"Boss, what are they talking about? Try it on me!" Karl said as he pointed the finger at himself. Karl had also made a significant improvement in his soul energy, but he didn't spend much time on training METAL combat skills. Instead, he had chosen to focus on fleet combat.
Hu Yangxuan wanted to warn Karl about Wang Tong's new power, but it was already too late. As soon as Wang Tong initiated his tactics, Karl's face turned bleak and stumbled back a few steps before he was pressed against the wall.
It took Karl a while to gather himself.
Looking at Karl's painful expression, Wang Tong realized that he was too hard on his friends. While in the Crystal space, he had gotten used to attack his enemy relentlessly and forgotten the importance of controlling his energy while in the real world. His classmates were not Zachery, so they would not be able to withstand nearly as much power as Zachery could.
Hu Yangxuan and Zhou Sisi helped Karl to his feet, "Oh shit! Boss, are you trying to kill me? I felt like being dropped into an icy pool!"
Hu Yangxuan nodded and then said, "Wang Tong, that move was brilliant. But excuse me, I wouldn't be able to spar with you any longer… I want to live."
Wang Tong's power had even caught him off guard. However, he knew that the magnitude of his current power was only the bare minimum of what it would take to survive in a real war.
"I am not sure if I want to attend the tournament any longer if I would have to stand up against freaks like you." Hu Yangxuan announced helplessly.
"I disagree. We all have our roles to play and try our best. You should still attend." Zhou Sisi encouraged Hu Yangxuan.
"I will. I will. I was just saying how unfair it is. It's tough to be a friend with Wang Tong, you know. Luckily, we also have you in our rank." Hu Yangxuan cracked a smile at Zhou Sisi.
"Let's all try our best. Especially you, Wang Tong."
"Will do."
"Awesome! Boss, we can finally fight alongside each other again! Oh, I am here to tell you guys that our school has made it to the top ten list!"
"What's the ranking?" Zhou Sisi asked.
"Number six." Karl beamed from side to side. Ayrlarng had never been on the top ten list, but ever since it had defeated Capth, Ayrlarng had brought a lot of attention and fame to itself.
"Not bad! But I say we will show them that they had still underestimated us!" Wang Tong patted on Karl's shoulder and said.
"Well said, boss! We want to be number one!"
Wang Tong usually would like to stay low-key. However, he was affected by Karl's ambition and spirit, and felt he was ready to march into the tournament.
"Very well. Let's use the school intranet for our training and invite Cao Yi as well."
Everyone agreed.
Every academy, as well as the military, had set up the intranet to be used inside their institutions. Students would only need to use their student ID to log in to the school intranet. They logged onto the intranet and looked for their allies from Bernabeu. Without Apache, Cao Yi had quickly become the leader of Bernabeu.
Cao Yi was pleasantly surprised by Wang Tong's recovery. He had been worried that Wang Tong would not be able to reach his former strength after the soul energy was depleted. However, right then, it seemed that his worry was unnecessary. The group of students developed a new set of training methods that aimed to learn from Wang Tong's far-superior skills.
After the training, Wang Tong and Zhou Sisi walked home together.
Zhou Sisi could feel that Wang Tong had been increasingly opening up to her, and considered her as a trustworthy friend. However, the thought of being "befriended" made Zhou Sisi feel bitter.
Zhou Sisi had prepared herself for the worst, and being Wang Tong's friend was far from the worst that could happen. She conceded that she would be content seeing Wang Tong's happy face every day.
Wang Tong went straight to bed and didn't turn the light on. Charcoal stood beside the bed, faithfully protecting his master.
Wang Tong loved Charcoal's presence when he went to bed, because it made him feel that he was not alone. Without Charcoal's companionship, Wang Tong would have already gone mad in the crystal space. Wang Tong liked to talk to charcoal, and he found out that the robot was an excellent listener. He often lamented that without Charcoal, he would not speak a single word after he got home.
Wang Tong understood that despite the immense power of the Tactics of the Blade, the other five major tactics were no less potent. Besides, what determined a fighter's ability was not just the type of tactics they had cultivated, but also their talent and the amount of time they had spent on honing their skills. Wang Tong reckoned that Li Shiming ought to be a more powerful fighter than him, because not only was Li Shiming talented, through years of cultivation, he had also built a more solid foundation than Wang Tong. Also, he had an experienced father who could continuously provide him with guidance.
Thanks to Mr. Wannabe's boot camp, Wang Tong had gained a more realistic view of his power.
Wang Tong conceded that Patroclus must have a more accurate estimation about Wang Tong's power, and therefore, the reason for his challenge must be because he was impressed by the tactics, but not by Wang Tong as a fighter.
If it were anyone else who had piqued Patroclus's interest, he or she would be thrilled. But Wang Tong couldn't find any joy in him, because his goal was to defeat Patroclus.
The deal Wong Tong made with Ma Dutian seemed simple. However, as Wang Tong mulled over his situation, he started to doubt if the Ma would be able to fulfill their end of the deal and reject House of Li's request should he succeed the mission.
Suddenly, Wang Tong realized that Ma Dutian had also hinged his decision on the outcome of the tournament. Should Wang Tong able to prove himself and defeat Li Shiming, Ma Dutian would also gain an excuse to back out of the marriage proposal.
Wang Tong was right. As a figurehead of a great house, the crafty Ma Dutian would not disclose his real intention up front. But, he had believed that Wang Tong was smart enough to figure it out himself.
Wang Tong had thought that Ma Xiaoru's father would humiliate him for asking his daughter's hand, since the Li and Ma had been traditional allies, and Li Shiming was also a competent young man. Therefore, Wang Tong was pleasantly surprised when he was given a second chance to prove himself. It would have made thing easier for Ma Dutian if he had rejected Wang Tong, but Ma Dutian's love for his daughter's had eventually changed his mind.
Wang Tong mumbled his thoughts to Charcoal, and the latter listened quietly.
"Charcoal, how would I make Li Shiming attend the tournament? He didn't seem to be that interested."
Wang Tong heaved a sigh and continued his mumbling, "It would be easy if it were Lie Jian who I had to defeat. I could always lure him into the tournament using Einherjar Wannabe's identity, but Li Shiming was never on PA."
"..." Charcoal muttered something quietly.
"Oh, Sh*t! You are a genius, Charcoal!" Wang Tong embraced Charcoal and kissed on its cold metal panel out of excitement "Now, clean the room for me. I want it to be tidied up before I am home."
Wang Tong rushed out as soon as he released Charcoal.
Wang Tong realized that the best way to lure Li Shiming to the tournament was to use a bait whose power was at par with Li Shiming. Charcoal had reminded Wang Tong that he just so happened to have one such bait wrapped around his little finger.
When Wang Tong arrived at the familiar virtual Cafe, the owner of the cafe almost broke into tears as he had missed his lucky charm day and night. Without Wang Tong visiting the cafe, his business seemed to be slumping.
Wang Tong was puzzled by the tears held in the owner's eyes as he walked into his VIP room. All this while, he wondered why Lie Jian didn't challenge Patroclus to avenge the defeat of Lie Wushuang.