Chapter 97 - Humiliation

As Karel laid his eyes on Nerun, the elements in the air seemed to go wild for a bit. Wind, Earth, Water and Fire seemed to materialize around him, as if they were bowing to him. However, the Fire element seemed to be resisting, and Karel noticed that a small whitish flame was floating right next to Nerun. The flame tongue seemed to be quite weak, however, he felt something strange when looking at the seemingly small and unassuming flame. Also, he could not help but notice that there seemed to be a small snowflake also floating next to Nerun.

"Interesting…", muttered Karel as he lit up while examining Nerun from head to toe.

Nerun also saw the elements surrounding Karel, and could not help but feel flabbergasted by this. He understood right there and then, that he had met someone unfathomable. To say that Nerun was not the tiny bit proud about his achievements so far would be a complete lie. However, now, when looking at Karel, he instinctively knew he was in the presence of what people referred to as a true genius.

No one else of the present seemed to see anything amiss. They could not see the elements distorting in the air, except for one person. Toby, the Magic Emperor, noticed the small ripple of power next to Nerun, and the way his pupils reacted when looking at Karel.

Nerun was on the ground completely exhausted. He had gone far beyond himself in the second test. Actually, he had long passed the test by the three examiners, however, since he wanted to overcome himself, and truly test his limits, he gave it his all, and afterwards, when he entered that moment of epiphany, he started to sublimate his moves and technique, and stopped trying to hold back anything for the last test. The examiners did not stop Nerun, since they also wanted to see Nerun's limits, and get a deeper understanding of this young genius that was brought to them. Also, a moment of enlightenment was quite rare, and it was considered taboo in the martial world to stop a person undergoing it.

They were about to berate the people that had entered when they noticed that they were being led by Vice-Dean Cynthia, as well as the young genius of the Academy, Reno Dai Morena. Therefore they kept quiet, and although they were a bit bothered, they simply thought she was coming to personally oversee the testing of Nerun.

When Cynthia saw the extenuation in Nerun's face, she could not help but show disdain on her face. She had always thought that this round of testing was nothing but a waste of time and resources from the Academy. Also, her personal hatred and bias towards Elijah, and anything that had to do with him made her reflect that thought unto Nerun.

She looked towards the examiners and simply asked, "What round of testing is this?".

"Greetings Vice-Dean. We have just finished the second round of testing. We were about to give some time and medicine so the testee could recover fully, before proceeding towards the final round of testing, to determine true combat strength…" said the main examiner, who was trying to explain Nerun's results, when he was rudely interrupted by Cynthia.

"What? Just the second round of testing, and he is already exhausted like this. And why are you going to let him recover and give some medicine. The three rounds of testing for the Seed of the Supersoldier are supposed to be done in one go, one after the other, as management of stamina is also very important for the program. If he is like this only with the end of the second round, then I think he is even qualified to keep on doing the tests."

Cynthia's tone was quite arrogant. The main examiner was taken aback by Cynthia's response, also, the way that she did not let him explain the conditions of the testing. Actually. Also, he could not help but notice some malice in her words and demeanor, and immediately understood that Lady Cynthia was truly trying to make things difficult for this young man. As the main examiner thought of this, he could not help but look towards Reno, and remembered that this young man, who was also considered one of the greatest genius in the Military School and the Kingdom, was also the young brother of Lady Cynthya, as well as one of the possible Seeds for the Super Soldier program.

When Cynthia noticed the look in the examiner's eyes, her pupils could not help but constrict. She was not exactly known for her kind temper, and the accusatory and questioning look in the main examiner's eyes made her temper flare quite badly. Also, she was a bit embarrassed that she had actually been affected by Karel's greeting before, and she somewhat wanted to showcase her authority. Therefore, to vent her anger and shame, Nerun became the perfect scapegoat in her eyes.

"Give me the preliminary report of his testing." said Cynthia simply.

The rest of the people present, noticed also that there was something not quite right but they could not make head or tails of the situation. Except for Reno, of course, who had been told in advance by his sister, and he could not help but look at Nerun with disdain and mockery. He remembered passing the second test before with barely a sweat, and his final achievement crowned him as the indisputable Eldest Disciple in the Military School. Watching this young teen that wanted to take what he considered rightfully his under his very nose had incensed him greatly.

The examiners obeyed and gave Cynthia, the results of Nerun's data, his first test, his data, and they had barely started to gather the results for the second test. They hoped that Cynthia could look at the results, and let them continue with the tests. Even though they knew that Reno was a genius as well, they, who knew the results of both, understood that Nerun's prospects were a million times better.

However, their hopes were quickly dashed. Cynthia had barely looked at Nerun's report when she stopped at his data. She was a bit shocked by the fact that Nerun was both a Qi Grandmaster and a Great Mana Adept, but she quickly scoffed when she noticed that Nerun's energy levels were barely 12 for both Qi and Mana. She thought that Nerun was truly a waste, who had probably used some divine fruit or whatnot to open another core meridian or something of the like. The fact that Nerun was so exhausted and done for barely by the second test further solidified this thought in her mind and did not look at the rest of the report.

"A level 12 Qi Grandmaster and Great Mana Adept. Do you think of yourself as a god-sent genius or something similar? Not even Lord Falma would dare tread both paths and yet, you, a boy that is still wet behind his ears is trying something as ridiculous as this. What a piece of trash." said Cynthia in a clearly mocking tone.

Some of the listeners were taken aback by the comment, and they started to give Nerun a weird look. Reno's look of mockery increased greatly, and simply said. "And this was the one that was supposed to be my competition for the Seed of the Supersoldier. Sister, does anyone that wants to test himself can make us lose time and resources like this?".

The people that came with Karel understood then, that this good looking teenager was actually trying to also become the Seed of the Super soldier, the same as their young master. They could not help but look at Nerun twice, and they also started to undermine Nerun in their heads. The fact that Reno was also a Seed was barely passable in their minds that thought that Karel was simply the greatest genius ever produced by the Temple. So, that this boy, with his haphazard cultivation, could even be considered to become the same as their young master made them think that the Kingdom of Ansem was looking down on them.

Aleksey was about to further humiliate Nerun, however Karel then looked at him and stopped him with his eyes. Aleksey and the rest were a bit surprised by their young master's behaviour, however they obeyed and remained obediently to the side.

Nerun was about to retort, when Cynthia continued,

"What? Disagree with me? You are a piece of trash. Did you think that by taking some miraculous drug or fruit, or whatever it is you have taken you can saunter your clearly not passable skills, and we would simply look the other way because of your mighty brother? Your brother might be considered a genius, and a major figure in the Army, but you are nothing more than waste and the fact that he even had the gall to recommend you as a candidate for the Seed of the Supersoldier program shows his clear disdain towards this hallowed institution."

Nerun's pupils constricted. He was being humiliated, however, that was not what made him get angry. It was the clear insult towards his brother hidden in the malicious words of Cynthia what truly made him want to jump at her. However, instead of becoming hotheaded, his face became as calm as the surface of a lake without ripples. He did not let his anger cloud his mind, since he knew very well that he was currently disadvantaged. His eyes became cold, however he remained silent for now.

When Cynthia saw the silent looking Nerun, she thought herself in the right and empowered to keep trash talking to him. "Just look at yourself. Do you see these two young men. One of them is a true disciple of this Military School, nurtured and bred by it, and who has shown deep loyalty towards the Kingdom. You, the unknown brother of an upstart, that is simply trying to climb by clinging to his somewhat successful brother is really trying to compare with him. He is a true genius, a Qi Praetorian of barely 14 years old, and already on the verge of becoming a Qi Centurion. Do you see that young man. He is the Young Lord of the Temple of Mainal, a genius considered to be born once in three hundred years, with 13 years old, he is considered unrivaled in his level. You could not even be considered worthy to be in the presence of them both, yet here you are, simply by using your brother's connections trying to usurp what is rightfully theirs."

Her berate went on and on, and the main examiner's look could not help but turn black. He understood that Lady Cynthia had some issues with Nerun's brother, and even though he was not sure who could he be, the fact that the Vice-Dean was humiliating Nerun like this without leaving any room for decorum, was simply meant to be a slap on the face done to this brother of Nerun.

"In the end, it all amounts to the fact that you are simply not worthy. Now why the heck haven't you left the premises already? Either as a soldier or a student in this school you are simply inferior, so get the fuck out of here," ended Cynthia with great satisfaction in the depth of her eyes. She simply thought that this was the perfect way to undermine Elijah and he could do nothing about it, since his brother was simply inferior.

Nerun kept looking at her, with a slight smile on his face. As he listened to her, he understood a lot of things, and knew that this woman was simply trying to make things difficult for him in order to hurt his Big Brother. Being hot headed would lead him nowhere, and besides, he noticed that the woman had made a big mistake earlier.

So he simply ignored her and started to address the examiners with great politeness. "Uncle examiner. Might it be possible for me to ask a question?"

Cynthia, who thought herself the victor, saw that Nerun was completely ignoring her with an attitude as if simply talking to her was actually beneath his station. So before the examiners could answer Nerun, she disappeared from her post and went towards Nerun and attacked him viciously with a slap from her hand.

"You dare talk back in front of me. I will teach you in the place of your brother about military discipline." she yelled, as she attacked Nerun. The main examiner tried to stop her, but it was already too late.

Cynthia was actually a Qi General. She could not be considered a grand genius in the Kingdom, but she was also considered accomplished in the Army and her Noble Family, so she was used to do whatever she wanted, even in the Army. It was true, though, that she was not normally so impulsive, however, she was used to people obeying her every word without retorting back, and her fame was widely spread as a fierce woman that expected her will to always be done.

She did not intend to kill Nerun, since in that case, no matter what, she could be in serious trouble, after all, even with her loathing of Elijah, she understood that she could not simply kill his brother with no repercussions whatsoever. However, she intended to hurt him deeply and cripple him, sending him to the hospital for several months. She was justified by the Army Law, since Nerun had talked back to a superior officer, so even if Elijah wanted to punish her, she would barely receive a slap on the wrist for her use of excessive force.

She thought that everything would go her way, as Nerun was deeply exhausted, and the difference in their power was as great as the Heaven from the Earth.

- SLAP -

The sound was quite crisp, as Nerun was sent flying back with some blood flowing through his mouth. Reno was quite delighted by seeing this. However, Toby, Karel, and the main examiner noticed something amiss, as they saw that Nerun had not lost consciousness from the attack, but kept staring coldly back at Cynthia. 'This young man is definitely not simple', thought Toby to himself.