Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World

Chapter 679 - Aces

All gazes were on Nie Yan. Everyone was waiting for his reply.

If Nie Yan agreed to Mo Yuntian’s request, he suddenly wouldn’t be a nobody anymore. They would have to reevaluate his position in Heavenly Kings.

Mo Yuntian wanted Nie Yan to train his troops. Could it be that Master Classes had some sort of relationship with real life training?

“I can do it to the best of my ability,” Nie Yan replied. There was no harm to him agreeing. Instead, having Mo Yuntian’s backing would be greatly beneficial to him.

“Good!” Mo Yuntian heartily laughed. “If you need any help with the training process, just say the word!”

Mo Yuntian turned to the several other youths in the room. “The Nie Family’s businesses, I want you all to watch over it. Consider it giving this old man some face.”

Ling Yu nodded with a smile. “If it’s General Yuntian asking, how could I dare refuse?”

The several others also hurriedly agreed.

Nie Yan felt blessed. He understood full well just how much of an impact the backing of these people would have on World Bloc.

“Thank you, General Yuntian,” Nie Yan said.

“The youngsters under my care are a bit prideful. So, you’ll have to excuse their behaviour. But since you’re all young, I figure you’ll get along wonderfully with time. I’ll have them come meet you in a moment.” Mo Yuntian smiled.

“Alright.” Nie Yan nodded.

As the meeting continued on, Nie Yan gradually familiarized himself with everyone in the room. Until finally Mo Yuntian received a text. He turned to Nie Yan and said, “Alright, follow me. Xiao Yu, Lei Su, you two come along too. It’s about time anyway. The meeting is adjourned.”

Everyone in the conference room got up from their seats. Nie Yan, Xiao Yu, and Lei Su followed behind Mo Yuntian. After passing through a long, narrow hallway, they arrived at a large and spacious gymnasium.

The gymnasium was 6,500 square feet. Standing in the center were about 30 people. Their ranks were strictly organized, and they gave off a harsh and stern air. When Mo Yuntian walked in, they immediately stood at attention and gave him a salute.

Mo Yuntian waved his hand. “At ease.”

Nie Yan swept his eyes over these 30 odd people. His heart trembled. They only looked to be in their mid-twenties and they wore civilian clothes. However, he could sense a dense murderous aura coming off of them. They were definitely experienced veterans who had come straight from the battlefield.

They were supposed to be in military uniform, but today was an exception.

This group gave off a domineering pressure just by breathing. Mo Yuntian wanted him to teach them?

Nie Yan was a bit concerned. Was he really up to the task? If he fought against the students of the Top Military Academy, he would definitely win. He was unrivalled in the school. However, he’d yet to get a proper grasp of his strength, and he hadn’t the slightest inkling how strong a soldier was.

Mo Yuntian had a gratified expression on his face. These people were elites he'd hand-picked from different sections of the army. He spoke to them, “This young man here is Nie Yan. Starting today, he’ll be your instructor. He’ll be teaching you a brand new, revolutionary method of training!”

The 30 odd youths all looked at Nie Yan. Seeing he looked no older than 19, their expressions turned weird. Some even had looks of disdain in their eyes.

“What? Do you have any objections?” Mo Yuntian expressionlessly asked, sweeping his gaze over the group.

A tall youth standing at the front of the group stepped forward, his posture as straight as a board. “Reporting to General Yuntian! We feel he is unfit to be our instructor!” he said in a booming voice. His gaze landed on Nie Yan. From their point of view, Nie Yan was too young, while they were elites of the army. If their comrades back on the battlefield found out Mo Yuntian had an immature brat train them, they would become the laughingstock of the army.

Hearing these words, Nie Yan wasn’t the slightest bit upset. After interacting with his father for so long, he had a deep admiration for those in the army. If they didn’t like something, they wouldn’t bite their tongue but rather openly speak their mind. Compared to the kind of people who would flatter you on the surface but wouldn’t hesitate to stab you in the back when given the opportunity, they were much more straightforward and easier to get along with.

Mo Yuntian lightly chuckled, then turned to Nie Yan.

“Get the strongest person among them to come out, we can find out whether I’m qualified or not,” Nie Yan said, his tone containing a slight hint of arrogance. If he showed any signs of weakness in front of this group, not only would he not win any respect, but he would be looked down on even more.

These people didn’t expect Nie Yan to challenge them directly. Their impression of him improved a little.

Mo Yuntian glanced at Nie Yan. Even though he knew Nie Yan was strong, he wasn’t too optimistic. These youths he selected were seasoned veterans of the battlefield, having crawled back from the abyss of death countless times over and faced all sorts of extremely dangerous situations. What they trained in were killing techniques. Though it appeared Nie Yan had picked up a thing or two himself, he would likely lose in a real fight. Mo Yuntian didn’t want him to teach them combat techniques but rather how to enhance their strength with the virtual reality helmets and game capsules. 

Mo Yuntian suddenly recalled Nie Yan had a bodyguard called Bayonet by his side. He was one of the top ranked mercenaries in the world. Maybe Nie Yan had learned a thing or two from him. “Wang Duo, step forward three steps.”

“Yes, sir!” The same soldier who had spoken up just now took three steps forward and stood at attention.

Mo Yuntian glanced at Nie Yan, then stepped back. 

“Take your position. This is just a friendly spar. I trust you won’t take things too far.”

“Understood!” Wang Duo nodded.

Nie Yan remained silent. Wang Duo was probably the strongest opponent yet. After all, this fellow was an elite of the army. He didn’t dare to be neglectful. He slowly focused his mind.

Everyone made space for the two, their eyes falling on the center of the gymnasium. They didn’t have high hopes for Nie Yan. After all, he was a civilian who’d never seen the battlefield, and the fighting techniques he learned were probably inferior to those taught to the army’s elites. Though Mo Yuntian, Lei Su, and Xiao Yu knew Nie Yan was a skilled fighter, they didn’t know to what degree. This was simply because all the opponents he'd fought so far were too weak. They couldn’t draw out his full strength.

Wang Duo appeared quite imposing as a murderous aura rolled off him. Nie Yan didn’t dare to underestimate him. Even though he wasn’t bulging with muscles, Nie Yan could tell his body was brimming with explosive strength.

Wang Duo did a light bow and then took a fighting stance. “You’re the youngest opponent I’ve faced so far. On that merit alone, you’ve earned my admiration. When I was your age, I was only an inexperienced new recruit. Even so, no matter who I'm facing, I will never hold back in a fight.”

“I wouldn’t dream of asking you to. Let’s have a good spar,” Nie Yan said in a calm tone. He performed a bow in return and also took a fighting stance.

“Begin!” Mo Yuntian shouted.

“Prepare yourself.” Wang Duo shot forward and threw a punch at Nie Yan’s abdomen. His fist whistled through the air, brimming with explosive strength. In the next moment, he stomped down toward Nie Yan’s knee with his foot.

He’s fast! Nie Yan’s eyes narrowed. Shifting his foot, he threw his knee forward.

BANG! The two exchanged blows as their bodies shook from the intense impact.

So strong! Wang Duo stared at Nie Yan with a hint of shock. He could tell Nie Yan wasn’t any weaker than him in terms of raw strength, even surpassing him by a bit. He felt a numb sensation in his arm. For a fighter, 20 years old was far from their peak. They still had much more room for growth. With how strong Nie Yan was despite his young age, he would grow up to become an incredible monster later on. In this respect, he had already lost. He was 28, nine years older than Nie Yan.

After several exchanges, Wang Duo’s shock only grew deeper. Nie Yan was much stronger than he expected. Even now, he still hadn’t seized any advantage. In fact, the more he fought, the more pressured he felt. He cast the reminder of Mo Yuntian aside and started using all his strength. His attacks were ruthless. They were all fatal moves.

Nie Yan’s mind was laser focused, calmly responding to every attack. Sure enough, the elites of the army were something else. In the beginning, he was somewhat on the backfoot, nearly receiving a direct blow several times. However, as the fight continued, he slowly got used to it. Wang Duo and Bayonet’s combat styles were different. Bayonet’s movements were extremely quick. If you gave him any kind of weapon, even something as mundane as a pencil, he could kill you within seconds. He often aimed for the vitals, and his attacks always came at peculiar angles. On the other hand, Wang Duo was the type to attack hard and ferociously. He aimed for a person’s joints. If you were hit by his attacks, you wouldn’t immediately die. However, you would definitely end up crippled and lose all ability to resist.

In terms of fighting skill, there was naturally a difference between Bayonet and Wang Duo. If a freak like Bayonet went all out, he could have Wang Duo dead on the ground within minutes without a shadow of a doubt. Nie Yan had sparred with Bayonet several times, and he would always come out of it learning something new. When facing Wang Duo right now, Nie Yan felt a new sensation. He slowly became absorbed in the fight.

This is great! I’ve finally found a suitable opponent at my level! I can fight to my heart’s content! Nie Yan felt his blood boiling with excitement. At the start, his punches were a bit stiff. However, as time passed and his body gradually warmed up, his punches brimmed with explosive power. His footwork was also becoming faster and faster. From time to time, he even employed the techniques of a Shadow Dancer!

The fight between Nie Yan and Wang Duo gradually heated up. Watching the storm of blows, the spectators were endlessly shocked.

Lei Su gaped his mouth in shock. He felt the gap between himself and Nie Yan widening even more. He gloomily said, “Shit! Just how does that kid train? He’s only 19 and already this strong! How are others supposed to compete!?”

Mo Yuntian’s eyes were shining as he watched the fight between Nie Yan and Wang Duo unfold. He didn’t expect that Nie Yan could go toe-to-toe with the aces he'd hand-picked from the army. It appeared he had greatly underestimated Nie Yan’s strength.

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Translator: LittleShanks (Follow me on Twitter)
Editor: Sietse

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