Chapter 116 Longspear
Ferdinand shook his head and a smile broke out on his face upon seeing the interaction between Fang Xingjian and those three Knights.
These three Knights were spear practitioners and the one in the lead was named Sandroux. All three of them were not only his seniors back then in the Aristocrat Academy, they were also the top few experts. Not only that, the reason why they were so powerful was primarily because of their comprehension in the field of spear arts.
Removing the advantages they had in terms of their attributes and extraordinary strength and just looking at their mere close combat techniques alone, they could be ranked in the top ten in the whole academy of over eighty Knights. They were widely-acknowledged as close combat experts, as well as techniques specialists.
Ferdinand guessed that Fang Xingjian had intended to borrow the prestige of having defeated six Prefectural Champions in consecutively to establish his own dominance within the academy and turn all the students into his own supporters.
Naturally, he did not know that his guess was off and that Fang Xingjian had merely wanted to collect more sword techniques. However, this did not stop Ferdinand from thinking of ways to aid Fang Xingjian.
He used his own connections and invited Sandroux and the two others because he firmly believed that Fang Xingjian had the capabilities to guide and even suppress the three of them in terms of martial techniques.
As long as he build up his reputation, the people who approach Fang Xingjian for guidance would also naturally increase.
As someone who had personally experienced Fang Xingjian’s profound sword arts, Ferdinand firmly believed that as long as the other students in the academy had experienced it for themselves, there was no way for them resist the temptation of receiving guidance from Fang Xingjian.
This blatant feeling of growing unceasingly stronger and that everything had suddenly connected together was something that, he would feel intoxicated for as long as he was a Knight.
In fact, it was as what Ferdinand had thought. As the reputation of Fang Xingjian’s sword guidance spread out, especially after even spear arts experts like Sandroux and the other two had admitted that Fang Xingjian’s sword techniques were all unfathomably profound and surpassed that of any student and instructor by far, more and more people had come to receive guidance from Fang Xingjian outside the Reflection Chamber.
But this also affected the students in many areas.
…
In a vast training room, over ten students who were Knights each wielded large steel spears of two meters long, unceasingly shaking. Each of the large spears were akin to giant pythons trembling about, wavering the air and releasing buzzing explosive sounds.
Their bodies moved in tandem with the spears, sometimes hacking, sometimes bursting, sometimes piercing, sometimes springing; exhibiting the basic fundamentals of spear arts.
As for the few of the most senior Knights, the spears in their hand were like thunderbolts, and every time they vibrated the spears, it resembled a thunderstrike from the heavens that created layers of air ripples.
An instructor with a goatee, who seemed to be about over fifty years of age, was walking to and fro around the students and surveying the Knights who were waving about their large spears. He occasionally nodded or shook his head.
He was the instructor for the spear arts tuition class. Similar to what it was like in modern day Earth, with there being instructors who wanted to earn additional money, as well as students wanting to increase the skills and proficiency, tuition classes were born. And for a top notch instructor like this person with the goatee, each student would have to pay a tuition fee of two gold coins per month.
On average, he could earn several tens of gold coins every month.
“When practicing spear arts, the trembling of the spear is one of the most fundamental skillset. Your waist and hips must be as one, your eye and hand coordinated, your breathing like the thunder while your spear like a dragon. Only by remembering these four points would you then be able to grow your body’s strength and increase your proficiency in the martial techniques.”
Just like that, they practiced for another half an hour before the instructor stopped and said, “Alright, the warm-ups will be stopped here for today. Next, all of you take turns to spar with me using your spear.”
Sparring with spears was one of the most cruel methods in spear arts practice. After all, both parties would each be holding a two metre long steel spear. It was unlike sparring between bare fists or with sabers and swords, where the opponents would still show mercy. While sparring with the great spears, each penetration would create a huge cavity in the opponent’s body, which would lead to either death or heavy injuries.
Only people like this instructor with the goatee who relied on their abilities to act tyrannically over students, whose only opponents were all extremely talented official Knights, and who had overwhelming physique and attributes would dare to practice like this.
If ordinary soldiers were to train in this method, there would definitely be 50% dead every year.
But only through such intrepid training sessions would one’s physical attributes and reaction be ignited, tempering one’s ability to withstand pressure and allowing one to be able to maintain a calm and unflustered temperament when in actual combat or even death.
As the instructor with the goatee finished his words, the spear in his hand trembled violently, emitting a vigorous energy and causing each and everyone of the students to feel as though they were in a bloody atmosphere. They felt as if they were the middle of a battlefield, together with a magnificent army of soldiers and horses.
Evidently, not only was this goatee instructor extremely powerful and highly proficient in spear arts, he was also a Knight who had retired from the battlefields.
However at this moment, he was frowning, his face filled with balefulness. “Where’s Paro? Where has he gone? Why hasn’t he turned up for the spear arts classes since yesterday?”
The students exchanges glances, not daring to reply. The goatee Instructor pointed his spear’s tip directly at a student, “Seid, you’re on good terms with Paro. Do you know where he went? Why hasn’t he been coming for the spear arts lessons?”
With this tap of his spear, the air boiled up and the body of the spear trembled immensely, creating an explosive sound which was akin to a great hammer slamming down onto metal. It manifested into a sonic boom.
Naturally this sonic boom was not as shocking as when Fang Xingjian had created it back then. After all, it was very natural for an instructor who had decades of experience to transcend the speed of sound. How could it be compared to Fang Xingjian’s breakthrough at the mere age of sixteen?
The surrounding students had long since known of their instructor’s strength and was not surprised.
However the student whom the spear tip was pointed at still felt that his ears were numb, as if he had just received a punch in the head out of nowhere and his legs could not even stand straight.
His face turned white as he spoke, “Instructor, Paro has went over to where Fang Xingjian is.”
“Fang Xingjian again?” The goatee Instructor frowned. He naturally knew about this Fang Xingjian. This guy had obtained victory after going against ten people single-handedly in the inter-class competition, then consecutively challenged six Prefectural Champions in one go. There was no one in the academy would had not heard about him.
But recently, Fang Xingjian had started to guide the students on their martial techniques, causing many of them to skip their martial technique classes in favor of Fang Xingjian’s guidance.
‘Hmph, this Fang Xingjian only practiced the sword for less than a year. Even if he has monstrous talent and has transitioned into a Windstorm Sword Hero, he would only have an an advantage in terms of his attributes, speciality, and Killing technique. What would he know about sword arts at such a young age? He’s only depending on his fast speed and great strength.’ The goatee instructor disdainfully snorted in his heart, yet he showed no fluctuation on his face. ‘And even if he really knew about martial arts, it would be for sword arts. Paro was learning the spear from me. Why did he look for him on guidance on spear arts? This is utterly nonsensical.”
Of course, what he hated most was that Fang Xingjian had snatched his student away.
He collected tuition fees and taught here, while Fang Xingjian casually recruited students by accepting any random sword technique’s secret manual. He was obviously snatching his rice bowl! One must know that Knights had to eat as well, and the tuition fees they earned was a large part of their income. So how could he give up so easily?
Although these highly experienced instructors in the academy may not be comparable against many Prefectural Champions in terms of their talent, each of them were engrossed in their respective selected fields for decades, tempering their attributes and Waves for many years. They would surpass ordinary Prefectural Champions in almost all aspects, and even more so when compared to the majority of the students.
Naturally, the abilities of first transition Knights could be divided into several levels. Unless there was a great disparity in their talent, there would naturally be a great difference between those who had cultivated for a year or two compared to those that cultivated for seven to eight years.
For example, Hamil, Ralph, and Rota had mostly met the goals they had set out for the attributes, specialities, and Killing techniques for the Knight phase. They could be considered the first-tier in powers among all first transition Knights.
Meanwhile, people like the goatee instructor, who had accumulated decades of cultivation at the first transition level and still continue to train hard, were of an even higher level and belonged to the group that was considered to be the pinnacle of all first transition Knights.
And further up would be people like Tresia Clan’s Rebecca, first transition Elders from major clans and factions. They had not only accumulated experience through decades of cultivation, but had also consumed countless heavenly ingredients and earthly treasures, as well as cultivated many secret manuals passed down internally. They could even defeat Conferred Knights who had just completed their second transition.
And these senior instructors like the goatee instructor were those at the pinnacle amongst the first transition. They were sufficiently strong, but they had reached the end of their potential. Thus, they could not pass the test of their talent during the Regional Selection. If not, they would definitely participate in the Regional Selection instead of staying here as an instructor.
Even though their potential had been fully exhausted, considering the fact that they had gone through decades of cultivation and had all already become experts in their respective selected fields of martial techniques—including the spear, sword, staff and fist—they would naturally look down on someone like Fang Xingjian who, with his monstrous talent, relied on his attributes and specialities in order to suppress his opponents with his sword techniques.
They might have admired Fang Xingjian’s talent and envied his aptitude, but there was no way they would really looked up to someone who had only a year of practice in sword arts.
No matter how outstanding those Knights who had merely cultivated for a few years were, in their eyes, they were merely students.
Moreover, these instructors secretly felt that Fang Xingjian would need at least a few more years before he could surpass the attributes, specialties, and Killing techniques which they had been cultivating for decades.
This was especially true for someone like the goatee instructor, who was one of the top notch characters amidst the senior instructors. Back then, he was also the Prefectural Champion and was the trump of the Sharp Sabre Squadron back when he was in the army. It was only that he did not pass the Regional Selection and could not break through to the second transition. Thus, he could only let the years slip by till he no longer had a chance to break through to the second transition.
But even so, his current five attributes were all above 90 points, and he had learnt over ten sets of spear techniques, had over twenty specialities, and had three Killing techniques. Even the strongest amongst the students, Hamil and Ralph, were naught but small kids in his eyes. He even had the confidence to be able to defeat them without the use of his extraordinary strength, but with just the use of surprise attacks, followed by a close up kill.
Fang Xingjian might be able to surpass him in the future, but at least for now, he would never believe that Fang Xingjian had already surpassed him both in terms of his extraordinary strength and close combat. He was very confident that he would be able to suppress Fang Xingjian, especially in terms of his level of martial techniques.
However, Fang Xingjian currently was the most popular character in the academy, and he even had the support of the Headmaster behind him. Although the goatee instructor, a retired militant, had an explosive temper, he would never easily say anything nor make an enemy out of his opponent.
But to think that Fang Xingjian had actually affect his source of income, snatching away his livelihood. He had already decided that he would report this to the Headmaster straight away after the lesson. He was not going to let this matter be brushed aside so easily.
Hence, he only let out a cold laugh, pointed to a student, and said, “Come, attack me with your full strength.”
