<h4>Chapter 11: Are You Asking Me to Spy, Mr. Mills?</h4>


    Isabe was left in shock, her mind reeling from aplete misunderstanding of the situation.


    Yet, Wendy, spotting Isabe, rushed over without a hint of the turmoil, asking with a touch of surprise and shyness, "Isabe, what brings you here?"


    Her tone, though timid, couldn''t mask the thrill of the encounter.


    Pulled back to the moment by Wendy''s query, Isabe clumsily exined, "I-I came to return your clothes. Thanks for what you did this morning."


    Wendy seemed unbothered by the awkwardness of the response, her admiration for the renowned genius Isabe unabated.


    Meanwhile, Isabe found herself distracted, her gaze frequently drifting to the door of the Omni-ss.


    It wasn''t long before Alex, wrapping up his session, exited the ssroom. Upon noticing Wendy and Isabe, Alex briefly advised them against neglecting their practice before heading to his office.


    Watching him leave, Isabe felt a wave of relief wash over her, her earlier concerns seemingly unfounded.


    Alex, in his neat appearance and steady demeanor, hardly seemed the type to be involved in any wrongdoing.


    The pair, ustomed to practicing together after sses, made their way to the training room. Once there, Wendy settled into her usual meditation spot, while Isabe approached her familiar training dummy.


    Unbeknownst to them, their entrance had been clearly observed by Oscar from his office, sparking curiosity and a scheming smirk.


    "Is that Wendy Queen, the one known as the lowest achiever in the entire school? What''s she doing with Isabe Roberts? Are they perhaps closer than we''ve been led to believe?" A smirk quickly spread across Oscar''s face, his mind already concocting ns.


    Night descended, and the training room slowly emptied, leaving only Wendy in her meditative solitude and Isabe tirelessly working the dummy.


    Isabe''s frustration mounted with each swing, her mind preupied with Wendy''s training. She had noticed how Wendy seemed to achieve a profound peace during her sessions, unaffected by external disturbances, a concept foreign to Isabe.


    "How does she manage that?" she wondered.


    It was then that a familiar figure beckoned from outside the training room. Hurrying out, Isabe greeted him, "Mr. Mills, you''re still up?"


    Oscar, standing before her, instead of responding, gestured for silence and whispered, "How well do you know Wendy?"


    Isabe, taken aback, replied honestly, "Not very well, we''ve recently be friends."


    Oscar''s nod was followed by a probing question, "So, as her friend, you might know about her training progress. How far has she gotten? Any notable improvements? Could you share with me?"


    Isabe stood dumbfounded. What did this mean? Was he really asking her to spy?


    Upon witnessing Isabe''s bewildered expression, Oscar put on a facade of moral high ground, stating, "Isabe, you''re reading too much into it. My concern for Wendy stems from herck of progress after two years here. It''s a pity, really. I merely wish to offer her some pointers! Surely, you wouldn''t want to see your friend fall prey to Alex Watson, the so-called mentor leading astray, would you?"


    This gave Isabe pause. Yet, after a moment''s contemtion, she responded, "I''m sorry, but I don''t believe that''s a good idea. Given the ongoing rivalry bet between our Warrior ss A and the Omni-ss, it feels like a conflict of interest. Besides, Wendy seems to be doing fine with her training—so well, in fact, that I''m quite envious..."


    Her voice trailed off, tinged with a hint of sadness. Without intending to, Isabe had let slip more than intended.


    Oscar''s eyes narrowed, caught off guard. Wendy''s training was going smoothly? Impossible. Was she not the student with two years of stagnant progress?


    Keeping his thoughts to himself, he acted as if he hadn''t picked up on the slip, nodding in apparent agreement. "Perhaps I''m just being overly concerned. You should head back, rest up. Health first, after all."


    Isabe didn''t give it another thought, heading back to her solitary practice in the training room.


    Meanwhile, Oscar stealthily circled back, watching Wendy''s training from afar. After an hour, his demeanor darkened. "She''s practicing an inner sect technique? But given herckluster aptitude, how can she sustain such prolonged, intense training? Did Alex impart some advanced technique to her? Unlikely..."


    Given Alex''s ordinary student status just two years ago and his continued presence at the school, it seemed improbable. Yet, in their merciless world, the unexpected was to be expected.


    The more Oscar pondered, the more his unease grew. Attempting to console himself, he whispered, "Regardless, even if Wendy has indeed had a breakthrough, so what? We have Isabe in our ss! Alex Watson''s efforts are doomed to fail against ours!"


    As he was about to leave, he noticed an anomaly within the training room. Wendy, secluded in her corner, began to radiate a subtle glow, deeply engrossed in her practice, unaffected by the surrounding marvel.


    This left Isabe, mid-practice, utterly bbergasted. What was happening? How could Wendy''s training evoke such an urrence?


    Oscar, from his vantage point, was thrown into turmoil. "Is that technique... the Divine Light Shield?! Impossible! How could Wendy, of all students, so swiftly master the Divine Light Shield, a stage steven technique?!"


    Shock contorted Oscar''s features, overwhelmed by a gnawing anxiety. "This won''t do. Regardless of Alex Watson''s methods, defeat is not an option!"


    The following day, within the Warrior ss A''s realm, Oscar, with a darkened demeanor, decreed, "Training intensity doubles today! Push yourselves to the limit!"