The proctor's eyes went wide. "M-Match over! Winner—Kyle!"
The girl blinked, stunned. Then, rather than anger, her cheeks reddened. She lowered her weapon, bowing quickly before darting off the stage, flustered beyond words.
High above, in one of the private sect boxes, a middle-aged woman in white robes slammed her palm on the railing.
"That idiot!" she hissed. "Getting flustered by a boy's face and losing her edge!"
Her glare softened slightly. "Still… that boy's technique… such profound control. Even if she hadn't lost focus, she wouldn't have stood much of a chance."
Across the viewing stands, the other people had similar reactions, and murmurs began to spread. People whispered to one another, eyes gleaming with curiosity. Eyes had been primarily drawn to Kyle's platform because of his flashy looks, but the fast result intensified their reactions.
White hair… no visible qi… that kind of skill…
Qi transmissions flared again, rippling invisibly through the air. Find out who he is. Which sect does he belong to?
That boy's background cannot be simple.
In the waiting area, Nuna turned as Kyle reappeared in a shimmer of light, walking toward her as soon as he spotted her.
"Congratulations," she said softly, taking his hand in hers with a gentle smile.
He smiled back, settling beside her.
The gesture, innocent as it was, drew a chorus of groans and curses from the nearby onlookers. Especially some of the ones who were silently hoping to get in Nuna's good graces, though Kyle's sweeping victory made them quite cautious with their actions.
Maybe they should have guessed it before, a beautiful, talented woman like Nuna would not cling to someone who is simple, and they all realised their tasks had become a little bit more difficult.
"Lucky bastard…"
"Showing off now, huh?"
"Some people get all the women and the talent!"
Kyle only chuckled, leaning back with a look of unbothered ease, her hand still resting in his.
The arena lights flickered above them, signaling the next group's turn.
Off to the side, Lucien was watching Kyle with quiet interest. 'He's strong, ' he thought, his sharp gaze narrowing slightly as he probed Kyle's aura. 'Peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, huh?'
A faint smile tugged at his lips—' definitely one of the strongest people here, along with his woman over there. But even so… I'm still stronger. No one in this arena can threaten me.'
His attention drifted toward Nuna, whom he had already gauged earlier. Her presence was steady, calm, her control over her Qi so refined it was almost invisible. Lucien wasn't the only one who noticed—the twins beside him, Zephyr and Zenith, were both watching the duo with the same spark of intrigue.
"Hey, Lucien," Zephyr said, her tone curious. "We can't see either of their cultivation bases. Which means they're stronger than us. What about you?"
Lucien's expression didn't change as he replied, "Both are at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm."
The twins exchanged surprised looks, their brows rising.
"So that's how it is," Zenith murmured thoughtfully. "Judging by their clothes, they don't seem to belong to any sect. A noble house, perhaps?"
Lucien gave a slight nod. "That would make sense."
"Then the elders will definitely try to pull them to our side," Zenith continued, glancing at the two below with quiet calculation.
Lucien and Zephyr both nodded. Her reasoning was sound—two unaffiliated cultivators with that level of power were prime recruits for the Twilight Sect. Still, Lucien had his own thoughts.
'Unless the Sect Elder personally tells me to recruit them, I won't make the first move.'
Though they had been instructed to watch for promising talents, such approaches were typically left to outer disciples of lower standing. As inner sect disciples, Lucien and the twins had their own status to maintain.
Lucien, especially, stood apart. He had already reached the Core Formation Realm, and though he had yet to take his promotion exam, it was only a matter of time before he was elevated to core disciple.
Within the Twilight Sect, the hierarchy was well-defined—outer court disciples were those in the Qi Condensation Realm, inner court disciples were Foundation Establishment cultivators, and core disciples stood at the Core Formation Realm.
Lucien's rise through the ranks had been meteoric; in the sect, his name was already whispered with reverence.
As the matches below raged on, his gaze lingered on Kyle and Nuna for a moment longer. 'Two rising stars,' he thought. 'Let's see how brightly they burn.'
Zephyr leaned toward her twin, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Hey, Zenith, have you read that new romance novel everyone's been talking about—Two Souls, One Tragedy?"
Zenith blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in topic. "No, not yet. Why?"
Zephyr's face lit up instantly, her eyes gleaming as if literal stars had bloomed in them. "It's so good! Everyone's reading it right now! But the ending—ah, it's so tragic!"
She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead dramatically, swooning as she let out an exaggerated sigh. "The two lovers kill themselves at the end! I cried for hours!"
Then, just as quickly, she straightened up, brushing imaginary dust from her robe. "I still have my copy, though! I can lend it to you, Zenith!"
Zenith chuckled softly, amused despite herself. "Sure, I'll read it," she said, smiling at her sister's enthusiasm.
Lucien exhaled quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'How did we switch topics this fast? he thought with mild exasperation. Women are so confusing.'
He didn't dare voice his thoughts out loud, though. The last thing he wanted was to be ganged up on by the twins. He had learned his lesson the first time he started an argument with them over something he thought was not important.
Apparently, to them, it wasn't so insignificant. It took a whole month of pouting and looks of disdain from them before he finally convinced them to forgive him, even though he was confused by the reason why he was asking for forgiveness.