A boy and a girl stood side by side, stretching their long limbs in preparation for their movement arts match. The white-haired girl wore a blue uniform, while the boy wore a vermilion one and kept glancing at her. The girl appeared calm, while the boy was visibly stiff and nervous.
Seeing this unfamiliar side of their Student Council President, the Vermilion Phoenix Academy students began whispering to each other.
"Why is he so nervous?"
"Sama Hyeon isn't the type to be this tense."
"Hey, you don't think...?"
The more perceptive students eyed their Student Council President suspiciously.
Sama Hyeon breathed deeply to calm his nerves. "Hoo, hoo, hoo!"
He ruffled his sweat-drenched hair and eyed Yeo Min.
His breathing was so ragged, unbefitting a martial artist, that Yeo Min couldn't help but take notice of him. "Are you okay? Do you need more time to catch your breath?"
"I-I'm fine, Young Lady. I apologize for worrying you!"
His breath was growing increasingly ragged.
Yeo Min had no idea what he was apologizing for, but she nodded nonchalantly, figuring it was probably nothing. She was used to far stranger individuals. "A warning, I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're out of breath. Also, do you really have to add 'Young Lady' to every sentence? You're making me cringe."
"B-But..." Sama Hyeon gaped at Yeo Min. He had heard his older sister say similar things dozens of times, but he had never felt so wronged.
Suddenly, the memory of his sister's advice flashed through his mind.
"Women aren't attracted to timid men, dummy."
The look in his eyes instantly changed.
"I'm sorry, but I'm the one who's going to win this match."
"All of a sudden? And there's nothing for you to be sorry about..." Yeo Min scoffed. Glancing at the Five Young Azure Dragons in the distance, who were waving and cheering for her at the top of their lungs, she grinned widely. "...Because I'm obviously going to win."
Baek Suryong approached the two competitors. "Are you all warmed up and ready to go?"
""Yes!""
"Good. Then, let's begin."
Baek Suryong tossed a fallen leaf into the air. Everyone's eyes tracked the leaf as it fluttered in the breeze and slowly drifted down. The signal to start was the moment the leaf touched the ground.
TAP!
Boy and girl kicked off the ground simultaneously, harnessing energy from their qi centers. A cold wind and a hot wind swirled around their bodies.
Sama Hyeon shot forward first. The Raging Flame Divine Art, the Fire King's unique martial art, relied on the explosive use of inner qi. Fire qi erupted from his body, instantly awakening his muscles and spreading to the soles of his feet.
BOOM!
Each time a wave of qi erupted from the Yongquan acupoints on his soles and struck the ground, his body shot forward like an unstoppable cannonball.
I have to win!
Despite the unfamiliar emotions, Sama Hyeon remained focused on the competition. He was representing the Vermilion Phoenix Academy. The only thought in his mind was that he absolutely had to win... until a chill ran up the nape of his neck.
SHAAAAA!
Sama Hyeon recalled the phrase 'Northern Wind Frozen Snow.' Having learned an extreme yang martial art, it was a phrase he had only ever heard and never felt, not even in the dead of winter. In this moment, however, the bone-chilling cold grazing the back of his neck forced him to glance back involuntarily.
A pure white mist swirled around the young maiden. A thin layer of ice shimmered in the sunlight around her body, making it seem as if she were clad in frost.
Sama Hyeon's lips parted slightly at the mystical sight. This image was one that would be etched in his memory forever.
WHOOSH!
The instructors looked on with satisfied smiles as the students displayed their exceptional movement arts. Meanwhile, the students cheered for their respective representatives at the top of their lungs.
Yeo Min accelerated and began running alongside him. Her lips curved into a playful smile. "I'm going on ahead, okay?"
"...!" Sama Hyeon's eyes widened. While he was spellbound, his opponent had sped up to overtake him.
Every time Yeo Min's feet touched the ground, a thin layer of ice cracked into existence. Her white ponytail bounced like a fox's tail, taunting the boy as she pulled further ahead.
"W-Wait for me!" Sama Hyeon cried out without thinking, hastily increasing his speed.
FWOOSH!
An explosive energy like a wildfire raged around his body, and sparks scattered behind him.
With each step, the two drew more energy from their qi centers, and their opposing auras intensified. The shades of their martial arts uniforms blended with their auras, making the difference appear even more vivid.
"Hah! This is truly a clash between the Azure Dragon and the Vermilion Bird!"
By the time the competitors had completed one lap, Yeo Min was a step ahead , with Sama Hyeon hot on her heels.
"A clash between ice and flame arts..."
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The students chattered excitedly as the two passed them in a blur. From a distance, the sight of the boy and girl racing, one ahead and the other close behind, looked like a game of tag.
"They're both so fast!"
"Did they do nothing but practice movement arts to death?"
"By the way, don't those two look good together?"
"Bwahahaha! That's why I said it!"
Heads nodded in agreement here and there.
"I hate to admit it, but..."
The guy's handsome, and the girl's pretty."
"It's a match made in heaven."
As the White Ice Divine Art and the Raging Flame Divine Art—two of the most antithetical martial arts in the world—mingled, a trail of sparkling frost and dancing embers was left in their wake, like a painting in midair.
"What do you mean they look good together?" Hyonwon Kang growled fiercely, crossing his arms and pouting.
"Oh my, our dear Wonkang," a low voice drawled, draping a massive arm over his shoulder.
No matter how large the training ground was, it was only three laps.
Without even looking, Hyonwon Kang knew it was Geo Sangwoong.
"What are we to do, Senior Wonkang?" Ya Suhyeok sighed, landing an equally massive bundle of muscle on his other shoulder.