Liang lowered his arm. His white beard twitched as his frown deepened. "You are the top sword practitioner among the second-year academy disciples. This is a simple evaluation spar. Why do you refuse?"
Marco rubbed the back of his neck. He looked away from the center of the ring. "I challenged him to an official arena duel back at the academy grounds. He beat me senseless with just his fists in front of the student body. Fighting him again when he has a weapon, I already know how that ends."
The surrounding first-year students erupted into loud whispers. Dozens of teenagers pointed at Solomon and exchanged shocked expressions.
The floating stream interface vibrated with new text.
[LazyCat: LMAO HE BROUGHT MARCO!]
[User12: bro has PTSD from that arena fight.]
[NewbHunter: Marco knows exactly what happens when you mess with Solo Man.]
[Skeptic: wait, he actually beat the top second-year student?]
