<b>Chapter </b>823


    Violet smiled slightly beforeunching herself at Carissa, who sidestepped to avoid her, then grabbed her arm and pulled her back. In a split second, Violet executed a backflip and soared through the air.


    The two exchanged blows for what felt like an eternity, their movements so swift that it was nearly impossible to follow. The sound of their strikes cut through the air like thunder, and on more than one asion, their flying kicks shattered nearby gstones into pieces, leaving the onlookers in shock.


    Their match made everyone reconsider the earlier assessment–it felt like the true test was taking ce right before their eyes. Based on what they were seeing now, Carissa could have easily taken them down in just a few moves.


    After over a hundred exchanges, the two finally came to a halt, stepping back to catch their breath. Despite their intense battle, their appearances were only slightly disheveled.


    Barrett watched from the sidelines, feeling a whirlwind of emotions. He had seen the power of both Carissa and Violet on the Southern Frontier battlefield, where their skills had been put to the test in realbat. Back then, it was all about strength, agility, and speed.


    But this sparring session was different. It was raw talent, and their techniques were dazzlingly effective.


    Seeing such formidable women made Barrett realize what a treasure he had let slip away. Recalling the words he had said to Carissa after returning from the expedition, embarrassment flushed his cheeks.


    How had he found the nerve to say such things? He still couldn’t quite grasp what had possessed him at the time.


    Michael was the first to react. He immediately knelt and dered, “Sage Violet, please ept my


    greetings.”


    Max was taken aback for a moment, then quickly followed suit and knelt. “Sage Violet, please ept my greetings.”


    They were not merely acknowledging Violet as a martial arts instructor–they were genuinely epting


    her as their mentor.


    Michael shed a cheeky grin at Max. “Sorry, but I’m the eldest apprentice and your senior now.”


    Max sighed, “You sly dog! I was a step behind.”


    Alistair hesitated for a moment, then asked uncertainly, “Do we really have to ept her as our mentor?”


    “No need for that,” Carissa replied coolly. “Whether or not she epts an apprentice is up to her. She doesn’t take just anyone. She’s only here to help you improve your skills, so calling her Sage Violet is enough.”


    “No way! We want to formally ept her as our mentor,” Michael insisted.


    For those in the Mystic Army, advancing their martial arts skills was the only way to ensure their future.


    Violet hadn’t nned on taking on any apprentices, but now that both of them had knelt, she felt obliged to ept them.


    “Well, if you’re kneeling…” she began.


    <b>Before </b>she could finish, Alistair quickly dropped to his knees and proimed, “Sage Violet, please <b>ept </b><b>my </b>greetings!”


    “I guess I’ll just ept… What?”


    Violet almost stumbled over her words as she and Alistair had spoken at the same time. She had intended to only take on Michael and Max, and didn’t want to ept Alistair. The man was such an opportunist. He knelt just as she was speaking, catching her off guard, N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    Noticing Barrett stepping forward, Violet panicked at the thought of him kneeling too.


    “Alright, I’ll take three apprentices and the rest can still learn from me. We’ll hold the formal apprenticeship ceremony in a few days. I have to leave now, I have matters to attend to.”


    Barrett naturally wanted to learn martial arts. In the past, he had believed his skills were decent. But after witnessing the prowess of Carissa and herpanions on the Southern Frontier, he understood what it meant when people said there were always greater heights and more skilled individuals in the world. However, he had no intention of epting Violet as his mentor. She was just a young woman, headstrong and impudent. No matter how skilled she was, she was hardly fit to be someone’s mentor.


    The thought of being a Crown Guardmander and kneeling before such a young woman wasughable. How could Barrett face his subordinates after that? Would he have any authority left?


    Moreover, Violet wasn’t even an official sage. The distinction between an instructor and an official sage was significant.


    As Violet hurried away, she realized she didn’t truly want apprentices, but Carissa was in charge of the Mystic Army. If Carissa’s soldiers weren’t skilled enough, everything would fall on Carissa’s shoulders.


    Violet didn’t want to see her friend work herself to the bone.