Legend of Niyonika

Top Ten Outer Disciples 2 (Ch.15)

~Character is destiny~

-Heraclitus

"Big sister, that female is Lila, the disciple ranked No 3 among the top ten outer disciples and equally the most powerful water elemental among the outer disciples. At the age of eighteen, she is at the high stage of the fifth level of the elemental novice realm, a truly powerful force!" Raila helpfully supplied when she noticed Niyonika's somewhat confused gaze.

Niyonika nodded in understanding as she stared at the female who approached the crowd of disciples with confident strides.

In the face of the murmuring and whispers of the disciples at her arrival, the female did not even look the slightest bit fazed, she seemed not to even notice the crowd.

Niyonika commended this level of detachment from people as it was a character she also possessed, in this case, it was one intentional loner recognizing another.

The crowd of disciples parted once again to grant the female water elemental passage to the very front of the gathering, right beside where Niyonika stood.

Niyonika raised a brow as the female briefly glanced at her, but then moved her gaze away as easily without bothering to exchange unnecessary pleasantries. The female stood regally, arms crossed as she kept her gaze focused on the stage.

Niyonika quite appreciated the female's aloofness. When compared with the other disciples fawning over her, she quite preferred this treatment and so Niyonika also shifted her gaze elsewhere, not sparing the female another glance.

It wasn't long after the female arrived that three other males walked in, once again throwing the arena into awed silence.

The first male to arrive bore the brown sect insignia of an earth elemental. This male's features were hard and tan, his form broad and muscular akin to an unmovable rock, each step he took gave off an aura of intimidating power and strength, however he still possessed his youthful handsomeness.

He arrived at the gates of the arena and stopped, his intimidating glance roving over the ground of assembled disciples, a few steps behind him were two other males.

The second male right behind the earth elemental was equally dressed in white robes as every other person, however his sect insignia was a shiny silvery colour, identical to that on Niyonika's own robes.

Each step he took, his feet seemed to barely touch the ground as he swept towards them with a grace that was rare to find in a male.

He had a small boyish grin on his face that made him stand out from the female water elemental and the two other male elementals that had arrived because unlike them, he did not seem to look upon the rest of the disciples with disdain but instead permitted a bright smile to stretch across his lips as he came to a stop besides the earth elemental.

"Fellow outer disciples, your beloved senior brothers are here!" The wind elemental male announced with a grin, the crowd of disciples broke out into laughter as the disciples who had previously been forced to pin drop silence at the arrival of the water elemental female and the earth elemental immediately began offering excited greetings to the wind elemental.

"Welcome senior brother."

"Senior brother's eccentric disposition is always refreshing."

"Ah...tis my pleasure." The wind elemental replied to the numerous greetings from the gathered outer disciples who seemed to genuinely adore this wind elemental.

The earth elemental who had arrived first passed the wind elemental a glare just as the third male arrived to join the two standing at the gates.

This third male's robes had a blue sect insignia signifying his status as a water elemental, he stopped by the side of the earth and wind elemental and offered greetings to the both of them.

"Junior disciple bids senior disciple brothers greetings." The male water elemental greeted politely, Niyonika assumed he was one of those formal characters from the way he cupped his hands and bowed.

"Ah... junior brother is here also, good.. good." The wind elemental responded to the greeting with a smile while the earth elemental merely hummed in response.

"Big sister, those three are the senior brother Tron, an earth elemental. The wind elemental is senior brother Daine and the water elemental is senior brother Flin. They are the No 4, No 5 and No 7 of the top ten outer disciples respectively." Raila informed Niyonika, Niyonika nodded as she regarded them quietly.

After exchanging their pleasantries, or at least the water elemental and the wind elemental did while the earth elemental merely hummed here or there, the three moved forward as one, making their way to the front of the gathering through the path created by the gathered disciples.

"Senior sister Lila has been well I trust?" The wind elemental Daine asked the female water elemental that was ranked No3 among the top ten outer disciples as he, No 4 and No 7 came to a stop beside the female water elemental Lila.

The female water elemental nodded calmly in response to the greetings of her three junior disciples.

"Junior sister Niyo, it has been quite some time I beheld your heavenly visage." The wind elemental greeted Niyonika next once the three elementals arrived at the front of the gathered disciples.

Niyonika grimaced slightly at his words but passed him a slight nod of recognition, she was not certain what her relationship with him was supposed to be but from his mannerisms, it seemed they were close enough.

"Where is No 6 then?" Niyonika asked curiously, wondering why that number had not been mentioned.

"Ah...he will probably arrive with No 2 as usual." Raila replied with a shrug, before Niyonika could enquire more, a male and a female approached the gates.

"Ah... look, there comes No 8 and No 9 of the top ten outer disciples." Raila said, nudging Niyonika to glance towards the gates.

Niyonika watched as a petite, cute looking female arrived at the doors with a tall, thin male beside her. The female's white robes were adorned with a green sect insignia which Niyonika had not noticed before this.

"Raila, this female's sect insignia is a green shade." Niyonika observed, Raila nodded.

"Senior sister Rue is an earth elemental, however she is more adapt in controlling nature rather than the earth itself unlike senior brother Tron, hence her colour is unique due to the uniqueness of her element." Raila explained, Niyonika frowned in puzzlement.

"Does this not mean she is an earth elemental with a minor element of nature? The rare dual elemental?" Niyonika quickly asked, Raila chuckled, shaking her head.

"I believe I told big sister that dual elementals are extremely rare, could it be possible that a dual elemental is so easily seen? Even though they are outstanding talents, they are still outer disciples, if truly she was a dual elemental, she would not have to bother with this ranking contest, she would have long been directly selected by a sage master or even a heavenly sage master the very second she set her foot at the Heavenly Sage Pavilion's door." Raila said, Niyonika frowned.

"If not a dual elemental, then what?" Niyonika questioned in puzzlement, Raila chuckled again seeming to be extremely excited to be the one who knew all the answers.

"Well... I did tell big sister there were some black sheep among us elementals here or there, senior sister Rue is one of such." Raila responded proudly, Niyonika was even more confused with her response.

"A black sheep elemental? How so?" Niyonika asked.

"Big sister, it is like this. Senior sister Rue is classified under the earth elementals however she is not an earth elemental, in fact, senior sister Rue does not posses any of the five major elements." Raila explained, Niyonika raised a brow in surprise.

"Senior sister Rue is one of those black sheep that possess only a minor element." Raila concluded.

"Only a minor element? Does that not mean this senior sister naturally should have been disqualified at the qualification? I thought the very first qualification was the test for a major element." Niyonika asked, recalling what the five brother disciples had told her about the qualification test.

"Big sister is right, however senior sister Rue possessing only a minor element is not noteworthy when compared to the fact that her minor element of nature is not any less powerful than the five major elements! Senior sister Rue defeated several elementals possessing the five major elements with her minor element of nature at the qualification test, senior sister Rue is said to have been gifted with an unprecedented control over nature hence an exception was made in her case." Raila explained, Niyonika nodded slowly in understanding.

"Ah...so it was like this?" Niyonika asked quietly, watching the cute looking female head their way with the male beside her, although she looked to be harmless, the dangerous flash in her gaze was enough to tell Niyonika that this female was powerful.

"Senior sister Rue is No 8, so who is this No 9?" Niyonika asked Raila, watching the male who dutifully followed at senior sister Rue's side. His white robes were adorned with a silver shade sect insignia that showed he was a wind elemental like herself and Daine.

"That is senior brother Hunt, he is a wind elemental and is close friends with senior sister Rue, they are said to have arrived the sect at the same time. Among the top ten outer disciples, they are the only two who do not look at each other as rivals, as for the rest, despite the formalities on the surface, between the ten of them is a constant battle to move up the rankings." Raila informed, Niyonika shrugged casually in response.

"That much is also expected, it would be suspicious if they were actually all close friends." Niyonika replied, Raila nodded in agreement.

"I presume the positions in the ranking must change often then?" Niyonika asked, Raila shook her head.

"Not at all, each strive extremely hard in their cultivation. This is because if one cannot move up in the rankings, one should at least maintain your original position, moving down in the ranking is considered a humiliation." Raila explained.

"Ah...so it has never happened before?" Niyonika asked in surprise.

"How could that be? It certainly has happened, the current No 6 was previously No 5 but was defeated by senior brother Daine in a challenge and hence the rankings changed, however the positions of the top three has not changed in like forever despite the countless challenges, most especially that position of No1..."