Mystic Eyes: My Eyes Steal the Laws of Cultivation

Bai Zhu then guided the group through the internal corridors of the military branch. Kyrian observed everything with attentive eyes, the architecture was different from the main fortress, more functional, more geared toward training and war. The walls were thicker. The corridors are wider. There were training rooms at every corner, with wooden dummies and wall targets.

They were led to a room on the upper floor of the main building. The doors were tall, made of dark wood with red metal fittings.

Inside, a man awaited them.

He was the leader of the military branch. He wore light black plate armor, and his eyes were sharp like blades.

He stood up when the group entered.

"Bai Zhu." He said, his voice rough.

"It’s been a while."

"Leader." Bai Zhu replied, making a bow.

"It really has been a while."

The leader’s eyes swept over the group. He recognized Li Fen, Kai, Yan Ling, and Mei Li.

"Welcome to the military branch." The leader said.

"I heard you are here to teach the new disciples."

"Yes," Kyrian replied, simply.

The leader nodded and took six badges from a drawer in his desk. They were small emblems of red metal, with symbols engraved on their surface.

"These are temporary elder badges," he explained, handing one to each of them.

"In the military branch, each disciple has a badge that shows their position. The elder badge is one of the highest positions, just below the branch leader."

He looked at each of them.

"With it, all new disciples must respect you to the utmost. Disobedience can be punished."

Kyrian took the badge and fastened it to his robe. The metal was cold against his chest.

Bai Zhu stored his badge and turned to the others.

"Let’s get to work."

...

They left Leader Zhao’s room and walked to the main arena of the military branch.

It was an enormous space, much larger than the arena of the Meeting of the Domains.

Stone platforms rose at different levels, each with different training purposes. There were areas for hand-to-hand combat, areas for practicing techniques, areas for meditation, and even areas for archery.

Bai Zhu gave an order to one of the passing servants.

"Gather all the new disciples in the main arena. Immediately."

The servant ran to obey.

About thirty minutes passed. Gradually, the new disciples began to arrive, young people of varying ages, some fifteen years old, others twenty. They wore gray robes of the military branch, and their expressions ranged from curiosity to confusion.

They gathered at the center of the main arena, forming a crowd of about one hundred and twenty youths.

Kyrian observed them in silence. Most were in the early stages of the Qi Liberation realm.

Murmurs spread among the disciples.

"Who are they?"

"They’re wearing elder badges!"

"Look, that’s Bai Zhu! I’ve heard of him!"

"Bai Zhu? The direct disciple of Leader Dong Zhen?" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"And those others? They must also be direct disciples..."

"What are they doing here?"

Bai Zhu stepped forward and raised his hand. Silence settled immediately.

"My name is Bai Zhu," he said, his voice loud and clear, echoing through the arena.

"I am a direct disciple of Leader Dong Zhen, and I originate from this military branch. A few months ago, I was chosen to train in the main fortress."

He pointed at the others.

"These are my companions. Li Fen, from the Shadow branch. Yan Ling, from the resource branch. Kai, from the external missions branch. Mei Li, from the diplomacy branch."

He paused and looked at Kyrian.

"And this is Kyrian. A direct disciple of Leader Dong Zhen and... leader of the direct disciples."

The murmurs returned, louder this time.

"Leader of the direct disciples? I’ve never heard of that..."

"He looks young... younger than me."

"But look at his eyes..."

Mei Li and the others showed no surprise at Bai Zhu’s words. After all, Kyrian truly functioned as a leader for all of them. In missions, he was the one who made decisions. In training, he was the one who taught. Even without a formal title, Kyrian was the center of the group.

Bai Zhu continued.

"The elders of this branch are on a mission and will only return in three weeks. Until then, we will be your teachers."

Looks of surprise spread through the crowd.

"For the next three weeks." Bai Zhu said.

"Each of us will teach a small group of new disciples. You will be divided into six groups. Each group will be under the responsibility of one of us."

He raised his hand again to silence the murmurs.

"I know some of you may be skeptical. We are young. We do not have the elders’ experience. But I can guarantee that each of us is strong enough to teach what we know. And you can feel it, our strength is far above yours."

The new disciples looked at one another. It was true. They could feel that those six were stronger, much stronger.

Bai Zhu then smiled. A wide, excited smile.

"But it won’t be just training." He said.

"I had an idea. What do you think about, after the three weeks, holding a competition between the groups? Let’s see who taught the new disciples better."

Kai’s eyes lit up.

"Seriously?" he said, leaning forward.

"That’s a great idea. I’m in."

Yan Ling thought for a moment, biting her lower lip. Then she nodded.

"Why not? It’ll be fun."

Li Fen simply nodded, his face as impassive as ever.

Mei Li raised her chin, confident.

"You can prepare for your defeat."

All eyes turned to Kyrian.

"Of course," he replied, his voice calm.

"Let’s do it."

Bai Zhu clapped his hands.

"Then it’s settled! Three weeks of training. After that, the competition. Prepare yourselves, new disciples, you’re going to work hard."

He then began to divide the crowd.

Each of the six teachers received twenty disciples. Kyrian observed the youths assigned to him, young faces, curious eyes, and others filled with determination. There were boys and girls, tall and short, strong and weak.

"Come." Kyrian said, turning and walking toward one of the more distant training platforms.

"Let’s begin."

Twenty disciples followed him in silence. None dared to speak.

Kyrian stopped at the center of the platform and turned to face them.

"You have three weeks to learn as much as you can. I will not teach techniques. I will mainly teach how to fight."

He raised his hand.

"Show me your fighting stances. All of you."

The disciples exchanged confused glances, but obeyed. They assumed stances, some good, others terrible. Kyrian observed each of them with his crimson eyes, noting every mistake, every misalignment, and every weakness.

Three weeks, he thought. Enough time to turn them into something decent.

He began to walk among them, correcting postures, adjusting arms, and repositioning legs. He did not shout. He did not threaten. He only corrected.

"You are leaving your right side open. An experienced enemy will aim there."

"Your breathing is wrong. The Qi flows irregularly. Breathe deeply and try again."

"Your eyes are on the ground. An enemy is not on the ground, they are in front of you."

The disciples began to understand. That young man with crimson eyes was not just strong, he was meticulous. Every correction had a purpose. Every word made sense.

And, slowly, they began to improve.

The three weeks stretched ahead, and Kyrian knew the final competition would be a good way to measure their progress.

And, perhaps, to say goodbye.