, they haven't interacted with them much the past year and a half. They weren't aware of specifics, outside of the fact that they also reached the rank of Soul Grandmasters.
They could only compare themselves with themselves and older students they occasionally sparred with. In that sense, Karni counted… his flexibility had increased to tenfold; his Stacks—while still not figured out—have been able to reach up to 19 during battle and even into 30s on the drums; his use of Vision Bestowal had become better in both timing and intensity; and overall, his sheer experience had changed, his instincts transformed. Oh, and he no longer destroyed any of his drums.
These 19 Stacks of vibrations—which were the cause of destruction of said drums—were currently his strongest weapon. This was why Siduo attacked him at 8 Stacks. Any more and she might have lost immediately.
Karni's attacks were not too damaging, but they had incredible potential for stunning. Those vibrations transferred to a person. When reaching Stacks above 10, it would truly imbalance a person. Their body would start vibrating, and if one couldn't handle it, they would simply lose control of it. Meanwhile, they haven't truly tested yet what his 19 Stacks were capable off.
He hadn't even been able to test them against opponents who were not Siduo. Those knew his skills by now. Siduo and Karni had regular 2v2s against older students. They were the only ones they regularly lost to. However, it was here that the two of them practiced a very different skill. Teamwork.
This was where Karni's ability as support control truly shined. When Karni shared his first Soul Ring with Siduo through the second one, she seemed untouchable. When they worked together, they could beat all their two-ringed opponents.
The only interesting thing Karni noted was that whenever he shared his vision with Siduo, she seemed to enjoy the feeling a bit too much. She said it was comfortable and familiar.
He was going to ask her about it, but just as the words were at the edge of his mouth, he got a dreadful, stifling feeling that he was going to regret asking this question. He figured it was the same situation as the other ones. The headache would've definitely come if he asked.
"Shall we go get some lunch?" Karni asked as he wore a slight, satisfied smile.
"Sure, to the canteen then?" Siduo answered, now already stretching her neck, as the fuzzy feeling stopped.
"To the canteen."
It wasn't just the classes that were special for them. Food was too. It became much more extravagant and richer in nutrients ever since their graduation from the Elementary Academy.
This didn't only make them grow faster. Their cultivation got a boost, as did their bodily strength. These were qualitative improvements. To say that the academy didn't give them special resources would be a severely inaccurate statement.
After they finished their lunch the two relaxed under the tree. It had become a semi-routine for them.
Karni laid back in a lax pose while Siduo sat next to him and started cultivating.
Karni's world was black as he focused on his inner body. The cozy green energy nourished him. It was one of the few things that had not changed. The only "change" was that he knew now it came from his Panda Martial Soul. The golden strings from the Staff, and the cozy green energy from the Panda. It was a peculiar but complementary combo.
Pandas were lazy beings; in tune with nature and lazy by nature. That was why relaxation seemed to activate this special state.
Around the green energy there were a few other colours as well. There was blue, turquoise, red, yellow, brown and a few others. Those were connected to the foods he consumed and actively fused into the green energy.
This was the best way for him to ingest his nutrients. It seemed like this state of his was good for solidifying his cultivation, making the Soul Power in his body have better quality. It, however, unfortunately did not increase his cultivation.
On the other hand, his regular meditation stance allowed him to increase his Soul Power and as a bonus increase his Spiritual Power. That was the power of the golden strings. The golden strings of the Staff of Predictions and the green energy of the Panda hence worked perfectly in tandem, increasing his level in all aspects.
"Haaa. This is the best." Karni released a relaxing sound; this was his favourite time of the day. He did nothing, yet he got benefits anyway. He wasn't a fan of constant cultivation and sparring.
He was motivated to do it, but he didn't enjoy it that much. He wasn't a hard-working person in his previous life either. If anything, a chronic procrastinator.
"Since you're enjoying yourselves so much, why don't you break that monotony up a little bit." It was a womanly voice that came from some distance away.
"Eh, Teacher Ye, good afternoon!" Said Karni with a bit of an awkward smile.
"Yes, yes, I know, you don't have to search for excuses, you've told me about how this is beneficial to you since the first time I picked you up at your house." Teacher Ye rolled her eyes.
Siduo opened her eyes at this point as well. "Teacher Ye, is there something going on?"
The teacher nodded. "We will be switching up your combat lessons from now on."
Karni looked a bit guilty. "Teacher, I really don't just laze around when I do this, I mean I do, but-"
"Stop it, it's not because of that." She put her hand up to quiet him up. "And do you really think I wouldn't believe you after all these years?"
She then chuckled, seeing Karni's and Siduo's confused faces as she described in greater detail.
"I have confirmed with the academy that you two have advanced enough to get the final benefits the academy has gotten for you." She put on a mysterious smile.
Before Siduo and Karni could answer, she simply nudged them to follow her. "We will meet your teacher there as well, so we better hurry up and not keep the Vice-Headmaster waiting."
Karni and Siduo were now even more confused.