Third Brother's power, Fourth Elder's speed, and Sixth Elder's tactics, all of these were discernible to anyone at a glance, so they were not surprised when he mentioned them

But how could Hikaru tell that Ariyoshi Miji cultivated a powerful body? And why would she argue that Kondo's versatility was better than his strength? Or that Gao Diao had controlled the rhythm of the match?

Such an evaluation required more than a keen eye or astute mind. A large amount of experience or guidance was necessary to make such accurate judgments. No matter how one examined Hirai Hikaru, a 17-year-old, newly-initiated, female Qi Flourishing disciple of breathtaking beauty and well-mannered pedigree should not have these qualifications.

In actuality, Kenja had already received more guidance from the Flowing River Sect vice elders than some disciples who had lived here for a decade.

He had been secretly auditing classes for three years that would normally require countless years of accumulating sect credits to pay for. While he could not choose which class took place in front of the tree and often spectated the same class more than once, he gained a lot of random knowledge concerning many different topics, especially those concerning combat tactics.

Combined with a hard-lived life and periodic sparring lessons from Frederick, his battle sense was beyond the average starting point of a person his age.

For him, his observations were nothing special, so he was unsure why they asked him whether Second Elder Inazuma explained anything to him.

On top of that, Kenja's unnaturally high sensitivity to Qi had reached a point where he could feel the explosive Qi emanate from the attacks of Gao Diao and Kondo, but he could not sense the Qi belonging to Ariyoshi Miji's attacks who was forced into a two versus one situation.

Earlier, he asked Snail why there was a difference between them.

He learned that while all cultivators utilized Qi in their movements and attacks, the energy could be employed in different ways.

While Gao Diao and Kondo released Qi into the environment with every action, Ariyoshi Miji emitted very little Qi by comparison.

Snail explained that the Fourth Elder must have strengthened his muscles and bones to contain the Qi within his body, minimizing the amount lost as waste. As a result, every single one of his attacks utilized the maximum amount of Qi spent with full efficiency, providing a simple sharpness in his movements for a much longer period of time than the other two.

This contrast was like watching two individuals who normally wasted a portion of the oxygen they inhaled struggle against one who utilized every oxygen molecule in their breath.

To counter him, Kondo and Gao Diao had to overdraft their own Qi while performing numerous powerful techniques to throw him off balance. This was also the reason they relied on pills to temporarily increase their strength and revitalize their energy.

As for Gao Diao, although he had obviously set up several ploys before and during the match, his ability to guide his two opponents into those traps were instrumental to the traps' success.

He retreated and attacked when necessary, teamed up with each elder at opportune times, and foresaw the choices they would make before they had made them.

Lastly, Kondo packed the most powerful punch amongst the trio, yet he allowed his opponents to control his movements until he found a moment to sweep the rug from under both of his rivals, placing both Gao Diao and Ariyoshi Miji in dangerous spots multiple times over the course of the fight.

"Ho ho ho, you underestimate Little Hikaru. She saw more of that fight than me. She even robbed her Second Uncle blind," he praised Hikaru while using a sharp, silver instrument to poke into the Genius Armlet's intricate design.

Their heads darted from Second Elder back to Hikaru.

"What does he mean?"

Kenja felt several strong forces lock onto his body, pressuring him with the combined curiosity of three Nascent Soul cultivators. He broke out in a cold sweat.

"Second Uncle exaggerates. It was only a small wager."

It was at this time Kenja cursed at the length of the central pillar's perimeter.

If he ran as hard as he could, he estimated it would take at least three minutes to cross a single side. But at their current leisurely pace, it would take another fifteen minutes to reach the end of the pillar's sixth face.

If they were supposed to be in a rush, why did it seem like the elders were purposely strolling as slowly as possible?

Aoi Rin ruminated over the same issue.

Of the four elders that were originally leading them to the meeting, three had abandoned decorum to socialize with her junior sisters who were following behind her, and they appeared too relaxed considering the sect's security status and the emergency meeting arranged by the First Elder.

Only Third Elder Kondo was left to lead them, yet his pace was slow and reluctant as if annoyed he could not join the other three. She could tell he had decreased his speed to listen intently to those behind her, compelling the entire procession to slow down as a result.

If they wished to communicate with Princess Ryu Hanabi, she could somewhat understand it although the time and place were still a bit wrong. Yet, they seemed to be more interested in Hirai Hikaru who was accepted as a disciple by her master mainly because of her friendship with the princess.

"Details, Little Hikaru. There are no strangers here. Who'd you believe would emerge victorious?" Ariyoshi Miji winked at her as he stroked his beard, as if he already knew Hikaru must have picked him.

Kenja was silent and perplexed.

"Che, restrain yourself, you old goat. Have you no shame? Think of her position, che!"

Elders of a sect were like the kings of a kingdom. Publicly stating one was better or worse than the others could make one's life difficult for obvious reasons, regardless of the elders in question.

"You just lack confidence, you giraffe," Ariyoshi Miji reassured Hikaru, "Little Hikaru does not need to worry. If any of these old fogies dare bully you, I will bury them."

"Che, who dares bully Fifth Sister's disciple? Don't make things difficult for her."

"Ho ho ho, she bet on you Sixth Brother," Inazuma answered for Hikaru while his arm had vanished inside the Genius Armlet. Evidently, a storage space was one of the functions installed in the bracelet.

Sour expressions appeared on Ariyoshi Miji and Kondo's faces.

Diao pinched his thin moustache while giving his rival a smug look. "Che, che, che. Little Hikaru must have good vision if she could tell that picking me was the best choice."

"Shove it, you old fart. You only know how to make little traps and swindle others."

Gao Diao paid him no mind. "Listen, Little Hikaru, Little Hanabi. You too, Little Rin and Little Mizu. A good trick lies within a ruse. And of those, the best ones have a trap covering them. If you can dress it with a scheme or a lie, even better! Understand?"

Hikaru, Hanabi and Rin nodded their heads in understanding. Kenja especially engraved these words in his heart as they resonated with him.

"Mizu, what's wrong?"

He had noticed the turbulent aura around his disciple, and his words seemed to aggravate her further. Her current manner went against her cultivation technique that focused on the softness of water which could easily absorb and dissipate obtrusive ripples before returning to calmness.

She tried her best to show a smile to the Sixth Elder. "Nothing's wrong, master."

"Hoh, don't dwell on your defeat, Little Mizu. Steel your heart as there was no shame in our loss. T'was just a fun wager to pass the time," Elder Inazuma sincerely consoled Shimizu Mizutani before poking his hand into the bracelet's storage space for a better look.

"You bet against your master, Little Mizu?" Gao Diao pieced together what happened as best he could.

Stopping in place, Shimizu Mizutani vehemently shook her head in denial. "Second Uncle's words are misleading. Disciple would never bet against master! If I had, I would not have lost the wager considering the match was voided, right?"

A light bulb went off simultaneously in the heads of the three elders. She was right. Their match was unresolved, so there was no winner or loser.

If that was the case, what kind of bet had they made?