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Having the unparalleled comprehension was truly unfair in situations like this.

Mind you, Ren only saw Marcel using the White Haven Art three times in total before he got up to the stage and embarrassed him. Even then, it wasn’t the whole thing. Ren was pretty sure that the other prodigies Marcel came with had higher mastery over the art compared to him.

Yet even with these little hints and signs, Ren was able to deduce pretty much everything that the White Haven Art could possibly do. Nobody has to tell him anymore; he probably even knows how it works deeper than those who practiced it.

The White Haven Art was an example of what a core clan-inherited martial art should look like.

It increases chakra purity and volume; it is also a combat section that takes advantage of the technique’s benefits. It’s not the best, not by a long shot, but it’s good enough to be passed down at least. Totally unlike the old version of the Pain Demon Art.

However, just like many things in this world, the White Haven Art has its own pros and cons.

The combat section in particular had serious flaws in a way that all attacks that the practitioners made were very telegraphed.

Seriously, Ren could see what kind of move they’d do just from their stance alone. Also, the combat art section was somewhat demanding in chakra cost. The White Haven art requires decisiveness; its combat art is straightforward and honest; it won’t include feints or anything that’s considered a ’dirty tactic.’ It’s pure and simple, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time.

Furthermore, there were also the common troubles of practicing with a long staff.

Most who trained with a long staff often got used to the idea that they’d always have enough space between them and the enemy; their weapons were long and had reach, after all. So to them, distance was a given. And the first thing they were taught was to use that space well to maintain their advantage.

Long staff users, especially beginners, tend to be vulnerable to an up-close and personal enemy. Relying on something that bats an enemy from a safe distance makes them confident and reliant on that kind of safety and assurance. That’s why when somebody invades their personal space, most of them start panicking.

Just like what happened to Marcel.

Reb immediately gauged Marcel’s threat and came to the conclusion that he’s just some cocky trash who allowed his luck to get into his head.

Just because he was allowed to practice the core martial art of his clan, his confidence soared, and he thought that he was the next big thing.

Ren’s punch on his stomach should bring him back to earth, reminding him that no, he’s not the hot shit that he thinks he is.

Marcel wheezed and looked up with difficulty.

That’s when everybody saw the difference. Marcel was on the floor, face pale and ugly after taking a single hit from Ren; he was in so much pain that he couldn’t even hold on to his weapon.

Ren stood stoic and indifferent before him, looking down on him with so much dismissal in his gaze that Marcel felt like he didn’t exist in the eyes of the other party at all.

And that’s the one that cuts the deepest.

Nobody, not even a single person in the White Haven Clan, looked at him in this manner and made him feel this way.

"Can you still stand? If so, then be quick about it. If not, go down. I’d like to fight the others too."

You’ve got to give Ren some credit here; he actually managed to sound concerned for Marcel, even just for a tiny bit.

But his words hinted at the strong indifference he felt about Marcel.

His words ignited the temper of the young prodigies of the White Haven Clan. They glared at him hatefully as if he just insulted their deceased parents.

Meanwhile, Ren’s distant cousins felt weird. That fight was suspiciously easy. They’ve seen the whole thing and followed every move; they just couldn’t understand why Marcel was down after a single punch.

It’s like the whole fight was rehearsed. And they really felt that it shouldn’t have been that easy.

"Go down, Marcel."

One of the elders of the White Haven Clan ordered. Marcel looked over to the man, looking unconvinced, and his gaze was begging for another chance, but the elder shook his head and gestured him to come down.

Marcel, although unwilling, could only obey.

"Hayden, go up and fight him. Don’t hold back."

"Yes, Sir!" The young man called Hayden stood up and made his way to the arena.

Seeing him get up, Ren’s attention landed on him.

Hayden wouldn’t admit it, but his heart definitely jolted when Ren’s eyes landed on him. It’s like he just got targeted by a fierce beast, a predator that will now be watching his every move.

"Ready? Fight!" The referee signaled.

And just like before, Ren stood still and just stared at Hayden.

’Hmph! You think you can use the same trick on me? Fat chance! I’m not that trashy Marcel. I’ll show you...’

Hayden charged forward, determined to land a hit and hurt Ren. His intent was literally oozing out of him. Even Ren’s distant cousins could feel it.

That said, Ren didn’t move. He just stared at Hayden’s charging forward and felt a little bored inside. In his eyes, Hayden was slow. He literally saw Hayden breathing according to the method of the White Haven art, and he also felt his chakra starting to flow.

But even so, Ren didn’t do anything reckless.

He just stood still; even when Hayden already went into his attacking stance, he didn’t move.

Even when the staff already whizzed in the air, bending due to the sheer force Hayden used to swing it, Ren stood completely still.

And to everybody’s surprise, only air hit Ren’s face.

Hayden missed. And everybody saw.

Just as Hayden’s ears burned in shame and embarrassment, Ren took a step forward. Chakra pulsed out of him. It was weak, but it startled Hayden so badly that he practically jumped back in fright.

And again, everybody saw that.

Everybody saw how he got so frightened by Ren’s movement that he retreated like a bitch.

Hayden’s face paled, and dread sank into his stomach. Ren made it worse by scratching his head in confusion, as if he didn’t understand what he did that scared Hayden so much.

The elders of the White Haven Clan, who were sitting just next to Mikel, felt their faces stinging.

They couldn’t believe that they just boasted that this child was one of their clan’s prodigies?

Prodigy? Are prodigies nowadays getting so easily scared by a chakra pulse?

How utterly embarrassing.

And Hayden felt it too. Obviously, he felt the urgent need to recoup his losses. He felt a desperate need to regain his lost face. Because if he got defeat without anything to show for it, then he’d never live this down.

Somebody, be it one of the people he came with here today or his own mind, will always remind him of this incident, and this will always be his nightmare. A stain in his past.

And so, he growled and charged. This time, he made sure that the next hit would actually land.

His heart soared, and his chakra responded. His mind and his body were united in a single task, which was to showcase that he’s not an embarrassment to the clan and that his title as one of the clan’s prodigies was well deserved.

This made him feel very heroic, indeed.

He leapt in the air, his staff raised behind him, his body bent like a blow as he put all of his strength to his next overhead blow. He could almost taste his victory and could almost imagine the sight of Ren’s bleeding head.

...only for Ren to take one step aside, causing the whole attack to miss.

Instead of landing on Ren, it landed on the hard ground of the training hall. Its force wasn’t even enough to leave cracks on the ground.

The worst part? Hayden felt the consequences of that immediately. The impact didn’t just go to the other end of the stick; it also travelled to his hand and hurt him badly.

He winced in pain, not knowing that that was the last of his worries because the next thing he knew, Ren was already standing beside him, menacingly.

Hayden even saw Ren raising his hand to slap him back-handed.

His vision spun and a sharp pain overwhelmed his senses. The slap had enough strength to send him flying and spinning down the arena. The sound was so loud and crisp that everybody who heard it winced in sympathy.

Hayden landed pitifully on his back, eyes unfocused and confused as to what just happened.

Then, he heard something.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAH! HE GOT BITCH-SLAPPED! WELL DONE, COUSIN! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Alex’s uproarious laughter echoed on the roof of the training hall, earning the surprised gazes of the crowd and the hateful glares of the visitors.

As if sensing that his cover was blown, his laughter died. He shrunk his head and chuckled dryly.

"Hehe, oops! Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I just didn’t expect it, you see. Haha..."