Although Fox, a martial arts instructor at Almishas Academy, had never achieved any remarkable results in teaching, his efficiency in currying favor was truly admirable.
Within less than two hours after leaving Principal Jackfleet’s office with Instructor Xin, Fox had already contacted last year’s martial arts instructors and students who had visited Thamis Academy, and managed to extract from those six individuals every detail they knew about Thamis Academy’s top martial arts student—”Link.”
“Chief Instructor, it seems that Old Matron Kajelena was indeed right. Link from Thamis Academy would probably be too much for our academy’s bunch of losers to handle! According to Instructor Karl and the students, this Link fellow was already at the peak of the seventh tier and on the verge of reaching the eighth tier last year during our visit. With such a prodigy having had over half a year to work with, breaking through a mere elite barrier should be no problem at all, right?”
“Hmm… you make a good point,” replied Instructor Xin thoughtfully, before shamelessly uttering the next sentence, “Then this time, let Zhang Wen lead the team.”
With that single decree from Instructor Xin, Zhang Wen’s leadership of the team heading to Thamis Academy was decided.
Under the firm orders of Governor Temiso, news of Almishas Academy’s upcoming expedition to Thamis Academy quickly spread among the academy’s teachers and students. Alongside it came the furious words Governor Temiso had hurled at Principal Jackfleet.
“I know you have many difficulties. However, this time, my request for you to go to Fira Planet is simple: you must win! If you win, rewards from our governor’s office for Almishas Academy go without saying, and I, Temiso, personally guarantee that the participating teachers and students will not be left empty-handed! But let me make myself clear beforehand—if anyone ends up disgracing us on Fira Planet again, they might as well not come back! We don’t need such wastes in Casares!”
Governor Temiso’s words left no ambiguity. This trip to Fira Planet meant that if Almishas Academy triumphed in the competition, wealth and honor would naturally follow. But should Almishas fail to outmatch Thamis Academy, the losers would face Temiso’s wrath.
Even if the losers weren’t outright expelled from Casares City, they’d likely be sent to some remote corner of the planet for hard labor, or at the very least, expelled from Almishas Academy. As a planetary governor directly appointed by the Emperor himself, Temiso indeed had the authority to do so.
For an Empire citizen, for whom honor meant more than life itself, having such a stain on one’s record could very well plunge their entire future into darkness.
Under Temiso’s heavy pressure, not only did Zhang Wen’s martial arts division fail to recruit even one additional willing participant, but even Almishas Academy’s traditionally dominant psionic arts division suddenly became unusually quiet.
After all, the psionic arts students who had attended the Governor’s banquet firsthand knew exactly how formidable that girl Selin from Thamis Academy truly was.
Even Luther, Almishas Academy’s once-in-thirty-years prodigy, had been blasted away by her, nearly suffering irreversible aftereffects. Who among the other psionic arts students dared to claim they could defeat such a monster? Even if five of them ganged up on her, they’d probably still end up being defeated one by one.
Within a single day, the teachers and students of Almishas Academy had already fallen into despair and pessimism. Everyone clearly saw that this visit to Thamis Academy was essentially a one-way ticket. Those boarding the ship to Fira Planet were, in effect, already halfway out of Almishas Academy.
As a result, even the psionic arts division, led this time by Chief Instructor Kajelena herself, barely managed to recruit enough members. In the end, it was only after Kajelena gathered all the psionic arts students together and berated them all furiously that they barely managed to scrape together a team of five students.
In contrast, Zhang Wen’s martial arts division assembled their battle lineup surprisingly quickly. After all, Zhang Wen hadn’t planned to recruit any new members in the first place. The names on Zhang Wen’s roster remained the same three students who attended his combat class: Amelis, Zack, and Cloud.
However, since Zhang Wen had a total of five spots for the “Fira Planet Seven-Day Free Tour” and the temporary guardianship of Xiao Xi had been personally ordered by Governor Temiso, that meant Xiao Xi’s participation in the trip to Fira Planet was essentially Temiso’s command. Thus, Zhang Wen naturally had no reason to waste a spot and foolishly pay for Xiao Xi’s accommodations during her trip.
Therefore, with Zhang Wen’s recommendation, Xiao Xi quickly became an “alternate member” of Almishas Academy’s martial arts delegation.
Whether it was purely coincidental or deliberately arranged by Governor Temiso, the departure date of Almishas Academy’s delegation coincidentally fell on the same day as the Vengeance Legion of the Kemal Arena. Moreover, both groups were even boarding the same ship. Regardless, Zhang Wen was quite satisfied with this outcome, as it saved him considerable trouble.
Thus, on the fifth day after the decision to “temporarily suspend” the Almishas-Thamis Survival Competition, and the third day after Governor Karajan and Thamis Academy’s delegation returned to Fira Planet, Zhang Wen boarded the ship bound for Fira Planet.
A civilian spacecraft journey from Casares Planet to Fira Planet took a total of three days.
For Zhang Wen, these three days were both fresh and boring. Fresh because it was the first time in his two lifetimes that he had the opportunity to travel aboard a spacecraft across the cosmos; boring because during the first three days and nights of the journey, Zhang Wen encountered not a single interesting event. The Empire’s extreme lack of entertainment genes meant they hadn’t even invented something as simple as playing cards to pass the time!
While aboard the ship, Zhang Wen several times couldn’t help but wonder—if he were to “invent” poker and mahjong, those quintessential Earth entertainment tools, and sell them, would he immediately make a fortune?
However, this dull interstellar journey took an unexpected turn during the final night Zhang Wen spent on the ship.
At that time, Zhang Wen had just finished guiding Zack and Cloud. For no particular reason, he suddenly had a thought and realized that Xiao Xi, his little shadow, seemed to have been absent from his sight for quite some time. Concerned about Xiao Xi’s condition, Zhang Wen immediately decided to check on her in her room.
Knocking on the cabin door of Xiao Xi’s room, Zhang Wen was greatly surprised a moment later when the person who opened the door was not Xiao Xi herself, but rather Jaret, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.
Seeing Jaret appear, Zhang Wen’s first thought was whether he had entered the wrong room.
After confirming the cabin number and realizing it was indeed Xiao Xi’s room, Zhang Wen instinctively closed his eyes tightly for a moment before reopening them. Jaret appearing in Xiao Xi’s room—could it be that his dinner had been spiked with hallucinogens?
“Teacher Zhang,” Jaret seemed somewhat embarrassed.
“Jaret, come quickly! Someone really strong has appeared! Xiao Xi and I can’t hold out much longer!” At that moment, a girl’s voice suddenly came from inside the room.
“Amelis is here too?” Zhang Wen became even more surprised.
“Oops!”
“Ahh!” Almost immediately, cries that sounded like a mix of screams and laughter came from inside the room, belonging to both Amelis and Xiao Xi.
“Hey! Flat-chested girl, what exactly are you—!” Soon after, Xiao Xi stormed out, furious. However, upon seeing Zhang Wen standing opposite Jaret, the red-haired girl turned as frightened as a mouse seeing a cat, her tone instantly shifting.
“Ah! Teacher Zhang!” Amelis quickly noticed Zhang Wen standing outside the cabin door.
“What are you all doing?” Zhang Wen curiously peered into the cabin. He soon noticed, deep inside Xiao Xi’s room, three chairs arranged side by side, each equipped with a semi-circular metal headgear.
Zhang Wen recalled that there was a chair almost identical to these in his own cabin. Its design resembled the kind of reclining chairs commonly found in Earth barbershops used for perming hair. Zhang Wen had even sat on it before. At the time, he hadn’t noticed any particular function for the device, and once his curiosity passed, he had forgotten all about it. Only now did he realize that the chair’s purpose was apparently quite different from what he had imagined.
“We? What do you mean what are we doing? Obviously training!” Amelis pushed the chair aside with a grin and stood up.
“Training?”
“Ah? Teacher Zhang has never seen a ‘Psionic Dueling Machine’ before? No way!” Amelis exclaimed in astonishment at Zhang Wen’s puzzled expression.
“Amelis, Teacher Zhang is from the martial arts division. It’s perfectly normal that he’s never seen a Psionic Dueling Machine before,” Jaret shot Amelis a look and explained on Zhang Wen’s behalf.
“You always take Teacher Zhang’s side. Xiao Xi is also specialized in martial arts, yet she uses the Psionic Dueling Machine more skillfully than I do,” Amelis muttered under her breath, sticking her tongue out at Jaret.
“Alright, alright. Can someone please explain to me exactly what that thing is?” Zhang Wen, always unashamed to ask about things he didn’t understand, inquired.
“Well… how should I put it? Basically… just like how you martial artists have places like the Kemmel Arena, the Psionic Dueling Machine is like a competition arena for us psionic users,” Amelis answered after thinking for a moment.
“So you’re saying you’re fighting against others on the ship?”
“Who knows? It could be people on the ship, or someone from some unknown planet in the Empire or the Federation,” Amelis replied, leaving Zhang Wen even more puzzled.
“Other planets?”
“Of course!” Amelis nodded matter-of-factly at first, but when she saw Zhang Wen’s confused expression again, her face changed.
“There are countless psionic energy nodes scattered throughout space that can’t be detected by conventional means. These nodes are interconnected throughout the universe in some unknown way. By stimulating these nodes with special techniques, we can instantly transmit tiny amounts of psionic energy from one end of the universe to the other. This is the most basic knowledge in psionic studies! Teacher Zhang, you really don’t know this?!”
“Uh… I really don’t,” Zhang Wen replied, his face turning red under the three girls’ astonished gazes. Since arriving in this world, Zhang Wen had never been made to feel so embarrassed before.
Next time I get the chance, I’ll definitely make this unruly little girl pay! Noticing the mischievous amusement in Amelis’s eyes, Zhang Wen thought resentfully, casting a not-so-innocent glance at Amelis’s shapely rear. He had always fondly remembered the sensation from the last time he had “punished” her!
“In short, as long as we input psionic energy into the machine, it will emit a corresponding psionic signal, which is transmitted through the nodes to the connected Psionic Dueling Machine. Once the receiving machine gets the signal, it instantly converts it back into psionic energy. This way, we can challenge opponents anywhere in the world at any time…”
The cosmic network!
After Jaret’s thoughtful explanation, the four golden words “cosmic network” unconsciously appeared in Zhang Wen’s mind.
“Teacher Zhang, Teacher Zhang?” Jaret struggled to call Zhang Wen back from his daze.
“Ah! I was just thinking, if you’re just sitting on this device to fight opponents, wouldn’t that be really boring?” Recalling the rich and colorful content of Earth’s internet, Zhang Wen couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic.
“Haha! Of course not! This is an invention by the Federation people! Their creations are completely different from ours in the Empire!” Amelis laughed carelessly and waved her hand.
“Oh? Such a big difference?”
“Of course! If this device were invented by us Empire people, it would probably just be two people sitting there dryly, shooting psionic energy back and forth. Although the training effect might be the same, it would definitely be incredibly boring to use. But the Federation’s version is much more fun! Take this Psionic Dueling Machine here, for example. During matches, you can team up, and it even has a simulation system that creates very realistic images, making you feel like you’re really competing on a real arena.”
“By the way! I heard that the Federation is planning to develop a ‘Martial Arts Dueling Machine’ for martial artists, and recently even added a ‘trial version’ to the Psionic Dueling Machine system, seeking feedback from martial artists across the universe! If those Federation guys really manage to develop it, won’t our Empire’s arenas be in danger? They might even go bankrupt!”
As Amelis excitedly rambled on, Zhang Wen felt an urge to ask the heavens for help. Who would have thought that such a “super game console,” connected to the entire universe, had been right by his side all along? He had even complained about the boring journey for three whole nights!
Of course, although Zhang Wen found these Psionic Dueling Machines somewhat interesting, he didn’t quite agree with Amelis’s view that “arenas might go bankrupt.”
For Empire citizens, martial arts competitions were like Earth’s football matches, already an integral part of their lives. And the bounty fighters in the arenas were like professional athletes. If the Federation really developed a universe-connected psionic device, it would certainly affect the arenas’ income, but the impact probably wouldn’t be severe enough to cause serious damage.
It’s like saying someone builds a free basketball court right outside your door, letting you play anytime you want, experiencing the feeling of being in a real game. But from that day forward, would you really stop watching professional matches altogether?
“By the way! Speaking of the ‘Martial Arts Dueling Machine,’ I just remembered something!” After excitedly rambling for a while, Amelis suddenly stopped and then displayed a very indignant expression.
“Oh? What did you remember?” Amelis’s change in expression amused Zhang Wen.
“Come with me!” Amelis had always been the kind of girl who acted on impulse. Without caring that Jaret and Xiao Xi were still there, she grabbed Zhang Wen’s arm and dragged him into the room.
“Hey hey! Amelis, aren’t you making a mistake? I’m not a psionic user, I can’t use this thing!” Stumbling and being dragged to several “Psionic Dueling Machines,” Zhang Wen looked at the sexy little beauty in confusion.
“I know! It’s the trial version of the Martial Arts Dueling Machine! The trial version!” Amelis shouted angrily. But obviously, the one who had angered the little beauty wasn’t Zhang Wen, but someone else.
“Oh! You mean that thing!” To Zhang Wen’s surprise, after hearing Amelis’s shout, both Jaret and Xiao Xi also showed expressions of shared anger.
“What’s going on exactly?” As clueless as ever, Zhang Wen had barely managed to ask one question before the three beauties pounced on him together and pressed him onto one of the Psionic Dueling Machines.
“Teacher Zhang, didn’t I just tell you? Recently, those Federation guys are planning to develop a ‘Martial Arts Dueling Machine,’ so they first added a trial version to the Psionic Dueling Machine,” Amelis explained seriously to Zhang Wen while she and Jaret and Xiao Xi hurriedly connected various wires from the Psionic Dueling Machine to Zhang Wen’s body. Even going so far as to unhesitatingly take off Zhang Wen’s shoes and socks, securing his feet onto the pedal filled with sensor holes.
“Ahh…” Zhang Wen nodded vaguely, a very absurd feeling rising in his heart. It seemed… could this situation be considered as being sexually harassed by his female students?
“Because it’s just a trial version, the ‘Martial Arts Dueling Machine’ can’t let people fight with battle energy yet, only perform technique-based duels. But I think this is perfect for me to play around… Ah, no! I mean train!” The sexy little beauty Amelis gritted her teeth as she spoke, not forgetting to constantly cover up her true intention of treating the Psionic Dueling Machine as a game console.
“Sigh! Long-legged girl, you’re making it too complicated!” Xiao Xi, tired of Amelis’s long-winded explanation without reaching the point, couldn’t help but interrupt, sighing as she turned to Zhang Wen with her hands spread wide, “To put it simply! Zhang Wen, this long-legged girl originally planned to show off those strange techniques you taught her on the trial version, crushing a few newbies. But she accidentally met an opponent and ended up getting beaten up badly, so she wants you to help her get revenge! That’s all there is to it.”
“That’s all there is to it?” Zhang Wen glanced at Amelis.
“Well… more or less,” Amelis said shyly, pinching her clothes, but immediately switched to a coaxing tone as she hurriedly said to Zhang Wen, “But Teacher Zhang, if that person had just beaten me, it would have been fine. But you won’t believe it—he even insulted all those amazing techniques you taught me, saying they were worthless! How could I not be angry?”
“Is that really why you’re angry?”
“Rea… really.” Amelis’s answer was clearly unconvincing.
“Alright, alright. Listen, Zhang Wen, just help Long-legged girl out. You don’t know how badly that person treated her. Although it’s just the trial version, the punishment for losing a martial arts duel is really severe! And she even foolishly set the punishment level to the highest… Pfft! Haha! I can’t help it anymore!” Xiao Xi had seemed to be trying to plead for Amelis at first, but halfway through her explanation, she was already laughing so hard she fell onto Zhang Wen, nearly crying.
“Half an hour! She was tickled on that machine for a full half-hour! Long-legged girl screamed so dramatically, I almost thought she was going to die laughing! When the punishment ended, she was lying on the chair like her bones had all been laughed loose.”
“Xiao Xi!” Amelis shouted angrily.
“Since you’re saying that, I won’t hold back either! You and Jaret also got beaten up by that person, laughing until tears streamed down your faces!”
“Ah?!” Xiao Xi’s laughter stopped abruptly.
“There’s such a thing?” Zhang Wen turned to Jaret for confirmation.
“Yes. Usually, when you lose on the Psionic Dueling Machine, the punishment is done this way—using psionic energy to stimulate the parts of your body that make you laugh…” Jaret answered with a slightly blushing face, clearly still remembering the humiliating experience of being punished after losing.
“Alright then! Since my student has been taken care of by others, I, as a teacher, can’t just ignore it either,” Zhang Wen said with a faint smile, taking the last psionic transmission line from Amelis’s hand and attaching it to his arm.
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