After the introductions were over, Kiernan handed them their white headbands, as they also started from the lowest rank.

When he watched the kids put the white headbands around their foreheads, he noticed that Lumian, Cleo, and Jock also still had the white headband.

It felt slightly wrong, as they were senior students already compared to the kids, and honestly, he believed that they were decent enough to rank up.

However, he couldn't just let them rank up without a test. A test was very much required!

"Master!"

Cleo raised her arm high.

"Yes?"

Kiernan asked.

"You said that there would be five new students. Where is the fifth?"

She asked curiously.

She was already very satisfied that she wasn't the only girl student in the dojo anymore, but she remembered that there should also be a fifth.

"…He should be coming here soon. I think he is coming from further away, so he might've gotten held up in traffic.

"By the way, he is a high school student, so he is a couple of years older than you all."

Kiernan said.

"R-Really?"

Cleo said in surprise.

It made them quite intrigued, as completely changing martial arts at high school age seemed quite late.

Thus, they believed that he was just new to martial arts, and starting martial arts in high school seemed pretty late.

Without waiting for the fifth new student to arrive, Kiernan had already put the four kids in a fighting stance.

Like with other students, he started with teaching Iron Style's defensive stance as the Iron Style started and ended with that stance.

He didn't use acupuncture needles on them, as their arms were skinny and their bodies were like a wooden plank.

Instead, he used the traditional way of teaching them.

Knock! Knock!

Half an hour later, a loud knock came from the gate, and everyone temporarily stopped their training.

"It should be him."

Kiernan walked to the gate and opened it.

A black-haired young man was standing outside the gate, a blank look in his eyes and an expressionless face.

It was impossible to see what he was thinking about.

"I apologize for being late."

Shiro said.

"That is fine. Traffic?"

Kiernan asked.

"…Car broke down. I ran here."

Shiro said.

There seemed to be truth in his statement, as his shoes looked dirtied and scuffed from running, but he himself did not look that tired from running.

"Alright. Please enter."

Kiernan let him enter and then closed the gate behind him.

With the blank gaze, Shiro looked around the small yard and checked every student.

"…Mediocre."

Shiro said.

It made everyone's eyebrows jump in question, and they believed that he was calling them mediocre.

It really rubbed them the wrong way, but they could tell that Shiro was strong because of his overwhelming aura!

"That's rude."

Kiernan chopped him in the head, and Shiro's head snapped forward.

"…I apologize."

He said with an expressionless face.

It was hard to tell if he really meant it or not.

"W-wait, I know you…"

Lumian said and looked genuinely surprised.

"Who is he, Lumian?"

Cleo asked.

"…My father has been trying to recruit him for years. He isn't the only one. Every dojo has been fighting tooth and claw to get him in their dojo.

"Shiro Kurosari. A great prodigy of Meridem High, a powerful high school that is always fighting for championship in the nationals.

"He is only a second-year at Meridem High, but he is already a Middle Stage Martial Champion and is part of the team as a reserve fighter!

"He will be participating in Celine's nationals in a month's time!

"Everyone was shocked to learn that Shiro actually self-taught him since he was very young and has never been part of any dojo before.

"…Until now, that is!"

Lumian said.

It shocked everyone to the core, and after hearing Meridem High, Cleo and Jock realized just how amazing this Shiro person must be.

Why in the world would someone like him join in their dojo? It didn't make any sense!

"If I may ask, why did you join this dojo?"

Lumian asked with a serious look.

Shiro looked at him blankly, then looked away, and decided not to answer as if it were some crazy secret.

"Go back to training."

Kiernan said with a chuckle and then pulled out a white headband before handing it to Shiro.

Shiro looked at the white headband blankly and then checked everyone else, as they also had the same headband.

"…I am the same rank as the others?"

He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"In here, strength does not matter. Your mastery of Iron Style is the only thing that matters."

Kiernan said.

"…Ok."

Shiro was fine with the explanation and put the headband around his forehead.

"Copy the stance that the kids are doing."

Kiernan said.

With a quick glance, Shiro checked the stance that the kids were using, and few of them were trembling while trying to stay in the stance.

It was really hard to completely understand the stance from seeing them do it, but Shiro used his amazing analytical mind.

In just a couple of seconds, he took the stance, and it was better than the kids were using, but he felt slightly awkward doing it.

So he slightly changed a few things until he felt more comfortable, and honestly, it wasn't that far away from the perfectly Iron Style stance.

'Geniuses sure are a different breed.'

Kiernan thought with a chuckle and tapped Shiro's shoulders to lower them slightly.

"Straighten your back more, put more weight into your feet, and lower your shoulders, then it should be pretty close."

Shiro did as he was told, and then, a strange sensation spread across his body as he finalized the stance.

It felt rather good.

'…A true pinnacle of martial arts, Iron Style is.'

Shiro thought to himself.

In that moment, Kiernan's phone buzzed, and he went inside to check on the message. It was a message from the Martial Order app.

[Hero Among Rulers: A new Fleet Admiral was chosen… There was a long selection process among the Five Admirals]

[Hero Among Rulers: Admirals Karl-Michael Abracadabra, Jeremiah Arcanielago, Ethan Blackforest, Big Maestro, and King Rederic were all considered for the position]

[Hero Among Rulers: In the end, the one that was selected as the new Fleet Admiral of the Navy was Ethan Blackforest!]

"…Ethan Blackforest. He is the man who destroyed Swording Port and killed Julian's parents, wasn't he?

"Julian won't be happy."

Kiernan said aloud with a dark look.

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