Astral Apostle

Chapter 138: Empire Hunter; Undercurrents (2)

Zhou Jing smiled, “That’s great. I’ve always wanted to undergo my Third Enhancement, but I’ve never encountered a suitable potion. I hope I can gain something here.”

“… You plan to undergo a Third Enhancement?”

Cole’s eyes lit up as if he had heard that his student would take the Ph.D. exam.

Even among the Empire’s Hunters who received the most generous resources, only a small number of them were willing to risk dying to continue enhancing through the mutant blood.

It was always a gamble of life and death, placing one’s life in the hands of illusory luck. It was fine if it happened once or twice, but one would subconsciously be afraid after winning a few times. Unfortunately, not everyone had such courage.

Those who dared to continue enhancing were either because they had a firm mentality or the persistence to advance bravely…

…Or they were merely gambling addicts.

Cole was a hunter who had undergone two enhancements but did not dare to continue. At this moment, he could not help but feel a little admiration for Zhou Jing. For those who dared to continue on the path of the Mutant Blood, no matter if they succeeded or failed in the end, the hunters would treat them differently.

The identity registration went smoothly. After filling in the form, he handed it to the others for a simple inspection. Cole then brought Zhou Jing to the training grounds to conduct an actual combat test.

Seeing was believing. This was a necessary part of joining the Empire. The hunter’s profession was not about fancy interviews but live combat.

The two of them stood at a distance away from the training ground.

“You’ve undergone two enhancements, and so have I. Let’s fight and see your standard.”

Cole smiled and pulled out the special long saber on his back. The blade was longer than ordinary ones, about 1.7 meters long. It had an arc and seemed very useful for cutting giant creatures.

It looked like a two-handed weapon, but he raised it steadily.

“Pick a weapon. You like to use blades too, right? Which kind of blade?” Cole pointed at the weapon rack at the side.

Zhou Jing’s eyes lit up when he saw Cole’s familiar grip on the saber.

Yo, taichi warrior!

He had finally met an expert who played with blades. So this was a good time to exchange some pointers.

He walked to the weapon rack and took a look. Then, he took out a long saber of the same style and casually waved it around.

Due to the increase in his saber technique aptitude, his cultivation speed was still at its original efficiency despite the increase in level and mastery needed. However, in the two months he was busy expanding his map range, his [Weapon Mastery – Blade Technique] had successfully reached Level 5, and his proficiency had improved greatly.

Moreover, the increase in Physical Fitness and Resistance also slightly increased the cultivation speed of Hunter’s breathing techniques. After two months, both techniques were only one step away from leveling up.

Seeing Zhou Jing pick up the blade, Cole’s eyes became even more serious.

Although he had received systematic training, he did not underestimate the independent hunters. It was taboo to underestimate the enemy, and the senior hunters rarely made such a mistake.

The shouting on the training ground weakened. The training hunters and apprentices looked curiously at the two people who had begun to confront each other in the corner of the training ground.

“Who is that person? I don’t think I’ve seen him before.”

“He should be a new hunter. I wonder how good he

is.”

Everyone chatted softly.

Cole observed Zhou Jing’s posture, looking for flaws. Seeing that Zhou Jing did not show any signs of attacking, he did not hold back and rushed forward.

Whoosh!

The long blade stabbed out, and the cold light at the blade’s tip gleamed like a flowing light.

Zhou Jing blinked. Instead of retreating, he advanced. He slid forward with one hand holding the hilt and the other holding the back of the blade. He cut out the shape of a crescent moon as he drew the blade.

The blade deflected the long saber that stabbed forward, creating a spark’s trail. Finally, a short and sharp metal scraping sound rang out.

Zhou Jing flicked his wrist and easily diverted Cole’s weapon. His eyes narrowed.

Slow, too slow.

Light. Too light.

Both of them had gone through two enhancements, but Cole’s speed and strength were too weak in his eyes. He felt no pressure at all.

When one’s Physical Fitness reached Second Order, there did not seem to be much difference in attributes. Still, the characteristics brought about by it made their overall physical capabilities completely different. There was a clear gap between him and someone at First Order of Physical Fitness. His agility and dexterity had been greatly enhanced.

Cole’s actions were moving slowly in Zhou Jing’s eyes.

Jason’s attributes were already higher than that of an ordinary Second Enhancement hunter. Coupled with his special trait, he was even more at ease now.

Sensing Cole’s strength, Zhou Jing knew what to do. He did not use his explosive bodily strength to crush him directly. Instead, he controlled his strength and speed to Cole’s level and purely competed against purely using saber techniques.

On the one hand, he wanted to save some face for the other party. On the other hand, he also wanted to fight with an expert in blade techniques for a longer time… It was not easy for him to find someone to fight with him.

Dust flew everywhere on the training ground as the two exchanged blows, their blades flashing rapidly. The two of them dodged the continuous cold light, brushing past their bodies and stabbing empty air instead.

The blade lights were so numerous they seemed to have formed a closed-loop or lights arcing around, and the whistling sound of air being torn apart intertwined with the clear sound of a collision.

Slash, horizontal slash, sudden thrust, parry, and various other saber moves were displayed in their hands. It was dazzling and incomparably precise.

The exquisite blade techniques of the two of them dazzled the apprentices present. They stopped their training and watched from the side.

The hunters who guided the apprentices did not stop them… They wanted to see it too.

After slashing at each other for a while, Cole keenly sensed that Zhou Jing had restrained his strength, and his expression changed slightly.

As a seasoned hunter, he could sense if his opponent was going easy on him.

“This guy is deliberately controlling his strength. He’s only using his blade techniques to spar with me… But his blade techniques are not inferior to mine. He’s ruthless, cunning, skilled, and precise. Without 10 to 20 years of training, he can’t reach this level. It seems that he’s also a Veteran Hunter…”

Cole’s heart flashed, and he became competitive. Then, he suddenly jumped back and left the battlefield.