The Old Scholar

As everyone was looking at the 'Order Of Fire' with bated breath, Leilani had teleported herself to Sun's side and pulled up a chair for herself from her item box. 

"I apologize that the first day here is also the last day for you all" Sun told her with a defeated tone and a wry smile as she turned to her 

"I understand your disappointment in everyone, but telling them that the sect that they enrolled in is shutting down is going to be doing no one any favors" Leilani replied as she looked at the defeated Sect Master 

"You still believe I need to keep fighting? After everything I have seen today?" Sun asked with a saddened smile 

"Yes. It's never easy for us educators when we see that our efforts have failed. But even when they do fail, we try and try and keep trying no matter the failure" Leilani added as she clasped Sun's hand in hers 

"You speak as if you had faced it before" The Sect Master stated 

"Moreso than you can possibly imagine. You think my over 4000 years of age has given me nothing but success? If that were the case I could be called a God" The Only Scholar of Santomin fired back with a tired smile of her own 

"How did you treat those bad eggs?" 

"Well, some were easily convinced of their wrongdoings, and others needed a beating, hell, one of them became a mercenary and was hired to kill me for money. He failed obviously, and he decided to kill himself before my eyes rather than live with the shame he had on his shoulders. But the point I am trying to tell you is that regardless of the few failures there always will be, we have to keep pushing because the rest rely on us and we shouldn't lump those who genuinely wish to change with those who are already too far gone" 

"What makes you think every one of my students here still wishes to genuinely change?" 

Leilani smiled at Sun as she pointed at a group of grade schoolers and high schoolers seated on the opposite stand across the battleground. The expressions on these kids were that of fear and uncertainty as they looked at the battleground then up to Sect Master Sun, they all shared the same shameful expression as they turned away from her. 

"Those kids right there, those kids genuinely regret letting you down, the shame in those eyes is the same shame that is in the eyes of every one of your students here watching this event. They now see where they will be in the future if they stray from your teachings of humility, humbleness and acceptance. They are also scared that they will no longer be able to learn more of these teachings due to you claiming that after this event, the school will be disbanded. Those kids like many here now see that their initial beliefs were horribly wrong and they are now more open to your guidance and teachings than before" Leilani stated as they looked at the group of kids 

"Tell me Sun, do you wish for the next generation to be better than the ones before them?" She added as she turned Sun's gaze back to her 

"I...I do want them to become better than us, free of our destructive arrogance and overarching pridefulness" The Sect Master answered her  as she looked at Leilani with remorseful eyes 

"Then do not lose hope just yet Sect Master Sun. The children of the Golden Fire Sect still need guidance and they are now more than ever, ready to listen to advice that will spare them from a fate that will strip them of everything" 

Sun began to smile and then chuckle as she smiled at the words spoken by the Dean of Imperia, the shattered spirit from earlier nearly repaired as she took a deep breath and then looked back at the battleground and the stands, seeing the 'Order Of Fire' and the rest of her school looking at her with worrisome expressions of fear and regret. 

Sun stepped out of her area and then teleported back down to the battleground, hands behind her back as she scanned the faces in the crowd, her smile was hidden under an unreadable and uncertain expression that fueled the fear and uncertainty in the eyes of the kids in the stands. 

"Before the next fight. I would like to say that it has come to my attention that I may have been too heavy-handed in my earlier declaration of the school being over after this stupid fight. But, after some talking with the Dean of Imperia, I have learned that as an educator it is my job to keep teaching regardless if some of you fail me" Sun stated as she looked at everyone, glancing at the 'Order Of Fire' at the last bit of her sentence 

"I have been reminded that as an educator, I must always think of the students, even if I know they have failed me. That despite that initial failure, I must keep pushing to try and help set them on the right path. To that end, I shall rescind my earlier statement of closing down the academy, if and only if, I can see that you are all still willing to change, to change as people, and to be guided onto a path that this nation should strive towards" She added as she looked at all of them, hoping to see any sign that they were willing to change 

{!} 

She then saw several kids in the front row from the centerline bleachers raise their hands and stand up, all of them looking at her with confident but also slightly scared looks on their faces, then there were rows upon rows of high schoolers from the bleachers behind her and they too were looking at her with a mix of scared and confident looks. With the younger people standing and showing that they were ready to learn, Sun was content if it was just going to be them, but she was pleasantly surprised as college students as well stood up and looked at her, their expressions of remorse and regret and shame written on their faces as they tried to keep themselves together. 

She even saw Xin and his group fall to their knees and kowtow before her and while it was insane whiplash on her end as she just assumed that Xin and his group would be diehard in their beliefs, she found it pleasing to know that being shown how their arrogance could easily end with their deaths was what shattered their stubborn foundations, like it did to hers all those years ago. 

"I see, so you are still willing to learn then huh Golden Fire?" She asked the sect as she looked around 

"Yes Sect Master!" The students and even the professors yelled back in chorus 

"Good. That is very good" Sun shouted as she placed her right foot down on the ground hard and sent an air blast that reverberated across the battleground and the stands 

"Right. Despite that being said, Han Changpu and the rest of the 'Order Of Fire' you are still required to fight the Imperia Professors against you" Sun added as she turned to them with a slight smirk on her face 

{!} 

"What?!" Han shouted in disbelief 

"Yes, as I was sitting there in anger and my head was thinking, I came to the realization that Xin Jiang and some others here would not have made a move on our visitors unless they were doing so with the backing of a strong group, and who else in this school holds some sort of power over their underclassmen? Well the damn 'Order Of Fire' of course! So, as punishment for your duplicitous actions, I present you an ultimatum, be expelled from here right here and now, or fight for your honor and try to win against the people you openly challenged and probably be sent into the medical wing with broken bones" The Sect Master stated as she looked at them, while she was smiling, that smile failed to reach her eyes which was unsettling for the group 

"So. Your answer?" 

Han looked at his friends who all shared the same look of disbelief and utter shock at the situation. While they all could have blamed Han for being the one who started this whole thing in the first place, they had all been equal in part of the blame as it was through their own actions that had led to the situation spiraling out of control on the first day of the visit no less. They were all shocked and unable to mutter anything but when Han looked at them all, they decided to plunge the dagger and take their punishment with stride, as they were representing not only themselves but also showing that they were going to let go of their pride and arrogance and actually commit to trying to change themselves. 

"We...accept" Han replied, with a defeated bow 

"Good. Good. It is a 5 v 3 fight so I must say that the odds are in your favor" Sun told them as she teleported back to her seat, leaving the stunned 6th-year students in silence as they watched her go 

"Hey uhhh...you do know that your students are about to get their asses handed to them right?" Leilani said as she saw Sun sit down next to her 

"That is the point Miss Leilani, I want them punished but punished in a way that seems I gave them a fair choice. In the Jade Empire, being duplicitous is a serious crime and I wish to show them this,  they either be expelled and have their families dishonored and shamed, or they can plunge the dagger and take their punishment head-on and then be humbled in great fashion" Sun answered, with Leilani nodding in approval as she remembered doing something similar to this a long time ago 

Once Han and his group were on the battleground, all eyes turned to Sect Master Sun, with some being concerned while others were eager to see the fight unfold as win or lose, everyone after this fight had things to learn and with a fire in their hearts to become even better than before, they were excited to see what was in store for them. 

"Right! BEGIN!" Sun shouted as she raised her hand and then brought it down 

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Once the match began, the trio of Imperia Professors, Sobard, Nalia and Martha, shared a telepathic conversation as they saw Han and his group unmoving on their end of the battleground. 

[So umm...the plan?] Martha asked without glancing at her colleagues 

{Well, the boss wants us to win right? We do just that} Sobard answered her, the orc professor bringing out a pair of battleaxes from his bag of holding 

[I know that...the question is how] Martha replied as she flourished her halberd 

(Hmmm...we could make it a flashy win, hit them with flashy magic and flashy moves. That would be nice for our students to see no?) Nalia chimed in, the siren professor's purple hair floating a bit as a similarly purple aura began to flow around her 

[True, but I don't want the students thinking that flashy moves are what win fights....by the way, how confident are your CQB and hand-to-hand skills?] The silver-haired human asked 

{Pretty good, even without a weapon} Sobard answered with a confident tone 

(Pretty decent, I have taken up those extra staff classes on how to handle multiple attackers at once with my fists and feet) Nalia answered as well in the same tone 

[Nice, I have a good feeling they will try to split themselves up into groups to try and outnumber us, so everyone stay on your toes] Martha stated as she entered a fighting stance, with the rest of her colleagues following in her example 

(Should we do the cocky thing and let them attack us first?) Nalia asked which caused her two fellow professors to giggle telepathically 

{Yeah, let's do that} 

[Agreed]

While they were giggling inside, their external expressions were hardened, and professors ready to take the fight to the enemy and secure a win in a way only they could. 

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Meanwhile, on their end of the battleground, Han Changpu and his group of friends were staring down their opponents with nervous and cautious expressions. Their little group meeting earlier had not really been insightful or helpful as Han just told them to stay on their toes and hope for the best. Thankfully, Han was not done yet as he used his skill known as the 'Mystic's Eyes' to see the mana pools of the trio of enemies they were facing and the telepathy link they all shared thanks to Liang Caifun who had telepathy magic in her arsenal. 

<Last one in the back is a mage, her mana pool is massive, the two up front are most likely their brawlers so stay alert> The president of the order relayed as he looked at the trio before him 

(Do you have a plan?) His elven friend asked him 

<Well...I have a plan now> Han told his friends as they made a V formation opposite of the Imperia triangle formation before them 

(And what is that Han?) Liang asked as she brandished her twin swords 

<We will split up our group and hit them simultaneously> Han answered her 

{And how is that going to work?} Will Dai asked as he glanced at Han 

<We use Valary's teleportation talismans to split their attention, I, Liang, and Xin will take on the front two, and everyone else will strike the mage at the back with the massive mana pool> Han answered as he glanced at Will, pulling out his own jian sword and flourishing it 

(Better than no plan at all) Rannia remarked as she brought out her bo staff

[Let's hope we can win this] Xin stated, the usually confident and pompous big and buff warrior of the group had a hint of fear and nervousness in his tone as he smashed his fists together 

<Let's hope indeed> 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

{!} 

Han and his group rushed forward, with Rannia throwing three yellow papers inscribed with teleportation magic that flew past Martha and Sobard who didn't even look at the talismans flying by them, they kept their eyes on the still charging group that was running across the battleground to them. 

(Teleportation Talismans, be ready) Nalia told them as she shifted her stance and coated her fists and feet in her small and unnoticeable cracklings of lightning

{Roger} 

[Got it] Martha and Sobard affirmed as they shifted their stance too, the grips on their weapons tightening 

{!} 

Suddenly, three of the six students in front of them disappeared in the blink of an eye before appearing before Nalia in the back, their weapons drawn and their faces fierce as they all synced together to attack her. Will had brought out his own jian sword, and so did Valary but her sword was slightly curved while Rannia had her bo staff held overhead to land an overhead smash on the siren professor. However, Nalia was prepared as she quickly dodged the overhead smash by shifting her body to the left before quickly grabbing the staff and then pulling on it before unleashing a back fist strike into the abdomen of the kitsune that sent her stumbling back. She then dodged the incoming thrusts by the remaining two by leaping back out of range before wielding the staff as her own, knocking out the sword from Will's hand before she dodged several thrusts from Valary. Nalia stepped back and flourished the bo staff in her hands. She kept her eyes on the three students slowly moving towards her. 

Meanwhile, Martha and Sobbard were busy dealing with the trio of students whom they counter-charged once the others teleported behind them. While both professors allowed their opponents to attack first, that was all their generosity had to give. Martha faced down Xin and Liang at once, with the former general easily blocking and parrying the sword and fist swings coming from her two opponents. Her movements were precise and smooth as she blocked a punch from Xin by smacking it away with the flat side of the halberd head before blocking two thrusts from Liang by quickly shifting the shaft of her weapon that stopped the thrusts from striking her. She then countered with a full twirl and smacked Liang in the abdomen with the flat of the halberd head sending her flying back a bit before she dodged another punch by Xin by leaning back a bit and then using the momentum to kick him in the shin and then headbutt the young man back, with the headbutt making Xin groan in pain and grasping his face as he stumbled back. 

Then there was Sobard who was easily reading Han's attacks, using his double axes to easily block and parry the many feints and thrusts fired off by the president of the Order Of Fire, something that was getting Han desperate as his many moves failed to even punch through the defenses of the opponent before him. 

{!} 

After failing to land another feigned thrust towards Sobard's abdomen, Han was slow on the react time as the orc professor landed a low kick that made Han stumble back and then get clobbered twice with the flat sides of Sobard's axes sending him flying back and then crashing onto the battleground back first. 

With the initial three recovering, Martha and Sobard turned around to help their compatriot but stopped in their tracks as they saw Nalia easily dealing with the trio attacking her. She threw the staff at Will before charging at Rannia, she fired off a punch to the face that the kitsune dodged by leaning backward but left herself open to a quick palm strike from Nalia's other hand that struck the kitsune in the solar plexus that sent her crashing to the ground with a grunt. The siren professor then quickly blocked and parried to the best of her abilities as Will and Valery attacked her from both sides, Nalia redirected a thrust from the dragonkin towards the floor before clocking Valery on the left side of her face with a quick roundhouse kick that made her reel before landing a back fist strike on Will who came up behind her and tried to land a powerful punch to her bacK and was sent staggering back in pain for his troubles. The siren professor then grabbed Valery by the collar and threw the dragonkin at the young man before he could react, sending them both crashing to the battleground floor. 

[Damn, those lessons really paid off] Martha telepathically said with a surprised expression on her face

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

With 3 of the 6 members of the Order Of Fire incapacitated, the Golden Fire Sect students and professors had their mouths agape at the virtually one-sided battle that was happening before their eyes. The best of the best of the Sect whom they hoped had the ability to at least bring down one professor from Imperia were now lacking half of their number as 3 of them even failed to subdue a single teacher who used her own hand-to-hand combat techniques that trumped theirs without competition. All eyes turned to Sect Master Sun who held a mixed bag of emotions as while she was happy to see the perpetrators get punished, she was surprised and even horrified to see that even the best of the best were no match for three professors from another school. Maybe it was the pride clawing out from inside her but Sun turned to Leilani who knew exactly what she wanted. 

"If you get involved Sect Master, so will I" Leilani said with a smirk as she ate a donut that she pulled out of her item box 

"That was not the request" Sun told her 

"But that was the intention" Leilani shot back with Sun rolling her eyes as she let out a defeated sigh 

"Besides that. May I ask if your instructors can teach my instructors a lesson? Even my sister and I would have a hard time despite our impressive combat ability, but seeing your staff in action, it makes ours look bad by a massive margin" The Sect Master requested with a wry smile 

"Sure, while we are here on our little visit, I can dispatch Sobard and Martha to help you" Leilani nodded as she ate the donut 

"Thank you very much Miss Leilani" 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Back on the Battleground, Han, Liang, and Xin were dumbfounded and very much scared as they saw it was only three of them left. They were about to try and think of another plan as the telepathic connection between them was still thankfully available. 

{!} 

But before they could even do that, a storm of purple lightning bolts came down faster than they could react and struck them multiple times with shocking intensity that brought them to their knees. They tried to get up but once the trio raised their heads, their eyes went wide as the Imperia professors were standing before them, each of them placing a weapon on the neck of the student trio with smirks on their faces as they looked down at them 

"Yield?" Martha asked as she looked down at Han Changpu 

Han looked at his friends who nodded as they could feel their strength waining as the purple bolts of electricity sapped them of everything inside them. They nodded at him and he nodded in return before he looked back up at the beautiful Imperia professor in her crimson colored eyes 

"We yield, please have mercy" Han said as he looked down, with Martha and her colleagues nodding as they removed their weapons from the necks of the defeated students. 

Martha looked at her beloved sitting next to Sect Master Sun and raised her halberd high in the air, with the crowd still silent as they saw this as the Order Of Fire being defeated. Their best of the best, the students that everyone across the sect had hoped to be like, and were now revealed to be the instigators of everything that led to this battle of pride, were broken and defeated before the people they had so eagerly challenged.

A/N: New Chapter. Enjoy! Hehehehe.