The Devil's Eye

Chapter 3: The Devil's Eye

An older man’s voice drifted over, dripping with frustration and exasperation.

"But... the instructor really isn't as bad as you say. He... he seems like a decent person. He promised he would help me. He even said that if I train hard enough, I could easily take the first rank in class." Despite her defensive words, the young girl’s voice wavered with hesitation.

"First rank? Young Miss, if you study under that fraud, taking the first rank is a pipe dream. You’ll be lucky if you even remember how to stand in a basic stance! Do you have any idea who he is? He is the absolute worst instructor in this entire academy. He scored a literal zero on the evaluations! You need to withdraw your enrollment from his class immediately. If the Master finds out about this, he’ll have my head!"

The old servant’s panicked rant visibly terrified the girl. She looked completely overwhelmed, her eyes welling up as if she might burst into tears at any second.

Hearing this exchange, a malicious gleam flashed in Professor Vance’s eyes. He turned to Arthur with a mocking laugh.

"Well, well, Arthur. Did you just somehow manage to trick this poor child into enrolling? It looks like your luck has already run out. I believe she wants to withdraw her name."

In the academy, if a student felt their chosen instructor was a poor fit, they had the right to return their enrollment token and seek out a different mentor.

Vance had purposefully raised his voice, and a crowd of curious students quickly gathered around them. The young girl and her servant also turned to look at Vance and Arthur.

"Young Miss, is this the instructor whose token you accepted?" The old servant's sharp gaze locked onto Arthur.

"Yes, that's him," the girl replied meekly.

Without missing a beat, the servant marched straight toward Arthur.

"Professor Sterling, my Young Miss wishes to withdraw her enrollment."

"Uncle..." The servant's aggressive haste startled the girl. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and quickly scurried behind him.

She peeked out at Arthur and whispered, "Sir, I..."

It was indeed the very same girl Arthur had managed to swindle—ahem, recruit—just moments ago: Elara.

"Elara," Arthur began, pitching his voice loud enough for the crowd to hear, "you should know that I do not accept just anyone as my disciple. I accepted you because I believed destiny brought us together. Why else would our paths cross today? Why do you want to throw away such a rare opportunity over a moment of doubt? Do you have any idea how many students beg to study under me? How many try to force their way into my class, only for me to reject them all?"

The truth was, Arthur was absolutely terrified of losing the only student he had worked so hard to trick. He wasn't about to let her go without a fight, so he immediately resorted to his grandmaster bluffing routine.

"What is this guy spouting?"

The surrounding crowd stared at Arthur in sheer disbelief. *Has this guy completely lost his mind?*

"Who even talks like that?"

"What does he mean he 'rejects' students? Destiny? What garbage! Who would even want to be his student? The truth is no one wants him as a teacher!"

Seeing the commotion, Elara tugged at her servant's sleeve, silently pleading with him to stop. But seeing her still conflicted, the servant held his ground.

"Professor Sterling, the Young Miss wishes to withdraw from your class. She is simply too polite to say it to your face. I expect you to respect her wishes and proceed with the withdrawal process immediately."

Arthur felt the ground vanishing beneath his feet. *Withdraw?"

He narrowed his eyes, aiming for a tone of stern warning. "You need to think this through very carefully. Withdrawing your name is not a game. It will permanently stain her academic record. If a student withdraws from an instructor's class on the very first day, any other instructor will think twice before accepting her. Are you willing to ruin your Young Miss's future just to satisfy your own paranoia? Can you shoulder that responsibility?"

"I..." The servant froze, suddenly breaking into a cold sweat.

Arthur was right. Students could withdraw, but it was heavily frowned upon because it actively disgraced the instructor.

Furthermore, if a student was willing to publicly insult an instructor by withdrawing, what was stopping them from doing it again? Most competent instructors avoided taking in "rebellious" students to protect their own reputations. Accepting a student who had just publicly humiliated a colleague was a great way to make enemies within the faculty.

If no other instructor would take her, her future at the academy would be utterly destroyed.

The servant, who had been so aggressive a moment ago, was suddenly paralyzed by fear. At the end of the day, he was just a servant. If his impulsive actions ruined his Master's daughter's future, his life would be over.

Seeing the servant back down, Arthur softened his tone, offering a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. Your Young Miss is incredibly talented. I will guide her properly, and she will undoubtedly achieve exceptional results."

*"What a joke,"* the crowd whispered. *"How is a blind man going to teach a bird to fly?"

"Hold on a minute. Who says no other instructor will take her?" Vance stepped in before Arthur could seal the deal. He looked directly at Elara. "Listen to me, girl. If you withdraw your name from this fraud's class right now, I will personally accept you as my disciple."

Vance, who had literally just claimed he wouldn't waste his breath arguing with Arthur, was instantly back on the offensive.

Arthur’s temper finally flared. "Vance, what exactly do you think you're doing?"

"Doing? Ha! Look at this poor girl. She has talent, but she's paralyzed by fear. How could I stand by and let her future be destroyed by the likes of you? If she wants to withdraw, my doors are open. Ultimately, students come here to learn. It is only right that they study under someone they trust—not an incompetent fool who scores a zero on his exams!" Vance laughed uproariously.

"Poaching students in broad daylight? Do you think I won't report this blatant violation to the academy administration?" Arthur snapped.

This was no small matter. Publicly inciting a student to break their bond was a serious offense. While the academy allowed students to choose their mentors, they did not tolerate instructors turning the campus into a vicious poaching ground. It ruined the academic environment and caused endless faculty disputes.

Vance sneered. "Poaching? Aren't we being dramatic? At the very least, give the student the right to make an informed choice. Let's do this: we will both offer her our guidance. We'll let her decide who is superior. What do you say? A Guidance Competition?"

"A Guidance Competition?!"

Panic seized Arthur's heart. He had inherited the original Arthur's memories, but he had absolutely no idea how to apply them. At best, he could regurgitate the names of a few techniques. The original Arthur barely understood them, so how could the new Arthur?

And now, a live guidance battle? He would get absolutely crushed by Vance. Vance definitely knew infinitely more about combat techniques than he did.

"What's wrong? Scared to accept the challenge?" Vance goaded, rolling up his sleeves as if he had already won. "It is explicitly written in the academy rules that instructors may challenge one another to help a student make the right choice. You can't call this poaching."

"And how exactly will we evaluate this guidance?" Arthur asked through gritted teeth. He knew that if he didn't handle this perfectly, he wouldn't just lose his only student today—he would never recruit another one again.

Instructors generally guided students by pointing out flaws in their cultivation, correcting their stances, or refining their techniques. Since every instructor had a different philosophy, their guidance varied wildly.

"Simple," Vance declared confidently. "Since all these students are new, we don't know their habits, and they don't know our methods. We will have them perform their basic combat forms. Then, we will point out their flaws and advise them on how to correct them. They will perform the forms again. Whichever instructor's advice yields a greater improvement... wins. Fair?"

Normally, Vance wouldn't bother challenging a bottom-tier instructor like Arthur. But he knew for a fact that Arthur was famously blind to martial arts flaws. Vance was absolutely certain he would embarrass him.

Arthur was sweating bullets.

"Don't tell me you're actually too cowardly to accept?" Vance pushed harder. "You were just bragging about how selective you are. If you're truly a grandmaster, prove it. Don't drag this innocent girl down into the mud with you."

"F... Fine," Arthur stammered, glancing nervously around the room.

*What's the worst that could happen?* he rationalized internally. *I lose. It's not like I'll die. But if I refuse the challenge, Elara will definitely withdraw anyway. I have no other options left.*

Even if he couldn't remember anything useful, he'd just spout some vague, philosophical nonsense and pray for a miracle. Embarrassing? Sure. But he wasn't going down without a fight.

"Professor Vance and Professor Sterling are having a Guidance Competition!"

"Who's gonna win?"

"Isn't that the guy?"

"Yeah, the zero-mark teacher. And he actually accepted a challenge? Is he a glutton for punishment?"

Hearing about the duel, students abandoned their lunches and swarmed around them, forming a massive ring. Today was enrollment day. Many had heard the rumors about the infamous "Zero-Mark Instructor," but few had seen him in person. Everyone wanted a front-row seat to the humiliation.

"According to the rules, you will evaluate my student, and I will evaluate yours." Seeing the massive crowd gather, Vance puffed up with pride, flashing a brilliant, arrogant smile.

To prevent cheating or favoritism, the rules strictly forbade instructors from guiding their own recruits during a challenge. They had to evaluate each other's.

Having laid out the terms, Vance stepped back, clasping his hands behind his back like a true master. He looked at Elara. "Girl. Step forward. Show me your foundational combat sequence, and then strike that testing wall with everything you have."

"I..." Elara looked at Arthur, clearly torn. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the center of the ring.

She executed her foundational sequence smoothly. Just like in the classroom, her spiritual energy rippled through the air, gathering momentum. As she completed her final stance, she threw a devastating punch at the padded testing wall.

*BANG!*

The sound of the impact echoed through the massive dining hall. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would have believed such a timid girl could unleash such raw, explosive power. Her stance was impeccable, her strike heavy. It was obvious she possessed a terrifying foundation.

Panting slightly, Elara turned around to face the two instructors.

Arthur’s heart sank to the bottom of his stomach.

Even digging through the original Arthur's memories, he couldn't find a single flaw in her form. It was no wonder the original owner scored a zero; the guy genuinely couldn't spot a mistake to save his life.

Vance, however, saw her immense talent and smiled brightly. "Excellent."

Meanwhile, Arthur's head was spinning. He had zoned out completely. He didn't even know the name of the stance she just used, let alone how to critique it. How was he supposed to give advice?

Before Arthur could figure out an escape plan, a young boy stepped out from Vance's group of recruits.

"Professor Sterling, please correct my flaws," Rowan said, bowing slightly as he stepped up to take his turn.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***