Chapter 23: The Followers of the Templar

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Tehrn

"Hehe Kiddo, we have finally met a worthy opponent, I bet his soul power is on par with yours!" Mr. Wannabe was very excited to finally be able to watch a good fight.

Unlike most fighters who would focus on cultivating soul power while ignoring the technique of challenging one's GN power, Wang Tong's power was unconventional, although he had only about 100 sols of soul power, the effect of the 100 sols was deadly thanks to his almost impeccable skill in channeling his GN power, a talent that had even made Mr. Wannabe feel jealous.

Although he was impressed by Wang Tong's raw talent, Mr. Wannabe was also aware that Wang Tong still had a long way to go in order to catch up with master level fighters; therefore, he had been nipping away at Wang Tong's complacency, trying to drive him to improve. That was the reason why Mr. Wannabe always acted as if he never approved of Wang Tong's achievements. Although it would hurt Wang Tong's feelings, it was also an effective way to get the message across when Mr. Wannabe could not fight Wang Tong himself and make the point directly.

Wang Tong had learned many wild and unrestricted moves in desperate combat with Zergs, but that did not undermine the power of the coup de grace of major sects since they had withstood the test of time.

Sharp Razor cracked a smile and said to Wang Tong, "Fellow Brother, me and my friend Nonchalant Playboy, a master swords player, were utterly impressed by your performance—"

"Save the courtesy, let’s begin, with METAL or not, you decide," Nonchalant Playboy spoke frankly and cut Sharp Razor short.

"I don't have a METAL suit; it's up to you if you want to wear it or not."

Nonchalant Playboy was bemused for a second and broke out laughing, "Sh*t, and I thought I was arrogant. It would take a Templar's follower to defeat me; you are just full of yourself."

"Templar's follower? What the heck is that?" Wang Tong asked in confusion.

Both opponents shrugged their shoulders at Wang Tong, it then seemed evident to them that Wang Tong was just another powerful but ordinary fighter since he was oblivious about the followers of the Templar.

"Don't worry about it, let's just fight." Miao Xiu reckoned that it would be just another match with an ordinary opponent; he just wanted to finish it as soon as possible.

Wang Tong liked his brashness and said, "Alright, let's begin."

Luv Ma, aka Sharp Razor, retreated to a corner of the arena. There were no referees to keep tab of both fighters’ scores as these fights were usually quick and decisive.

As soon as the ring was cleared, Nonchalant Playboy smiled casually at Wang Tong as if he was waiting for Wang Tong to strike first. Wang Tong seemed to have understood his opponent's intentions, but just when he was least expecting it, his seemingly nonchalant opponent had acted first and attacked Wang Tong with surprise.

However, Wang Tong was not startled by the sneak attack, as he dashed forward, mirroring his opponent's move.

What followed were a few dozen exchanges of fist punches and sword slashes. Luv Ma observed every move of the two fighters and paid particular attention to Wang Tong as he noticed that Wang Tong's soul power was at least on par with Miao Xiu’s; his GN power, however, as Luv Ma estimated, must be even stronger. It was hard for him to believe that someone with this much power was not one of the followers, not to mention being oblivious about it.

Although Wang Tong had proven to be a worthy opponent, Luv Ma was then still confident that Miao Xiu's victory was only a matter of time. Miao Xiu had been a follower of the Templar ever since he was sixteen, and under the Templars, he had been studying the sacred tactics of Hexa Solaires, and through years of cultivation, his EMF had reached at least one hundred sols. His deadly power was further enhanced by his keen sense on the battlefield. Miao Xiu's victory was imminent.

Both fighters had exchanged another fifty or so rounds of attacks, and the last exchange ended in an explosive impact which staggered both of them back.

"Awesome, f*cking awesome, indeed you are different from the other useless garbage!" Miao Xiu had been scolded by his teacher many times because of his profanity, yet it kept on pouring out of his mouth.

"You are not bad yourself." Wang Tong jumped to his feet, feeling fortunate to have such a strong opponent who fights refreshingly different from the Zergs, and he also restored some of his faith in human's combat ability.

Wang Tong cannot find any sign of weakness in any of Nonchalant Playboy moves as every one of Wang Tong's attacks were perfectly countered. He had never fought such a tough opponent like him whose defense and offense were so tightly interwoven with each other and every single movement was executed flawlessly with its full intent.

"I am just about to get serious."

"Same here."

Miao Xiu channeled his soul power into his sword as the wave of energy emanating from the sword expanded slowly. Seeing that Miao Xiu was about to unleash his true power, Luv Ma become agitated. He was excited to witness the Templar's coup de grace, a rare sight to behold despite the fact that Miao Xiu was still a follower.

The sword strike unleashed a concentrated beam of energy. Even the air around Miao Xiu seemed dreary when he became serious about his opponent. As Miao Xiu finished his move, Luv Ma had noticed that he had used the standard tactics taught at the Starry Sky Academy, the Tactics of Star Swords, which he had already mastered, although Miao Xiu had just learned it a few weeks ago.

Wang Tong immediately felt pressured by the incoming sleuth of attacks, every move was quickly followed by another, and with every move, both attack and defense were at an unstoppable rhythm, which rendered Wang Tong’s counter attack ineffectual. There was a reason for the S-Class Academy to choose the Tactics of Star Sword after all.

Assailed by the articulated and deadly strikes, Wang Tong felt his space for maneuvering was shrinking drastically as if he was being entangled in a web of attacks. Despite the countless battles with the Zerg, Wang Tong still lacked combat experience against humans compared to Miao Xiu. Fighting humans was very different from fighting Zergs since even the higher tier Zergs, once you got used to them, were predictable.

After only a dozen rounds of slashes and hacks, Wang Tong started to lose his ground which disappointed Luv Ma who had expected Wang Tong to last a bit longer. But on the flip side, it also demonstrated the dreadful power of the Templar’s followers.

Wang Tong's unstructured attack had become ineffective under Miao Xiu's intricate web of attacks, but he didn’t feel frustrated, instead he felt refreshed.

The previous two battles were too easy, after all, ordinary students were no match for the battle-hardened Wang Tong, however Miao Xiu was different as Miao Xiu had a slight advantage over Wang Tong in terms of both strength and experience.

Mr. Wannabe was smiling as he finally saw another way of nipping away at Wang Tong's arrogance and complacency. Wang Tong's strength was still far from adequate to take him to Valhalla; he had to push him harder without giving him a moment of respite.

However, Mr. Wannabe didn't notice that the corner of Wang Tong's mouth was lifted up as he was equally as excited as Mr. Wannabe himself while he engrossed himself in planning attacks and defenses.

Wang Tong had noticed that his opponent's sword strike seemed to be full of faults that he could take advantage of, but he had seen through his opponent’s bait, and he was confident that once he entered the trap, he would be punished ten times more severely.

Suddenly, Miao Xiu's lips formed a cold smile; it was about time to deploy the final strike, the coup de grace.

A swirl of light suddenly flashed in front of Wang Tong, through which the sharp end of the sword pierced at his heart at lightning speed. Judging by the speed and momentum, it would penetrate Wang Tong's body with ease.

However, having been forced into a defensive position for the entire time, Wang Tong suddenly closed in on Miao Xiu, could it be that he was going to catch the sword with his bare hand again? If so, Wang Tong might have to pay dearly for undermining Miao Xiu’s strength, for Miao Xiu was not the same as the two rookies that he had just defeated.

However, should Miao Xiu let Wang Tong catch his sword, he would forever be looked down upon by other followers of the Templar.