Newbie Guardians

Chapter 16 Water Element Genius

The afternoon was for practical training. The whole class paired up and practiced in the training ground. To gain practical experience, they usually found opponents of similar strength. Today, three freshmen were there. Two prodigies were taken away by their respective instructors to enjoy the special treatment of one-on-one instruction. Huang Xin, on the other hand, was the opposite. It wasn't that the instructors were unwilling to teach him, but rather that he lacked aptitude in all seven departments, and the instructors didn't know which department to teach. As a result, he could only watch the other students practice with boredom. Jin Jun wanted to teach him, but the instructors disagreed, explaining that Huang Xin hadn't yet decided which department to choose; once he did, an instructor would naturally guide him.

Huang Shen looked around and found that the students in the class were from all different departments, and they would basically choose to compete against students from different departments.

A red-haired boy, wearing a pair of red boxing gloves, generated flames with every punch, looking quite fierce. His opponent was a petite water-type girl who remained calm and composed. Each time her fiery punches struck, she would summon a pale blue water wall to neutralize the force of the punches, followed by a water ball that sent the red-haired boy flying back two or three meters.

A muscular young man wielding a long spear swung it with impressive skill. His opponent was a short, stocky man with dark skin and a slightly overweight build. The man's fists were crossed in front of his chest, surrounded by a yellowish-brown aura. The spear struck the aura, but was deflected by an invisible force. The spear-wielding man gripped his weapon tightly, his eyes wide, seemingly gathering strength for a powerful attack. The stocky man let out a deep roar, raising his left hand to form a rock-like shield in front of him. Simultaneously, his right hand lashed out, pulling the spear-wielding man backward with force. The spear-wielding man was dragged forward, his chest slamming into the rock shield. He was stunned and disoriented upon landing, slamming his spear into the ground behind him. He then leaped more than three meters into the air, gripping his spear tightly, preparing to strike again.

A boy wielding two short swords faced off against a lightning-elemental girl. The boy first made an exaggerated upward pull, then used his front foot as a fulcrum, his back foot slamming into the ground, propelling him forward like a cannonball. He instantly closed the distance to the lightning mage, his left sword aimed at her face, while his right followed with an upward slash towards her chest and abdomen. This attack was incredibly fast and difficult to dodge, causing Huang Xin to hold her breath in worry for the lightning mage. The lightning girl, however, was prepared. Her figure blurred instantly, and half a second later, she reappeared three meters away. Five bolts of lightning struck the spot where she had been standing, leaving the boy frozen in place, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Seeing his classmates playing so enthusiastically, Huang Shen couldn't just stand around doing nothing. After a moment's thought, he headed towards the direction of the scarecrow training area. The pair of Swiftwind Short Swords that Jin Jun had given him were currently strapped to his thighs, scabbards and all. He grabbed the hilts with both hands simultaneously, swiftly drawing them out and gripping them firmly. After several deep breaths, he practiced rapidly switching between overhand and underhand grips as he walked, constantly turning the short swords in his hands.

The scarecrow training ground wasn't far. Three minutes later, Huang Xin walked in, but suddenly stopped. Standing inside was a familiar yet intimidating figure—his deskmate, whose name Huang Xin still didn't know. Of course, that wasn't the point. Because he was already stunned by the scene before him.

The girl chanted a spell rapidly, her voice clear and melodious. Her staff emitted a powerful, deep blue light, and with a flick of her wrist, ice spikes rained down on the heads of the scarecrows twenty or thirty meters away, covering a radius of seven or eight meters. Even after she withdrew her staff, the ice spikes continued to fall for a full thirty seconds, their number incalculable. The scarecrows were completely smashed beyond recognition, shattered into pieces. Before the ice spikes had even subsided, the girl finished another spell, and a pale green wave, seven or eight meters high, appeared out of thin air before her, crashing down on the scarecrows like a tsunami. With a deafening boom, all the scarecrows crumbled, leaving only the bare central stick standing.

Huang Xin was so engrossed in watching that he didn't notice the girl had turned around. Her cold gaze seemed to pierce his soul, and he instinctively shuddered, finally snapping out of his daze.

"I...I...I didn't mean to...I didn't know there were people here..."

"If you want to practice, stand a little further away and don't disturb me."

The girl turned back and continued chanting the incantation. Huang Xin sensed something was wrong and couldn't help but glance at her again. The scarecrows were completely intact. It seemed that the scarecrows in this training ground had the ability to regenerate or would automatically refresh themselves.

Huang Xin walked to a scarecrow in the far corner, trying to stay as far away from the girl as possible. He repeatedly practiced the moves Jin Jun had taught him the night before, as well as the short-sword man's moves from the training ground, constantly switching attack stances and launching attack after attack on the scarecrow. He kept Jin Jun's words firmly in mind: every strike had to be a fatal blow; assassins value speed and reaction speed. He didn't know how many times he swung his sword all afternoon, or when the girl left. He didn't stop until it was completely dark, only then noticing that his arms were already swollen, his palms were covered in bruises, and his tiger's mouth was stained with blood, most of which had already dried, with a few wounds still bleeding.

My stomach started growling, and just as I was about to walk towards the cafeteria, I realized that my legs were already numb, and my calves were so sore that they were trembling. I could only walk with one stumble after another.

Just as I stepped out of the scarecrow training field, a flat, emotionless voice rang out.

"not bad!"

It was Jin Jun's voice. So he had been paying attention to her all along. A warm feeling welled up in Huang Xin's heart.

Jin Jun walked slowly alongside him, but did not offer to help him.

The two arrived at the cafeteria, and this time Huang Xin ordered two more meat dishes. During the meal, she didn't forget to ask Jin Jun for advice, describing the scene she'd witnessed that afternoon at the training ground where the boy with two short knives had charged forward so quickly. Jin Jun calmly replied...

"That's an assassin-only skill called 'Charge.' It allows you to dash forward eight to fifteen meters in half a second, and the dash distance is directly related to your cultivation level. So, I can't teach that."

Huang Xin described the lightning mage's skills again, and Jin Jun continued to explain patiently.

"The lightning element possesses a life-saving skill called Teleportation, which allows you to instantly move seven or eight meters. However, this skill is not invincible because it has a cooldown period and cannot be used continuously. The specific cooldown time is directly related to your cultivation level. The five lightning bolts are the most basic lightning element skill, called Five Thunder Spell. Apart from inflicting paralysis, it deals very little damage to the target and is the most commonly used control skill in the lightning element."

Finally, Huang Xin described the ice sculpture girl's skills again, and Jin Jun gave a wry smile.

"She was admitted last year through special admission, so she can be considered a transfer student. Now, she has no rivals in the class. Every time there is a practical exercise, she practices alone against the scarecrow. Nobody wants to be her opponent."

"Brother Jin, you can't beat her either?"

"To put it another way, even if all three of me attacked together, I would only have a 50% chance of winning."

"Is he that good?" Huang Shen muttered to himself. As a fellow transfer student, he was worlds apart from the other student!