All the disciples were confused when Dahlia told them that today was the final.
"Listen up," Dahlia said.
"Today is the final day I’ll teach you."
The disciples blinked in surprise.
"Don’t tell me... no more morning training?"
Some of them looked almost too happy.
Dahlia noticed and smirked.
"Don’t look so relieved. I’m not quitting."
"I’ll be going into closed-door cultivation starting tomorrow. So today we’re doing something different."
The disciples straightened up.
Dahlia nodded and rolled her shoulders.
"Yeah. I’ve taught you all how to train your body, but I haven’t seen how you actually fight."
She cracked her knuckles, and her smirk widened.
"So today, I want you all to show me."
She raised one hand and waved it.
"Come at me. Use whatever you’ve got. Martial arts, techniques, or weapons."
The disciples hesitated.
"Wait... all of us? At once?"
"Of course. Don’t worry, I won’t even use mana to fight all of you kids."
The group went silent.
One brave disciple stepped forward.
"Senior Sister, are you serious?"
Dahlia cracked her neck.
"If we all attack at one, it might be dangerous."
Dahlia smirked, rolling her shoulders.
"Dangerous? For who?"
The disciples exchanged glances, then nodded in unison.
"Alright then. Let’s do this!"
Dahlia spread her stance slightly.
"Good. Let’s see how strong all of you are."
The disciples surrounded her, forming a wide circle and then...
Five disciples rushed in first.
"Steel Tiger Palm!" shouted one as his hands glowed silver.
"Crimson Gale Kick!" yelled another, spinning through the air like a tornado.
The others followed with glowing fists and flashing technique, each attack loud and exaggerated.
Dahlia didn’t even move at first.
She stood perfectly still, eyes half-closed like a bored teacher watching children swinging sticks.
As the first attack came, she simply shifted her weight to teh side, making the palm attack miss completely.
Dahlia then caught his wrist, twisted, and dropped her shoulder into his chest.
He went flying backward.
Before the next could reach her, Dahlia stepped forward and swept her leg low.
The spinning kick hit nothing but air. Its owner crashed face-first into the ground.
The other three attacked together.
"Thousand Wave Fist!"
"Rising Phoenix Strike!"
"Mountain Crusher Kick!"
Dahlia ducked under the first punch, letting the mana wind blow her hair back.
She stepped in close, jabbed once to the ribs, and the disciple wheezed, falling.
Dahlia also then sidestepped, dodging the phoenix strike, and instantly grabbed the extended arm.
She then used the disciple’s own momentum to flip him onto his back.
The last one swung his leg like an axe, mana bursting from it.
Dahlia caught it mid-air with both hands and shoved upward, throwing him off balance.
And one sharp kick to the side, quickly toppling him over.
The next wave of disciples charged, shouting their techniques like a choir of chaos.
"Flaming Lotus Dance!"
"Moonlight Spear Thrust!"
"Seven Blade Mirage!"
"Why are your move names longer than your attacks?"
She met the first attacker halfway. The lotus dance turned out to be three kicks in a row.
Dahlia blocked the first with her shin, caught the second, and pushed the third away with a kick to the stomach.
He hit the floor rolling.
Then the spear thrust came from behind, and Dahlia leaned sideways, letting the spear graze past her shoulder.
She snatched the wooden shaft, pulled hard, and the disciple stumbled right into her knee.
The air whooshed from his lungs.
The Seven Blade Mirage user came last, swiping a pair of daggers in fast patterns that left mana trails.
Dahlia didn’t back away. Instead, she stepped in.
One arm deflected, the other hand jabbed under his ribs, forcing the disciple to freeze mid-attack and collapse, groaning.
She exhaled slowly. "Anyone else?"
The rest of the disciples hesitated, sweat rolling down their faces.
But one finally had enough and shouted.
"Together! All of us!"
Dozens rushed in from all sides.
The floor shook as they unleashed every technique they knew.
But Dahlia didn’t panic. She moved through it calmly, like a predator.
She ducked, rolled, and caught numerous disciples midair and twisted.
Then a knee to the gut, an elbow to the neck, and a throw that sent someone spinning into three others.
In less than one hour, half the hall was filled with groaning disciples.
The last few tried to hold their ground, and one finally shouted.
"Formation: Heavenly Wolf Pattern!"
Four disciples moved in sync, attacking from four angles. Their movements were fast and well-coordinated.
The first lunged forward with a palm strike. Dahlia slipped under, kicked the back of his knee, and he dropped.
She grabbed his falling body and threw him into the next attacker.
The third tried to kick him from above.
Dahlia stepped back, grabbed his leg midair, and swung him like a club into the last one.
Both crashed to the ground.
Only Dahlia remained standing in the center, surrounded by the defeated disciples.
Her breathing was calm. Not a drop of sweat on her forehead.
The disciples groaned, trying to sit up.
"She’s... a monster..."
"I didn’t even see her move..."
"My move had three words in it and still lost..."
Dahlia cracked her neck and stretched her arms.
"Alright, that’s enough. You’ve all got potential, but too much flair and not enough function."
She pointed at them with a smirk. Discover more novels at novel{f}ire.net
"Tomorrow, when you train, remember it’s not about being pretty. It’s about being effective."
Garion clapped slowly from the sidelines.
"You sound like me now."
Dahla turned, smiling faintly.
"Guess your teachings are finally working."
He nodded approvingly.
"Good job. You didn’t even need mana to fight them all."
She brushed her hands together.
"Didn’t have to. Their own fancy move did half the work for me."