45: Chapter 45: Test Sparring! A Battle of Geniuses

After listening to Teacher Yimoku explain the weapon requisition process and bidding her farewell,

Li Yuan headed straight for the armory next to the academy training grounds. His impatient demeanor drew a soft cry from Laya.

"Wait for us, Aria and me!" Laya hurriedly grabbed Aria and chased after him.

Upon reaching the training grounds, Li Yuan didn't go to the training weapon requisition office first, but instead walked over to the "Point Exchange Window."

He indeed had a "small fortune"—the academy had rewarded him with 100 trial points for his last mission escorting Chen Jingyi to search for the Zerg Queen.

This was enough to make many freshmen green with envy, but he had no idea how much it would cost to arm his Order of the Light Guardians.

A massive holographic screen scrolled through various types of equipment and their prices.

[Standard Beam Rifle]: 5 points

[Rainbow Cutter Type 3 Beam Saber]: 20 points

[Blazing Sun Class Hand Cannon]: 150 points

[Bee Needle Type 11 Micro Ion Cannon]: 500 points

...

Li Yuan's gaze lingered for a moment on the "Beam Saber" and the "Micro Ion Cannon," then he shook his head. The sabers were 20 points each, meaning ten would cost 200 points—he was still short by half. And the Micro Ion Cannon, at a staggering 500 points, was completely out of his reach.

"I'd better try the training versions first and see how they perform." Possessed by the spirit of Grandet, Li Yuan ultimately decided to hold onto his 100 points for a bit longer and turned toward the training weapon requisition office.

After completing the paperwork, he carried the metal case containing the training versions of the [Rainbow Cutter Type 3 Beam Saber] and the [Bee Needle Type 11 Micro Ion Cannon] and dove into the beginner training area.

The initial test results satisfied him. The Beam Saber could easily leave deep gouges on heavy alloy targets, and the Micro Ion Cannon could vaporize moving targets instantly. However, shooting at stationary targets was ultimately "unsatisfying"; he needed an opponent to properly test their effectiveness.

"Aria, let's spar." Li Yuan noticed Aria standing nearby, watching his tests with Laya.

He suddenly felt that she would be a worthy opponent.

"Sure! I want to try it out too." Aria had a restless nature; watching Li Yuan test the weapons had made her eager to get on the field and play herself.

The three of them arrived at the advanced training area. Inside, many first-to-third-year students were sparring.

Li Yuan watched for a while; the fights were quite intense, but he didn't see any students as impressive as Chen Jingyi or Luo Lan.

There wasn't even anyone on par with Sai Wei! It couldn't be helped; he had won too easily last time, and Sai Wei's status in his mind had taken a significant hit.

After finally waiting for someone to finish their training, Li Yuan and Aria quickly claimed the area.

"Laya, cover the field with the Song of Light, just in case someone gets hurt." Li Yuan was as thorough as ever; securing the healer first was the top priority in any PK.

Aria was speechless. How afraid of death could he be... Couldn't he take it easy?!

Wait a second, she realized she really couldn't take it easy!

Aria raised her hand, intending to hit Li Yuan with a Moonbeam as usual, but she suddenly realized that her previous attacks had all been against test equipment or the Zerg; she never had to worry about whether the target could withstand it!

She honestly didn't know how to lower the power of her Moonbeam. Given the strength of her attack, one hit would surely shatter him into tens of thousands of pieces!!!

Her hand trembled, and she smashed the attack toward the Light Guardian instead.

The Light Guardian was even more agile than the Zerg Queen; it wasn't that easy to hit, and it dodged the Moonbeam with a slight twist.

This amused Aria. "You little thief, you dare to dodge?" She immediately unleashed a barrage of Moonbeams, raining them down like a radiant sun.

The Light Guardian was more flexible than the Zerg Queen, but it didn't have as much resistance. Even if the Moonbeam missed, it would explode into a wide area of extreme cold, slowing down a Light Guardian every now and then.

Being slowed meant being hit by the Moonbeam, and being hit meant death. Aria's Moonbeam caused absolute freezing. Once hit, the target couldn't move, and then they were killed in two hits.

However, a Light Guardian only cost two energy points to summon, and Aria wasn't killing them as fast as Li Yuan could summon them. Soon, the Light Guardians charged into melee range.

Then, a bizarre situation occurred: Li Yuan didn't dare to strike. The Beam Saber was a weapon capable of slicing through starship armor, and as far as Li Yuan knew, Aria hadn't cultivated any defensive skills, and her agility was abysmal—the Light Guardians could use her like a shuttlecock...

The two of them fought in this awkward manner...

But to the ordinary onlookers, their battle looked completely different.

"Holy crap, Moonbeam Barrage! That's too OP, full-screen AOE!"

"Holy crap, infinite moon combos! Once locked on, you can't dodge; you just get comboed to death! How are you supposed to fight that?"

"Summoning so fast! Does it cost no energy? Is this the terror of a Summoner?"

"They've surrounded her, they've surrounded her! The minions are so fast!"

"The minions are actually attacking her! Is the boss Li Yuan showing mercy to a beauty?"

"Aria isn't attacking the summoner himself either; I think this is the unspoken understanding of love! I love it, I love it, ship them! Ship them!"

The incongruous battle drove three people crazy: the two fighting on the field, and one person who was driven mad by the onlookers shipping the pair.

The original partner is right here!!!!!!

...

Soon, the two stopped; they couldn't fight, it was impossible, and the test was completely meaningless.

Just as Li Yuan was feeling frustrated, there was a commotion at the entrance of the training ground. Saiwei Krol walked in, surrounded by a crowd of followers, wearing a suit of armor that shimmered with iridescent light and pulsed with blue-purple electric arcs, instantly becoming the center of attention.

The armor was gorgeous yet sharp, with lines full of power. The dark gold main body was inlaid with patterns that looked like liquid lightning, and a massive lightning rune core on the chest rotated slowly, emitting a heart-stopping energy.

Unlike his previously flashy style, Sai Wei now exuded a sense of growth, restraint, and composure, though his slightly raised chin still revealed the arrogance in his bones.

"My father heard about the Zerg Queen incident," Sai Wei explained to the other exchange students from the Olympia Empire who had come to ask, "and concerned for my safety, he specifically had this 'Thor' armor transferred from the Imperial Royal Armory."

His voice was calm yet clearly carried across the training ground. He didn't boast too much, but instead walked straight toward a heavy test pillar.

Under the gaze of the onlookers, Sai Wei placed his armored right palm gently onto the alloy test pillar, which was built to withstand a full-power strike from a Tier 3 fighter.

Hum—!

A blinding flash of lightning flickered and vanished!

There was no deafening explosion, but the part of the test pillar that had been in contact with his palm had vanished, leaving a penetrating hole with smooth, melted, glass-like edges, with tiny electric snakes still jumping across the cross-section.

That's right, stimulated by Aria, Laya, and Li Yuan, Sai Wei had also entered Tier 3. Now, combined with the Thor armor, he could unleash attacks approaching Tier 4.

It was like being handed a pillow just as one felt sleepy; the Thor armor looked very durable. Li Yuan happily walked toward Sai Wei and provoked him: "Sai Wei, are you interested in sparring again to settle the score and get your revenge?"

Li Yuan's provocation immediately ignited Sai Wei's spirit of vengeance.

Last time, you fought without honor, launched a sneak attack, and used items to one-shot me.

This time, I am fully armed. If you can still beat me, I... I'll eat an extra bowl of rice at lunch.