The Martial Unity

There was a small buzz among the lowest classes of the Floating Sect. Rui's domineering performance against Squire Seronin was quite attention-drawing to many Guardians.

"It looks like his victory against Saiwal was not a fluke."

"It seems that… he probably won't remain in the tenth class for too long."

"What a dark horse. We'll have to be careful of him."

Of course, any attention that he got was not positive. In the Floating Sect, Martial Artists that drew attention, drew attention for one reason only; Power. Within the Floating Sect, powerful Martial Artists were threats to other powerful Martial Artists, since they possessed the qualifications and the ability to take their chamber from them.

Particularly, the ninth class of Martial Artists had taken note of him more than others. Rui had already made his jump to the top of the tenth class, thus the Martial Artists of the tenth class were not worried about him, he had already gone above them, thus he wouldn't aim for their chambers and thus wasn't a threat to any of them.

Instead, it was the ninth class that was wary of him.

Thankfully, Rui did not run into any more 'bullies'. Guardian Drevolus and guardian Fraztil avoided him like the plague, refusing to be anywhere near him. After all, not only did he beat them, he went on to crush guardian Seronin with a ferocious dominance unlike anybody else but those of higher classes could do so.

Just when he was returning back to his chamber, he was stopped by a staff member. "Guardian Falken."

"Hm?"

"Senior Xanarn has summoned you. Please head to the central chambers of the island as soon as you are able to."

"I see… Thank you for informing me." Rui murmured.

Senior Xanarn was one of the three Martial Seniors of the Floating Sect. Rui knew about her because she was mentioned as a part of the necessary knowledge that all guardians needed to have.

What he was confused by was what the Martial Senior wanted from him. At this point in time, he did not possess any particular significance. Sure, he had jumped to the nine hundredth chamber in one go, but that did not make him truly special. Thus far, his performances, while impressive, did not merit any personal attention from a Martial Senior.

He was aware that the Martial Seniors interacted with the Martial Squires of the Floating Sect, mentoring them lightly, ensuring that they were on the right path to a higher Realm of Martial Art.

However, he doubted that they looked at every Martial Squire individually. Even if they spent all their time doing that, they would not be able to do so for all one thousand Martial Squires.

At most, the strongest and the most worthy of Martial Squires were worth their personal guidance.

Nonetheless, Rui did not dare delay the meeting. He quickly traveled toward the center of the Floating Island, traveling deeper into it than he had ever done so before.

Naturally, the gravity and the air pressure got stronger and stronger, and the density of air had almost reached that of solid, so much so that even light was being hampered.

The stress his body endured had increased greatly, yet each breath he inhaled became so much more nourishing and fulfilling. He could probably spend an hour with just one breath without feeling suffocated!

('So this is what the Martial Artists of the higher classes train under every day, huh?') Rui winced a little as cracked his neck. ('Just standing is a form of training under these circumstances.')

Yet he put these matters away as his Primordial Instinct picked up on a profound sense of power emerging from a particular direction.

The sensation was unmistakable.

('A Martial Senior.') Rui mused.

Although he held a great deal of admiration and respect for Martial Seniors, he did not have as much awe or incredulity at the thought of meeting one. He had met multiple Martial Seniors, he had even taught two of them his Pathfinder technique. Thus he had a more sober reaction to this opportunity.

"Senior Xanarn," Rui bowed his head with respect and deference. "It's an honor to meet you."

"Guardian Falken…" Her voice reverberated through the room in a strange fashion. It reverberated through his body, inside out, backward front. It was as though her voice had a life of its own. She exuded a way of power that was different from anything he had experienced thus far. It was different from the feral ferocity of the Martial Seniors of Vilun Island

It was distinct from the deep stoic confidence of Senior Geringan.

It was different from the piercing terror of Senior Ceeran.

She was different.

('It's her voice…') Rui's eyes widened as he stared at her supple lips, sizing her up. Her voluptuous proportions could not distract him from the pressure that they exert on him. He would have looked into her eyes if not for the fact that they were closed, for some reason. ('There's something special about her voice.')

"It seems you've noticed already, you are as sharp as I anticipated," She spoke softly.

Yet her voice was almost like a force in and of itself, pushing against him from within himself.

"You flatter me," Rui replied graciously. "I was informed that you summoned me, is there anything you need from me?"

"Not at all," She got up and walked towards him. "I was curious about our newest guardian, one of the few Martial Squires who made it to Floating Island unscratched, who then proceeded to demolish guardians of the ninth class."

('She was the one who tracked our approach? It was a Martial Senior as I expected, no wonder Kane's technique failed.') Rui mused. "One of those three things is not of my merit."

"I know," She smiled, her eyes still closed. "I was just wondering if you would take the credit to try and impress me."

"It would be a disservice to my friend," Rui shook his head.