NEWS.

The whole outer disciple plateau was filled with commotion after the spar between Torvald and Shuu. The disciples loyal to Mark's group were dumbfounded and couldn't believe that Shuu hid such strength in him. Some of the outer disciples felt motivated, some felt discouraged that a new face just came in and established himself in the hierarchy, while some that were present during Shuu's confrontation with the clan's master began to see a new strength added to the clan and tried to make friends with Shuu to curry favour.

The disciples loyal to Mark's group recovered from their stupor and quickly descended down the mountain to find them and alert them of the latest news on their plateau. Shuu was swamped by many outer disciples who looked at him with admiration and some asking for pointers. Others asked if he would bring justice to Torvalds monopoly on food but his answer put a shock on their faces. Shuu refused to interfere with Torvald's way of doing things and went on training with his cauldron filled with water. The disciples were not pleased to hear that but Shuu's decision reminded them of their place in the hierarchy and followed him down the mountain to continue that training.

Mark was sparing intensely with Ashley while Bob sat under a tree to rest from his loss to Mark. The group was in a thick part of the forest at the base of the mountain training fiercely for their upcoming graduation. Mark's group was one of the few that senior Bob noted down who could possibly graduate and become inner disciples since they were both talented and hardworking at that. Ever since they learned that there were better living conditions and food as one progresses, that was one of their reasons for trying to move up as best as they could.

Three outer disciples ran through the forest and finally caught wind of the trail leading to Mark's group. They quickly sprinted in that direction and found another exciting spar going on.

"Hey, why don't you stay in one place so I can hit you and get this over with." Mark said with a smile on his roughened-up face.

"And why don't you just go down nicely? We could have finished this and be on our way to watch some seniors train and learn new things." Ashley replied as she dodged attack after attack from Mark and struggled to keep her stamina in check before Mark used that flaw to whale on her.

The group would normally go to the forests of the inner disciples that were a bit far from the outer disciples just to see if they could catch a glimpse of some inner disciples training so as to be ahead of their set. Senior Bob obviously knew of this but didn't penalize them since they didn't venture too far in. Mark's group knew that senior Bob was always watching and used that to test what they could get away with and what they couldn't.

Ashley was the most proficient in their group when it came to learning the wind movement techniques that some inner disciples used in sparring so she would usually spar with Gin first and Mark after. Gin appeared to be the slowest learner in the group and was often defeated, unlike Mark whose advantage was his sturdy body and his ability to adapt to a person's fighting style be it slowly. They were geniuses who learnt techniques just by watching even though they were at the amateur level, they kept improving it with time.

"Let's stop, for now, our subordinates are here." Mark said as he blocked a spinning kick from Ashley.

"Yes, it seems they might have something to tell us." Ashley agreed and relaxed her posture. The trio could already sense three familiar scents approaching them quickly. Gin continued to recline on the tree lazily as he groaned internally thinking senior Bob was calling everyone for a long announcement.

"Greetings Mark, Ashley, and Gin." One of the three disciples who had shoulder-length brown hair spoke. He is shirtless as is customary for male outer disciples with a decent muscular frame. The three disciples made a polite greeting to Mark's group as Mark and Ashley both picked a tree to rest on.

"So? Get on with it." Mark said impatiently. He was vexed that his spar with Ashley was interrupted since he was slowly gaining the upper hand.

"Right. Torvald just had a spar." The brown-haired disciple remarked.

At this point, Mark was about to lose whatever control he had and launch himself at the disciples wasting his time on mundane matters. His aura seeped out of him and made the leading disciple freeze in his sentence. The female disciple that was with them quickly continued from where they first started.

"T-Torvald lost!" She said almost screaming. Marks group had taken in exceptional 'trash' among the rubble in the words of Gin. These three were also among the few that senior Bob saw as potential inner disciples. The three have been trained by Mark's group in their free time and were taken care of in terms of social standing among the other outer disciples and in return these three agreed to follow them.

"Torvald lost?" Ashley asked while a small chuckle escaped her mouth. Gin opened his eyes a little when he heard that while Mark was in disbelief. Mark's group was by no means weak for their level. Their schedule was very tight and their tasks were carried out as if they were an organization.

Mark had never sparred with Torvald, but that was not because he was weak. The only department Mark might have lost to Torvald was just Torvald's height and strength. But technique-wise and speed, he was above Torvald. He always wanted to challenge Torvald but he wanted to do it at the right time. Mark believed in dominating his opponent completely so as not to leave room for 'Only if I was in my peak condition' or 'I was injured that was why you won' or other excuses so as to seal a complete victory and give face to his group. Now that someone had ruined his plans to elevate his group's status angered and surprised him. He never once doubted the information provided by his subordinates ever since his group recruited them.

"To whom?" Mark asked as a serious expression formed on his face.

"It's probably senior Bob he challenged again. At this point, his desperation is getting the better of him." Ashley commented. Gin kept quiet with his eyes closed as he waited for an answer.

"Torvald lost to the newbie-I mean Shuu!"

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Still looking for decent accommodations, so please be patient and forgive the slow release of the chapters. I am also working on another fanfic. Might be a Naruto fanfic. As usual, I love you guys, have a beautiful day, and stay awesome. 

Oh and thanks for donating three power stones at once Argento Camille, this Heavenly One recognizes you.

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