The Almighty Ring

Jiang Fei was able to locate them very easily. As every player in the The Aristocrats knew that Verdue Glider was a good brother of The Aristocrats’s new boss, they respectfully escorted him to their location.

“Hehe, Ah Fei, I heard that you created your own guild. Also heard that it’s more of a harem. Not bad!”

When Jiang Fei had arrived, Han Tianyu jeered at him. He was well-informed, as always.

“Brother Yu, are you even training?”

Jiang Fei’s felt a vein throbbing in his skull. What in the world is going on here?

Han Tianyu seemed to have requested for someone to bring him a comfortable chair. There was even a small table next to the chair. To top that off was a bottle of expensive alcohol from an NPC’s liquor shop. The master was languishing on the comfortable chair, leisurely sipping alcohol.

“Do you see it now? This b*stard is a god damned sloth!”

Only Chen Xi would be this blunt.

“The f*ck is going on here… Are we playing the same game?”

Jiang Fei could not stop himself.

“Hehe, the exp is pouring in fine, I’m in their party. Let them do their work, I’ll do mine.”

Han Tianyu took a gulp of the alcohol and shrugged as he spoke.

“Die in your laziness!” Chen Xi mumbled.

“That’s right, Ah Fei, I heard little Xi say that you were planning to train in self-defense here in the game? Han Tianyu asked.

“Yes!”

Jiang Fei nodded.

“Are you in trouble?” Han Tianyu suddenly asked.

Although he was only a few years older than Jiang Fei, he had far more experience in life as a military arms dealer. It was not something a naïve student like Jiang Fei could describe. Although Jiang Fei had matured a lot since he was ambushed by the ninja, it was still a developing progress. Compared to Han Tianyu who had experienced a lot more drudgery for a several years, he was an absolute newbie.

Han Tianyu was not curious about the fact that this kid wanted to pick up more self-defense techniques. After all, he was a boy. Which boy would not want to learn such techniques if given the chance? However, Jiang Fei had come up with the absurd idea of treating the game as a training simulator. It took some pressure to push a man this far. No one would be this eager, unless he had urgent reason to do so.

A fellow brother may not ask for help from him, but as the big brother, Han Tianyu simply had to throw the question.

“Ah? It’s nothing!”

Jiang Fei was startled. However, he subconsciously shook his head. Jiang Fei was a prideful man. He would never ask for help unless he was left without a choice.

“Alright then!”

Han Tianyu nodded and did not pursue the matter any further. However, he turned his head around to glance at Ah Long. Ah Long nodded and walked out of sight. In the distance, a white light flashed, indicating that he had just logged out.

Jiang Fei had not noticed Ah Long sneaking away. He turned to speak to Chen Xi. “Little Xi, you think that this could be half-done. How do we go about with this?”

“Simple. Stand like a statue, get hit, get up again. Of course, your upper body may be used for self-defense. Ok, I was wrong. You’re not a statue, you’re allowed to try evading! This will train your reflexes. Try to let your muscles respond in place of your brain!”

Chen Xi laughed cheerfully.

“Not a problem! I am here to be beaten up! Let’s start!”

Jiang Fei did not want to waste another minute or second.

“Well, obviously, I don’t have the time to do that. I have to level up in someone’s place! Lazy b*stard, since you’re not training, help Ah Fei with his training!” Chen Xi said, glaring at Han Tianyu.

“Fine by me! Monsters are boring. Humans, on the other hand…”

Han Tianyu emptied his glass. He then turned towards Jiang Fei with a cunning smile as he said, “Brother, don’t blame me for hurting you. This is for your own good!”

“Bring it on!”

“Oho, you asked for it!”

Han Tianyu walked casually towards Jiang Fei. Suddenly, his fist landed right between Jiang Fei’s eyes!

“D*mn it!”

Although the sense of pain had been dulled in the game, Han Tianyu had not held back one bit. Jiang Fei could see stars.

“How was that? Did it feel good?”

Han Tianyu laughed.

“F*ck, f*ck you! You could have at least warned me!” Jiang Fei uttered.

“Enemies don’t greet each other before killing each other.”

Han Tianyu sternly said, before his expression quickly reverted into his playful, regular state. “But, we’ve all got to start somewhere, and you’re my little brother. I will drop a few pointers here and there.”

“Come on!”

Jiang Fei tried to concentrate. He was prepared for the next attack.

“Watch your left eye socket. Get ready!” Han Tianyu said with a laugh.

“What…”

Jiang Fei never finished his sentence. Han Tianyu’s fist slammed into his face.

“Ouch!”

Jiang Fei saw stars once again. Han Tianyu’s punch had struck like a thief in the night. There was no movement in his shoulders, no flinching, no tensing up, and the punch had already found its mark. Jiang Fei had been utterly helpless.

“Han Tianyu, you jerk! I will deal with you tomorrow!”

Chen Xi was getting furious.

“Darn it! Brother, you have gotten me into trouble!”

Han Tianyu suddenly looked bitter.

Do not be mistaken. Chen Xi was not one bit sympathetic about Jiang Fei. But Han Tianyu had always fooled around with Chen Xi. Each time they trained together, Han Tianyu seemed to only be slightly better than Chen Xi. Today, he was going all out. Even after two hits, Jiang Fei had remained none the wiser. However, Chen Xi’s trained eye could immediately tell the difference between them. She finally learned that in their past battles, Han Tianyu had always held back for Chen Xi’s sake. If anything, the lack of respect only came as an affront to Chen Xi.

“How was it? Learned anything?”

Once convinced that Chen Xi was not about to attack him, Han Tianyu relaxed his shoulders and continued to teach Jiang Fei.

“No!”

Jiang Fei looked as lost as ever.

“A truly good fighter would never telegraph his moves. Regardless of one’s stance, facial expression, or body language, a good fighter will ensure that he remains unreadable!” Han Tianyu explained.

“Oh!”

Jiang Fei finally got it. Previously, when he was training with Chen Xi in the martial arts hall, he could tell from Chen Xi’s clenching of her facial muscles and twitches in the shoulders whenever she was about to attack. Although his body could not keep up with the tempo and blinding speed, he could still react somewhat. He was still able to use his arms or block some blows, or fight back.

However, when he was facing Han Tianyu, Jiang Fei had no clue what was coming next. Han Tianyu’s attacks were like phantoms. They came as swiftly as he retreated to gain distance.

“What should I do if I face a truly great fighter? Would I have to wait for the opponent to attack before I react?” Jiang Fei asked.

“Wait for the opponent to attack before you react? Then you would die without even knowing what happened!”

Han Tianyu laughed lightly before proceeding to explain. “When you face such strong opponents, you can only believe in your own instincts! A strong fighter’s instincts are usually much more accurate than their rational judgment!”

“How do I cultivate such instincts?” Jiang Fei asked.

“Hehe.”

Han Tianyu grinned sinisterly.

“Talk to me again when you’ve taken a few more hits to the face!”

As Han Tianyu spoke, Jiang Fei saw more stars in his eyes again.