Di Tian as a Sparring Partner

On the way back, Chen An walked absentmindedly, not moving very quickly.

His mind kept replaying the earlier battle as he conducted a post-battle review.

Upon calmly thinking it over, he realized there had been many problems in his fighting.

He silently noted the mistakes he had made this time, determined to avoid them as much as possible next time.

Before he knew it, he had returned to his hotel room.

He took off his clothes and went to the bathroom for a hot shower, remaining distracted even as he washed.

It was his first battle, and he had lost so thoroughly that it left an incredibly deep impression on him.

His mind inevitably kept returning to it. He could not control it.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how lacking his combat experience and techniques were.

He still had a long way to go before he could truly be worthy of his own strength.

After finishing his shower, Chen An lay sprawled across the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

It was as though images were playing overhead, and he saw the battle from before.

He stared dumbly for a while before gradually falling asleep.

The scene replayed in his dreams, and he once again fought Gu Yue Na.

Only this time, his moves had changed. He had made adjustments.

He followed the moves he had reconsidered on the way back, avoiding many foolish mistakes.

He no longer looked quite so inexperienced, somewhat like someone who had trained before.

Yet even in the dream, he still failed to defeat Gu Yue Na.

The next morning, Chen An found Di Tian early and asked to spar with him.

Because of Gu Yue Na's instructions, Di Tian did not refuse.

The two arrived at yesterday's battleground, and Di Tian suppressed his strength to Level 11.

Chen An looked at Di Tian standing calmly across from him, nervous yet excited.

Gray Dragon Scales began covering the surface of his skin. He stomped his right foot against the ground and shot forward.

Faced with Di Tian, he chose to take the initiative.

He quickly closed the distance and leaped up, his dragon-clawed right hand reaching for Di Tian.

Di Tian sidestepped, easily avoiding the incoming dragon claw.

Chen An changed the trajectory of his hand and grabbed at Di Tian's chest.

Unhurried, Di Tian reached out and caught the dragon claw Chen An had swung at him.

His strength was no less than Chen An's, and he rather easily neutralized the force in Chen An's hand.

Chen An had anticipated this. The moment his hand was caught, he kicked out.

Di Tian kicked as well, his foot landing right on Chen An's instep.

After kicking his foot back, he exerted force with his hand and directly flung Chen An away.

Chen An struggled to adjust his landing posture in midair, barely managing to land on his feet.

The instant he landed, he saw Di Tian rapidly closing in.

Without time for any other response, he could only hurriedly cross his arms before himself.

Di Tian's fist arrived right after, sending pain through his arms and forcing him to stumble backward.

Once he steadied himself, Di Tian closed in again and continued attacking.

Chen An did not even have time to catch his breath before being forced to deal with Di Tian's attacks.

Di Tian attacked swiftly, making it difficult for Chen An to respond. He was beaten until he could barely fight back.

Unlike Gu Yue Na, Di Tian was more skilled in close-quarters combat.

Fighting a close-combat expert like him, Chen An felt immense pressure.

The pressure was even greater than what Gu Yue Na had given him.

That did not mean that, at the same level, Di Tian was stronger than Gu Yue Na.

It was simply the difference brought about by their distinct fighting styles.

Also, although Di Tian had suppressed his strength, he was not truly a Level 11 Soul Master.

He could not suppress his physique. Even after suppressing it as much as possible, it still far surpassed that of a Level 11 Soul Master.

His powerful physical strength put Chen An under tremendous pressure.

He could not compete in strength at all, while his combat experience and techniques were far inferior as well.

There were gaps in every aspect. How could the pressure on him not be immense?

Chen An worked hard to deal with Di Tian's attacks, growing more excited as the battle continued.

The pain stimulated his nerves, making him suffer, but also making him exhilarated.

This was the kind of battle he wanted. It could help him improve greatly.

The battle lasted quite a while, around ten minutes.

Naturally, Di Tian had deliberately held back, allowing Chen An to endure for longer.

Otherwise, with his strength, knocking Chen An down within one or two minutes would have been no problem at all.

Even with his strength suppressed to Level 11, the gap between him and Chen An was still enormous.

Exhausted, Chen An collapsed onto the ground, lying there without any regard for appearances, his entire body aching.

He panted heavily. Though he had been beaten badly, there was a faint smile on his face.

"Do you want to get up?" Di Tian walked over to Chen An and extended a hand to him.

Chen An looked at Di Tian, reached out, and let himself be pulled to his feet.

"Thank you," Chen An said gratefully to Di Tian.

"I beat you up so badly, and you're thanking me?" Di Tian said teasingly.

Chen An gave a somewhat strained smile. "I'm not an idiot."

"I know you were deliberately guiding me through the fight. You were teaching me how to fight."

Di Tian did not deny it. "Those were the master's instructions."

"If you want to thank someone, thank the master. I merely acted according to her orders."

"I'll remember this favor," Chen An said seriously.

Di Tian gave Chen An a meaningful look before turning and walking outside.

As he walked, a Space Channel appeared ahead of him. He entered it naturally.

The Space Channel vanished after he entered, without taking Chen An with him.

Chen An stared at the spot where Di Tian had disappeared for quite some time before staggering out.

On the way back, just as he had yesterday, he replayed the battle in his mind, reflecting and drawing conclusions.

His body's recovery ability was very strong. After one night's sleep, nearly half of the pain and bruising had faded.

He sought out Di Tian again and asked to continue sparring.

This time, he was still completely suppressed, with barely any ability to fight back.

However, he performed better than yesterday, lasting an additional minute. He had improved.

Chen An was fairly satisfied with that result. Being stronger than yesterday was a good thing.

He had never expected to become a great expert in one step.

Combat experience and techniques required long-term tempering to improve.

Rapid progress was basically impossible, unless one was some unparalleled genius.

But he did not think himself particularly talented. He was merely an ordinary person with something special about him.

Rather than believe he was a genius, he would rather believe that diligence could make up for shortcomings.

As long as he trained enough, even if he was poor, he would not remain poor for long.

On the way back, Chen An deliberately stopped by the entrance of Sun Moon Royal Academy to take a look.

Quite a few registration booths had been set up there. External admissions would officially begin tomorrow.

People were already asking for information there, and Chen An went over to learn more as well.

As an academy second only to Shrek Academy in the Federation, Sun Moon Royal Academy naturally had high admission requirements.

For example, the registration threshold for the Martial Soul Department was reaching Level 20 by the age of twelve at the latest.

Those who could not even meet that requirement were not qualified to register.

Someone in Chen An's situation could not register directly.

He was already twelve years old, yet his Soul Power was only Level 11—pitifully low.

Chen An had long known that given his age and Soul Power, he would not be able to enroll successfully through the normal process.

The key to his enrollment lay in displaying his talent and potential.

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