Having dismissed LeBlanc, Faen turned his gaze toward Akali and the others.
Compared to Faen, Akali and the group seemed much quieter.
They didn't know LeBlanc's true identity, but they had clearly heard, seen, and remembered Faen's command for her to remove the Noxian "nails" buried across Ionia.
Not fully grasping the situation and knowing Faen's unique status, they weren't in a hurry to voice their opinions.
Now that LeBlanc was gone, they exchanged glances. Shen stepped forward, looking at Faen, and asked, "Mr. Faen, that person just now..."
"A thousand-year-old virgin."
Faen didn't hold much respect for LeBlanc.
Initially, LeBlanc gave off the vibe of an unfathomable, deeply scheming ultimate mastermind with endless contingency plans and extraordinary power, manipulating every move of Noxus and the historical progression of Runeterra from the shadows.
But ever since some netizens noticed that every time LeBlanc orchestrated a massive plot, she ended up losing control and washing her hands of it, the impression of this millennial virgin shifted from a femme fatale to a "beautiful idiot."
Faen knew well that the ability to survive so many failed plans proved the formidable strength of the Black Rose—or rather, it proved they had successes, just more hidden ones.
But considering this "beautiful idiot" had a natural predator named Mordekaiser, and that she was nearly clueless about his plans while Faen possessed the relevant intelligence...
The advantage born from this information gap meant Faen felt almost zero psychological pressure when facing LeBlanc.
In contrast to Faen's casual demeanor, Shen and the others fell into a brief, stunned silence.
Looking at Faen's calm face, they couldn't fathom how he could speak of such a thing so casually.
Even in an Ionia filled with spirits and demons, entities that had lived for thousands of years weren't exactly a common sight.
At the very least, in the Material Realm of Ionia, apart from the eternal land spirits, very few humans or sentient beings possessed millennial lifespans.
Even the Enlightened One, Karma, would age and wither, leaving her soul and spirit in the Spirit Realm to assist the next generation in bearing the honor and duties of the name.
Under these circumstances...
"No wonder I didn't sense anything when that woman was nearby..." Shen muttered to himself, recalling Faen's words.
Only Shen knew how awkward he felt right now.
He had just declared that his perception range was about a hundred meters, and that while on guard, very few could approach him silently through Spirit Realm observation.
Yet, the moment the words left his mouth, Faen called LeBlanc out. Shen hadn't even detected her position until she actively stepped from the shadows.
The embarrassment of having a boast instantly punctured needed no elaboration.
However, given Shen's composed temperament, he didn't feel overly humiliated; after all, there is always someone stronger out there.
The problem was that his rebellious disciple, Akali, had been finding fault with him for some time now—mostly due to her rebellious nature. So, when the incident happened, Akali immediately stared at Shen with a forced, mocking smile for quite a while.
This left Shen feeling somewhat helpless.
He didn't actually care about failing to detect LeBlanc, and the others understood why it had happened.
But obviously, Akali didn't care about the reasons; she only cared about the opportunity to jab at her pedantic teacher.
Shen had grown somewhat accustomed to Akali's rebelliousness.
The issue was, just because Shen was used to it didn't mean Akali was right.
At least in the eyes of most of the Kinkou Order, Akali's temper needed serious tempering.
However, the current situation was unique; all of Ionia was undergoing unprecedented upheaval.
Specifically, Faen represented the will of the Enlightened One to unseal Ionia's darkness, which forced Shen to reconsider whether the path he insisted upon was truly correct.
The root of Shen's doubt was that he, too, could not remain indifferent to the destruction Noxus was inflicting on Ionia.
With Akali acting so rebellious now... perhaps it wasn't just rebellion? Perhaps the dogma he had accepted was no longer suited for this era?
Thinking of this, a new train of thought appeared in Shen's eyes.
If that was truly the case, continuing to teach Akali would only be leading her astray.
At the very least, for the coming era of strife where Ionia's darkness would return, the traditions and dogma the Kinkou had upheld for millennia would likely no longer meet current needs.
He was the disciple of Great Master Kusho. The "Stargazing" duty of the Eye of Twilight was entirely different from the "Pruning" duty of the Fist of Shadow.
In this scenario, whether Akali truly wanted to become the Fist of Shadow or not, she should be allowed to choose for herself.
And a basic condition for making that choice was to have tried and experienced the path she chose.
In today's Ionia, could anyone truly say they understood the essence of war or the future of an era of strife?
Before this, Shen's answer would have been no. But now...
Glancing at Faen beside him, Shen nodded thoughtfully.
Seeing that her provocation hadn't elicited the desired effect, a look of confusion appeared on Akali's face.
Immediately after, she noticed Shen looking at her. Through those eyes, Akali could tell Shen had made some sort of decision, though she remained completely clueless as to what it was.
In Shen's view—Faen's abilities went without saying.
In eloquence, he could debate fiercely with the elders of the Temple of the Long-Standing.
In skill, even those elders who disliked his philosophy had to hold their noses and admit he had reached the level of a Master.
In foresight, he had predicted the Noxian invasion decades ago.
In character, he had been stamped and approved by the Enlightened One, Karma.
To be able to take such a Master—one who was only a step away from becoming renowned across all of Ionia—as a teacher would be a blessing countless people dreamed of!