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However, Ethan's arduous training under Mr. Gordon was not without its immediate benefits. In the afternoon, after experiencing four hours of high-intensity pressure training, when he sat down to channel Aura again, his body would transmit a distinct feeling of being "hungry and thirsty." In this state, his speed of absorbing ambient psionic energy was easily twice that of his normal rate, and he could also digest and assimilate it with incredible speed. For a week now, he hadn't taken any of his remaining psionic potions, yet his rank had already climbed steadily, reaching the peak of Rank One, Level Six.
He had heard from Mr. Gordon that this was a common phenomenon for diligent trainees. The large amount of exercise led to the rapid consumption of the Aura naturally stored and processed by his body. His body, his very cells, would then reach a state of psionic energy emptiness. Channeling Aura again at that time was like a parched man who hadn't had a drop of water for three days suddenly encountering a torrential downpour; the speed of absorption was extremely fast, and the subsequent digestion of that energy was also remarkably quick and efficient. This state was much faster and more effective than just sitting at home and meditating all day. Therefore, physical training and Aura channeling were actually not separate disciplines; when combined intelligently, they could produce even greater, synergistic effects.
On this day, Mr. Gordon gathered everyone in the training hall. "Students, after a week of intensive training, I believe you have all made some significant progress. As your teacher, I've seen it all, the sweat and the effort. So, I've decided to prepare a temporary test for all of you today. Everyone will be paired up for a series of spars to check on your learning results and practical application."
A student immediately raised his hand. "Teacher, what's the reward for winning first place?"
Mr. Gordon smiled. "Of course there's a reward. For the final assessment at the end of this half-month training camp, the opponents will be decided by drawing lots. The person who wins first place in this preliminary test today will not have to participate in the drawing for the final tournament and can directly enter the final round as a seeded competitor."
A murmur of excitement spread through the class.
"No need to participate in the drawing!"
"This is a great opportunity to conserve energy and build up strength for the finals!"
"When others have fought several grueling matches and are exhausted, I'll have fought none, full of psionic energy. That's a huge advantage!"
"Looks like I'll have to go all out today!"
At this moment, another student raised her hand and asked, "Teacher, for those of us with different psionic ability types, different ranks, and different levels of physical enhancement, isn't this a bit unfair for a physical-only spar?"
It was a known fact that the passive physical enhancement from each rank advancement also differed depending on the psionic ability type. Physical-type abilities like Strength-type and Beastification-type provided the greatest passive enhancement to the body, while elemental types like fire and water systems gave less of a direct physical boost, focusing more on energy manipulation.
Mr. Gordon's expression was firm. "At Rank One, the passive physical enhancement you get without actively channeling your abilities is limited and, frankly, quite similar for everyone. The gap is not as large as you think. Moreover, this world itself is not fair. You must all adapt to that reality as soon as possible. Alright, let's begin the drawing for the lots now."
Everyone lined up, and one by one, they drew their lots from a box. Ethan looked at his: Number nine. There were thirty-six people in their class who had shown up for the supplementary training, which meant the largest number on the lots was eighteen.
Mr. Gordon clapped his hands for attention. "First things first, a crucial rule for today's test: during the match, no one is allowed to actively use their psionic abilities. No fireballs, no transformations, no shields. This is a test of pure combat technique and physical conditioning. Anyone who violates this rule will be immediately disqualified. Alright, now, those who drew number one, come up and compete."
Two students came to the center of the training hall floor and stood opposite each other. Ethan knew them: Felix and Mason. These two had both awakened Excellent-rank Physical-type abilities. One was a specialized strength-strengthening type, the other a speed-strengthening type. Unlike Marcus's all-around muscle enhancement, these two would each only mainly enhance one specific characteristic when their ability was active. A speed-enhancer wouldn't get much of a passive boost to raw strength and defense. However, with each rank breakthrough, the overall passive physical enhancement was about the same for both. Coupled with the fact that their innate talents and current ranks were also very similar, without actively using their abilities, the difference in their physical quality was not large. This was a very good opening match.
"Fighters, take your positions!" Mr. Gordon announced. "Match, begin!"
The two charged towards each other simultaneously. As they got close, Felix threw a powerful kick, but Mason, with his superior agility, deftly dodged it. Then, Mason used his other leg to whip a kick aimed for his opponent's face. But it was blocked by his opponent's ready hand. Then, they began to probe each other with a series of quick jabs and feints. It could be seen that these two had trained very hard during their normal school time. In just a short week of Mr. Gordon's class, they were already fighting with decent form and tactical awareness. Finally, Felix faked a punch towards Mason's head. While his opponent was instinctively blocking with both hands to protect his vitals, Felix threw a swift, powerful kick to his now-exposed face, ending the battle with a decisive thud.
Mason, holding his bruised jaw, said, unconvinced, "Teacher, he used a dirty trick! There's no such move in the standard combat techniques you taught us!"
Mr. Gordon said sternly, "Firstly, there actually is such a move, a feint-to-kick combination, in the advanced combat techniques; I just haven't taught it to you yet. Secondly, do you really think you can't use a move just because I haven't personally taught it to you? Remember this, all of you: combat techniques are not dead things; people are alive. During a real battle, you must flexibly use your attack methods according to the ever-changing situation. If you rigidly rely only on the basic combat techniques I've taught you, it's very easy for any competent enemy to find your pattern and discover your flaws. Felix did very well on this point. Alright, you two can go down now."
The other students also finished their matches one after another, some ending quickly, others being drawn-out wars of attrition. Finally, it was Ethan's turn. His opponent was a student named Caden, a Superior-rank talent. He was a beastification-type psionicist, and a rare flying-type at that. He was currently at Rank One, Level Four. Among the students present, aside from Ethan's group of three, Caden was already one of the highest-ranked and most respected fighters.
Caden came up to the sparring area. Seeing that his opponent was Ethan, he showed great excitement, a confident smirk on his face. After all, when Ethan had first awakened, he had awakened a now-infamous "no-rank trash" ability. During this past week of training, some people had also come to ask him about his current rank, but he had always fobbed them off with vague, non-committal words. In everyone's eyes, he was just at a very low rank and was too embarrassed to say it out loud. Therefore, Caden naturally believed that his own rank was much higher, and thus, his passive physical quality was far superior. Although Ethan had been working very hard during this period – everyone had seen his dedication – the perceived difference in physical quality was still immense.
"Victory is mine!" Caden thought, throwing a powerful, telegraphed punch towards Ethan, thinking this one blow would easily end the battle. In fact, it was almost as he expected. With one clean, powerful kick from Ethan, Caden was the one sent flying out of the ring, landing in a heap on the gym floor.
Ethan stood there, unimpressed. Has this guy even been training this week? His attack is full of obvious flaws! It was like he was moving in slow motion.
It was obvious that Caden, due to his arrogance and preconceptions, had not taken Ethan seriously at all, leading to him being easily and humiliatingly defeated by Ethan, who seized upon his glaringly open flaw. Caden, picking himself up, had a look of utter disbelief on his face. "How… how is this possible? I was actually defeated by this piece of… trash…" Even though he was completely unconvinced and humiliated, he could only honestly, shamefacedly, leave the stage.
Next was Seraphina. Her opponent was a male combat-type, but he wasn't as exaggeratedly muscular as Marcus. Although Seraphina's passive physical enhancement as a support-type was not as pronounced as a dedicated combat-type's, she was at a solid Level Six, while her opponent was only at Level Three. So, she was still significantly stronger than him in raw physical stats. Coupled with her far greater proficiency and grace in applying the combat techniques Mr. Gordon had taught, victory naturally came easily for her.
After another two rounds, it was Marcus's turn. His opponent was a female support-type who possessed a healing ability. Her psionic ability could directly heal injuries, which was an extremely precious strategic resource in any team. Although her innate talent was only Good-rank, after graduation, she would definitely be specially recruited by the military or major city hospitals. She looked at Marcus's iron-like physique, his sheer size and power, and her legs began to tremble with nervousness. Her whole body went soft with intimidation.
"I… I forfeit!" she called out before the match even began. There was no helping it. After all, she was a pure support-type, and facing that kind of imposing physique, just standing there was a form of psychological warfare, okay? Mr. Gordon didn't make things difficult for her and simply agreed to her request to forfeit. Before long, the entire first round of the competition was completed.
For the second round, the lots were drawn again. Ethan drew lot number three. His opponent… was Seraphina.
Ethan looked at the number, then at his friend, a complicated expression on his face. "This..."
Seraphina, however, just smiled, a determined glint in her eyes. "It's fine, Ethan. Don't hold back just because it's me. Bring it on. Let's see what you've really learned."
Ethan nodded slowly, a silent acknowledgment passing between them. That was his way of agreeing. From the moment she had proactively suggested going on that dangerous adventure into the wild, Ethan had begun to understand that he had never truly known this companion of so many years. Although she was designated as a support-type psionicist, she possessed the fierce, unwavering heart of a warrior. She liked the thrill of excitement and yearned for true adventure, just as much as he and Marcus did.
Ethan met her determined gaze. "Then let's do it
Throw some stones