Chapter 5

Chen collapsed on the bed when he reached his apartment. Shooting lightning the whole day wasn't a good idea. He was too exhausted, and he didn't even have the appetite to eat a small snack. 

He had a good feeling when he closed his eyes. The harder you work, the better you feel when you relax. 

'I will buy a new bed… a big and comfortable one. Damn it, I can't wait to finish my debts and start a new easy life.' He rolled and lay on his back before he stared at the roof. 

Today, he had done all but shoot lightning. And it gained him a couple of levels. 

[Lightningbending up to level 7] 

[+Associated skills: 

Electric charge: circle the lightning through the ground. 

Lighting recharge: manipulate Chi's balance in the body to absorb lighting or cancel it] 

He even got the skill to absorb lightning or cancel it. On the other hand, he realised that his lightning got stronger by the end of the day. He could separate the Yin Chi and Yang Chi and make the energy purer, and thus, release stronger lightning. 

All this power that he was gaining had one job, and it was to help him achieve his freedom. 

He muttered. "I'm lacking in my training, I'm not finding enough people to fight with. I need to register for the pro-bending arena."

When he closed his eyes, he only got dreams of fame and easy life. People would serve him food and take care of his demands as if they were orders. 

-x-X-x- 

The noises on the street served as a harsh wake-up call for Chen. His life sucks. He was still poor. After going to the grocery, he bought some food. He ordered a Satomobile taxi on the road, and he headed to the arena. It was built on the water, facing the Air Temple island. On the water, there were other islands. One of them had Aang's statue when he was a kid. 

When he asked the people how he can join, they told him to seek a registration office.

He learnt that can rent a place in this arena. He can train here for monthly fees too. However, to fight in official pro-bending matches, one needed to participate in teams of three. 

Chen was a lonely man. Thinking about this, he realised that he was so lonely that he didn't even have friends. It's not like he cared about that. He was a man with a dream and an opportunity. That's why most of his focus was on making money. 

After thinking carefully, he registered his name on the backup list. That way, if some team lacked a member or needed one, they can always call him. That's if they didn't have a choice in the first place. 

Chen had a thousand Yuan left. He decided to use it to have access to the gym and training equipment for a week. He hoped he would gain more experience if trained in this gym. Who knows, maybe he can have a sparing partner and he can get his skills high. 

After paying the fees, he realised that he has no money. 

He headed to the energy station to work. 

Sai, the chief of the staff, welcomed Chen with a smile. "Hope you are more adapted to lightning release today." 

"Yeah… all thanks to you, Chief" Chen faked a smile.

"Now, get your lazy ass down. We don't have all day." 

"Sure." 

He wore his work equipment and entered the working room. He stood between a group of firebenders, who were aiming their lighting release at the pipes. These pipes would redirect lighting and turn it into electricity, before storing it in batteries, which would be sold later. 

Taking a deep breath, he released lighting from his fingertips. It hit the pipes.

With the level up, he could use three fingers to release lighting. But he only used two fingers. The bolts he unleashed produced a rumbling sound. And it only got louder and brighter as he gained more experience. 

[Lightning bending]

[+40 exp] [+50 exp] [+100 exp]

After one hour and fifty minutes, he heard the notification. 

[Lightningbending up to level 8 (3/3000)]

He stopped for a small break. At this rate, he would reach near the ninth level by the end of the work session, which happened to be half day. He could take a longer time, but he is paid for productivity, not how much he works.  He ended up getting 8000 Yuan for his hard work. 

-x-X-x- 

A day later, Chen reached the ninth level of Lightningbending. His duel in the underground arena was getting nearer. 

Chen spent the remaining days practising his firebending in the gym of the arena. It was unfortunate that he didn't get a team to participate with. But with luck, he believed that he would find a team. Many people come to this gym, and someone may notice his skills. 

Chen kept kicking in the air, sending fire at the high-heat-resistant wall. 

[Firebending +10 exp] [Firebending +12 exp]

He kept doing so, hoping that he would reach the ninth level. It won't take long before he does. However, he stopped when he heard two feminine voices arguing next to him.  

"I can't believe that you cheated on him! How are we supposed to find a firebender now!" A brown-haired green-eyed woman screamed at a pale blue-eyed woman. Both of them were young and had athlete bodies. 

The brown-haired girl jabbed and a disk made of stone floated, before heading at her teammate. 

"I was on the heat!" justified the blue-eyed woman. She dodged the disk and kicked. Next to her, there was a small pool. The water rose from it and headed at the other woman, who moved her head to the side. 

Chen raised his eyebrows. What he understood was that the waterbender girl used to date the firebender of their team. She'd cheated on him, and the firebender left them. Now, the earthbender girl is angry at her that they are lacking a teammate. 

He didn't care honestly. But he smelled an opportunity. 

"How you being on the heat is going to pay rent!" 

"You are the one who told me to date him so we can get him on the team. I didn't like him in the first place! Stop making me sound like I'm the manipulative one." 

'Holy fuck! This is better than watching WWE,' Chen thought. 

"I was just trying to find you a guy! But with an attitude like yours, you are going to end up as a cat lady." 

"Excuse yourself, my ass is bigger than yours." 

The conversation seemed to get interesting. Most of the guys and girls in the gym dropped ears on them. 

Chen found potential teammates. He couldn't allow them to fight anymore. 

"That doesn't answer my question! How are we going to pay rent now." The green-eyed girl's short hair floated from her anger. 

"I'm pretty sure that we will find someone." The waterbender crossed her arms and turned, brushing her long black hair away. 

Chen appeared in the middle of the girls, smiling. He pointed at the waterbender. "And your faith is in its right place." 

"See! We found a guy!" the waterbender pointed both of her hands at him. "Tada!"

Chen's smile froze at the behaviour of the waterbender. He turned to the earthbender, who sighed and said. "I guess we have no choice. The universe sends someone. Hey, you, what's your name?" 

"Chen." He introduced himself. "I'm a newbie." 

"I guessed as much. Just make sure you don't get knocked out, we would take care of the rest." The waterbender behind him said in a giggling voice. 

The earthbender took a deep breath. She replied to her friend. "It's me who will do most of the work, I believe you mean. While you workout your thighs and ass, I'm the one who is taking bending seriously." 

"Hey, I'm taking it very seriously too. You are the one who is all about training." The waterbender sighed. "Well, just relax. Let's introduce yourself to this guy, and then, we can continue arguing." 

'That's some interesting team…I need some earplugs so I won't have to listen to them.'

"Right, sorry, where are my manners." The earthbender approached Chen and extended her hand. "I'm Mira, the leader of the Earthquakes team."

Mira was a tall girl, standing at 175 cm. She had short brown hair, green eyes, a small nose, a square jaw and full pink lips. Her forehead was small, which matched her look. Since she was an athlete, she had a good shape. She had large breasts compared to her friend, and she looked nice. 

"And I'm Hina. Nice to meet you." The waterbender said. Hina was a short girl, standing at 156 cm tall. She had long black hair and dark blue eyes. Her nose was sharp and small, and her jaw was heart-shaped. Although she was an athlete, she seemed to train her lower half more than her upper half. Her thighs and ass were wide. Surprisingly, she was in very good shape. 

"Hina, Mira, your names had a good rhythm," Chen said. 

"Unfortunately," Mira said as she lowered her head. 

"You will get used to it. She acts like that all the time. I tell her to shack it off and have some fun." Hina said as she walked around, and she picked up two dumbbells. She started squatting, working out her thighs. 

"She has strong legs for sure," Mira said. "At any rate, Chen, tell me, how good are you at bending." 

"Good enough, I think." 

"Have you spared against anyone?" She asked. 

"Yeah, in firebending school." Chen didn't know if that was a place. 

"Alright, let me just see how you react…" she said slowly. And then, she jabbed, taking Chen off guard. An earth disk, as wide as his waist, flew at him. The disk was fast. 

Quickly reacting, Chen punched with his right hand, sending a strong compressed yellow fire that had a slight purple shade. It hit the disk. The fire exploded and the disk turned into pieces. 

[Firebending +100 exp] 

Seeing the small notification in the corner of his view, Chen opened his eyes widely. He realised a good way to practise his firebending. 

Mira smiled. "You're good." 

"How about we train more?" 

"You don't want to keep your energy for tonight?" She asked. 

It seems that they have a match tonight. Chen didn't mind training. It would take him twenty minutes to refill his energy. That was one of the benefits of having a system. 

"We will train slightly," Chen said. "You just send disks and I blow them… up." 

"I like that." She smiled and nodded. 

"I guess you are happy that you found someone to train with you," Hina said. 

"Just shut up. If we don't win, we would be kicked out of our place." 

Chen was the happiest person. He just found a fast way to level up his bending.

And as for tonight, he found a free ticket to fight three benders. They will guarantee him a good amount of experience.