Dragon Heart. Land Of Magic. LitRPG Wuxia Saga. Book 6

Hadjar looked at this young man who was about fourteen years old. While wearing the coat of arms of his undoubtedly powerful clan, he behaved like he was the Emperor of the world.

"Look, that's Tom Dinos, one of the young heirs of the Predatory Blades clan.

"His elder brothers are studying here too!"

"That's right. The Young Master of their clan is a core disciple and very high on the Jade Cloud list!"

There were two rating systems at 'The Holy Sky' School, as Hadjar and Einen had found out. The first was the Solid Earth list for the fully-fledged and ordinary disciples. The second was the Jade Cloud list for the inner circle and core disciples. If a person advanced to the top ten (they had to win against someone above them to advance on the list), they were rewarded. The friends hadn't yet found out what rewards they received.

"How does Dinos know these two?"

"I have no idea, but I wouldn't want to be in their shoes right now."

"Neither would I. Apparently, fate doesn't favor them at all."

"They're a couple of idiots."

Hadjar rolled his eyes. He scratched his stubble, which he hadn't shaved since leaving the Sea of Sand, and looked into the blond man's eyes. The young man had a very pleasant, well-groomed appearance, so it wasn't surprising that the girls around them sighed longingly. Only the girl in black, standing behind her master, continued to stare at the floor. Hadjar couldn't discern the color of her eyes.

"You dare to keep staring at me, servant?" The offended young heir (whatever that title meant) roared. "I think I should teach you a lesson…"

Hadjar bowed sharply at the waist and saluted in the manner of the Empire — he struck his c.h.e.s.t twice with his fist, "My apologies, young heir of the great Predatory Blades clan. I, an unworthy ant, dared to accidentally stain your clothes. Let me take them and return them to you in their purest form."

For a moment, there was utter silence in the hall. Hadjar didn't look like a man who could apologize to anyone. There was far too much confidence and pride in his eyes, in his gestures and posture, in his whole appearance.

"I beg your pardon, most worthy heir," Einen also bowed.

Both friends maintained serious expressions on their faces, but in fact, they could hardly keep from laughing out loud. If a teenager endowed with the terrifying power of a true cultivator considered soiled clothing a reason to get insulted, then the thirty-year-old warriors who'd witnessed the horrors of piracy, wars, and the Sea of Sand…

The people around them looked at the duo who were bowing with contempt and… understanding. They liked to think that they wouldn't have swallowed their pride and wouldn't have bowed their heads. However, it was simple bravado.

"I thought so." Tom Dinos snorted. Snatching a request for an Ancient level monster core from the board, he turned to leave. "Anise."

So that was her name. Anise. The sweetest of flowers, one that grew for just one summer.

"Yes, younger heir," she said, looking up.

Hadjar looked into her eyes and stopped breathing. Bright green, her eyes put even the purest of jade to shame. They were calm, like a serene sea. Slightly sad, like the eyes of a kitten that had lost its favorite toy. At the same time, they radiated a steely willpower that could crush a stone and bend an iron bar. Anise... a flower that lived only one year and never saw winter. The girl seemed gentle, but Hadjar could feel the presence of the Sword Spirit inside her. This feeling resonated not only with the tattoo on his back, but also with his heart. He tried to pull himself together, force himself to breathe in, tell his heart to keep beating. However, his heart stopped and his lungs clenched.

"Teach them a lesson. Just don't overdo it. Murder isn't allowed on school grounds."

"Yes, my Lord."

Hadjar should've snapped out of it. He'd heard the young man's words and seen the girl slowly drawing her blade from its scabbard. Made of brown leather and wood, it was decorated just like her hair. Her sword had a simple hilt, no guard, and a long, narrow blade with glowing, red hieroglyphics across its length.

Like the young heir, she also wielded an Imperial artifact. The mere fact that she'd unsheathed her sword was enough to make fire flowers bloom under her feet, and flaming butterflies flutter around the blade.

She didn't use any Techniques. She didn't even swing her sword. She just channeled her will of a Wielder through the blade. That was enough to conjure a ghostly copy of her sword which had enough power to send Sankesh to the Heavens.

Einen, noticing that his friend wasn't reacting to what was happening, was about to use his Call and his best defensive Technique, when suddenly, a white, fluffy muzzle popped out of Hadjar's clothes. With a snort, the little tigress nipped at her two-legged friend's cheek and scurried back.

Azrea's bite brought Hadjar back to reality. Blinking, he felt death approaching him. He had no chance of stopping this simple attack with just his blade. Without thinking, Hadjar summoned the sleeping dragon and the black blade into reality. Wrapped in the cloak of black fog, he held up the black sword. Anise's blow struck his blade. It dragged Hadjar eight paces across the ground and slammed him into the wall hard. Warm trickles of blood ran down the back of his head.

"Pathetic," Tom Dinos spat, and left the Hall of Fame.

Anise shot a quick glance at the young man who was slowly getting to his feet and then hurried after him. Her master hadn't noticed, but at the last second, the girl's determination had wavered. If not for this, she would've easily broken through the Call's defenses and been able to seriously injure the insolent man who'd insulted her master. She didn't understand why she had held her strike back at the last moment. The two sky-blue eyes burned in her mind's eye. Despite the humiliating apology, they'd been laughing. It seemed like the young man had been mocking the fact that he had to apologize …

"Hurry up, Anise!" The young heir of the Predatory Blades clan shouted.

"I beg your pardon, my Lord," Anise bowed, and quickened her pace.

Hadjar looked at her. Was she the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen? Definitely... not. Compared to the women he'd had s.e.x with, she would be considered frumpy at best. In comparison to the spirit of the Kurkhadan oasis, she was even… ugly. Still, she'd made Hadjar feel like he couldn't control his heartbeat. By the High Heavens, he'd never experienced anything like it before. Not even with Nehen.

"Are you all right, my friend?" The islander asked, pulling his friend away from the curious crowd.

"I don't know," Hadjar stammered. "It hurts."

Einen looked at his friend who had suffered much worse things but had never before complained of pain. Besides, the way he was squeezing his c.h.e.s.t, right over his heart, told Einen that the pain wasn't physical.

"By the Great Turtle," the islander said with a resigned sigh. "Did fate reward me with a friend... or punish me for my ancestors' sins?"