The cheerful woman stuck her hand towards Kaito with inexplicable enthusiasm. He looked at her for a moment as if trying to understand her motives. He did not notice other emotions apart from the friendly gusto in both her eyes and attitude.

The unwarranted friendliness made him suspicious.

​​

He did not shake her hand. Instead, he turned to his silent uncle and looked at him in question. Usually, when Taiki came in the evening, they did not talk. He would knock on the door, and Kaito would leave the room with him.

They would go to a reserved training room and fight it out. The only words that would be exchanged were of Taiki offering instructions during the session. Kaito would nod in acceptance when guidance was given. He did not shun the teaching because he had quickly realised that his uncle was much stronger than him.

Still, it could be said that Kaito was not much inferior to Taiki. It was just that his skills had degraded over the years. When he was in his teens, improving his skills as an assassin and a fighter was his top priority. But as he grew older, he did not have anyone to challenge him.

His life became boring and easy.

If it were not for the simple reason that he was on Martial Island against his will, he might have enjoyed the excitement of losing to someone and improving his body once again. Even as he resisted his imprisonment, he could not deny it. The thrill of the fight was once again awakened in his soul.

Still, he did not like his uncle.

But he had gotten accustomed to the routine, and it even gave him a sense of stability in the comfortable prison. Therefore, he could not accept a sudden change to their usual thing.

"Kaito, this is my apprentice, Nicole Jiang." The tone was a little stiff.

Taiki was not a man of many words, and he was a little awkward in social interactions. Therefore, he did not know how to make the situation more comfortable for the younger people.

"Why is she here?" Kaito asked.

"I thought we should have a change of pace in your training. You have absorbed all my teaching in the last month quite quickly. The things you are lacking right now are power and experience. Once you push your body harder and engage in fights with other people, you will have a chance at beating me." Taiki responded calmly.

Kaito understood the meaning of the words. He could say that he was already familiar with everything about his uncle's skills. However, he was a little less powerful. Even his faster speed could not beat the hidden power Taiki seemed to have in his bones.

It was frustrating because he could predict all the moves and could dodge almost all attacks. But once his uncle came in contact with him, he would win every single time. He could not wait until he was able to beat the man to a pulp.

"Nicole will spar with you for a while." Taiki continued. "Even though she is my apprentice, we do not have the same fighting style. She practices ancient martial arts and should be a good match for your level of power."

Nicole laughed because she was used to Taiki's ineptness in expressing matters in the best way during conversations. She always had to explain things in a gentler way when they were in meetings. Taiki did not mind because he did not like talking.

"What my master here means is that we are from different families, and we have different schools of combat. He is my master because I have been chosen to be a next-generation Guardian of the island. It will be good for you to experience different fighting styles. I am here to help." Nicole explained.

Kaito thought about it for a short moment before nodding. He did not plan on staying on the island for the entire year, but he had a feeling it was inevitable for him to fight in the championships. If that was the case, he needed to accrue as much power as possible.

He closed the door to the suite, and the three people headed to the reserved training room. The specific training room was built like a simple dojo, but Kaito liked its familiarity. It reminded him of the hours he spent seated in a similar place in the mountains as a child.

Taiki looked at his cold nephew and felt a little sad despite his own unchanging expression. He knew that they would be at odds because of his actions. However, a part of him always hoped that when he met his nephew, they would get along.

If he was not an independent Guardian, he could have spared Kaito this fate. He could have fought on behalf of the Iekami clam. However, according to the rules, he could not represent any family in the triennial championship. After all, his role was defending the island from outside threats.

"Both of you, pick a bo staff." He shook off his morose thoughts and turned to Kaito and Nicole.

Kaito was used to the drill. His uncle would always pick a weapon for him to use. It was not too difficult for him to switch from one weapon to another. Even though he was well-versed in assassination practices and used small hidden items, he was familiar with other weapons.

He picked one of the simple hardwood bo staffs and walked to the centre of the training space. Nicole Jiang did the same while maintaining her cheerful demeanour. This happy attitude made Kaito frown. He did not trust people who were joyous without cause.

The two faced off with their weapons in hand.

"Please instruct me," Nicole said with a slight bow.

Kaito did not respond. He waited for Taiki to give his signal with a calm demeanour. His mind was quiet and without waves. He even felt detached from the situation. But when the signal came, he attacked first with a jab of the staff.

Nicole was surprised by the sudden attack. She had fought a lot of powerful men on the island within and outside her clan. She would not have been chosen as a future Guardian if she could not beat most people within her age group.

And at twenty-three, she was powerful enough to stand alongside seasoned veterans on the island.

One thing she had noticed is that most men who were older or perceived themselves as superior would always let her attack first. On one occasion, she had faced a man who refused to attack for five minutes because she did not make a move.

They literally stood on the stage in the Arena for five minutes until she was so frustrated that she attacked him in fury.

Therefore, it was strange that Kaito, who had to be unchallenged in the outside world, would make a decisive move against a woman. She did not know that to Kaito, there was no difference in gender. Even if tender feelings for women were innate in men, Hu Lei would have changed his attitude when they were younger.

Nicole felt blissful and smiled as she blocked the attack. Kaito immediately changed the trajectory of the staff and attempted a sweep.

Her blood boiled with excitement.

She had always been interested in Kaito from the stories, but she always thought the legends would dwarf the man. However, faced with the real-life person, she was still in awe.

He was her imagined Prince Charming come to life.