Chapter 65 - Little Devil

Eventually, the rest of the students arrived at the energy fields as the dark sky loomed above. A chilly wind blew through the camp, and with the majority of students tired and weary, the day was called to an end.

The arrangements of the living quarters were the same as at the institute, so Fang and Blue were once again placed in the same dormitory.

Exhausted, Fang yawned as he started to stumble towards the bathroom, only to find that it was locked. Realizing Blue had headed in first, he sleepily sat down on the sofa in the common living room.

It shouldn’t be too long, Fang thought. Even though his roommate was quite obsessive about cleanliness, he didn’t recall Blue ever taking longer than half an hour to wash off. So he waited. And waited. Only after an hour had passed did Blue emerge, finding Fang asleep.

Alerted by the sound of the door opening, Fang woke up. “Blue, you really take too long washing yourself.”

“If you couldn’t wait that long, why didn’t you just use another bathroom?”

Wearily, Fang raised his hand in surrender, unwilling to argue. As he stood up, a puzzled expression crossed his face, seeing that Blue was dressed to go out. “You’re not heading to sleep?”

“I’m not used to sleeping this early, so I’m taking a quick stroll to look around the area.” With those words, Blue opened the door and exited.

Shaking his head, Fang muttered, “Blue’s endurance is something different.”

---

Multiple paths wound around the uneven terrain of the fields, extending in all directions. There weren’t any signposts or guides to indicate the destinations of each road, yet a figure moved confidently, decisively taking numerous forks.

Finally, the person arrived in front of a solitary short tower, perched near the edge of a cliff.

As they passed through the entrance of the building, an old, resounding voice rang out. “Who is it?”

Just from the sound alone, an aura of intimidation could be felt. However, in response, a light, female voice replied, “It’s me, Roland!”

Descending the stairs, a person looked up in shock. “Scarlett?”

Advancing forward, a graceful figure looked at the sharp, elderly man standing still and gave a quick nod.

“Little devil, why are you here?”

The youth smiled. “I’m here to visit you, of course.”

“I didn’t expect to see the young, arrogant beauty come out to leisurely visit these old bones, but when she would, I never would have thought she’d appear looking like a man!” Although his words sounded harsh, a friendly glint appeared in his eyes. After all, he knew her quite well. “How’s your grandfather doing?”

“He’s doing well and sent his regards to you.”

A few years ago, Scarlett’s grandfather had brought her to this location for training, so she was fairly familiar with him. Coming from a powerful family, if Scarlett was asked to convey her grandfather’s regards, the recipient was definitely not ordinary.

The man in question was indeed exceptional – he was a retired military veteran, an instructor of the special forces of the country.

Formed of some of the best in the country, the special forces were known for their monstrous strength, and their leader was one of the strongest of the century. From the start of his participation, Roland devoted his life to the country, earning countless accolades from the government. When he passed his prime, he declined the fame and fortune, unlike many veterans, and retired in seclusion.

“I appreciate his sentiments.” Then Roland paused. “But you little devil definitely didn’t come for this. Spit out what you want; you know I’m impatient.”

Scarlett laughed softly. “I can’t hide the truth from you, so I’ll get to the point. I’m interested in learning your combat techniques.”

“Interested?” Disbelief spread across his face as Roland looked at her. “In the past, when you and your grandfather visited, I asked if you wanted to learn, but you refused. Why the sudden change of heart?”

She smiled. “Roland, I was young and mistaken before. I realize now that your combat techniques are extremely valuable. Please forgive my previous refusal.”

When he first met Scarlett, he instantly discovered that her talent was extremely rare, being able to infuse six types of elements in her energy. A regret had always lingered in his heart that he couldn’t participate in the progress of such a genius. So to hear that she came of her own accord to learn, he was certainly willing. “It took you a while to realize; it’s not too late now. Although my techniques may not compare to those from your family, they’ll undoubtedly enhance your combat ability.”

Seeing Roland’s hurried reaction, Scarlett’s smile grew wider. “I have a condition before I study your techniques.”

He coughed loudly. “Shameless, I’m offering to teach you, and you’re proposing a condition?”

“Senior Roland, it’s just a request.” She pouted.

Sighing, he replied, “As long as it’s not ridiculous, I’ll consider it.”

“It’s very simple, nothing excessive at all. I’d like to bring another person for you to teach as well.”

“Whom?”

“It’s my roommate from the institute I’m currently enrolled in, his name is Fang.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What’s his background?”

“He doesn’t have one. He’s seemingly from a small, unknown city.”

“It’s a no.” Roland frowned at Scarlett. “Although the close combat techniques were of my own invention, they were adapted from the country’s military battle skills. I can’t just teach other people outside the military.”

She scowled. “I’m not part of the special forces; why can you teach me?”

“You’re different. The amount of talent you have may never appear again, and both your grandfather and father are part of the country’s headquarters. Even if I make an exception, it wouldn’t be problematic.” He stopped. “To study these techniques, there needs to be an outstanding amount of talent and insight. From what you’ve said, your roommate is a normal person. It would only end up being a complete waste of time.”

“I absolutely don’t believe he’s an average person. Roland, you know that I’m usually indifferent to others, but Fang’s caught my attention. In fact, the reason why I went to Garden College is to study with him.”

“Are you serious?” Roland was skeptical that a person from a small city could be outstanding. After all, without support for resources and training methods, becoming exceptional would be extremely difficult. Particularly, the person would have to be extremely talented to catch Scarlett’s eye.

Suddenly, he cautiously gazed at Scarlett. “Could it be that Fang’s your boyfriend?”

“He is not; he’s just my roommate!” Scarlett glared. “Take a look at him before you decide, and if Fang doesn’t meet your requirements, feel free to stop teaching him anytime. As for traditional customs, if you can make an exception for me, you can definitely make one for him. With the prestige you hold with the country, such a minor matter wouldn’t cause any problems.”

Slowly pacing back and forth, Roland seemed to be deep in thought. Gradually, he looked up. “Tomorrow, come here with Fang. However, I’m holding you to what you said; if there are any questions about his aptitude, I won’t teach him regardless of what you say.”

Scarlett breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Roland. I’ll see you tomorrow then!”

---

A light mist swirled around the thin beams of morning sunlight shining through the trees around the houses. The mist felt incorporeal, seemingly passing through the leaves littered in the environment as if they didn’t exist.

Today was the first day of the camp inside the energy fields, where the facilities would be open to the students from various classes. Just moving around the mist felt quite refreshing, and even someone without any energy would enjoy the air here.

Other than the established housing, the military also had multiple rooms for practice, where the air would condense much like in an energy tower.

---

Steadily, Fang continued to absorb the rich energy around him. A pleasant surprise arose as he quickly realized that the energy was much purer. The concentration of energy within the fields was incomparably better than the density found inside the energy towers.

No wonder the country’s military was so strong, he mused; they could spend their entire time training in such an environment!

He sighed. What a pity that there were only two months to take advantage of this – the time was too short.

Besides the change in scenery, the classes continued as usual, with the practice techniques displayed being more magnificent. At the end of classes, the energy rooms and training grounds were free for use, and the students dispersed, heading into different areas.

After the last class had finished, Blue turned to look at Fang. “Fang, what do you plan to do now?”

“I’ll probably head towards the training grounds.”

Though the absorption of more energy was quite attractive, there were multiple skills he could work on and perfect, and throughout the day, he had already accumulated a fair amount.

Blue grinned. “It’s a rare occasion to come to such a place; wouldn’t it be a pity to practice as usual? Fang, you’ve heard that inside these fields, the country’s military trains, right?”

He nodded. “Everyone knows that. What are you getting at?”

Deliberately, Blue lowered her voice. “I heard that a retired military teacher lives in solitude around here. If we find him and learn something from him, wouldn’t it be great?”

“A retired military teacher?” Startled, Fang stared at Blue. “How do you know

?”

“Oh, one of my relatives in Minuet City told me.” She quickly continued. “Don’t worry about the details. The key here is, it would be great if we could find him!”

“It would be great, but Blue, aren’t you being too optimistic? You know that a military instructor isn’t an average person, and I’ve heard that they wouldn’t pass on anything if the person wasn’t part of the country’s military. We don’t have any status, so it definitely wouldn’t be good to disturb such a figure.”

“Well, we wouldn’t know unless we try. Perhaps we can persuade him with sincere words. Even if we’re rejected, nothing will happen to us – after all, we’re no threat.”

Seeing Fang still look hesitant, Blue grabbed his hand and started to drag him forward. “Let’s go. If we can’t find him, we can always come back!”

Although he was still doubtful, Fang shook off Blue’s hand and followed along.