Chapter 116 (1/2)

Chapter 116: Longspear

Translator: Yukidaruma Translations  Editor: Yukidaruma Translations

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.