Chapter 329: Boot Camp Training
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Although neither Wang Tong nor Massa had executed their attacks with the intention to kill, they had both gotten a number on each other's power. Massa reckoned that Wang Tong had already reached such a high level that the training he could offer to Wang Tong would be unnecessary. The only areas that Wang Tong could still improve, Massa reasoned, was his soul energy cultivation and battle experience.
Massa knew that the best way for Wang Tong to improve was to partake in more combat. He could have ordered the elite TNN fighters to fight with Wang Tong, but since it was against the TNN rules, Massa had refrained himself from doing so.
Massa conceded that from then on, it would be up to Wang Tong himself to actively seek the opportunity for training, since it would become harder to find an opponent as Wang Tong leveled up.
Wang Tong was well aware of this problem, and he didn't expect anyone in TNN to assign him a training routine that would magically solve his problem for him. He counted himself lucky that he would have the opportunity to spar with Massa, since otherwise, it would be a waste of time coming to the TNN's facility.
The Bloody Bats quietly watched as Massa and Wang Tong walked out of the training room, their eyes devoid of conceit.
"Massa, I think you need to dust your skills off!" Gansus laughed. He found it entertaining to see Massa being forced into a draw by a young boy.
"Buzz off! You can try it for yourself." Gansus rolled his eyes.
"You three, get about your business."
"Yes, boss!"
Wang Tong felt Liva's gaze rest on him, and when he looked at her, he saw her bat her long and curvy eyelashes at him, followed by a wink. Wang Tong's heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
Truth be told, Wang Tong had rarely experienced the blatant seduction of the opposite sex. There were plenty beautiful teenage girls around him, but no one had ever seduced Wang Tong as Liva did.
Although Wang Tong was relatively inexperienced in dealing with the lust of a woman, he was able to maintain his composure and was unmoved by the lure.
Gansus and Massa had been watching the subtle development, and they nodded after seeing Wang Tong's incredible self-control.
After the workers led the boys out of the training room, the two instructors stayed to reflect on the fight.
"I say, he is the best among the youngsters. How much power did you hold back?"
"I used over 60% of my real power, but I have a feeling that Wang Tong had been holding back his power as well. It is hard to get a number on him."
"His cultivation is built on a solid foundation. I can tell that he is almost as experienced as you and me. The only thing about him that I am still unsure of is the exact level of his soul energy. What's your take on his ability compared to the other five from the Great Houses? "
The words "Great Houses" made Massa heave a sigh as he said, "It's hard to tell. But one thing I know for sure is that the tournament would be a fascinating one to watch. We have been working our a*s off trying to weaken the influence of the great houses. However, seeing that their children were getting stronger, I suppose that we would be disappointed again."
"Hmmm...Sounds like you had exchanged a few moves with Li Shiming already?"
"There was no need; he is one of the best hands down. One thing that makes him even more potent than his father is his ability to bide his time for the delayed reward."
"Do you suppose that Wang Tong could be helpful for the Golden Hawk to balance out the power?"
"Tiger, you know better than anyone that no one could stop the wheel of history. Although powerful, Wang Tong is no match to the House of Li by a long chalk. To tell you the truth, compared to Li Shiming, I am more afraid of Patroclus from the Dower."
"Ah...The Ivantians have been quietly biding their time for a while, and I suppose it is about time for them to flex their muscles again."
"After lying on the firewood and tasting gall for so many years, they have finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel after Patroclus finished the Tactics of the Deva King. The Dowers have always been an astute lot. They figured that it would be pointless to sit on a throne when there was no need for a king, but they had sensed something terrible was coming. The world is about to change, and they have also become restless."
"Li Shiming would be their strongest competitor in climbing the ladder of power. But, I am not sure if the Li alone would be able to stop them. Power and influences aside, the Li had isolated themselves from the people of Earth after many years of mismanagement. Li Shiming would have a work cut out for him, that's for sure."
"Hehe, sounds like you like the Li boy?"
"Very much so, haha! He is one of my favorite among all the other from the Great Houses. Lie Jian seemed like the most unimpressive contestant in the game. He fell short not only in terms of his fighting skills, but also because of the hasty and reckless manner he used to handle situations. That being said though, there were two wild cards at the Martians’ disposal—the Sect of the Divine Master and the Kaedeians."
"Agreed! We shouldn't have so hastily offloaded the Kaedeian insurgence to the Martians."
"We didn't have much choice back then. Anyhow, we better be prudent during this year's tournament. I can see the dark clouds gathering."
"I'm aware of that. The stage is already set, but there are still too many moving parts. It could get hairy at any time."
To most ordinary people, the tournament was nothing but a visceral enjoyment. However, to some special organizations such as TNN, they had to be constantly vigilant, in case the situation escalated quickly into a mess. Under the splendid facade of the tournament, sinister dark currents moved about, ready to lash out at any moment. The involvement of the Templar and the Kaedeians only added more uncertainty to the already convoluted web of powers that were about to entangle with each other.
"Have we got any information on Einherjar Wannabe?"
"No dice. We are short staffed. Doesn't matter though, he is going to show up at the tournament. So, we have ample opportunity to observe him." Massa answered. He had been investing most of the department's resources on the current battle with the Zerg.
"I haven't seen so much action going on at one time for years," Gansus said as he heaved a deep sigh. A whim of nostalgia came over him, and for the first time in a long time, Gansus felt wary for the uncertainty in the future of human race.
On the second day of the students' arrival at TNN, Cao Yi and Hu Yangxuan had officially started their training with a few TNN members chosen by Massa himself.
Instead of training with his friends, Wang Tong stood on the side and studied the training methods of TNN to see if he could learn a thing or two. Massa seemed to have disappeared since the first day. Wang Tong had been his priority, and therefore, after he realized that Wang Tong no longer needed his guidance, he decided to leave the rest of the training to himself.
Gansus was in full charge of Cao Yi and Hu Yangxuan's training, making sure that Hu Yangxuan's laziness would not get the better of him. Although Hu Yangxuan had improved his attitude by leaps and bounds ever since he arrived the TNN's training camp, he still carried an air of casualness that Gansus had been trying hard to help him get rid of. On the contrary, Cao Yi required Gansus's minimal attention, as he always executed his instructor's order to the letter. Also, Cao Yi held a much more positive attitude than Hu Yangxuan. He would return to his training with renewed determination after failure, and never complained that training was too painful.
Gansus had become even more stringent and unforgiving than while he was at the Academy. Meanwhile, Cao Yi and Hu Yangxuan had also enjoyed being surrounded by competent opponents. Liva and her team members saw to it that their desire for sparring was met, and the Bloody Bats were also very interested in knowing more about Wang Tong’s power, as they sparred with him whenever the opportunity presented.
Wang Tong conceded that even TNN's training camp was not adequate for him at his current level. Although there were many strong fighters in TNN, they were scattered around the world. Without being an official member of the TNN, Massa found it hard pressed to summon them back to the training camp for no legitimate reasons other than practice with an academy student.
That being said, Wang Tong was delighted when Gansus granted him access to TNN's data vault. The vault contained precious records and analysis on various tactics. Although some of the documents were classified, the sheer volume of the information meant that Wang Tong was bound to find something useful. Although the tactics and techniques recorded in the vault were considered useless by many, they provided an excellent source of inspiration for Wang Tong to draw from.
Wang Tong wasn't born in a prestigious family, neither was he jealous of the great houses' renowned tactics. His heart was in the techniques that seemed ordinary yet unique in their own ways, much like himself.
Despite the huge amount of information, Wang Tong was determined to complete watching all records in the vault. Therefore, he had spent most of his time in the vault by himself, studying the records with extreme patience.
TNN had taken care of his food and accommodation, so that Wang Tong could go on with his study undisturbed.
Even his friends seemed to have forgotten about him after every day's dreadful training under the supervision of Gansus.
Although Massa and Gansus had reserved opinions about Wang Tong's obsession in the vault records, fearing that it would just be a waste of time, the two instructors left Wang Tong to his own device and didn't intervene. They knew that at this stage, Wang Tong would know better than anyone else about the ways of improving himself.
After spending half a month in the TNN training facility, the three students finally packed up their bags and returned the school to get ready for the tournament in a few days.