The two who were looking around the second floor of the hall of skills were rather famous individuals of the current martial arts world and were called the twin stars of Zothril. These two were geniuses of two different sects. The two of them were in their late twenties and were rank-seven martial artists.
One of these geniuses was the master of the heavy sword, Ye Rong of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. He was a sturdy and rigid young man who seem fit to be part of the military. He was part of the Twin Stars of Zothril that had previously joined that tournament. During that tournament when Zothril was losing he and the other Twin Star joined forces to fight off the Empire's geniuses. Even though at the end of the tournament Zothril lost, he and the other Twin Star were able to take down several dozen geniuses of the Empire showing their ferocious might. Even the arrogant geniuses of the Empire acknowledge their strength.
At the moment Ye Rong was at the Martial Arts Department of Leim City because he recently heard a rumor that there was a secret skill hidden on the second floor of the hall of skills, in this certain Martial Arts Department. The rumor started shortly after the introduction of the assassin Fade. Many have theorized that Fade was a rank nine martial artist nearing the level of a Grandmaster, some even said that he was already a Grandmaster ranked martial artist. It was rumored that the assassin has a skill recorded in the Martial Arts Department of Leim City, the city where he was first spotted.
Usually, Ye Rong wouldn't believe such rumors, but after reading a bit online, and hearing the various theories of the netizens, he was a little bit convinced that it was possible. Even though most of the skills in the Martial Arts Department were rather normal skills that couldn't be compared to the skills of top-grade sects, there were still some hidden gems in it.
So thinking that it wouldn't hurt to look around, Ye Rong headed to Leim City. Who knew that his rival and the most irritating enemy would have the same idea as him.
The second genius of Zothril's Twin Stars, the master of the heavy fist, Liu Yue of the Dazzling Phoenix Sect. She was a cute, petite woman, most people who see her for the first time would want to hug her or pat her head, but those tricked by her cute demeanor would regret it. She might look cute on the outside but on the inside, she was blazing and passionate a person who uses her fist more than her words.
She too came to Leim City to look for that rumored technique that Fade uses. When she saw that Ye Rong was at the same place, it made her feel extremely upset.
...
To the general populace, the Twin Stars were the perfect duo that got along very well. In fact, there were many that had the idea that the two of them were lovers. Of course, the truth was entirely different from what everyone expected.
"Heh, to think that someone as stubborn as you will be willing to believe in some random ass rumor." Liu Yue snickered.
"Hmph, I'm more surprised that a muscle-brained person like you actually knew how to use the internet. I was convinced that you would've punched any electronic device to make them work." Ye Rong spoke with a look of indifference.
"Huh?! Who the f*ck are you calling a muscle-brain, you f*cking sh*thead." Liu Yue responded with thick killing intent.
"See what I mean, the moment you can't win an argument you get violent, you little barbarian."
Even though Ye Rong responded rather calmly he too was oozing with killing intent. As the two were teetering towards battle and were just about to attack each other, several guards of the second floor had suddenly surrounded them. These guards were mostly rank seven martial artists like the two of them. Even the head guard who was stationed to the guard the stairs to the second floor appeared.
"What are you two doing?"
The head guard spoke while unleashing a powerful aura that weighed down on the two geniuses. Even though they could take the weight of the aura their legs started shaking. They might be geniuses and could defeat people of a higher level, but the head guard was a rank ten martial artist. A martial artist that was at the peak just a step before the Grandmaster rank. Not to mention this guard was also once a famous genius of the younger generation and was considered as one of the most powerful martial artists below the Grandmaster rank.
"I'm sorry Sir Mark, it's because this barbarian wanted to attack me." Ye Rong pointed at Liu Yue who was glaring at him.
"I'm the barbarian!? You're the f*cking barbarian here, calling a cute girl like me a muscle-brain!" Liu Yue responded with a fury. She really wanted to attack Ye Rong at this moment, but she knew that she couldn't do that. Even if she did manage to bypass the several guards that had a similar rank to her, she would never be able to get past the head guard, Sir Mark. In fact, she was sure that the moment she made a move she would be struck down.
"Enough! The two of you better behave, or I'll throw you both out!"
Mark shouted at the two of them and he did so while using inner energy making it feel like the very ground trembled at his voice.
"Yes, Sir!"
The two responded in sync. Hearing their acknowledgment Mark nodded his head and told the several guards to go back to their positions. He then glared at the two before leaving. Once Mark was gone the pressure that weighed down on the Twin Stars disappeared. The two then looked at each other and as if they had read each other's thoughts, they headed to one side of the room and started looking for the hidden skill.
The two continued searching for a couple of hours, but couldn't find any hint of the supposed hidden skill. Still, they knew that the second floor of the hall of skills was too large, and they understood that they wouldn't be able to comb the entirety in just one day. As the two continued their search someone else entered the room.
When Loki entered the second floor the Twin Stars who were focused on searching for the hidden skill stopped and looked at him.. They were rather surprised to see another young martial artist on the second floor, yet what surprised them, even more, was that they had no idea who the person was.