Chapter 286: The Upper-Class Elite
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
However, Li Ruoer couldn't afford to doubt herself. She needed to believe in herself, since that was the number one rule in cultivating the Tactics of the Enchantress.
Li Ruoer believed that if she wanted to accomplish great deeds as General Zhou Zhi did, she needed to have an unwavering faith in herself. Without the determination and confidence, General Zhou Zhi would never have been able to pin Li Feng under her thumb and become the only person who had power over the legendary general.
"Oh nice, we have met again. Why am I not surprised?" Wang Tong said sarcastically. He made a mental note to come to the gym earlier next time.
Despite the rancor in Wang Tong's words, his voice had betrayed some measure of compromise. After all, Li Ruoer had led him to Ma Xiaoru and earned him a chance to prove himself to Ma Dutian.
Li Ruoer smiled alluringly; even Wang Tong had to admit that her beauty was unmatched among the prettiest girls he had seen. In addition to her beauty, she carried a certain air around her that could charm any man to kneel in front of her and call her a queen.
"Well, I am pleased to see you again, and I like your silliness. I like you, you know?"
Wang Tong's face remained placid. He had prepared his mind for far worse than Li Ruoer telling him she had a crush on him.
"You are funny. I would be surprised if we ever meet again, much less dating." Wang Tong said honestly. He was convinced that nothing good would come out of befriending this devious enchantress.
"Well, yet we have met again, right here. I think we are meant for each other." Li Ruoer insisted.
Wang Tong decided to give up and simply ignore her from then on. He looked away and started training by himself, hoping that Li Ruoer would leave him alone if he stopped talking to her.
"I just thought that I had never fought you before. Don't you get bored training by yourself? You know better than me that I am the most competent fighter here in Ayrlarng. So, what do you say if we spar together, and... Let me help you, eh?" Li Ruoer said as he gazed at Wang Tong, waiting for Wang Tong 's reply.
"No." Wang Tong didn't want to have anything to do with the spoiled princess.
"Oh really? You are not afraid that I will tell people that you have taken advantage of me?" Li Ruoer put on a seductive smile and then asked.
"Don't be ridiculous! What advantage?"
"Don't be so mean. Even if you didn't take advantage of me, do you think your friends out there would believe you?" Li Ruoer threatened Wang Tong.
Wang Tong narrowed his eyes and flashed a wicked smile, "Do you really want to have an affair with me that bad? Well, so be it! I don't care."
"Really? You are not afraid that the rumors about our affair might spread to your lover's ears?" Li Ruoer pressed Wang Tong with more questions.
"She would know that those are only rumors." Wang Tong said seriously, thinking that Li Ruoer had underestimated their relationship and Ma Xiaoru's wits.
Out of words and vexed, several different expressions flashed across Li Ruoer's face until she decided to settle on a seemingly sweet smile, "Very good, Wang Tong. Laugh all you want right now. But let me remind you that I have lots of time. We will see who would be laughing in the end." Li Ruoer turned on her heels as soon as she finished her words. Wang Tong could tell that she was pissed.
After a year of fighting the evilest person in the world: Pirate King Zachery, Wang Tong had gained not only strength but also wits. The experience of dealing with the shrewd old ghost had lent Wang Tong the ability to see through Li Ruoer's little game, as if it were a child's play.
Unknown to Wang Tong, his body and mind were slowly adapting to the new self that was reborn in the crystal space, and therefore the confidence and the ability to predict the Enchantress's intention even caught Wang Tong off guard. Slowly but surely, the two Wang Tong: the one in the real world and the other in the crystal space, were merging, complimenting each other's power.
After making sure that Li Ruoer had left the gym, Wang Tong cranked the gravity dial even higher, trying to push himself to the limit.
As soon as Li Ruoer walked out of the gravity gym, she saw Hu Yangxuan and Porten arguing about something. Contempt was written all over their faces. Suddenly, Li Ruoer sensed a tremor inside the gravity gym. Wang Tong had maxed out the gravity setting and quickly realized that his soul energy would echo the gravity force and end up being destructive to his environment. So, Wang Tong quickly turned the gravity setting off, fearing that he had to pay for any damaged equipment. To Wang Tong, a fine was more terrible than Li Ruoer.
Wang Tong walked out of the gravity gym and walked away without sparing Porten a glance. Wang Tong was aware of his special background, and knew that although he made apparent efforts to mingle with average students, contempt towards students like Wang Tong was firmly rooted in his mind. Wang Tong conceded that once Porten graduated from the Academy, he would be promoted directly to the top position, where every decision of his would determine the lives of thousands of soldiers. It made Wang Tong feel sick to see that the promise of special treatment had given Porten a sense of superiority over other students, and the fact that he was reveling in it.
Porten had considered his importance to the world on the same level as that of Li Ruoer, one more reason for him to be so determined to win the princess' heart. If Ma Xiaoru married Li Shiming, and he married Li Ruoer, Porten reasoned that the three families would form the strongest alliance the Earthlings had ever seen.
"As for who would lead the alliance," Porten continued his plot, "…it defiantly won't be Li Shiming." The alliance of the two strongest families ought to strike fear into the hearts of their competitors, say, the council. Therefore, Porten wagered that the confederation would definitely rely on someone who they could trust to keep their power in check, and Porten would be the best candidate for that position.
Porten had already planned out his moves for the next twenty years. He despised Li Shiming for being a simple-minded brute, lacking the precision and finesse when it came down to the battle of wits. Li Shiming's problem, Porten had thought, was his reliance on his strength. After all, only a person who can't even lift a knife would kill using ploys.
Porten was also aware of Li Ruoer's thoughts, but he didn't mind her scornful look. When the time was right, he would make a proper woman out of her, despite the fact that she was the Einherjar's little princess.
Li Ruoer followed Wang Tong out of the gym, and Porten grimaced at Hu Yangxuan, giving him an expression that read, ‘If you want her, you better get used to being ignored.’
Compare to Porten, Hu Yangxuan was much less infatuated with the Enchantress, since he had seen a much better one: Ma Xiaoru. In addition to the sheer boredom that had driven him to join the ranks of Li Ruoer's admirers, Hu Yangxuan also thought that he could distract Li Ruoer for Wang Tong.
So, In the name of helping his bro, Hu Yangxuan put on a warm smile and set out on the quest for Li Ruoer's heart.
After the physical training, Wang Tong went straight to the simulation room. Once he got there, he found the place was already packed with students. Cao Yi and Best were also among the group of students, discussing a certain technique with each other. Since the two shared a common enemy—Kaedeians, they seemed to get along much better.
Flash had shown everyone a stunning display of skills and unmatched control of the fleet. He had thoroughly studied Wang Tong's Art of Iron Wall, and made a few adjustments to fit better with his commanding style. Using the Art of Iron Wall, Fash was able to make his opponent yield, without even firing a single blast.
It occurred to Wang Tong that his last victory over Flash had wakened up a powerful opponent. Flash had hoped to further improve his skills by practicing with Wang Tong during his visit. However, he was slightly disappointed to find out that Wang Tong had already fallen behind him. That being said, his trip to Ayrlarng was not entirely without benefits, for he was impressed by the vigor and positive influence of the S club, so much so, it had turned around his opinion on A class academies.
There was no guaranteed winner in the field of fleet combat, due to the ever-changing scenarios. Subjective interpretation also played an important role in the execution of techniques, and therefore, fully understanding the opponent was also an essential part of winning a battle.
The members of the S club could feel the improvement they were making every day while practicing with the best of the best in the Confederation.
Wang Tong knew he couldn't rush it in order to catch up with his friends, since real improvements were made slowly, one match at a time. He was confident, nonetheless, that he would eventually be able to become much stronger, because he didn't lose the solid foundation in fleet combat, and had just gained a powerful soul energy.
Despite being defeated numerous times by Flash and Bisu, Wang Tong's enthusiasm intensified after each defeat, and both Wang Tong and his opponents could feel the small but tangible improvements in his skills after every match
By the end of the day, Flash was pleasantly surprised by how quickly Wang Tong had caught up with him. Earthlings needed more than just one or two reliable combatants to stand against Kaedeians and Ivantians.
The gene modification programs had given the Ivantians an edge in doing almost everything. Despite the difficulties in the earlier years of the program, Ivantian scientist eventually discovered the gene that would select the best genes for the next generation. At that point, they figured that they could finally stop tinkering the genes manually and let nature do its job to create the perfect humans.
Unlike their neighbors, the Kaedeians, the Martians were notorious for their horrible fleet combat skills. No matter how hard they tired, they would not be able to catch up with Kaedeians, and therefore, the Martians had given up the practice altogether.