Chapter 121: Lightweight Combat

Blue Emperor Academy, trial grounds for the Agility Arts course.

Just like in the elementary martial arts academies, aside from core internal cultivation techniques such as Qi Condensation, Qi Manipulation, and Qi Explosion, the time allotted for other subjects can be freely allocated by the students according to their own preferences. However, the arrangement of instructors is somewhat different. For each grade, the first and second classes—the elite classes—share five instructors, forming one large group. Conversely, every two ordinary classes share three instructors, also forming a large group.

The educational advantage of the elite classes is immediately apparent; with a nearly identical number of students, the elite classes have two more instructors than the ordinary classes, which means the students receive much better guidance.

Of course, the number of students at any given time varies, and theory often differs from reality, but overall, the advantage of the elite classes remains significant.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the agility arts trial grounds for the grade one elite classes and the ordinary classes were crowded with students. This is clearly a time when instructors are at their busiest, yet every day at this hour, a large number of students choose to practice their agility arts. This is because the class beauties of Class One, Alizee and Joanna, are accustomed to practicing for ninety minutes during this time. They are both well-rounded, excellent students who never fall behind in any subject. Beauty is motivation, and naturally, it attracts many young men, even drawing in students from the neighboring third and fourth ordinary classes.

Luo Chen had only recently discovered this lively spectacle. Previously, he hadn't paid much attention to agility arts, and on the few occasions he came by and saw the crowd, he would head off to study defense or combat techniques instead. However, having recently intensified his agility training, he needed to devote significantly more time to it, and thus, he was inevitably swept into the peak hours.

Fortunately, the instructor for the third and fourth classes was quite fond of him. The instructors had realized that this student possessed immense talent for agility arts; his explosive power was remarkably strong, entirely unlike that of a level five psionic user, and his psionic circulation was incredibly swift—all of which were major advantages for practicing agility.

Agility arts can be divided into several stages. The first stage is "Speed." There is not much to say about this; it is simply about maximizing the use of psionic energy to increase velocity, which is the focus of the elementary martial arts academies.

The second stage is "Change," a more advanced level. Speed alone is not enough; one must also learn how to change direction and vary speed. The most common application of "Change" is manifested in footwork.

Footwork is a concept entirely distinct from ordinary walking. Although it involves taking steps, each movement between steps is powered by agility arts. The transition between moving and stopping is so rapid that it merely appears as if one is walking, but in reality, a step taken using proper footwork is dozens or even hundreds of times faster than a normal stride. Therefore, when a psionic warrior employs footwork, it is truly dazzling to behold.

Footwork requires a high level of psionic explosive power and seamless coordination. Only students who have broken through to level six and can study the Qi Explosion technique can achieve significant success in footwork, as the Qi Explosion technique greatly enhances both their explosive power and their ability to connect movements.

The instructor was pleasantly surprised to find that Luo Chen's explosive power was superior to that of many level six students. What gratified him even more was Luo Chen's rapid learning speed. Naturally, the instructor gave him extra attention, and even when the grounds were crowded, he would carve out time to provide guidance.

Another point that satisfied the instructor was that Luo Chen did not come to gawk at beauties; he was genuinely focused on his studies. He barely spared a glance toward the nearby elite class trial grounds, unlike many other male students who were always distracted. After all, how could one make rapid progress without concentration? Although Luo Chen did not have the best reputation, his attitude toward learning was absolutely commendable.

Soon, it was time for a break. An agility instructor from the first and second classes walked over and said with a smile to the instructors of the third and fourth classes, "Friend, it's boring during the break. Why don't we each pick a student from our classes for an agility duel?"

The instructors of the third and fourth classes were quite annoyed. This elite class instructor, named Rigg, was a very vain man. Relying on the fact that he taught elite students, he constantly sought out the neighboring classes for agility duels to show off. Naturally, his side almost never lost.

Rigg added, "It's just a friendly exchange to encourage mutual progress. The result doesn't really matter, haha..."

Though the words sounded generous, the side that lost would inevitably lose face. However, refusing would make them appear cowardly, so the instructors of the third and fourth classes replied, "Very well!"

Selecting a candidate became a problem for the third and fourth classes. The students who were relatively good at agility had already participated in these duels several times, only to be defeated. If they picked the same ones again, it would imply that the third and fourth classes had no capable students.

After some discussion, the instructors came up with a solution: they would let students volunteer. That way, even if they lost, it wouldn't be as humiliating, as they were just "randomly" choosing someone to compete. The instructor said to the students of the third and fourth classes, "Everyone, since Instructor Rigg thinks so highly of our ordinary class students and is willing to condescend to instruct us, this is a good opportunity. Any student who wishes to hone their skills may sign up now."

This remark was a veiled jab at Rigg for bullying the weak; the elite classes were clearly much stronger than the ordinary ones. If they wanted to have a duel, they should just have their own two classes compete; why drag their class into it?

Hearing this, the students looked at one another. This was not a chance to show off, but a thankless task where others would shine while they served as background scenery. Even the most skilled students in their class hadn't been able to win against the elite class; wouldn't stepping up now be an invitation to humiliation?

Rigg chuckled and said, "Could it be that not a single student in the third and fourth classes dares to step up? It's fine, it's just a friendly exchange!"

Everyone thought to themselves: *You say that easily. If your class were the one always losing with no chance of victory, would you still be so enthusiastic about challenging others?*

Suddenly, someone said, "Instructor, let me do it!"

The crowd turned to look at the source of the voice and saw that it was none other than Luo Chen. Recently, Luo Chen had been very keen on agility arts and had been practicing for a while. He wanted to see how it would hold up in a real application, and besides, he was never afraid of losing face—he had none left to lose anyway.

"Luo Chen?" The instructor was slightly surprised. Although Luo Chen was progressing quickly, they could tell that he had just begun to learn the "Change" aspect of agility arts and certainly wasn't proficient yet; otherwise, they would have let him compete long ago.

The students from the elite classes grew restless. Luo Chen had always been a thorn in their side. First, he had gained the favor of the school beauty and class flower, Zhuo Yuqing, and then he had defeated Raphael in the trial grounds. Even though Raphael was hardly sympathetic, he was still from an elite class. Outsiders were saying that an elite student had been defeated by an ordinary class student, which made them lose face. How could these proud elite students tolerate that?

Although Raphael had lost to Luo Chen, the arrogant students of the elite class were still unconvinced. Luo Chen's meteor-like combat technique was impressive, but they believed that if they could avoid a direct confrontation and break that move, Luo Chen would be exhausted, and they would surely win.

Now that Luo Chen had volunteered, they all wanted to deflate his ego. It wasn't just the students; the instructors of the elite classes felt the same. The status of the elite classes in the Blue Emperor Academy had always been superior to that of the ordinary classes. Raphael's shame was their shame, and thus, they paid extra attention to Luo Chen.