“I know we’ve complained too much and done too little before,” Cloud said stubbornly, turning to face Zhang Wen, his eyes red and tear marks clearly visible on his face. “Now we’re being laughed at, looked down upon—it’s all the debt we must pay for our previous inadequacies. But this time, I really… don’t want to lose again!” As he finished speaking, tears actually rolled down Cloud’s cheeks.
“Huh?” Cloud’s emotional outburst startled Zhang Wen.
If it had been Zack speaking to Zhang Wen like that, Zhang Wen might not have been so surprised. After all, Zack was naturally impulsive, and today he had suffered a major humiliation in front of many people at Link’s hands. But Cloud was different.
This stoic, handsome guy had always been cool-headed from the very first moment Zhang Wen met him. In Zhang Wen’s eyes, Cloud was the kind of person who always kept a cold expression, even when arguing with someone, he would do so calmly, never raising his voice more than five decibels above normal.
The moment had come!
“Just listen to me carefully, then think it through before you answer!” Zhang Wen’s expression turned stern. “Defeating a ninth-tier master isn’t something you can achieve with mere words. I’ve seen too many people who talk big but give up at the slightest discomfort.”
“I’m not like that!” Cloud clenched his fists, his teeth grinding tightly.
“Neither am I!” Zack’s handsome face was equally tense.
“Hehe… You should know what kind of request you’re making, right? This world is fair. What you owe from the past must be repaid. You don’t want to be looked down upon? That might be possible. But that doesn’t mean you can just brush aside your past debts. It’s merely changing the way you repay them. Moreover, as debtors who still dare to be picky, you’ll definitely have to pay additional interest. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Of course!” the two youths nodded in unison.
“Good. Are you sure you won’t regret it? It will be painful, you know!”
“We absolutely won’t regret it!”
“Well then… I guess there’s no choice.” The firm replies from the two young men made Zhang Wen smile helplessly. “Never thought I’d still run into such annoying young people after coming to this world. Well then, I’ll have to take up my old profession again.”
“Take up your old profession?” Zack and Cloud exchanged confused glances.
“Enough! You two troublemakers don’t need to ask questions. Just go back and prepare first.”
“Prepare for what?” Zack and Cloud were still clueless.
“Idiots! It’s the same training as the past few days! Now scram to your rooms. I’ll wait for you in the simulation training room!”
“Oh!” Finally realizing, Zack and Cloud rushed off to their respective rooms.
After closing the door, Zhang Wen exhaled deeply. Then he quickly walked to his bedroom door and pushed it open. Inside, sitting right there, was Amelis, who had just fled in tears in front of everyone at Training Hall No.7.
Amelis was still in the combat uniform she wore when she left the training hall. She was curled up on the chair, hugging her knees, her tears already wiped dry. She didn’t even look up at Zhang Wen as he entered.
Sighing, Zhang Wen sat down beside Amelis.
“I want to join this training too,” Amelis suddenly lifted her tear-streaked face, her eyes pleading as she looked at Zhang Wen.
“Huh? You?” Zhang Wen’s expression turned even more helpless than when he faced Zack and Cloud.
“Not allowed?” Amelis stubbornly stared at him.
“Well, it’s not that it’s not allowed… But did you hear what I just told Zack and Cloud?”
“Yes!”
“You’ve wasted even more time than they have. The price you’ll pay will be even greater.”
“I’m mentally prepared.”
“Alright then… Then go prepare like Zack and the others.” Zhang Wen waved at the determined Amelis.
Amelis nodded, stood up, and walked toward the door. Suddenly, she turned around, kissed Zhang Wen on the cheek, and whispered softly, “Thank you, teacher. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have someone to rely on. No matter what happens in the future, I will always be your student!”
Smiling sweetly, Amelis turned and left the room with her graceful figure.
Zhang Wen couldn’t help but grin. It seemed that his little “outburst” had actually won him the affection of a beautiful girl. If the environment weren’t so uncertain, he really wanted to pamper this little girl a bit. Damn, he was actually a pretty good teacher.
Amelis was no pitiful weakling from the martial arts department of Almaceus Academy. She was a stubborn fanatic from the Academy’s psionic arts department!
Compared to the martial arts department of Almaceus Academy, whose reputation had already crumbled across the Empire, the psionic arts department was like a presence floating in the clouds. Before the emergence of that girl named Selene, among the top-tier academies across the entire Southern Region, Almaceus Academy’s psionic arts department was the absolute strongest—unrivaled.
Unlike Luther, who came from one of the Empire’s Ten Noble Families, or Joliet, the governor’s daughter, Amelis had no illustrious background. For a girl with such an ordinary background, getting into the martial arts department of Almaceus Academy was nearly as difficult as an Earth science student getting into MIT!
Although Amelis’s academic performance in the psionic arts department of Almaceus Academy wasn’t particularly outstanding, without extraordinary talent, perseverance, and stubbornness far beyond the average person, she would never have even made it into the department’s classrooms!
After a brief conversation with Amelis, Zhang Wen thought for a moment before personally walking into Xiao Xi’s room to chat with the red-haired girl for a few minutes. Then, he returned to his own bedroom and sat down on the tall-backed, elongated chair in the farthest corner of the room, which was connected to a dense network of psionic conduits.
That was the psionic combat simulator the three girls had introduced to him aboard the spaceship, and which Zhang Wen had been using ever since to train Zack and Cloud.
“Well then… This is going to be troublesome,” Zhang Wen muttered, though it was unclear whether he was complaining about the upcoming special training for Amelis and the others or the complicated preparations required before entering the psionic combat simulator.
After carefully connecting all the psionic conduits, Zhang Wen quickly entered the virtual world of the simulator. Soon, within the familiar virtual space, he saw the figures of the three students.
“To be honest, when I came to the planet Fira, I didn’t really plan on giving you guys such intense training. I originally thought this competition would just be a way for you to experience some real tension. If it could motivate you, that would be great. But if you still didn’t feel anything, I could just save myself the trouble later… I didn’t expect you all to wake up so much earlier than I anticipated, and to come asking me for such unreasonable requests right off the bat. You three really know how to give a teacher a headache,” Zhang Wen said with a smile, as if casually commenting on something while the three students gathered around him, waiting to log into the “Martial Arts Combat Trial Version” together.
“We’re really sorry…” All three students, including Amelis, lowered their heads in shame.
“Never mind, it’s not a big deal. Since you’ve come knocking on my door yourselves, I don’t mind giving you lazy idiots a proper taste of just how cruel this world can be.” Although Zhang Wen’s tone was light, almost like everyday conversation, the upward curl of his lips made all three disciples’ expressions grow unusually serious.
“Teacher…” Before the three students could say anything else, they had already entered the training arena Zhang Wen had “built” for them under the “Martial Arts Combat Trial Version” mode.
“Oh! Isn’t this exactly like Training Hall No.7 at Thamis Academy?” After entering Zhang Wen’s virtual space, Zack looked around, his spirits lifting slightly.
“That’s right. It’s exactly the same environment as Training Hall No.7. You didn’t think I brought you there just to watch you argue with others, did you?” Zhang Wen reappeared before Zack and his group, speaking in a commanding tone. “Now, all of you open your setting panels and select the Deathmatch Mode.”
“Deathmatch Mode…” Zack and Cloud exchanged confused glances. Although the two, who rarely used the psionic combat simulator, had trained in the virtual world for many days, they were still largely unfamiliar with the machine’s various functions.
“Deathmatch Mode means that during the battle, neither side can exit or forcibly disconnect from the virtual space of the psionic combat simulator. The battle will continue until one side is defeated before anyone can log out,” Amelis explained privately to the two, a chilling premonition unconsciously rising in her heart.
“Are you ready? Next, increase the sensory simulation level to one hundred percent,” Zhang Wen continued calmly.
“One hundred percent?” Zack exclaimed, as if he had been pricked by a needle.
Over the past two days, Zack had been training with Cloud on the psionic combat simulator. Although he might not be familiar with other functions of the machine, he definitely understood the sensory simulation level well.
Because during one sparring session with Cloud, Zack had once set the simulation level to fifty percent. In that training session, he had accidentally been stabbed in the thigh by Cloud’s sword. The pain felt just as real as being stabbed by a real blade, and Zack had screamed in agony for half an hour. Even now, recalling that experience still made him shudder.
And that was just fifty percent simulation! Now Zhang Wen was asking them to set it to one hundred percent! If they were injured during the fight, the pain would be absolutely unbearable!
But perhaps this was what Zhang Wen meant by “a cruel world”… Zack nervously chuckled, exchanging glances with his companions.
No matter how nervous they felt inside, for the three students who had just made bold claims, they certainly wouldn’t be scared off by something as trivial as this! In their minds, Zhang Wen’s actions were simply meant to force them to give their all in the upcoming battle.
To become stronger, enduring a little pain was naturally something they could handle!
Thinking this, Zack and the others firmly adjusted their settings as Zhang Wen had instructed.
However, whether it was Zack, Cloud, or even Amelis, who thought she understood Zhang Wen the best among the three, they were all completely mistaken.
What Zhang Wen was about to put them through was no mere “little pain.” At this moment, none of Zhang Wen’s three students realized that the word “cruel” coming from Zhang Wen’s mouth was far more serious than they had imagined!
“Are you all ready?” After confirming the control panels displayed by the three students, Zhang Wen selected the option to start the battle.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The doors of the virtual training hall immediately shut tightly as Zhang Wen made his selection. Even though they knew this was just a virtual world, the sudden closure of the space still created an extremely tense atmosphere.
“Hehe…” Zhang Wen first cast a pitying glance at the three students before him, then his gaze gradually turned serious. “Before we begin this special training, I want to ask you a question. As martial arts students, how do you think a martial artist can progress the fastest? Even surpass their own limits?”
“Progress the fastest… Intensive training? No… If training alone could break one’s limits, the Empire should already be full of tenth-tier masters.”
Cloud’s performance in martial arts theory class could rank him among the top three at Almaceus Academy, but faced with such a seemingly simple question from Zhang Wen, after muttering to himself for a while, he quickly rejected his own answer and shook his head in confusion.
“Through real combat,” Zack suddenly spoke up. “I remember my father once told me when I was little that training doesn’t really matter. A soldier who has experienced real battle is stronger than someone who has trained for three years. I think martial artists and soldiers should be pretty much the same.”
“Correct!” Zhang Wen smiled and nodded at Zack. “Although that viewpoint is a bit extreme, it’s absolutely right that real combat is the best way for a martial artist to break through their own limits in a short amount of time. So from now on, what you’ll be facing is a ‘real combat’ state. Pain is absolutely unavoidable. I hope you’re really as ready as you claim to be. Here we go.”
As soon as Zhang Wen finished speaking, a sword suddenly appeared in his hand. In the next instant, before the three students could even react, Zhang Wen suddenly accelerated, dashing forward three steps in a flash, swiftly weaving between Amelis and Cloud.
As Zhang Wen passed by the two trainees, his long sword swept through an eerie semicircle from lower left to upper right. Amelis and Claude were simultaneously struck with grievous wounds.
“Ahhh!” A piercing scream of pain echoed through the virtual training hall as both Claude and Amelis cried out in agony. With a single effortless stroke, Zhang Wen had severed Claude’s left leg and Amelis’s right arm!
“Eh? This… this…” Zack stared in shock at Zhang Wen, momentarily at a loss for words.
As Zhang Wen brushed past the two trainees, the longsword in his hand traced a sinister semicircle from the lower left to the upper right. Amilis and Claude were both severely wounded in that instant.
“Ah!” The agonized screams of Claude and Amilis echoed through the virtual training hall. Zhang Wen’s seemingly casual strike had simultaneously severed Claude’s left leg and Amilis’s right arm!
“What? This… this…” Zack stared at Zhang Wen in stunned silence, momentarily at a loss for words.
What they were facing now was a 100% simulation of reality, meaning the pain was identical to the real thing. Just seeing the gruesome state of Claude and Amilis made Zack’s teeth ache.
Before entering the virtual world, Zack had considered that Zhang Wen might push them to their limits, but the scene before him now still sent a cold sweat down his spine.
“What’s wrong? Did you think I was joking earlier? Come on! Show some spirit!” Zhang Wen ignored Zack’s confusion. With a cold laugh, he accelerated again, his figure brushing past Zack once more. This time, as their figures crossed, Zack was also struck by Zhang Wen without any resistance!
“Ugh… ah!” Zack managed to endure for only a moment before the excruciating pain from his pierced right leg forced a scream from his lips.
“…How could this happen…” Amilis collapsed to the ground, her eyes wide with terror, but her gaze unfocused. Seeing her two companions writhing in agony, the young beauty, who had never witnessed such a horrifying scene, was completely petrified.
“What’s wrong? Just lying on the ground crying doesn’t count as special training,” Zhang Wen said nonchalantly, walking over to Amilis without a hint of mercy.
“No!” the young beauty cried, desperately scrambling backward.
In the next moment, Zhang Wen’s longsword mercilessly descended. However, he didn’t aim for a fatal blow to end her suffering. Instead, he added another deep, bone-exposing wound to her body. The intense pain made the young beauty wish she could faint immediately. Unfortunately, in the virtual world, her wish was in vain.
Clenching his teeth, Claude ignored the searing pain from his left leg and charged at Zhang Wen with a shout. Unfortunately, overwhelmed by terror, Claude’s attack was nothing more than a chaotic flurry.
“Hmph!” Zhang Wen sneered, effortlessly deflecting Claude’s energy sword with a flick of his wrist. With a casual swing, Zhang Wen’s longsword pierced through Claude’s right wrist.
“Ugh!” Claude clutched his gushing wrist, collapsing to the ground in pain.
However, what Zhang Wen offered the three trainees, who were enduring immense suffering, was not comfort but a ruthless reprimand.
“Three idiots, what have you been learning all these years? Is this what students of the Almisius Academy’s martial arts program are like? Even street thugs fight with more discipline than you! I told you this was real combat, and I won’t go easy on you! Or rather… if I went easy, this would all be meaningless.”
“Damn it… we’re in big trouble now,” Zack said, gritting his teeth against the heart-wrenching pain as he communicated with his two companions.
“Ah! Expecting him to go easy is impossible!” Claude nodded in agreement, clutching his wound.
“…What do we do?” Amilis also clenched her teeth, shouting the question.
“What do you do? Good question!” Zhang Wen casually kicked Claude, sending him flying.
Claude slammed into the wall, the impact sending a bone-jarring pain through his entire body.
“What you’re facing now is real combat. In real combat, there’s only one way to win: defeat your opponent, which is me. Oh! Of course, this game ends when one side is completely wiped out, so if you can’t endure and want to quit, I can’t stop you from committing suicide. But quitting this game means giving up on the special training.”
Zhang Wen finished coldly, his longsword already piercing Zack’s right hand, pinning it to the ground.
“Ugh!” Zack clutched his right hand, curling into a ball.
“If you can’t beat me in this virtual world where combat energy is unusable, then facing a ninth-tier opponent, you have no business stepping into the arena… Don’t worry, I won’t force you to win with missing limbs. In this game, I’ve specifically set it up so you have ten chances to recover from injuries. So, bring out all your skills. Everything I’ve taught you, everything you’ve learned at school, in the arena, or anywhere else—use it all.”
Zhang Wen pulled out his longsword, his cold gaze sweeping over the three trainees’ faces, watching expressionlessly as their bodies slowly disappeared from their spots, only to reappear suddenly in a corner of the training hall.
“Whew! Whew!” The three trainees, now fully restored, gasped for breath in unison.
However, Zhang Wen seemed intent on giving them no respite. The moment their bodies reappeared, he was already charging at them with his longsword once more.
“Hey! What’s your plan? Let’s get this straight—I’m not quitting. Don’t drag me down,” Claude said coldly to Zack and Amilis, taking a deep breath and raising his energy sword.
“Anyway, he can’t use combat energy here—he’s just an ordinary person!” Zack also let out a roar, charging forward alongside Claude. Seeing her two companions advancing toward Zhang Wen, Amilis bit her lip hard and followed closely, unwilling to be outdone.
Unfortunately, although the three trainees had resolved to fight back, this battle was vastly different from what they were used to. In their usual training, no matter how hard they pushed themselves, they never resorted to self-harm. Even in the rare instances where tempers flared during training, it was always controlled and measured.
A battle like today’s was a first for Zack and the others. Although their bodies had been restored to full health upon rebirth in the virtual world, the memory of the heart-wrenching pain lingered, leaving them shaken. Subconsciously, they could only muster about 70% of their usual strength.
Among the three trainees, none could recall the Spring Water Sword Technique they had practiced for so long as they charged at Zhang Wen. Zack and Claude still resorted to the empire’s most basic thrusting techniques, while Amilis swung her energy sword in a panicked frenzy.
Although Zack had anticipated that Zhang Wen might push them to the brink before entering the virtual world, the reality still made him break into a cold sweat.
“What’s wrong? Did you think I was joking earlier? Please! Show me what you’ve got!” Zhang Wen completely ignored Zack’s confusion. With a cold smirk, he accelerated again, brushing past Zack once more. This time, as their figures crossed, Zack was struck helplessly by Zhang Wen without any resistance.
“Ugh… Ah!” Zack had barely managed to suppress his reaction for a moment before the excruciating pain from his pierced right leg forced a scream from him.
“…How could this happen…” Amelis collapsed onto the ground, her eyes wide with terror, unfocused and blank. Looking at her two screaming companions, the young beauty, who had never witnessed such a horrifying scene before, was completely paralyzed with fear.
“What’s wrong? Crying on the ground won’t count as special training,” Zhang Wen said casually, showing no mercy as he approached Amelis.
“No!” The young girl screamed, frantically scrambling backward.
The next moment, Zhang Wen’s sword fell mercilessly. However, instead of delivering a fatal blow to end her suffering, he inflicted another deep wound on Amelis, cutting down to the bone. The unbearable pain made the girl wish desperately to faint. Unfortunately, in this virtual world, her wish remained unfulfilled.
Claude clenched his teeth tightly, ignoring the agonizing pain from his left leg, and charged wildly toward Zhang Wen with a loud shout. Unfortunately, in his terror, his attack was nothing more than a chaotic, uncontrolled flailing.
“Hmph!” Zhang Wen sneered coldly, effortlessly knocking aside Claude’s crystal-energy sword with a flick of his blade. Then, with a casual swing, he pierced through the wrist of Claude’s sword hand.
“Ugh!” Clutching his spurting wrist, Claude collapsed onto the ground in pain.
However, instead of offering any comfort to the three trainees enduring immense pain, Zhang Wen responded with a harsh, merciless shout.
“You three idiots! What have you been learning all these years? You call yourselves martial artists from Almirex Academy? Even street thugs fight more skillfully than you! I told you this was real combat, and I won’t hold back. Or perhaps I should rephrase that—holding back would make this entire exercise meaningless!”
“Damn… we’re in serious trouble now,” Zack gritted his teeth against the tearing pain and contacted his two companions.
“Yeah! There’s no way he’s going to go easy on us!” Claude nodded painfully, clutching his wound.
“…What do we do?” Amelis also gritted her teeth and shouted.
“What do you do? Good question!” Zhang Wen casually kicked Claude into the air.
Claude slammed hard against the wall, the impact sending waves of pain through his body as if every bone had been shattered.
“What you’re facing now is real combat. In real combat, there’s only one way to win—you must defeat your opponent. That is, me. Oh! Of course, this game ends when one side is completely eliminated. So if you can’t endure, if you want to quit, I can’t stop you from committing suicide. However, quitting this game also means giving up on this special training.”
With that cold statement, Zhang Wen’s sword pierced through Zack’s right hand, pinning it to the ground.
“Ugh!” Clutching his right hand, Zack curled into a ball.
“If you can’t even defeat me in this virtual world where you can’t use battle energy, then you don’t even deserve to step onto the battlefield against someone of ninth-tier strength. Don’t worry, though—I won’t force you to win while missing limbs. In this game, I’ve specially set ten chances for you to recover from injuries. So bring it on! Use all the skills I’ve taught you, and everything you’ve learned at school, in the arena, or anywhere else!”
Zhang Wen withdrew his sword, his cold gaze sweeping over the three trainees. Without expression, he watched their bodies slowly vanish from their spots and suddenly reappear at a corner of the training hall.
“Phew! Phew!” The three fully restored trainees gasped for breath the moment they reappeared.
However, Zhang Wen clearly had no intention of giving them even a moment to catch their breath. The instant their figures materialized, he charged toward them once again, sword raised.
“Hey! What’s your plan? Just so we’re clear, I’m not giving up. Don’t hold me back,” Claude took a deep breath and coldly tossed out the words to Zack and Amelis before raising his crystal-energy sword.
“He can’t use battle energy here anyway—he’s just an ordinary person!” Zack shouted fiercely and charged forward alongside Claude. Seeing their determination, Amelis bit her lip hard, unwilling to fall behind, and followed closely behind.
Unfortunately, although the three trainees had resolved to resist, this battle was vastly different from anything they had faced before. In their usual training, no matter how intense, they would never harm their own bodies. Even in rare moments of heated sparring, they always stopped just short of real harm.
This kind of brutal combat was something Zack and the others had never experienced. Although their bodies had been restored to full health after their virtual rebirth, the memory of that tearing pain still lingered in their minds, leaving them shaken. Subconsciously, they could barely muster up 70% of their usual strength.
None of the three trainees remembered the Spring Water Sword Technique they had practiced for so long as they charged toward Zhang Wen. Zack and Claude resorted to the Empire’s most basic thrusting techniques, while Amelis, panicked and disoriented, simply flailed her crystal-energy sword randomly.
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