A New Day at the Academy

—Are you both ready? —START!

Bào Fēng was fully focused. About to make the first attack, the sound of metal echoed...

—Tiān Láng, sorry. I think I accidentally dropped my weapon and ruined the tension —he said, laughing a little, embarrassed as he picked it up—. We can continue now.

Bào Fēng just stared at him, incredulous. —Are you serious? Well...

Bào Fēng noticed too many openings in Tiān Láng and attacked mercilessly. Tiān Láng couldn't defend himself and took all the hits. The professor, seeing this, decided to stop the match.

—The victory goes to Bào Fēng.

—That was really boring —said Bào Fēng, while helping Tiān Láng up.

—Sorry, Bào Fēng. I'm not that good; I just recently started training.

—Don't worry, we all start like that.

—Yes, thanks!

The matches continued as normal, and by the end of the day, everyone returned home.

Tiān Láng arrived at his apartment, where he lived with his family. It was a simple place, reflecting his humble origins. The place looked quite worn out, with mold on the walls and a battered door. The wood was weak, and the lights flickered, giving the place a gloomy smell.

—Mom! Sister! I'm home! —shouted Tiān Láng as he opened the door with a fingerprint scanner.

The inside of the home was warm and cozy. It was simple but beautiful, with a family-like, homely atmosphere.

—My boy, you're back. Mom made dinner for you. You haven't eaten yet, right? Come and eat with your sister.

—I'm coming, mom!

Tiān Láng felt really happy. It was like a dream. In his previous world, he was an orphan, but in this one, he had a warm, loving family. His mother, Tiān Jìng, looked youthful despite being older. His little sister, Tiān Yuè, filled his life with new joy. He'd never had a sister before, but this feeling wasn't bad at all. His father had died hunting monsters, like a Hellblade. He would have liked to have met him.

---

**Another day at the academy begins!** —shouted Tiān Láng happily.

Two boys murmured: —It's the guy from yesterday...

Tiān Láng headed to the training field, where the professor was already waiting with the other students.

—Today, we'll continue with the matches, but we're also introducing something new —announced Professor Feiyu—. Each of you will be paired with a partner for a training mission. This will not only evaluate your combat skills but also your ability to work as a team.

Tiān Láng looked around, searching for his teammate. To his surprise, he was paired with Li Xinyi.

—Looks like we'll be cooperating. I think this will be interesting. The show you put on yesterday made me laugh a lot —Li Xinyi said, smiling.

—I'm glad I made you laugh —Tiān Láng replied.

—Enough! Everyone be quiet —the professor said, raising his voice—. Each team will have a jade amulet. Your goal will be to steal amulets from other teams. At the end, the team with the most amulets will be the winner. If your amulet is taken, you can continue fighting. After 30 minutes, the activity will end. The teams without any amulets will be disqualified.

The professor pressed a button, and the entire dome changed, creating a massive hologram of a ruined city.

—This is where you'll fight. Give it your best, guys. GOOD LUCK!

Everyone was amazed at how incredible the event was.

—Are you ready, Tiān Láng? —Li Xinyi asked, her voice excited and challenging.

—I think I'm ready. HAHA!

—Let's do it! —both said at the same time, synchronizing.

—Hmm, I got stuck with the bald guy —said Kimura Haruto.

—MY NAME IS BÀO FĒNG! —he replied angrily.

—Weiyan said it seems we're paired again. Don't you think so, Bai Ren? —excitedly.

—It seems so —Bai Ren said, looking somewhat serious as he gazed at Weiyan.

All the teams were several hundred meters apart. The team closest to Tiān Láng and Li Xinyi was Kimura Haruto's team. Tiān Láng and Li Xinyi wanted revenge, so they moved without hesitation. The closer they got, the more amazing the hologram looked. Everything seemed so realistic.

Li Xinyi grabbed Tiān Láng's arm as an enemy attack came toward them, and only Li Xinyi noticed. The attack came from Bào Fēng.

—Hmm, it seems you managed to dodge that... —Bào Fēng said, with a somewhat arrogant tone—. You're better than I thought, Xinyi.

Xinyi felt a strong pressure aimed at Tiān Láng. She quickly used her sword to deflect the attack. Haruto had arrived.

—Ah, sorry, Xinyi. I'm not as good as you and struggle to recognize attacks.

—It's fine. Just don't get in my way right now, leave them to me.

As both teams were about to attack, two presences appeared in the center. One of them wore a hood and a jacket that covered their entire body.

—Who are they? —Tiān Láng murmured, intrigued.

—I don't know, but we need to stay alert —Li Xinyi replied, getting ready for anything.

The mysterious figures slowly approached, and the atmosphere grew even more tense. Tiān Láng and Li Xinyi exchanged a determined look. This was no longer just a training exercise.

—Ready for whatever comes? —Tiān Láng asked, with a challenging smile.

—Always —Li Xinyi replied, gripping her sword tightly.

The upcoming battle promised to be much more than a simple drill.

End of Chapter