"I am Feng Bo," the masked man introduced himself.
"I have never seen Solomon train anyone other than students who just performed," Jin stated, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Instructor Solomon taught me in secret, late at night when the courtyards were empty," Feng Bo responded smoothly.
Jin turned to a nearby junior instructor. "Do we have a first-year novice registered under the name Feng Bo?"
Before the instructor could check the scrolls, Master Wu spoke up from the balcony. "Let the boy perform, Jin. We are evaluating martial mastery today, not attendance logs."
Jin stepped aside, gesturing for the masked student to proceed.
Feng Bo raised his wooden sword. He did not bother with the traditional opening rites. He immediately launched into the thirteen steps of the Azure Crane Blade. He executed the technique with absolute perfection.
Every single angle, every transfer, and every aerial rotation was performed in its truest, most devastating glory.
