Lilah picked up a green date and bit into it. Her eyebrows furrowed in distaste. The fruit was sour and she immediately lost interest in it.

Xavier swallowed, a nervous smile on his face. “Um, do I have to go through this assessment too?"

"Of course," Lilah replied coolly.

“What? But Lilah, I'm your most loyal guy! How could you even think of kicking me out? I admit I'm not the best, but I've always tried my best!" Xavier's expression collapsed, his eyes widening in an exaggerated display of hurt and disappointment, his lips puckering into a mock pout.

"Don't worry, I've got a special test just for you," Lilah replied, a smirk curving her lips. Then she clapped her hands.

The tiny ball of energy that was Jerrold burst into the room, his bright eyes shining with excitement. “Mommy, did you need me?"

Lilah waved her hand in Xavier's direction nonchalantly. "Go and practice with Xavier."

Xavier burst out laughing. “Seriously? You're having me train with Jerrold?"

“What, you think he's beneath you?" Lilah raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.

Jerrold looked up defiantly at Xavier. “I'm really good!"

"Alright, alright, let's do this." Obviously, Xavier didn't see Jerrold as a threat at all.

But a few seconds after they started, Xavier's incredulous voice rang out.

“Hey, hey, hey, Jerrold, you can't kick me there... and don't pull my ear! Aren't you supposed to follow the rules?"

In a matter of seconds, Xavier was at his wits end.

Despite his small size, Jerrold had been training with the three elderly men for quite a while. He knew how to punch and kick. He even knew how to employ a number of sneaky moves on his opponent.

Thus, he managed to overwhelm the unsuspecting Xavier.

Meanwhile, Lilah relaxed into her seat, snacking on the fruits before her. A while later, she called the deputy leaders of the league over.

"Miss Phillips, we've got some issues. Ever since we made the announcement, there's been a lot of unrest. Some people have even stopped training," one deputy leader stated, his brows creasing in concern.

"Yeah, we've got protests on our hands too," Barth chimed in with a sigh. He couldn't help the embarrassed flush that colored his cheeks.

"These folks come from influential families; they're all high and mighty, and we are a bit hesitant to push back."

"You might be hesitant, but I'm not," Lilah interjected confidently.

She tapped her knuckles on the tabletop, a determined glint in her eyes.

"Bring them all here. If they have any complaints, they can direct them at me."

Lilah's bold stance had a chilling effect, her words hanging in the air like a challenge, but over the next few days, none of the rebellious recruits dared to step forward to challenge her. The screening process went on with precision and purpose, slowly but surely draining the rebellion's momentum, as the reality of their situation began to sink in.