Zinnia took a shaky breath and looked at Aksai, her eyes filled with frustration and guilt.
"I tried to protect my students, but the harassment only got worse. They wanted to break me—to make me hand over Celestial Harmony. They have been trying to infiltrate this school as well but I have always been careful.
I've been searching for exceptional talents among the new students, people strong enough to defend the school and themselves, but… they're rare. The good ones either leave out of fear or get hurt before they can grow."
For a moment, only the sound of silence filled the room.
Aksai finally spoke, his voice quiet but carrying a subtle weight. "That means they drove away the true young martial prodigies. And at the same time, they have been trying to infiltrate the martial school using good seedlings as bait."
Zinnia nodded, lowering her gaze.
