While the two Martial Masters were rushed for dical care, the remaining Martial Masters of the Martial Union could not help but look back on the battle between Rui and Master Grais.
"…How?" One Martial Master gritted his teeth. "How can one be that powerful at the age of thirty-five?! It doesn't make sense!"
They fell into thought at his words.
They would all be lying if they said they didn't share at least a bit of his frustration.
The average Martial Master broke through to the Martial Master at roughly the age of one hundred and fifty. The average Martial Master also broke through to grade seven in the Master Realm, which was the very beginning of the low-mid grade.
So particularly talented, powerful, and experienced Martial Masters started off at much higher grades, like grade thirteen. These were geniuses who were not only talented in mind, body, Path, and Art but had cultivated their Martial Art for centuries before breaking through to the Master Realm.
Yet, none of them could even begin to fathom how Rui had actually broken through to the Master Realm at such a high level of power that he could defeat grade-nineteen Martial Masters without too much strain and even take down grade-twenty-three Martial Masters.
It made them feel like their entire lives had been a waste of ti. "I had always known he had imnse potential deep within him even when he was but a human." Headmaster Aronian smiled, closing his eyes as he recalled mories of old. "However, not even I could have imagined sothing like this was possible."
Not everyone took it as well as he did.
"…I was still a Martial Apprentice when I was thirty-five," Master Herel whispered.
He had been convinced that Rui would lose two matches out of three. Possibly all three.
He was a brand-new Martial Master, after all, and had only been a Martial Artist for twenty-one years.
That was nothing in his eyes.
Far too little ti to amount to much.
When Rui defeated Master Zereena while still holding back, he was extraordinarily furious.
Yet, when Rui went toe-to-toe with Master Grais and even obtained a pyrrhic victory, he was simply at a loss for words. It was as though Rui's shocking victory and the shocking reality that Rui had presented to all of them had washed away all the fiery hatred.
He was left feeling depressed.
He had much pride in being a grade-twenty-four Martial Master.
Now that Rui had co terrifyingly close to that from the looks of it, all that pride lted away.
Compared to a man less than one-tenth his age who may very well have been a high-grade Martial Master, he was nothing impressive.
"This is what you get for being a jerk to my student," Master Reina grinned pridefully. He glared at her. "Who let her in? She's not even a part of the Martial Union!"
"Hey, don't take it out on ." She shrugged. "Take out on him when he wakes up. Unless you're afraid you'll lose."
Her words pricked at him.
At the very least, unless he had so massive advantage as far as compatibility went, he did not think he would be able to win easily.
"Nonsense!" He growled. "Besides, don't think he's cleared so soon. If the Sage Council is dissatisfied with this outco, they can undo it with their collective power."
His words were sharp.
"They cannot." Master Zentra narrowed his eyes. "As far as the provisions of the Martial Judiciary Delegation Act go, he has been acquitted of fraud and can no longer be charged with frau—"
"Don't co at with legal bullshit." He waved Master Zentra off. "They are the Sage Council. Should they will that he suffer consequences, then nobody can stop it from happening."
"…Nobody except the Emperor of Harmony," Master Zentra quietly retorted.
The air grew heavy.
They were talking about forces that not even they were qualified to judge upon.
"Zentra is right."
A heavier voice cut through the air, drawing all attention.
"…The Martial Sages will not undo what has happened." Master Sera smiled. "And even if they did, with the Emperor of Harmony returning, they will not be able to do anything without threatening to provoke a civil war."
The expressions of the various Martial Masters darkened.
"I'm sure you're aware of the consequences of a civil war at this mont," Master Sera's tone was light.
Yet her ssage was perilous.
"It could very easily trigger the advent of the third East Panamic War," She remarked with delight.
While Rui had been adventuring in the Beast Domain for three years, the dynamics of East Panama had shifted.
The long-term absence of a powerful leader central leader with the illness of the Emperor of Harmony.
The juicy rewards of the Eye of Prophecy technique.
The threat factor of an additional Sage.
The cold war that had been ensuing within the nation during the Kandrian Throne War.
These events were not missed by the other three Sage-level powerhouses.
Kandria had grown more attractive as a target, more politically vulnerable, and more militarily threatening than they were comfortable with. While Rui indulged in his escapades in the Beast Domain, the political tensions between Kandria and its peers had risen significantly over the span of three years.
The number of scuffles and clashes had increased over the past three years while trade and comrce between the three nations and Kandria reduced each quarter.
Simultaneously, it had increased between the other three powerhouses of Kandria.
These were not proof of anything, yet only a blind man would fail to read the atmosphere of East Panama.
"The revelation of the youngest and most prodigious Martial Master in upper echelons of the Master Realm will not be taken well either," Master Vericita calmly remarked. "He will be treated as a potential Martial Sage by other nations."
It added more fuel to the fire.
Unfortunately, little they did know that Rui's return as a Martial Master ant more than just that.
It would change the nation forever in ways that they had yet to fathom.
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