Regardless, he kept all these thoughts to himself. The last thing he needed right now was another lecture from Valentine.
He steadied his breathing, calming himself just as they reached the instructor.
“Head Instructor,” the woman instructor called out as Grinner approached her, quickly standing up from her seated position and bowing respectfully.
She was clearly surprised to see the Head Instructor entering her class.
Grinner nodded once toward her.
“Instructor Livia,” he said calmly before stepping aside, allowing Livia’s gaze to land properly on Malakai.
Her eyes widened slightly as recognition struck.
“Blood flo—”
She began the greeting instinctively, but Malakai cut her off.
“That’s not needed.”
She paused, then bowed respectfully.
“…Okay, Ninth Vein.”
Her words immediately broke the concentration of the youths seated around the hall.
Though young and newly evolved, their senses were sharp enough to pick up the exchange.
The Ninth Vein? Here?
That should have been impossible.
Eyes flickered open across the hall, and froze.
Shock rippled through the room as gazes locked onto Malakai. Even the gazes of the other Veins narrowed slightly.
Livia turned toward Grinner, her eyes filled with questions. But Grinner spoke before she could ask.
“As you already know, this is the Ninth Vein.” He explained, “He joined us today and I’ve personally tested him and determined him fit for the Advanced Class.”
A wave of disbelief spread through the hall. Many of the youths, and Livia herself, were utterly stunned.
Hadn’t Malakai only evolved a few days ago? And now he was placed in the Advanced Class? That shouldn’t be possible.
Livia was tempted to question it, but she hesitated, unsure which would be worse: questioning a Vein’s ability or implying that the Head Instructor was breaking the rules.
Wisely, she eventually chose to stay silent.
Unfortunately, not everyone in the hall shared the same restraint.
As the silence stretched, suddenly, a calm voice rang out.
“Head Instructor Grinner.”
Heads turned sharply toward the source to see Julius Von Sanguine standing up from the ground calmly.
“Eighth Vein.”
Grinner bowed respectfully as Julius approached. The latter threw a brief glance toward Malakai flashing him a smile, before focusing back on Grinner.
“My lovely younger cousin only evolved some days ago,” Julius said lightly.
“While the blood of we direct descendants is truly remarkable, isn’t this a bit much?”
Julius had been present when Malakai defeated Jorge and the shock he had felt then had been indescribable.
But being placed in the Advanced Class, especially in Blood Meditation & Vita Breathing, meant Malakai’s mastery over vita and blood flow was comparable to theirs.
It was absurd. Unbelievable.
The useless trash he had once beaten into the ground was now standing at their level?
The heads of many other youths nodded quietly. It was simply too much to accept.
Grinner suppressed his irritation. No matter how foolish the accusation was, Julius was still a Vein and he had to remain respectful.
“I tested the Ninth Vein personally and confirmed it, Eighth Vein,” Grinner answered calmly.
Julius frowned.
“Surely you see how hard this is to believe?”
He gestured around the hall.
“The youths here have trained for years to reach this level and you claim someone who evolved mere days ago is already their equal?”
Frowns appeared across the room as whispers started spreading fast.
“The Eighth Vein is right. It’s too hard to believe.”
“Something isn’t right.” The youths around Julius murmured loudly.
Julius smiled faintly. This was one of his talents.
Just like his father Varnel, he could stir a crowd with ease.
He sent another glance toward Malakai, only to find him completely unfazed. He had started reading the rulebook, as if the entire commotion wasn’t worth his time.
Grinner struggled to maintain his composure and bowed lower.
“I don’t know what else to say, Eighth Vein, except that this is what happened.”
Julius’ frown deepened. Then, he said coldly,
“I sense foul play here. For fairness, I demand you test him here in front of all of us.”
Grinner’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Eighth Vein, are you accusing me of falsifying the Ninth Vein’s results?” he asked, his teeth gritting together.
But Julius’ voice turned colder.
“Are you questioning me?”
Grinner’s hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked audibly.
If not for Julius being a direct descendant, a youngling wouldn’t dare speak to a Blood Champion like this.
He forced himself to stay calm and spoke slowly:
“Other instructors were present to witness the test. I can fetch—”
But Julius cut him off sharply.
“We were not there. The ones directly involved should see it too. Right?”
He stepped forward slightly, his voice harder:
“Now, listen to my orders. And don’t question me again.”
Grinner exhaled heavily, closing his eyes.
There was nothing more he could do.
A Vein’s orders, as long as they didn’t clash with the training camp’s core rules, were absolute.
He turned toward Malakai and bowed respectfully.
Malakai snapped his book shut, his gaze lifting toward him.
Grinner didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. What he meant was already clear.
There was no way around the Eighth Vein’s demand. But even so, Grinner showed Malakai respect, choosing not to say anything.
Right now, it was clear Julius was only trying to belittle Malakai by forcing him into another test here.
However, only a Vein could challenge a Vein.
Now, he had removed himself, it was up to Malakai.
As all eyes turned toward him, Malakai didn’t so much as glance at Julius. Instead, he faced Grinner directly and spoke calmly:
“Head Instructor Grinner.”
Grinner bowed respectfully.
“Yes, Ninth Vein.”
Malakai’s voice was clear as he continued:
“In the rulebook you gave me, under Paragraph 4, Section 2, it is clearly stated that under no circumstances should a class be interrupted or paused once it has begun.”
Julius’ gaze narrowed dangerously.
But Malakai didn’t stop.
“If an instructor dies, another will immediately take their place. No nuisance should be allowed to disrupt the class. And if a nuisance appears, it should be dealt with immediately.”
Malakai’s tone turned cold.
“So, Head Instructor Grinner…”
He took a step forward, his gaze sharp as a blade.
“Why are you disobeying the Sovereign’s words?”