Chapter 358: 351 Air Soldiers Selection

Chapter 358: Chapter 351 Air Soldiers Selection

Green Shadow Sanctuary.

A vast parade ground, comparable to two or three football fields in size, was located at the foot of the mountains, backed by the grandiose training camp buildings.

Awakeners from two Corps, in groups of threes and twos, were stationed on the parade ground. Some were sparring with each other, some training moves, and some, after having undergone high-intensity training, were resting.

In one corner of the training ground, Lu Xiaopeng held a white Longsword, practicing his Combat Skills.

His gaze was focused, intently watching ahead. Suddenly, his body leaned forward, his right foot stepping out in front, the muscles in his right hand, holding the Longsword, tensed, and he thrust forward with the momentum.

This thrust started slow then accelerated. By the time his arm was fully extended, it was as fast as lightning.

Lu Xiaopeng let out a low shout.

Connected to his Longsword and arm, half of his body, a faint white glow burst forth, unleashing power in an instant.

Thrust again!

Three successive thrusts!

With each thrust he launched, his entire body shifted forward several meters. His arm slightly retracted, then thrust out again. By the time the Combat Skill “Instant Movement Continuous Stabbing” was finished, he had already appeared more than ten meters away.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The sound of the Longsword piercing the air followed afterward.

Beside him, some spectators from the Guardian Corps expressed their admiration.

“Amazing! His movements are completely invisible!”

“To attack while simultaneously moving without making a single sound…it’s a divine skill.”

“Congratulations, Captain, on perfecting the divine skill.”

Lu Xian let out a light sigh and held his custom weapon, the arclight sword, with the right arm that was slightly trembling.

He sheathed the arclight sword, without a hint of pride, instead, he shook his head:

“Perfected? It’s still early days for that. At most, I’ve only reached the beginner’s level, and I might not even be able to apply it in real combat.”

“No way?” an Awakener beside him exclaimed in surprise, “With that move, the triple stab, you could instantly kill peer Awakeners.”

“That might only work against those who haven’t undergone systematic training. It’s meaningless.”

Lu Xiaopeng paused, then said, “This move isn’t called triple stab; it’s ‘Instant Movement Continuous Stabbing.’ The highest level one can achieve is five consecutive stabs. I’ve seen Director Tang perform it before. With five stabs, not even the blade’s glow or Shadow can be seen.

“With each stab, the distance covered isn’t just a few meters, but ten or even twenty meters. And unlike my simple forward thrusts, Director Tang’s stabs can curve and strike back and forth – that is the highest realm.”

The onlooking members of the Guardian Army lifted their heads slightly, imagining the scene.

Director Tang’s sword glow interwoven into a dense net, effortlessly slaying enemies, and the enemies, until their death, could neither touch nor see Director Tang.

Able to strike and retreat, advance and withdraw at will.

“Ah, I really want to learn this skill!”

“‘Instant Movement Continuous Stabbing’ is Director Tang’s combat skill; in the entire Corps, I’m the only one who knows it. Even if you have contribution points, you can’t exchange for it.”

Finally, Lu Xiaopeng allowed himself a smug expression. While the others learned Combat Skills from Chief Instructor Luo and Commander Kong, his skill came from Director Tang, which was a completely different honor.

Just then,

The clanging sounds spread throughout the training area of the Corps.

Lu Xiaopeng and the others stopped their training and gathered at their designated locations, while many more emerged from the training camp.

Wearing a black Combat Uniform, and towering like an iron pillar, Chief Instructor Luo appeared before them and announced a piece of news.

[Air Soldiers Selection]!

“Air Soldiers? It sounds like an aerial military branch. Are we forming a new Corps?”

“The problem is we can’t fly. Among the two Corps, it seems only three people have the ability to fly, right?”

“I’m only concerned about how the selection will be conducted.”

…

“Silence!”

With two words from Luo Zhe, all members of the two major Corps obediently stood in place and dared not speak any further.

“You guessed correctly, Air Soldiers are indeed a flying military branch. As for how to fly…”

Lu Xiaopeng and the others followed Luo Zhe’s gaze and saw several pieces of equipment that had been brought over at some unknown time, not far away.

They were black, vest-like, with a black box the size of an ordinary backpack attached to the back.

“This is a flying backpack, and the method of use is very simple. It’s the same as the equipment you usually use that comes with special effects or abilities. The selection of Air Soldiers mainly assesses your combat ability in the air while using a flying backpack. Who wants to give it a try?”

Lu Xiaopeng’s eyes lit up, and he was the first to step forward:

“Being an Air Soldier sounds fun, I want to join this new Corps.”

The Guardian Corps was mainly responsible for the defense of the Sanctuary and lacked challenges. Lu Xiaopeng had always envied the Investigation Corps members who could travel to various regions. He had previously found no opportunity to transfer, but now it seemed that the Corps being formed for the Air Soldiers might be more advanced than both the Guardian Corps and the Investigation Corps.

Luo Zhe, with his arms crossed, gave a non-committal nod, looking at the several flying backpacks with a faint smile.

…

Lu Xiaopeng picked up the flying backpack and weighed it in his hands.

A few kilograms in weight, it was very light for him.

He put on the vest, fastened the buckles tightly, locked everything in place, and checked it several times back and forth—he knew that flying in mid-air could turn ugly if the buckles loosened and he separated from the backpack.

He also tried swinging his arms and extending his legs like springs.

The feel was good.

The presence of the flying backpack didn’t hinder his flexibility in the slightest.

“Next up, I can try ascending to the heavens; I’ve always envied those ability users with wings, and thought I’d never get the chance to fly like a bird in this lifetime…”

Lu Xiaopeng muttered to himself.

He adeptly manipulated his spiritual power, reaching out toward the flying backpack.

In an instant, he touched the ‘switch,’ and the runes on the backpack activated.

“Whoa, the flying backpack is starting up. I can feel the kinetic energy coming from behind… it seems a bit fierce, wait—”

The next moment, under the gaze of the many Corps members, Lu Xiaopeng shot up into the sky.

Accompanied by a ‘waaaaah’ scream.

Looking up, all that was left was a little black dot.

…

Strong wind scraped across his face, howling as cloud after cloud was left behind.

He was still shooting up rapidly.

If this went on, he’d be shoulder to shoulder with the sun.

Lu Xiaopeng grimaced… The flying backpack came fitted with a Source Crystal energy source, and he had used many such pieces of equipment. Spiritual power was only a catalyst for startup, but just now, he seemed to have used a bit too much of that catalyst, causing the built-in Source Crystals to burn up.

He was worried about continuing to ascend out of control and that the Source Crystals might burn too quickly, depleting the energy.

Would he end up plummeting headfirst from the sky?

From hundreds, maybe thousands of meters up?

Lu Xiaopeng didn’t know if his Source Power was strong enough to bear the operational consumption of the flying backpack.

All he could do was ascend while concentrating his perception, “Slow down, slow down, please slow down…”

It seemed his prayers were heard.

The ascent slowed dramatically, and soon, Lu Xiaopeng hovered in the air… For a brief moment, he then began to plummet towards the ground, with his speed increasing under the force of gravity.

“Waaaaahhhh—”

He passed through cloud after cloud, and the wide training grounds below became faintly visible.

Lu Xiaopeng felt chills in his heart as he began to speed up the flying backpack again, but the stabilization or ascent he imagined did not happen.

As he descended, he carved an ‘S’ trajectory through the air; at times he drifted away from the training area, and at times, he readjusted his course back. Just when he was about to hit the ground head-on, Lu Xiaopeng’s eyes widened, his jaw clenched, and he made a last struggle…

Boom!

Lu Xiaopeng, plummeting like a rocket, stopped just one or two meters above the ground, layers of air waves dispersing around him. However, at that instant, he was flung sideways and slammed into the wall of the training camp.

Two Corps members stood by, dumbfounded.

Luo Zhe was also somewhat taken aback, “The flying backpack has a protection mechanism, it won’t just crash to the ground, but… how did he end up controlling it to crash into a wall?”