Sparring

Chapter 6

The woman who extended her hand to shake hands with Ray was slightly taken aback by his change in attitude.

The female teacher, witnessing this, could only sigh helplessly.

A year ago, Jasmine was the homeroom teacher for various student groups. Ray had been one of the most memorable students under her guidance. The young man was peculiar and tended to engage in unreasonable actions for his amusement, and this peculiar hobby of his only grew stronger after his talent awakened.

Jasmine didn't take Ray's antics too seriously because she understood that his current attitude was necessary for him to optimize the capabilities of his talent.

"Ray, return to your position now!"

Ray, who had fainted, finally jolted awake.

"Ah, fine, fine, ma'am!" Ray smiled at the woman in front of him before hastily returning to his place.

Ray approached with a sweet smile, completely unaware that his secret had been so easily discovered by his teacher. Both the "old" Ray and the "new" Ray were too naive to realize that the reason for their change in attitude was not unknown to others.

Even his more astute classmates were aware that Ray was trying to take advantage of them. Despite this, his friends allowed the behavior to continue, believing that Ray meant no harm.

After all, this group of people in the class did not believe at all that someone with less talent than them could endanger their lives.

As Ray reached the line, he was met with four astonished eyes and two eyes filled with admiration directed at him.

Agni and Clara didn't know how to react to their friend's reckless behavior.

Surveying the area in front of her, Jasmine interrupted the silence after seeing that all the students were standing in front of her.

"Alright, this time we'll be doing sparring to test your understanding and use of your talents. The first rule is that you can't harm your opponent, second, you can't cheat, third, you have to be self-aware and surrender when you're cornered. Fourthly, you must stop immediately when your opponent surrenders…"

"...do you all understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Everyone answered in unison.

Seeing that everyone understood, Jasmine continued speaking in a somewhat lazy manner.

"Okay, the first match will be between Ray and Xiaobai."

The experienced teacher cast a cold gaze upon Ray after finishing her statement.

"Eh?..."

Ray, whose name was called, couldn't help but feel confused for a moment.

"Come on, Ray, you can do it!" Agni and Clara cheered him on, not forgetting to show their support.

"Hahaha, it looks like Teacher Jasmine won't let you off easily!" exclaimed Hamar, satisfied with a smug smile on his face.

Upon hearing that, Ray felt the urge to get angry and curse Teacher Jasmine silently in his heart. However, remembering his past actions, the young man could only feel embarrassed and discouraged himself from letting his anger escalate.

Ray and Xiaobai walked steadily toward the center of the arena.

The two young men stared at each other, allowing Ray to observe his opponent—a well-built young man with a muscular physique stood before him. The burly young man had a chiseled face and shimmering white hair, exuding an entirely different level of charisma.

While Ray was scrutinizing his opponent, the burly young man, after briefly glancing at Ray, seemed to lose interest.

Seeing this, Ray felt internal annoyance. Not only was he irritated by being underestimated, but he also found it bothersome that Teacher Jasmine wouldn't let him off easily.

Ray recalled that Xiaobai was one of the A-rank talents who had awakened in their class. The young man possessed a talent related to white tigers. Ray had already copied the passive talent that Xiaobai possessed while pretending to be friendly with everyone earlier. The passive talent resembled a condensed intent, like a living white tiger. Although Ray didn't know its specific function, he believed it could be useful since it belonged to an A-rank active talent user.

"Get ready!" Jasmin shouted firmly, not allowing any delays from the two young men.

"Start!" Jasmin continued after seeing them assume their fighting stances.

With the completion of the teacher's resounding shout, an angry roar echoed in all directions.

"Roar!"

The burly Xiaobai swiftly charged toward Ray, exuding an aggressive demeanor. Xiaobai formed claws with his hands and lunged forward, surrounded by several white auras, which added to his mystical appearance.

Every student in the class was left stunned, contemplating the consequences if that attack were to connect with their bodies. Helpless sighs and shaking heads were their only response.

Agni, Clara, and Hamar, who witnessed this, became worried. They were well aware that Ray would be in trouble after taking such a powerful attack.

However, what they couldn't have anticipated was Ray gracefully leaping away from the attack, evading it with ease.

Despite nothing being in front of him, Xiaobai continued his assault.

Finally, the sound of a blunt object hitting its target could be heard.

"Boom!"

A small crater formed in the middle of the field, causing everyone to cringe upon witnessing it.

"Huh, that was close!" Ray complained internally.

The young man had just activated his talent by copying the joint flex passive he had obtained from one of his classmates. Ray believed that agility would come in handy during a fight, so he was pleased to have acquired this passive ability.

Little did he know that his thinking was spot on, as it saved him from needing to visit the school's health unit for treatment so early on.

"Hey, buddy, isn't it too early to unleash your ultimate attack?" Ray asked, expressing slight displeasure as he regained his balance.

Xiaobai, who had wasted his stamina on futile moves, shared Ray's dissatisfaction.

"What nonsense! A tiger would go all out to even catch a rabbit!"

"Hahahah well said! But unfortunately, I'm not a rabbit..."

Ray scoffed as he recalled the familiar Silat posture in his mind. Standing on one leg and spreading his arms, white smoke began to emerge from his body, resembling a tiger that had spotted its prey.