In Ionia, lineage and mentorship are crucial components determining a person's future achievements.
Take Shen and Usan (Zed) as examples.
Shen received personal instruction from his father, Great Master Kusho, from a young age.
He became the chief disciple of the Kinkou's North Academy at a young age and traveled to the Placidium more than once to participate in seminars with top scholars, sages, and elders, vastly expanding his horizons.
At the same age, Usan was bustling about with menial chores as an errand boy in the Kinkou Order.
Later, due to Shen's kindness, Usan successfully became Great Master Kusho's disciple.
He was entrusted with heavy responsibilities and grew at an astonishing speed, eventually catching up from behind to spar evenly with Shen.
True, this was because Usan possessed extremely high natural talent.
But without Great Master Kusho's teaching, guidance, and training, even if Usan achieved something, he absolutely wouldn't have reached his current heights.
Even among disciples, there was a hierarchy.
The commonly known ranks were menial disciples, outer disciples, inner disciples, and closed-door disciples.
Menial disciples needed no explanation; they did chores and learned a few parlor tricks.
To put it bluntly, over 80% of menial disciples would eventually be weeded out, replaced by new batches every year. Unless they had true talent, it was hard to stand out.
Outer disciples were slightly better; they could formally learn real knowledge and magic, and participate in hunting and fighting evil spirits. However, they still only served as auxiliary combat roles.
In contrast, inner disciples were the mainstay of the Kinkou Order and the genius practitioners who might become sages or masters in the future.
Closed-door disciples were either family relations or possessed peerless talent.
But Shen knew very well that above all these, there was a master-apprentice relationship comparable to family: studying under, serving, and fighting alongside someone before they even achieved the title of Master.
The bond forged as both teacher and friend from humble beginnings, compared to the relationship of seeking tutelage after they became famous, was the difference between providing coal in a snowstorm and adding flowers to brocade.
Anyone could do the latter; the former was true friendship forged in adversity.
While the current Faen didn't need "coal in a snowstorm," no one yet knew his true skills, foresight, and abilities.
Under these circumstances, taking him as a master early on would bring Akali nothing but benefits.
Even...
Shen pursed his lips, having to admit he had a selfish motive.
He hoped to deepen the connection between Faen and the Kinkou Order.
Even if Akali, as Faen's disciple, might not return to the Kinkou Order, her mother was still the Kinkou's Fist of Shadow, and Shen was her former teacher and friend.
With this layer of connection, if the Kinkou Order truly encountered problems in the future, they could seek Faen's help through this tie.
As for whether Akali would be mistreated under Faen, Shen hadn't considered it at all.
Having cultivated in the Placidium since childhood, hailing from the prestigious lineage of Silk Dance Master Xynia, remaining vigilant in times of peace, possessing the ability to foresee the future—a foresight recognized by the Enlightened One, Karma, who specifically bestowed the Mark of the Twin Dragons to show her regard.
With so many layers of endorsement, combined with their recent interactions and Faen's views on the future and the world, Shen didn't believe Faen would randomly harm a child seeking knowledge.
However, the current situation was unique; they were on a mission, so it wasn't the time to discuss this.
Thinking this, Shen wasn't in a hurry to speak. He continued to ponder when and how best to propose his idea.
While Shen was deep in thought, a rustling sound came from nearby.
A moment later, Kalan's silhouette emerged from the gloom.
Compared to before, he was now carrying five or six young men and women.
Tossing these men and women—bound hand and foot, with gags in their mouths—onto the soft ground, Kalan stepped out of the bushes.
Despite his massive and imposing frame, which one would expect to struggle in such dense foliage, Kalan's passage was completely unhindered.
The branches and leaves seemed to proactively part for him, even aiding his silent advance.
As a Primordial Kiilash, Kalan's talent for stealth, ambush, and hunting in the wild was evident.
Kalan wasn't particularly proud of this.
He knew very well that in terms of true strength, this young man beside him—who would barely be considered "acceptable" by Kiilash standards—was the truly powerful one.
"They claim to be the Unspoken of Fae'lor," Kalan said.
"The Unspoken?" Shen and the others exchanged surprised looks.
"Unspoken" wasn't a unique identity, but a derogatory term.
Who the first Unspoken was had been lost to the river of history, but just as the name "Syndra" represented loss of control and chaos, the title of Unspoken in Ionian ideology belonged to those who had lost their honor and no longer pursued truth and knowledge.
To call oneself the Unspoken was to proactively tell others that they had lost their reputation and glory, abandoned the pursuit of truth, and were willing to do anything—such as seek revenge—by any means necessary.
And now, these people calling themselves the Unspoken of Fae'lor...
They exchanged glances. Shen and the others had more or less noticed that ever since they set out for Fae'lor, they were often operating in the dark.
Because Noxus had occupied the area, the invasion of this foreign military culture left the long-peaceful Ionia severely lacking in basic knowledge.
For instance, right now, they didn't know how to judge the situation.
Furthermore, before this, most decisions had been made by Faen, who was well-traveled and familiar with the customs of the Valoran continent.
This very dynamic was subtly reinforcing Faen's authority and status within this temporary team.
Feeling their gazes, Faen simply shrugged as usual, indicating it wasn't a big deal.
He then manipulated a water blade to slice the cloth gags binding the captives' mouths.