Chapter 168: Fire Spirit

The military academies of the Gaul Empire all had this tradition—in the fourth academic year of each student, which was their final year at the academy, when spring arrived and the flowers bloomed, at the start of the academic year, the fourth-year students would form several groups based on their own wishes and carry out practice exercises that closely resembled real combat.

All the conditions of the drills were no different from actual combat. The fourth-year students would showcase everything they had learned over the past three years on the battlefield. If they performed well, they would gain the appreciation of military generals and rise swiftly in their careers. If they made any mistakes or oversights, their instructors still had a year during their final year of study to correct those errors, ensuring they wouldn’t lose their lives on the real battlefield.

Each student group participating in the Combat Drill had to have at least fifty members and no more than one hundred. They could also invite no more than ten external aids from outside the academy to join the drill. However, there were certain restrictions on external aids. For example, external aids who had previously participated in Combat Drills were not allowed to join again; active regular soldiers were not permitted to join; and private guards of noble families, as long as they were registered members of the empire, were also barred from participating.

The reason for allowing external aids to join the drills was that the ability to invite powerful external aids was also a part of a military academy graduate’s overall strength. For example, if Enzo were to participate in the Combat Drill and, hypothetically, he could invite three high-ranking Earth Knights to join the drill—these three Earth Knights had never taken part in Combat Drills before, were not part of the empire’s regular army, and were not officially registered private guards of any noble family in the empire—what would be the value of these three knights?

Enzo’s own value would be perfectly demonstrated through these three knights, proving that he had extensive connections and a strong network. Since these three knights were willing to join the Combat Drill for Enzo’s sake, would they become Enzo’s personal guards or retainers after he officially enlisted in the military in the future?

If so, wouldn’t this indirectly enhance the empire’s military strength?

To put it plainly, allowing external aids to participate in military academy Combat Drills was also a method for the empire to recruit talent from the civilian population, and it was the best path for those powerful individuals hiding among the people to pledge their allegiance to the empire! After all, the Combat Drill was entirely based on real combat. If a high-ranking knight performed exceptionally well in the Combat Drill, he would naturally gain the favor of military generals and be quickly promoted and entrusted with important tasks.

However, as the saying goes, anything was possible in real combat, so every year the empire allowed a mortality rate of up to ten percent in the Combat Drills of major military academies. This was a terrifying number. For instance, if the Army Academy had over two thousand students in the same year as Enzo, it meant the empire allowed up to three hundred casualties in the Combat Drill.

These were not ordinary soldiers but carefully cultivated future elite officers of the empire. But since everything was based on real combat, the empire permitted such a high mortality rate. Precisely because it was possible to die at any moment even in the Combat Drill, if the students of the empire’s major military academies could graduate successfully, they would not fear death once they stepped onto the battlefield, because they had already faced death head-on!

Undoubtedly, this also made the Combat Drill the best place for military academy students to settle personal grudges. You could reasonably and legally kill your enemy. As long as you could kill your foe on a battlefield that was no different from real combat, no one would hold you accountable.

Black Horse Haus openly challenged Yulian in front of so many noble young masters in the Imperial Capital, intending to force Yulian into a corner with no way to retreat.

If Yulian did not dare to accept the challenge, not only would he be affected, but Enzo would also be implicated. An Army Academy student who did not dare to accept an opponent’s challenge in the Combat Drill would undoubtedly be ostracized by all his colleagues even if he joined the regular army—the military did not mind the presence of murderous maniacs, but they absolutely rejected all cowards!

So Yulian picked up the white glove that Black Horse Haus had thrown in his face, flung it to the ground with force, and stomped on it heavily. He sneered as he spat on the thoroughly ruined white glove, then raised his index finger and gently shook it at Black Horse Haus. “I accept your challenge on behalf of Enzo, Black Horse Haus. We’ll see about that!”

With a cold laugh, Yulian pulled off his own black silk glove and threw it forcefully into Black Horse Haus’s face.

Black Horse Haus did not dodge. He let the glove hit his face. He looked at Yulian excitedly—this was exactly what he wanted. He welcomed Yulian’s provocation and insult. Yulian’s actions made the enmity between them irreconcilable, and it had now evolved into a duel challenge!

On the third day after the Army Academy started, the fourth-year students would freely form groups and enter specialized training grounds for a one-month Combat Drill. Black Horse Haus had already prepared a huge surprise for Lin Qi and his group. He wanted to ensure that the ruffians of the Iron Fist Brotherhood would be completely wiped out.

Black Horse Haus let out a heavy breath and clenched his fists tightly.

Beya gently applauded and said in a low voice, “Haus, well done. These scoundrels need to be taught a proper lesson. When your Combat Drill begins, I will come to cheer you on.”

Beya’s smile was peculiar. He wasn’t just planning to cheer; he also intended to provide Black Horse Haus with practical assistance. Yulian, that fallen noble, had actually become Tixiang’s lackey? Originally, Beya had no grudge against Yulian, but who told Tixiang to get involved with those two beauties, Ya and Ling? Eliminating Yulian in a justified manner would also be a sharp slap to Tixiang’s face.

Seeing the smug expressions of Black Horse Haus and Beya, Lin Qi shook his head lightly.

He slowly walked up to Black Horse Haus and sneered in a hoarse voice, “Well, well, brave noble who dares to duel with others, if you really have the guts, dare to gamble with us tonight?”

Shaking his head, Lin Qi laughed strangely. “No, you pretty boy don’t have the courage!”

Ignoring Black Horse Haus’s livid face, Lin Qi beckoned to Beya with his finger. “You seem like a big shot. So, if you truly are the pride of the nobles, a genuine Noble of the Gaul Empire, then come have a game with us tonight?”

Lin Qi took out a black handkerchief, wiped his nose vigorously, and then tossed it lightly in front of Beya’s feet.

“This isn’t a challenge, much less a duel. It’s just an invitation to the esteemed Beya. Do you dare to gamble with us?”

Beya’s eyes turned red. Was Lin Qi insulting him?

Proud and arrogant, Beya had never been provoked like this before. He roared in anger and stomped heavily on the handkerchief Lin Qi had thrown.

“Foolish ignoramus, then come! Do you think I’d be afraid of your challenge?”