"Is this the place?"

A well-dressed man, Ryozen, asked. He had a cloak that went over his right shoulder, falling gracefully over his chest in a way that made him look mysterious and intriguing.

"Yes, master?"

His student said.

They were standing on a sidewalk, an iron gate before them, and a dojo with a sign that read "Martial Redemption" over its entrance.

"Knock."

Ryozen commanded.

His student reeled back his hand and gave the gate a proper knock, so strong that it echoed throughout the dojo.

"The master of the Seishin Gakuen, Ryozen Gakuen, have come for a visit. Open this gate right this instance!"

The student shouted haughtily.

It took a little while, but the iron gate eventually opened, and with half-open eyes, Kiernan looked outside.

It was late in the night, and he was already deep in sleep with Aoi. Then the sound of knocking came that woke both of them up.

"What do you want?"

Kiernan asked.

"Mind your words. You are in the presence of Ryozen Gakuen, who have come to personally visit you. Be honored!"

The student shouted.

"That is alright, my student."

Ryozen said, and with a gentle push, moved his student aside and faced Kiernan with an interested smile.

"Kiernan Hunter in the flesh. Your fame is greater than that of some of the Martial Emperors. Glad to see that your being missing was greatly exaggerated."

Ryozen said.

"It is quite late. Why have you come to meet me?"

Kiernan asked.

He could tell that this Ryozen fellow in front of him was way stronger than he was. Martial Legend powerhouse in the flesh.

His former self would be shuddering at the mere thought of being in the presence of someone so strong, but no more.

While still far away from Martial Legend, Kiernan was also a powerhouse of Martial King level, and while the difference between the two of them was vast, he wasn't to be underestimated either.

"I apologize for being so late. The day and night cycle does not exist for me anymore. I sometimes stay awake for weeks at a time.

"Don't you do that?"

Ryozen asked.

"I like sleep. It keeps my head clear and my mind sharp."

Kiernan said.

"…Fair point, but sleep is such a waste of time, don't you think? Those ten hours you sleep you can use to become stronger!"

Ryozen said with a grin.

"That is a fair point as well."

Kiernan said.

"May I enter?"

Ryozen asked.

The student of his looked surprised, as it wasn't like Ryozen to be so respectful towards Zero Star masters.

He was respectful because Kiernan was more than a Zero Star master. He had the talent to surpass him quickly and become one of the great powerhouses of the world.

It would be foolish of him to be disrespectful.

"Sure thing. My fiancee is sleeping, so let's keep our voices low."

Kiernan said, took a seat at the table, and so did Ryozen, while his student kept standing while looking around the yard.

'What a small yard. A shabby-looking dojo building. Hmph, Seishin Gakuen's dojo is a thousand times grander than this.'

The student thought arrogantly.

"How is teaching going?"

Ryozen asked.

"Good."

Kiernan said.

"The streets are saying that you do not have students. Who are you teaching, ghosts, haha?"

The student said with arrogant laughter.

"Those 'streets' are late in their rumors. I do have a student now, and either way, I am only just getting started."

Kiernan said.

"Teaching is a hard job. I remember when I started teaching, and it was as a senior instructor of the dojo where I started as a martial artist.

"It helped me to get some good experience before moving onto becoming a master myself. Where did you learn teaching? Must be from your master's dojo, right?"

Ryozen asked.

"I am self-taught."

Kiernan said.

"Oh, is that so?"

Ryozen said in surprise.

"Cough, bullshit!"

The student pretended to cough. He smugly looked at Kiernan, trying to see whether he got any kind of response, but Kiernan seemed to be ignoring him.

It made him quite pissed.

He was a senior student of Seishin Gakuen and was going to become an instructor in the following years.

It was only a matter of time before he became master himself.

"…Are you interested in becoming a training instructor in Seishin Gakuen? You can get some experience as a teacher, and in a few years, you can resume being master of your own dojo.

"Your problem currently is your lack of reputation as teacher. People are scared to get taught by you as they don't believe in your teaching ability.

"However, with you being senior instructor of Seishin Gakuen, it will bring you credibility and trust in your capabilities."

Ryozen said.

"I am not interested."

Kiernan immediately shot down his invitation. He didn't waste a single second considering the offer.

"This offer comes from the goodness of the master's heart, and you shoot it down without even considering it? You rude bastard!"

The student shouted angrily.

"Quiet."

In that moment, Kiernan looked at the student, his eyes turned narrow, and a cold aura oozed out of his body.

The student's bones inside his fleshy body started rattling like a cage. He instinctively backed off until he tripped on a rock and fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"I am Martial King and master. I do not know where you were taught your manners, but who do you think you are to talk to me in such a disrespectful manner?"

Kiernan asked coldly, his aura crashing down on the student like a heavy gravity, and he was screaming loudly.

In that moment, Ryozen swiped his hands, cut through Kiernan's aura, and stopped him from hurting his student any longer.

"I apologize on behalf of my student. He is rude and too arrogant for his own good. I will guarantee you that I will teach him some manners when I get back.

"I understand your fondness for this dojo of yours, and I respect it. I hope we will see each other soon."

Ryozen stood up, gave a polite bow, and then left the dojo with his limping student following behind him, a look of fear on his face.

'I do not like this guy. Ryozen was intentionally letting his student talk. I guess he intentionally took this student with him to come meet me.

'But why? I don't think this Ryozen guy is as good-mannered as he pretends to be. I think I have already made Martial Legend an enemy over here.

'How bothersome.'

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