845 Actual Battle 1 (1/2)

The group of people parted like the red sea, revealing Sofia, who was giving a lecture at the front.

She raised her head and looked over in his direction.

”I've heard everything, Mr. Nono, last cohort's freshmen's First Seat. I never thought that you would've improved the Crouched Eagle Talon Technique as well,” Sofia's voice was soft and gentle and it had a mesmerizing effect.

”The reason I joined the Eagle's Nest was that I hoped to learn more from stronger fellow practitioners. Of course, I also wanted to exchange knowledge with my fellow practitioners regarding the theories and concepts behind the Crouched Eagle Talon Technique,” Garen sincerely expressed his intents.

”That is to be expected. Everyone who joins the Eagle's Nest has the same intentions. Only through these sorts of exchanges there would there be clashes in schools of thought, and only then can we see improvement. As compared to the mindset of those who have just enrolled in the school, having access to the combined experience and abilities of everyone here from both the present and the past will allow us to make the most out of our training methods,” Sofia articulated.

”If you don't mind, I would like to go and view the Eagle's Nest immediately,” Garen said. He started to feel that his foundation for this technique was not concrete enough and this Eagle's Nest might be able to solve his concerns.

If he did not have a concrete foundation, it would make it harder for him to progress to the next level. It may even lead to him facing more trouble when up against an opponent of the same level, especially when it comes to a battle of Willpower.

”Sounds like a plan,” Sofia was also a very straight-forward person. Despite her gentle appearance, she was actually exceptionally fervent in her interests. Seeing how direct Garen was, she too loosened up.

”Peach, bring Mr. Nono to the headquarters and give him a tour of the place. There are many seniors stationed at the headquarters, feel free to direct any questions you have to them.”

When facing a genius, naturally he was allowed some form of special treatment. Furthermore, the method of choice for the Eagle's Nest was to allow everyone to progress at their own pace and not interfere too much with the students. This did not apply only to Nono; it was also the case for the genius from last year, Klaibe, who has since been promoted into a senior of the elite Black-Clothed Generals, with the title of Demonic Shadow Duncan. This was all part of their tradition.

”Since this is your first time in the headquarters, I should tell you this. If you're interested in challenging any seniors over here, you can select one senior to challenge daily. Take note that this refers to Close Quarters Combat and not a mech battle,” it was almost as if Sofia had already seen through Garen's character, and not wanting to beat around the bush, she went straight to the point.

”Alright.”

Garen nodded.

The surrounding students started to mumble aloud, challenging seniors was everyone's right after all. Once you've entered the Eagle's Nest, your ranking here is determined by your actual potential and abilities. Challenging stronger opponents was key in this type of ranking system.

However, these ranks would not give you too much of an advantage, it mainly allows you to access journals and notes on the Crouched Eagle Talon Technique left behind by seniors of the past. These archives of information were all from the masters who had trained in the Crouched Eagle Talon Technique in the past and contained information from the various methods and the different aspects of mastering this technique. However, if you failed to reach a certain level with these techniques, it would have adverse side effects on your body, so it's better not to fly too close to the sun.

The two's conversation was short and concise with no small talk in between. Just by looking at Garen, she knew that he would be interested in these challenges and archives. Most people would have already understood that Garen was interested in the archived records of the Eagle's Nest. For a technique to be practiced after such a long time, yet still remain unparalleled in strength, naturally, it must have had its own unique complexities and theories behind it.

The young girl known as Peach, who was also the cute girl that was in charge of the new members earlier, stood up and guided Garen towards a nearby bus station. Following closely behind them was a group of students, all curious about the developments of Garen, leaving only a handful of students in Sofia's class.

Looking at this situation, Sofia helplessly let out a sigh. She might as well just bring everyone along at this point.

With that, a whole class of students boarded the academy's bus, leaving the drilling grounds as they headed towards the direction of the Eagle's Nest.

******

The Eagle's Nest was a medium-sized den-like structure in the Blackboard Academy. It looked like a gigantic eagle's nest on the surface, but in actuality, it was constructed from reinforced metal alloys.

The inside of the building was separated into a few different sections, one of which was the training hall.

Above the white ground of the training hall was a transparent glass ceiling. At this moment, the hall was surrounded by various students stationed at the Eagle's Nest, most of them being second-years and third-years. A lot of them were casually chatting while spectating the two people below.

Following Sofia's lead, Garen was brought to the side of the hall, looking down at the two below.

”Today's challenge is between the two below. Katja, who is ranked thirty-second, is challenging Seris, who is ranked twenty-first,” Sofia softly introduced the two to Garen.

”These two look like they're quite strong, otherwise, the people who followed us just now wouldn't have left their positions to observe the battle themselves,” Garen nodded.

”That's no surprise. The Eagle's Nest serves as a gathering place for all students practicing the Crouched Eagle Talon Technique. Just the Level Five experts would already amount to more than fifty people, with a lot of them being instructors or Black-Clothed Generals. Some even attained high ranks in the military and take up important positions throughout the Blackboard Region. Although our Crouched Eagle Talon is no match for students of the same level practicing other skills, we have the advantage of numbers!” Sofia proudly exclaimed. ”We don't have the strongest technique, but the value of mastering this technique is definitely comparable to even the best techniques, it is one of a kind.”

”That's true,” Garen nodded once again.

”There are numerous geniuses within the Eagle's Nest, and some of them were even in a situation like yours; people who just barely missed the opportunity to become elite students. It might be worthwhile for you guys to interact and befriend each other in the future,” Sofia suggested.

Garen agreed and continued to watch the battle happening below him. The two stopped talking and the surrounding spectators also quietened down, closely observing the bout that was about to start.

Ding!

With a loud ring, the two people below sprang into action.

Their movements were almost in sync, making wide hand motions with every step. At the same time, they were rapidly striking at each other. Although it looked like completely normal strikes, it gave off an ever-changing strong aura.

Smack! The two crossed arms. To everyone's surprise, they were using the exact same move on equal grounds.

”I see that your training on the Eagle Wing Strike has gone well!” the ranked twenty-first Seris said loudly.