Zhi tagged behind his master and Principal Liam as the two elders chatted happily while Liam personally led them through the university halls.
One would expect the two to have a cultured conversation, given their stature as the principals of two of the most prestigious universities on floor zero, however, their conversation was anything but cultured.
"I must say, Mu Ban, your beard does look amazing. It has no freckles, no frizz, it's just so straight, shiny and sexy" Liam said, as he admired Mu Ban's long and luscious beard.
"The secret to my beard is Troyland horse poop. I apply a pack twice a week on my full beard..... it makes my beard as long and sexy as a horse's tail" Mu Ban said as Liam nodded in keen interest.
"As you can see, I suffer from a lot of beard entanglement.... Maybe I could use some horse poop myself-" Liam said, as he pointed towards his own curly and patchy beard, which Mu Ban inspected with keen interest.
"I was once admiring a horse's tail and that's when it struck me— A moment of pure genius if I say....." Mu Ban said, while stroking his beard.
"Horse's tails are always covered in their poop, but they look so good. I thought the pool must be secret to their hair quality and I was absolutely right.... The stupid alchemists try brewing all sorts of beard oils, however, nothing beats Troyland horse poop.
It's organic and best for the beard" Mu Ban said, as Zhi could not help but feel uncomfortable listening to the two esteemed elders talk about poop and beard.
Thankfully their conversation was cut short by their arrival to the swordsmanship training arena, where Rocky was already waiting for Zhi to show up.
Zhi immediately began sizing Rocky up upon arriving at the swordsmanship training arena as the two locked eyes and began gauging each other.
Zhi was notably shorter than Rocky, being only 5 '11", which made Rocky seem like a towering giant in front of him with his massive orcish frame.
"Amitabha, I must say that it's an honor to fight you. I'm hoping to draw out your best.... Also, don't worry, for I shall not try to kill or maim you-" Zhi said respectfully as he bowed slightly before Rocky.
Rocky raised an eyebrow at Zhi's words, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Don't worry about me, monk. I'll make sure this is a fight that you won't forget." He said, as he unsheathed his dual swords as well and assumed his own fighting stance, with muscles coiled and ready to unleash their strength.
Zhi bowed slightly, his nunchucks held steady. "Amitabha, I'm honored to face you here today, may we both learn a lot and grow from this encounter."
Rocky nodded respectfully. "Absolutely. Every match is a lesson, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you've got."
Zhi's expression remained calm. "A calm mind that speaks with clarity.... I'm already impressed Sir Rocky, for your friend Miss Sophia did not show such clarity in judgment.
She was hasty and easy to throw off her game, however, you seem like a more sensible opponent" he said, as Rocky chuckled at his words.
"Well I'm not her, and while my friend might have made the mistake of underestimating you, I won't do the same-" Rocky said, as he did not blame Sophia for losing against Zhi and tried to save some face for her.
"You should definitely not underestimate me, as while I am impressed by your incredible physique and mental clarity, I still have the utmost confidence in my ability to win this fight-" Zhi said, as Rocky's cocky grin only grew wider.
While he was not really feeling fired up for this fight before meeting Zhi, the more he talked to the monk, the more he felt the urge to crush him, as by this point he was more than ready to go all out and win no matter the cost, as he really wished to humble the cocky monk.
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/// A/N - Bonus chapter for hitting the PS target good job everyone! ///