Chapter 16. A Duel with Bella
Fulan arrived at the Swordsmanship Class. She had attended the Arithtic class last week.
The teacher had simply stood there explaining problems the entire ti, nearly making her fall asleep. Nothing interesting had happened.
Today was the day she had arranged to duel with Bella. They had actually agreed on it during the previous Swordsmanship Class.
However, that ti had been Fulan’s first ti using the Breathing thod in real combat. After the match, her legs had turned weak, and she had barely managed to walk back.
Although she believed that with her current level she would certainly receive an excellent evaluation as long as she attended class regularly, she still had a competitive streak.
She had even purchased a Combat Technique and trained it to the Mastery level specifically in preparation for today.
Training the technique to the Mastery level had even increased her Physique by 0.1. Her Physique was now 1.5.
Of course, her greatest regret was that she had not managed to raise her Breathing thod to the Proficiency level.
She felt that if she had reached that level, even three Bellas would not have been able to defeat her.
At present, her Breathing thod was still at 204 proficiency. There was still a long way to go before the next upgrade.
The sound of THUD, THUD echoed through the training hall as John called the apprentices together.
Once everyone had gathered, John announced,
“In a mont, two people will spar in front of . After that, everyone can practice freely.”
After the apprentices had experienced the sparring session last ti, it was impossible to make them simply practice basic techniques again. So John decided to arrange the class this way instead.
Fulan and Bella’s duel was not scheduled as the first match. The first fight of the day was Mason versus Mars.
Mason gripped the wooden sword in his hand, holding his breath and focusing his mind. He was determined to wash away his previous humiliation in this battle.
Mars, however, seed distracted. From ti to ti, he glanced toward where Fulan stood, barely paying any attention to the sparring match.
This attitude nearly cost him the fight at the very beginning. When the match started, he failed to react in ti and was almost taken down by the charging Mason. Only by blocking the attack at the last mont did he manage to avoid defeat.
After that, Mars relied on his superior physical strength and began driving Mason backward. The power behind his swings was so great that Mason could barely block them.
A rat that only knows how to ambush.
Being nearly ambushed had reminded Mars of the previous incident, and his anger surged. His attacks beca even more ferocious.
Normally he disdained using Combat Techniques, but this ti he intended to use one to vent his frustration.
During his previous fight with Fulan, he had never found a suitable opportunity to activate it.
He stepped back slightly, giving Mason a brief mont to breathe, then began gathering his strength into his arm and shoulder.
This was his family’s inherited technique—Earth-Splitting Cleave. With this strike, he would make that filthy rat suffer.
However, events did not unfold as he had expected.
Not only did Mason fail to retreat, he instead rushed forward. The sa powerful aura erupted from his body.
Before Mars’s sword could descend, Mason’s wooden sword had already struck him.
“Mars...”
This ti John’s tone no longer carried anger or fury. Instead, there was a trace of disappointnt.
What followed was a long series of reprimands that left Mars unable to lift his head. When it ca ti to address Mason, however, John’s tone changed to one of delight.
“Very good, Mason. To master this Combat Technique in such a short ti is truly impressive...”
He had always thought highly of Mason. This progress gave him hope—hope that Mason might secure a place among the top three students in the class.
John only had three recomndation slots.
In his opinion, Fulan and Bella would certainly take two of them. That left only one remaining slot to compete for.
Even though Mason had defeated Mars, that alone did not prove enough. Several other students—children of territorial nobles—still stood ahead of him. Their foundations were far stronger than Mason’s.
After several more matches, it was finally ti for Fulan and Bella to fight.
Just as Fulan was about to step onto the field, Bella suddenly called out to her.
“Fulan... could you wait until I activate my Breathing thod before attacking?”
Bella could also activate the Breathing thod during combat. However, it required a brief mont of preparation. That delay could easily allow Fulan to defeat her instantly.
And Bella herself was not confident she could seize the opportunity while Fulan was activating her Breathing thod. The last ti she had seen Fulan use it, the activation had already been extrely fast.
Without the Breathing thod, Bella felt she had no chance of winning.
“All right,” Fulan replied.
She understood the implication behind Bella’s words, but she did not mind. She had already prepared thoroughly. If Bella did not use it, all of her preparation would have been wasted.
When John announced the start of the match, neither of them attacked imdiately.
Instead, both stood still and activated their Breathing thods.
Fulan’s Breathing thod was at the Mastery level. This ti she activated it almost instantly. Unlike her previous match, she no longer needed even a mont of preparation.
Bella, however, gradually deepened her breathing. It took about two seconds before Fulan sensed the shift in the aura surrounding her.
That is a little slow—even slower than I was last ti, Fulan thought.
John was sowhat surprised that both of them could use the Breathing thod in combat.
In all his years of teaching, this was the first ti two apprentices had used Breathing thods against each other in class.
Of course, that did not an the Breathing thod itself was rare. Many noble families held martial competitions, and it was common for participants there to use it in battle.
But the City of Apprentices was different. Entry required talent in spiritual power. Without that talent, one could not enter at all, no matter how skilled they were with the Breathing thod.
This dual requirent of talent naturally gave mbers of the Sword Chant School an advantage in many situations.
Once Fulan confird that Bella was ready, she imdiately launched a swift strike.
This caused John to notice sothing unusual.
What was happening here?
He realized that Fulan’s preparation ti for activating the Breathing thod had been drastically reduced.
He assud she must have been training relentlessly these past days, so that improvent seed reasonable.
However, Fulan’s speed at the start of the fight was far faster than the last ti he had seen her use the Breathing thod. At a glance, he could tell that her Physique had improved significantly.
But how could that be?
Had Fulan only begun improving her Physique through Body-Tempering Techniques after mastering the Breathing thod? What kind of training thod was that?
Normally, Physique only increased gradually after long-term practice with the Breathing thod.
John could not understand it at all. Just two classes ago, Fulan had seed incapable of anything. Yet now she had beco like this.
Back in the battle, Fulan’s first strike was blocked by Bella’s horizontal guard. The hand holding Bella’s sword did not move even slightly.
Fulan imdiately felt the difference in strength.
Even before activating the Breathing thod, Bella’s Physique had already been higher. After activating it, the gap widened even further.
Moreover, Fulan’s Breathing thod emphasized agility, while Bella’s focused primarily on strength. That made the difference in power even greater.
Fulan continued attacking rapidly, delivering one strike after another.
Although Bella greatly surpassed Fulan in Physique, she was noticeably less agile.
Even with the enhancent from the Breathing thod strengthening her reactions and flexibility, she could only barely keep up with Fulan’s relentless attacks.
User Comments
0 comments from readers