Lastly Amanda asked for a contest of abilities, which was the most unique and hardest test ever. She asked anyone with a special ability to use it, no matter what it was. and she simply stood there motionless asking some to perform the abilities again while using some ores, gears, or even special fog she dissipated herself to test them further.
"Amanda is the most meticulous of all," Arthur commented when he finally decided to take a stroll after a couple of hours of doing nothing. "Yet Armondo is the fiercest," he nodded while glancing over the many injured disciples lying on the ground around that little monster.
"I like him," the golden dragon said, "fast and efficient. No hasttle around the test. Only the strong wins."
"The question is how many he will select?" Arthur stood by the side of the seventh group which had almost half of their tests conducted. "And among them no one had things outside these myriad of abilities?" he muttered as he initially thought most of the knock out would come from those not fitting into either of the six groups.
Yet he was mistaken.
"Ding! You only selected the best of the best."
"At least those kids gave me a nice surprise," he referred to those coming from the castle of the sky.
"Ding! They were selected by their empire a long time ago. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't select just nobodies to send them all this way to here."
"That makes sense," Arthur nodded before watching the fights against Armondo in silence for a period of time. "How is my greedy sword doing?"
"Ding! It's still sleeping," his system said.
"All this time? How long did it pass since then? A month?"
"Ding! According to the time in this world, it should be a couple of months."
"Tsk," Arthur sighed before adding, "this sword and that sleeping beauty over there… I don't know, but I'm starting to feel odd. Like an old man gathering old antiques all around himself."
"Don't add me to this mix of old men," the golden dragon harrumphed, "I died in my young years."
"You are the oldest one among them," Arthur laughed, "and sometimes you are getting more senile, hehehe."
"Tsk," the golden dragon ignored his remark while his system kept teasing him by calling him: the old senile dragon.
Armonda didn't take more than one hour to finish his tests, yet he didn't move back towards Arthur. He stood there closing up his eyes and seemingly marveling at something.
Arthur watched him from far and didn't interfere or interrupt him. He started to check over other places where Mr. E's way of concoction attracted his attention.
"He is making herbs into pills, not syrup," Arthur muttered as this was the closest thing to the way he used to make pills in his previous world. "Then he has the knowledge to make potions and pills, or just pills?" he muttered and despite the far distance between him and Mr. E, the latter turned and whispered one word.
"Both."
This was the simple and decisive answer of the master. Arthur nodded to him before continuing to check other masters.
Armonda kept standing in his place for a longer time than Arthur expected. At first Arthur thought he was contemplating about the fights he just had, yet after all that time passed and Otman and Slone finished their tests already, Arthur started to think differently.
"Did he gain an insight perhaps?" he muttered while passing by Cesile who just ended her tests.
"Phew," she hurriedly jumped towards him, "you really brought a bunch of monstrous talents here."
Arthur smiled in pride before saying: "They should be enough to make you all excited to teach us."
"Sure," she nodded, "but I still have my own beloved disciples to guide especially at such critical times."
"You seem to hold them high regarding the competition," Arthur laughed while she hit his shoulders as she said:
"Don't be naughty and greedy like this. They are my disciples like you're."
"I didn't complain," he laughed again.
"Yes you did, naughty little boy."
He kept laughing while she followed him along his tour. Mr. E was the next to last to finish, leaving only Amanda the last one to finish her tests, and Armondo who was deeply immersed in his own world.
"What do you think he is doing?" he asked while motioning towards Armondo.
"He is reflecting on the fight he just had," Cesile simply answered before explaining, "he is just like this. Fight lover and always trying to find means of benefit to increase his knowledge in swords all the time."
"Even from disciples?" Arthur was surprised.
"He always says fighting discipline is the biggest gain he ever has, even exceeding his normal studies and research in new techniques."
Arthur nodded before saying: "What about you?"
"Me?" she giggled as she added, "I find teaching disciples very amusing and refreshing as a master."
"You must be a beloved master," he commented.
"Sure thing," she raised her chin high while adding, "I'm the most popular master out there."
"And one of the sexiest," he joked and his words made her raise her chin even more. "I'm the sexiest, humph."
He laughed while stopping at Amanda who was about to finish her tests. "She used a bizzare test to be honest," Cesile commented before adding, "you know from having zero disciple for years into having a bunch of tens or hundreds all of sudden is a big change."
"I hope it would be for the better," he honestly said.
"You seem to care much about her," she didn't go along with his words and gave him an angry glance.
"I care about the two of you," he grinned, before adding, "do you want to try my care close up? We still have time until these two finish."
"No thanks," she laughed, "pass me this time."
"Tsk, then I'll have to ask her," he laughed, trying to tease her more.
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