Chapter 81: Departure

“Hmph! You finally realize how hard I’ve worked!” Xia Xi shook the single strand of hair on her head vigorously. “I’ve never seen people as crazy as you guys, training nonstop for four days without eating or sleeping. Luckily, once you got inside those machines, you were basically in hibernation mode. All I had to do was inject you with nutrients a few times a day. Otherwise, if you’d gotten all smelly, I wouldn’t have touched you!”

“Alright, alright, stop complaining now that everything’s done.” Zhang Wen listened to Xia Xi’s nagging with a grin, then playfully pressed his hand on the red-haired girl’s head. He theatrically threatened, “If you keep talking back, don’t blame me for going back on my word!”

“What?!” Xia Xi immediately jumped up like she’d been pricked by a needle, fiercely showing her cute little tiger teeth at Zhang Wen. “You dare! You… youyouyou… If you dare to go back on your word, I’ll bite you to death!”

“Haha! Relax! Do I look like the kind of person who would burn bridges after crossing them?” Zhang Wen pressed down on Xia Xi’s head again.

“Hmm… why do I feel like you kind of are?” Xia Xi struggled to free her head from Zhang Wen’s “evil claws,” then uneasily shook the red strands of hair standing up on her head.

“Hey! If you keep talking like that, I really will…”

“Alright, alright! You win…” Under Zhang Wen’s threats, Xia Xi finally gave up arguing. But thinking about it again, she still couldn’t feel at ease. Finally, Xia Xi turned around and hesitantly reminded Zhang Wen, “Anyway, you promised you’d definitely help me break through to tenth tier within six months. A real man should keep his word!”

“Of course!” Zhang Wen waved his hand with a mix of laughter and exasperation, finally managing to send the red-haired girl out of the room.

After four and a half days of intense training, the fatigue wasn’t limited to just the three students Zhang Wen had been training. The amount of energy Zhang Wen himself had consumed was several times more than what Zack and the other two had experienced. This was because, just like Zack and the others, Zhang Wen had to face four and a half days of intense combat, and during the battles, he had to consider the abilities of Zack and the others.

Zhang Wen’s purpose for this special training wasn’t to torment his three poor students, but to help them grow under sufficient pressure. Therefore, Zhang Wen had to maintain his strength at just the right level—not making it too easy for Zack and the others, but also not truly overwhelming them.

For Zhang Wen, these four days of battles could also be considered a new kind of cultivation.

Although at the end of the battles, Zhang Wen still appeared outwardly relaxed and at ease. In reality, the amount of energy he had consumed during this period was even greater than the battle he had fought on his way back from the arena against two assassins who had ambushed him.

However, at this moment, Zhang Wen had already decided not to worry about the upcoming competition anymore. Even though Zhang Wen had bet everything he had on tomorrow’s competition, he could still sleep soundly and peacefully through the night.

This was because Zhang Wen could honestly say that he had already given his all. In just a few months since taking over the physical arts department, he had done everything a physical arts teacher could do for his students.

What kind of performance Zack, Cloud, and Amelie would put on tomorrow afternoon, whether Almystus Academy would rise to prominence and impress everyone, or whether it would indeed collapse under the overwhelming strength of Temis as expected, all depended entirely on the students themselves.

The next day, Zhang Wen was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

When Zhang Wen opened his eyes, the clock hanging on the bedroom wall told him it was already lunchtime at Temis Academy. This meant that there were only two hours left until the competition, which would start two hours after lunch.

“Teacher Zhang Wen! Teacher Zhang Wen!” The knocking on the door outside Zhang Wen’s bedroom continued, accompanied by a pleasant female voice. Zhang Wen found this voice somewhat familiar—it seemed to be one of the instructors from Almystus Academy’s spellcasting department.

Still dressed in his clothes from the previous day, Zhang Wen rubbed his face hard and went to open the door. Standing outside was indeed the spellcasting department instructor he had only met once.

“Teacher Zhang Wen, do you know what time it is? You’re still sleeping? Goodness! I can’t believe it! You don’t even know that today is competition day, do you?” The female spellcasting teacher immediately noticed that Zhang Wen had just woken up. She exaggeratedly widened her eyes and expressed her dissatisfaction in an astonished tone.

“Of course I know. The competition is in Training Hall No.7, right?” Zhang Wen asked, rubbing his stiff cheeks a few more times and frowning as he questioned the female teacher.

“Exactly! The spellcasting departments from our academy and Temis Academy have already arrived! Chief Instructor Kajelena has been waiting there for over an hour, but your physical arts department hasn’t shown up, so they sent me back to check! Goodness! I never expected you to still be sleeping!” The female spellcasting teacher shook her head vigorously.

“Hey! What’s the rush? Isn’t there still two hours until the competition starts?” Zhang Wen glanced back at the wall clock behind him and continued chatting with the female spellcasting teacher at a leisurely pace.

“Anyway, since Teacher Zhang is awake now, my responsibility is fulfilled. Teacher Zhang should hurry up and get ready to go to the training ground for the competition. I’m leaving first.” The female spellcasting teacher’s face was full of disgust at Zhang Wen’s attitude. From her expression, she clearly regarded Zhang Wen and his physical arts department as hopeless cases.

In fact, ever since Kajelena and Elyna had stormed out of Zhang Wen’s room a few days ago, they had been closely watching the physical arts department. Soon, they discovered that Zhang Wen and the three students from the physical arts department had locked themselves in their rooms. When they found the only substitute player from the physical arts department who still went out and interacted with people, Xia Xi, they learned from her that Zhang Wen and his team were undergoing some kind of “special training.”

This explanation from Xia Xi wasn’t taken seriously by Kajelena and Elyna alone. Even the other spellcasting department instructors, who had generally been somewhat friendly toward the physical arts department, refused to believe it.

After all, Zhang Wen was leading the physical arts department. If it were the spellcasting department, closing themselves off for cultivation might make some sense. But who had ever heard of someone from the physical arts department locking themselves in a room for cultivation? Wasn’t that ridiculous?

Not long after, the spellcasting department also heard from the teachers at Temis Academy about Zhang Wen and his team’s experience at Training Hall No.7.

After synthesizing the information from both sides, the instructors from Almystus Academy’s spellcasting department quickly reached a “conclusion.” After witnessing the strength of Temis Academy’s super genius Link, Zhang Wen, the “opportunist,” had become desperate. He had thrown everything onto the gambling table, which earned him the support of Governor Termisso, allowing him to stand up against Kajelena. Unfortunately, Link’s strength immediately shattered Zhang Wen’s illusions.

The battle between a ninth-tier all-around physical arts practitioner and three physical arts practitioners whose highest level was only fifth tier didn’t even need the competition to start for everyone to already know who the winner would be. All of Zhang Wen’s previous bold statements had turned into jokes.

In the opinion of the spellcasting department instructors, Zhang Wen’s all-in gamble had already been completely defeated. With not even a glimmer of hope, Zhang Wen locking himself in a room to play “turtle” clearly indicated that he had already decided to give up.

It was precisely because the spellcasting department instructors had already formed such a preconceived notion that when the female teacher knocked on Zhang Wen’s door and found him lazily sleeping until noon on the day of the competition, she completely lost hope in Zhang Wen and his physical arts department.

“Ahh!” Watching the female spellcasting teacher quickly walk away as if avoiding a plague, Zhang Wen stretched his arms wide.

To be honest, Zhang Wen didn’t care at all about the spellcasting department instructors’ opinions of him. In fact, the more they looked down on Zhang Wen and his team, the happier he would be. Because obviously, if even the spellcasting department from the same Almystus Academy was pessimistic about their physical arts department, then the Temis Academy would have even less reason to take them seriously. Zhang Wen didn’t mind at all if his opponents looked at him with disdain before the competition—as long as he could make them pay a sufficient price for that disdain during the competition.

Shouting toward the other side of the U-shaped corridor, “Xia Xi!”

“Coming, coming!” The red-haired girl appeared from the other side of the corridor with a rolled pancake, the best specialty of the hotel chef, in her mouth. She hurriedly zipped up her combat suit while running toward Zhang Wen. When she reached Zhang Wen’s side, she stumbled over her own feet and almost collided with him.

Zhang Wen was quick to react, grabbing Xia Xi’s head to prevent her from smearing the pancake on herself.

“Why are you the only one here? Where are the other three?”

Looking at Xia Xi, who had also overslept, Zhang Wen sighed helplessly.

“They’ve all woken up. When I came by earlier, I saw Zack and Cloud heading into the dining hall. Amelie got up a little earlier than me and should be changing clothes in her room now.” Xia Xi mumbled around the pancake in her mouth.

“Oh! So they’ve only just woken up not long ago?”

“Umm… yes.” Worried that Zhang Wen might be dissatisfied with Zack and the others’ “laziness,” Xia Xi cautiously took a step back to avoid being caught in the crossfire before nodding carefully.

“Great.” To Xia Xi’s surprise, after receiving a positive answer, Zhang Wen didn’t get angry but instead smiled as if relieved.

“What? You’re actually happy?” Xia Xi looked at Zhang Wen in disbelief, strongly suspecting that Zhang Wen’s brain had been damaged from the previous days’ training.

“Haha! You wouldn’t understand!” Zhang Wen laughed loudly, raising a finger at Xia Xi and shaking it. “Before an important competition, it’s necessary to be appropriately nervous. But if you’re too nervous, it can be even worse. They just went through such intense training a few days ago. If they couldn’t even get a good night’s sleep, I’d really be worried about their condition. The fact that they could sleep shows that their mindset has already relaxed. As for getting their bodies back into the game, don’t we still have a few hours?”

“That actually makes some sense.” Xia Xi nodded thoughtfully.

“Alright, hurry up and finish that pancake! Then go to the dining hall and tell Zack and the others to hurry up. You’re all physical artists who’ve received over a decade of professional training. You don’t need me to repeat the rules about lunch before a competition, right?”

“Yes, coach!” Xia Xi gave Zhang Wen a very comical military salute with the pancake still in her mouth, then ran back to the dining hall as fast as she could.

When Xia Xi returned, Zack, Cloud, and Amelie had already prepared everything and appeared before Zhang Wen with her.

Looking at the three students’ energetic faces, Zhang Wen slightly lifted the corner of his mouth and swung his right arm toward the direction of Training Hall No.7.

Time to go!

Just past lunchtime, with a full two hours remaining until the official competition between Almystus Academy and Temis Academy was set to begin, the 1,200 spectator seats in the temporarily modified Training Hall No.7 were already completely filled.

Of course, the audience present at Training Hall No.7 that day wasn’t limited to just personnel from Temis Academy or the planet Phira.

As the two most famous higher education institutions in the entire Southern Border, the annual competition between Temis Academy and Almystus Academy could be said to gather the majority of the most outstanding geniuses in the Southern Border of the Empire. Regardless of their purposes, such a fierce contest naturally attracted attention from all sides.

In the center of the training hall, in the best seats, sat many middle-aged dignitaries dressed in formal suits. Some of these people were from the long-standing aristocratic families on the planet Phira, while others were representatives of the Alliance and the Federation stationed on Phira. Governor Karajan was also sitting solemnly among the dignitaries. He had specially brought his governor’s staff today.

Nearby, amidst a sea of deep red representing “Temis,” the neat and proper deep blue uniform of the Imperial Regular Army on an elderly soldier seemed somewhat out of place. However, the layers of medals on the old soldier’s chest and the shining stars on his shoulders were enough to prevent anyone from showing the slightest disrespect toward his uniform.

Additionally, the emblem on the old soldier’s right arm, representing his legion, was enough to make every spectator in the venue exclaim in astonishment. The Royal Guard Legion “Augusta”—this old general with slightly graying hair was actually the commander of the elite legion known as the “Twin Dragons of the Empire” alongside the Shinra Legion!

The audience who had discovered the true identity of the old general couldn’t help but turn their gazes toward this renowned and formidable figure. However, the old general paid no heed to the glances cast his way. He sat as straight as any of the most disciplined soldiers, his sharp gaze fixed like a hawk’s upon the team warming up in the arena.

“General William, you don’t seem to be in high spirits,” said the ambassador of the Alliance stationed on the planet Fira, Melissa Dantes, who sat beside the old general. She was already in her forties, yet her charm had only grown more captivating with age.

This beautiful Countess, whose name was legend for its rumored romantic entanglements with many of the Empire’s elite, had long been acquainted with General William. She was also one of the few people in the training hall who could detect disappointment in the old general’s expression.

“Hmm…” The old general gave a noncommittal nod, his face of steel showing no change.

The commander of the Royal Guard was well known in the capital for his unwavering loyalty to the imperial family and his ruthless nature. He had spent his entire life in military service, devoting all his passion and energy to the army and warfare. Even someone as socially adept as Countess Melissa couldn’t penetrate his ironclad heart.

Beyond the military and war, the only thing that could possibly spark the old general’s interest was probably the matches in the arena. In fact, it was precisely at such an arena that Countess Melissa had first become acquainted with General William.

“Hehe. Back in the capital, I still vividly remember how General William cheered enthusiastically at the Imperial Arena. Why wouldn’t you be interested in today’s match? I’ve heard that among the students from Themis Academy competing this time, there is their most gifted student ever produced in the academy’s history. Surely a student who has already reached the ninth level of all-around skill at just eighteen years old must impress you?”

From the teasing tone Countess Melissa used when speaking to General William, one could tell that even if there had never been any romantic history between them, their friendship was certainly quite strong.

“It’s nothing special. Even if Themis Academy does have one or two students whose strength is somewhat impressive, it’s still not enough to spark any interest. A battle without a worthy opponent is never exciting.”

“Oh? If that’s the case, why did you go out of your way to come watch this match, General William? Surely you’ve at least heard of the reputation of Almace Academy’s martial arts division?”

“Hmph! A disgrace to the Empire.” General William’s face darkened as he unhesitatingly tossed out this scathing evaluation.

Of course, if one were to judge by facts alone, Almace Academy’s reputation within the Empire wasn’t quite as bad as General William claimed. After all, Almace Academy’s status as one of the top ten universities in the Empire was undeniable. Moreover, if one were to take a comprehensive view of Almace Academy’s performance in the biennial Imperial University Assessments, they couldn’t really be said to be that bad.

However, for a professional soldier like General William, a war-hardened fanatic who had devoted his entire life to warfare, what else could he call a prestigious institution that had abandoned the Empire’s glorious martial arts traditions and instead insisted on imitating those effeminate Federal academies by pursuing psychic techniques?

“This year, there are several aide positions open in the Royal Guards. Governor Karajan strongly recommended several martial artists from Themis Academy to me. I came here just to do him this favor.” Out of respect for Countess Melissa, General William added a few more words than usual, though his face still bore traces of displeasure.

The thing General William hated most in life was wasting time. According to his usual habits, he would probably rather face the vicious Gas insects on the Empire’s most remote planets than watch a match that was clearly a waste of time.

Unfortunately, Governor Karajan had been a comrade-in-arms with General William during their youth, both serving in the same regiment. Through numerous wars the Empire had faced, the two had forged a bond of life and death. Thus, the old friend’s repeated invitations left General William with no way to refuse, forcing him to reluctantly appear in the audience seats.

“I see. Then allow me to wish General William good fortune in identifying exceptional talents.” Seeing the displeasure in General William’s eyes, Countess Melissa very tactfully smiled and ended her conversation with the old general.

Just as Countess Melissa shifted her gaze away from General William, the side door of Training Hall No. 7 was pushed open once again. Then, Countess Melissa saw a young teacher, surprisingly youthful, walk in accompanied by three students.

When this group entered the training hall, the instructors who were training students at that moment couldn’t help but cast disdainful glances toward them—this included even the psychic technique instructors from Almace Academy.

However, Countess Melissa didn’t find this particularly strange. She had personally watched the match between Themis Academy and Almace Academy last year, and at that time, the psychic technique instructors from Almace Academy had also looked at their martial arts representatives with such disdain.

What truly surprised Countess Melissa, even to the point of shock, was that among the three students, she recognized two familiar faces.

As an important official of the Alliance, Melissa naturally couldn’t be unfamiliar with the third young prince of the Alliance’s ruling council—a handsome young man capable of making half the girls in the Alliance swoon.

As for Zack, although Melissa wasn’t as familiar with this young imperial noble as she was with Cloud, she did know that Zack’s father, Clark, was known as “the most handsome man in the Empire.” Facing a face so similar to Clark’s, Melissa naturally had no trouble guessing Zack’s identity.

Melissa didn’t know the identity of the young teacher leading Zack and Cloud, but the mere appearance of these two handsome young men was enough to bring Melissa’s famously sharp and clever mind to a near standstill.

At this moment, Melissa hadn’t yet figured out why the Alliance’s immensely popular third prince would appear in a match that was destined to be a defeat.

Thinking of this, Melissa instinctively turned her gaze toward the press section on the other side of the training hall while her mind anxiously pondered what consequences might arise if, after the match, images of Cloud bruised and bloodied were transmitted back to the Alliance.

The audience, upon discovering the true identity of the old general, couldn’t help but turn their gaze towards this renowned and formidable figure. However, the old general paid no mind to the glances directed his way. Like all the most disciplined soldiers, he sat upright in his seat, his hawk-like eyes fixed straight on the team members warming up in the arena.

“General William, you don’t seem very enthusiastic,” said Melissa Dantes, the envoy from the alliance stationed on Planet Fira, who was sitting next to the old general. Despite being over forty, she was increasingly charming.

This beautiful countess, rumored to have had ambiguous relationships with every high-ranking official in the empire, was a long-time acquaintance of General William. She was also one of the few in the training hall who could discern disappointment in the old general’s expression.

“Hmm…” The old general nodded noncommittally, his steel-cast face remaining unchanged.

The commander of the Royal Guard was known in the imperial capital for his absolute loyalty to the royal family and his ruthless demeanor. He had devoted his entire life to the military and warfare. Even a socialite as versatile as Countess Melissa couldn’t soften his iron heart.

Outside of the military and war, the only thing that seemed to pique the old general’s interest was the competitions in the arena. In fact, it was a chance encounter in the arena that had led to the friendship between Countess Melissa and General William.

“Hehe. I still remember vividly how General William roared with vigor in the imperial arena back in the capital. How come you’re not interested in today’s match? I heard that among the participants from Themis Academy is the most talented student they’ve ever trained since the academy’s founding. An eighteen-year-old who has already reached the ninth level of all-around proficiency—surely that must satisfy you?”

The teasing tone in Countess Melissa’s conversation with General William indicated that even if there were no romantic past between them, their friendship was certainly substantial.

“It’s just so-so. Even if Themis has one or two students whose abilities are noteworthy, it still doesn’t spark any interest. A battle without worthy opponents is never exciting.”

“Oh? If that’s the case, why did you make a special trip to watch this match? Surely you’ve heard of the reputation of the physical arts department at Almis Academy,” Countess Melissa chuckled behind her hand.

“Hmph! A disgrace to the empire,” General William coldly remarked, his tone filled with disdain.

Of course, objectively speaking, Almis Academy’s reputation in the empire wasn’t as bad as General William made it out to be. After all, Almis Academy was one of the top ten institutions in the empire. Moreover, if one were to “comprehensively” evaluate Almis Academy’s performance in the biennial imperial academy assessments, they couldn’t be considered particularly bad.

However, for a career soldier like General William, who had devoted his life to war, the fact that a prestigious institution had abandoned the empire’s fine tradition in physical arts to mimic the effeminate practices of federal academies, focusing on psychic arts instead, was nothing short of a disgrace.

“This year, there are several vacancies for adjutants in the Royal Guard. Governor Karayan strongly recommended a few physical arts students from Themis Academy. Out of respect for an old friend, I came to take a look,” General William added a few more words out of courtesy to Countess Melissa, though his face still showed displeasure.

One of General William’s greatest hates in life was wasting time. By his standards, he would rather face the vicious Cass bugs on the empire’s most remote planets than watch a match that was clearly a waste of time.

Unfortunately, Governor Karayan and General William had been comrades in the same regiment during their youth. They had forged a life-and-death friendship through several wars the empire had faced. The repeated invitations from his old friend left General William with no choice but to reluctantly appear in the spectator seats.

“I see. Then I wish General William the best of luck in spotting talent,” Countess Melissa, noticing the displeasure in General William’s eyes, wisely ended her conversation with the old general with a light smile.

Shortly after Countess Melissa turned her gaze away from General William, the side door of Training Hall Seven opened again. Then, Countess Melissa saw a young teacher, looking almost too young, enter with three students.

As the group walked into the training hall, the instructors leading the students couldn’t help but cast disdainful glances their way—even the psychic arts instructors from Almis Academy did the same.

However, Countess Melissa wasn’t surprised by this. She had watched the match between Themis Academy and Almis Academy last year, and the psychic arts instructors from Almis Academy had looked at their physical arts representatives with the same disdain.

What truly puzzled, even shocked Countess Melissa, was that among the three students, she recognized two familiar faces.

As an important official of the alliance, Melissa naturally knew the third son of the alliance’s governor—a handsome young man who could drive half the alliance’s girls crazy.

As for Zacks… although Melissa wasn’t as familiar with this young noble from the empire as she was with Cloud, Zacks’ father, Clark, was known as the “Empire’s Most Handsome Man.” Facing a face that bore a striking resemblance to Clark’s, Melissa had no trouble guessing Zacks’ identity.

Melissa didn’t know the identity of the young teacher leading Zacks and Cloud, but the mere presence of the two handsome young men was enough to momentarily overwhelm her famously sharp and intelligent mind.

Melissa couldn’t immediately understand why the alliance’s highly popular third prince would appear in a match that was destined to be a loss.

Thinking this, Melissa instinctively turned her gaze towards the press box on the other side of the training hall, her mind racing with thoughts of the potential consequences if, after the match, images of Cloud being beaten to a pulp were sent back to the alliance.

Setting aside the damage to Cloud’s personal image, would the alliance’s girls, who were his fervent fans, create troubles that could escalate to diplomatic disputes?

Recalling the major crisis that had recently begun circulating among the alliance’s top officials, Melissa couldn’t help but sigh in resignation.

Thinking about the enormous crisis already circulating within the Alliance’s upper echelons recently, Melissa couldn’t help but sigh helplessly.