Chapter 285: A Different Person
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
"Just one or two good fighters wouldn't be enough to defeat the Kaedeians, since the average skill of the Kaedeians is well above that of the Earthlings. Ever since last time they were defeated by Wannabe, they had become more cautious. So, I wager they would send out their best fighters for this tournament." Flash said.
Capth didn't draft Flash into the Norton campaign, so while Wang Tong was toiling in the war, Flash had trained hard and had since become more skillful than Wang Tong in fleet combat. Flash had also studied Wang Tong's Art of the Iron Wall, and with diligent practice, his execution of the Art of the Iron had become even more potent than Wang Tong.
The practice exercise served a reminder to Wang Tong that unlike the "Talented Three" from Capth, he was not prepared for the tournament.
"It's a good thing to have found out where your problems are. The training would be broken down into two sections. You guys can train on your own in the morning and the evening, while the afternoon will be used exclusively for fleet combat." Zhou Sisi said. Although she wasn't the leader of the S club, since she handled everything within, she had become the de facto leader. Therefore, everyone agreed to her arrangement.
Ever since Karl defeated Kal, he had also been working diligently to improve his skills. He had been victorious in all of his recent competitions, and made a name for himself. To differentiate the two, people called Kal the little K and Karl the Big K.
Karl was more well known than Kal, thanks to his unique fighting style. Kal, on the other hand, was younger and less experienced. However, his skills had combined the best of Flash and Bisu, and therefore, he had more potential than Karl.
"It has just started, don't feel sad for one loss." It had been a while since Wang Tong had tasted defeat. During the simulation, his rhythm was off slightly, and created an opening for a fraction of a second. However, that was all it took for his opponent to penetrate his defense. Wang Tong registered that Flash's APM had improved substantially, and he marveled at how much one would enhance his skills when under pressure.
The confidence that flashed in the eyes of the "Talented Three" was the unmistakable sign that they had earned their confidence through hard work and patience.
Kale and Kal had reached a stalemate. Unlike Wang Tong who had been fighting in the war, Karl had been focusing on improving his Fleet battle skills while he was on the Norton mission. Karl understood that he could no longer rely on his unique fighting style, since most people would have already gotten used to it or devised countermeasures. Although the strategies were set in stone, the execution of the strategy still played a significant role in fleet combat. Karl was exceptionally good at his performances, taking advantage of his opponent whenever he could, and was able to quickly evaluate the cost and benefit of every move and make adjustments.
However, even with a good strategy and perfect execution, Karl still lost a few matches to Kal due to a few minor slip-ups.
"Well done everyone. Looks like it was a good decision to come to Ayrlarng!" Harmon applauded at the student's performance. Everyone had been focusing on the fighting, and therefore, no one had noticed that Harmon was in the room as well.
"Principal!" All students from Capth stood up in unison, their voices filled with respect.
Harmon waved his hand, willing them to sit down, "Don't call me principal here; I am your fan. I am very pleased to have seen your ardent efforts in improving yourself. I am confident that you will be victorious in the fight against the Kaedeians."
Harmon was a master motivation speaker, as he had secured the students' confidence with only a few words. Harmon understood that encouragement was the best tool to motivate the students to become stronger.
"Wang Tong, your performance seemed to be lacking. As the star fighter of the Ayrlarng, you should learn to compromise between fleet combat and METAL combat. If you don't have the time to focus on both, you will have to make a decision." Harmon said sincerely.
Wang Tong nodded and then said, "Thank you, Principal Harmon."
Wang Tong was very confident with his ability in both fleet combat and the METAL combat. Ever since his training in the crystal space, he had been feeling much more vigorous and energetic, and this newfound energy had motivated him to become the strongest in both areas. He knew that what he needed most right then was to adjust the fleet combat skill to his new soul energy, and he thought that practicing with the Capth visitors would be an excellent opportunity to do just that.
Unlike Metal combat skills which could take years of training to improve, improving fleet combat skills would take a much shorter time when the conditions were right. Wang Tong had an unmatched soul energy as well as a solid foundation in micro controls. Therefore his skills would improve very swiftly.
Wang Tong didn't argue with Harmon, thinking that his intention was good after all.
Li Ruoer was getting bored. She wanted to focus on getting close to Wang Tong. However, he was always busy with her schoolmates, training in the gym. Her classmates' devotion in the tournament also seemed to have made her, and her little game, irrelevant.
Li Ruoer found Flash and his friends were the most boring, since they only cared about their dreams and ambitions. Porten was far more interesting than the rest, but his materialistic mindset was a big turn off.
Li Ruoer had been observing her target quietly, and she was shocked to found out how much Wang Tong had changed over the course of a few days.
Thanks to her Enchantress ability, Li Ruoer was able to observe Wang Tong's flow of energy clearly. She found the difference between the current energy in Wang Tong right then as compared to a couple of days ago was huge. It was as if Wang Tong was a completely different person.
To seek the answer to her newfound question, Li Ruoer joined the METAL combat exercises. Hu Yangxuan's face lit up with glee as soon as he saw Li Ruoer joining them. He took the opportunity to talk to the beautiful girl, despite the ire of Porton towards his actions.
Hu Yangxuan didn't like Porten either, but both had acted gallantly in front of the girl they both liked.
Unknown to Hu Yangxuan, he had helped Wang Tong by keeping Li Ruoer entertained. Wang Tong stepped into the gravity room and cranked up the gravity to 10g.
Only the 10g environment would be able to stimulate the immense power inside of Wang Tong, the power that was given by Einherjar Wannabe.
Wang Tong's practice followed a set of straightforward moves. He never liked the rigid and long forms; instead, he liked simpler moves, since it gave him more freedom to improvise different combinations during a real battle. What he had learned in the PA system had told him that an adaptable set of moves was much more powerful than a long and rigid one.
However, the rigid set-moves wasn't useless either, as they could be extremely effective when used at the right moment. Even the Einherjar had their own set of combo moves, such as the devastating Vayu's Vengeance used by Li Zhedao.
Sometimes, Wang Tong felt that he held the trigger for a floodgate that, once opened, would unleash a flood of events into the world. The sense of his importance to the world made Wang Tong feel satisfied. He knew that there were many secrets in him, and he had been holding them back as much he could. But what for?
For survival?
He conceded that no harm would come to him, even if he let the world know that he was the heir of the Blade Warrior then and there.
Wang Tong adjusted his soul energy as he conditioned his body. Although he had gained considerable power inside the crystal space, the dream-like nature of the crystal space required Wang Tong to take some effort to blend his newfound power with the real world. His opponent was going to be Lie Jian, one of the strongest fighters. So, Wang Tong had to be at his peak condition.
Suddenly Wang Tong's eyes glinted, and he slowed down his tactics as he saw Li Ruoer walk into the room.
"Wang Tong, you are full of surprises." Li Ruoer found it hard to believe that Wang Tong was training in the 10g environment. Looking at the determination flashing across Wang Tong's face, Li Ruoer finally started to wonder if she had created a monster for House of Li.