--

The Elders of the White Haven Clan weren’t looking good.

They looked like they swallowed a fly and were desperately trying to keep it a secret.

If looks could kill, Hayden would be dead by now. They’re probably cursing him repeatedly in their mind too. After all, the fight just now really made the clan lose a lot of face in front of their old allies.

And to think they came here to show off their prosperous lineage...

It would’ve been fine if the ones Ren embarrassed were the less talented kids, but they’re not. Marcel and Hayden were hailed as prodigies of the clan; they received more resources than the rest, and they were trained and raised carefully.

And this is the performance they’d show? How can this be alright?

"Drag that imbecile to the side!" One of the elders stressed out, the veins in his forehead popping out from exertion.

One of the weaker disciples of the clan squeaked and hurriedly dragged the still dumbfounded Hayden off to the side. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"John, you go up. And for the love of martial arts, don’t embarass us any more than these two had."

The disciple named John, one of the five prodigies of the White Haven Clan, based on what Ren had observed so far, nodded solemnly and went up to the arena.

Aside from having a different name and face, John wasn’t so different from Marcel and Hayden. He wore the same pristine white attire like them and wielded the same weapon.

Well, his initial stance was slightly stronger and more solid compared to the previous two, but that’s as far as the differences go.

Ren’s gaze didn’t change, and it’s obvious to everybody who’s watching. Just like the previous two before this one, he did not put them in his eyes.

"Ready? Fight!"

John wasn’t one to waste time, that’s for sure. He charged out, staff spinning and rustling the air as he went.

The moment he got up from the arena, he made a decision that he wouldn’t allow Ren to treat him the same way as he did with Marcel and Hayden. He wouldn’t allow Ren to walk him around like a dog; he wouldn’t fall for the same tricks and have an embarrassing end.

Even if he loses this match, he’d lose with his dignity intact.

At least, that’s what he wanted to happen...the reality was far crueler, though.

Just as he did in the previous matches, Ren stood still at first. John charged out with his staff carrying a surprising momentum, but he was unmoved.

This was a front, and Ren knows it.

John’s chakra hasn’t even flowed yet. It didn’t start generating until he began moving, and because of the demands of the White Haven art, it would take more than just running forward blindly to get his chakra production up and going.

He was already exerting his body by doing this, which screams desperation to Ren. And for what exactly? So that he won’t end up being an embarrassment?

Sure, that’s a powerful motivator, but John’s practically begging for it by doing this.

John swung his staff with enough force to shatter bones and concrete. His eyes were blazing with determination and locked in to Ren’s movements.

In his mind, he was betting that Ren would either evade or smack away his staff, just like he did in the previous matches. John was so ready to be right that his hold on his staff had already been adjusted to react.

And sure, he did make a right bet. Ren did one of the two outcomes he was expecting. What he wasn’t prepared for was the results.

Ren did smack the staff away, but the force he used surprised John. Moreover, because John was anticipating that and his grip was loose, Ren’s attack sent his staff flying to the side, effectively disarming him.

This wouldn’t have happened if John weren’t being an idiot, charging out without generating enough chakra first. He’s at the same martial realm as Ren despite being a bit older, yet that doesn’t mean shit without chakra.

John thought that he could deal with Ren with just the basic staff art, which is stupid since not even a properly used White Haven art could do anything to him.

And so, John stood there, gobsmacked by what happened. His face blanched when he quickly realized that he was unarmed. And just as he was about to run off to catch his weapon, he suddenly found Ren standing uncomfortably close to him.

His eyes carried the same indifference and dismissal; now, it’s even tinged with disappointment.

Ren hasn’t even done anything yet, but John’s guard was already up. He crossed his arms before his face, seemingly frightened that he’d be bitch-slapped like Hayden did.

However, his anticipated outcome never came.

Just as he peeked, he suddenly felt a strong blow landing on his stomach. A solid fist sunk to his guts, punching the air out of him, making his eyes bulge and his mind blank due to the sharp pain that struck him so suddenly.

His arms flew from his face to his stomach as he collapsed to his knees, wheezing and gasping for air while having a coughing fit. His eyes stung and watered, and his body trembled.

He knew that the very thing he tried to avoid happened anyway. He tried to prevent it from happening, but his attempts were useless.

John tried his best to stand up, but it seems like Ren didn’t just punch the air out of his lungs; he also punched away any strength John tried to accumulate.

Try as he might, John’s knees felt weak. His legs felt like jelly; he’d be like a newly born foal trying to stand on all fours for the first time if he tried.

And just as he thought that this was the least of his worries, he felt a force dragging him by the collar.

Ren dragged him by the robes and tossed him to the area where the youth of the White Haven Clan sat, like he was disposing of a corpse.

John yelped and rolled, stopping face-first in the dirt and refusing to move due to the shame he felt.

Then, Ren’s dismissive and slightly impatient eyes landed on them. He then stretched out a finger, pointing to another prodigy of the White Haven Clan.

There was no mistaking who he was pointing at. His eyes and his finger were very distinctive. Then, he curled his finger and gestured for the one he’s pointing to to come up on the stage.

After that, he turned around and walked back to his previous position, waiting until the one he challenged went up.

His audacity stunned the audience and absolutely stifled the youth of the White Haven Clan.

Three of their vaunted prodigies came up and lost. And it wasn’t an honorable loss too. It was an embarrassing and incredibly humiliating loss.

Not only did they fail to even land a solid hit on Ren, their defeat was so shameful that it’s enough to disqualify them as ’prodigies.’

Ren wasn’t even trying, and that’s so damn obvious too.

The ones that were the most ashamed were the elders, of course.

They came here, preaching and reminiscing about the shared past between clans, with the ultimate purpose of showing off their clan’s golden age to their old and hated ally.

They were confident to the point of being arrogant. They were disdainful of the Banished Arms Clan’s ’humble’ clan compound and saw them as mere accursed gangsters that barely clung to their land.

And yet a single person from this very clan was proving them wrong. He made a fool out of their vaunted prodigies. He never even treated their core martial art inheritance seriously.

And now, he used the same way Marcel challenged his first opponent, which is the loudest slap on their faces just yet.

On the other hand, the ones from the Banished Arms Clan felt exhilarated and validated.

Truthfully, they weren’t expecting this either. They never thought that Ren would perform this...strange, but also this well.

His victories so far looked so easy and smooth. He thoroughly embarrassed their rivals. He made them look like fools waving sticks around.

Only a few could really see the finesse and excellence that Ren was displaying so far. In truth, it wasn’t much of a big deal; he’s just capitalizing on opportunities that presented themselves to him.

But that’s exactly why it’s excellent because this shows Ren’s experience. No need to rely on huge moves when it’s simply unnecessary. Chakra is scarce for martial artists at his level, so blindly using them was a huge waste.

Footwork, spacing, observations, properly timed dodges and attacks, and a solid and decisive strike were enough. And these are all included in the basic martial arts knowledge.

Ren showcased this very well, unlike the so-called ’prodigies’ of the White Haven Clan.

This time, the Elders couldn’t say anything.

They’d lose face if they did so, because when Marcel did it to the youth of the Banished Arms Clan, neither Mikel nor the other Elders said a thing.

That said, their glares were more than enough to send a message.