With a popping sound, a blast of energy flew out, piercing a round hole in the strange wooden stake five or six meters away.
Ethan walked up for a closer look. The hole's surface was as smooth as a mirror, hardly looking like it was punched apart.
"I've managed to practice the first layer of the Ferocious Bull Fist already?"
Ethan was surprised, stood staring at the strange stake with a puzzled look on his face.
Didn't the Principal Ashton say this was hard to practice?
According to the Ferocious Bull Fist fighting guide, pooling all the power together means he had mastered the first layer.
Realizing the time was late, Ethan didn't bother to mull over it anymore. After taking a bath and packing some things, he made his way to the train station. Ethan lives in the suburbs, and the station is also in the suburbs, but it's at the other end of Sterling City, a long way off without any bus services.
Ethan thought he might as well grab a taxi.
The moment he opened the software, a rumble resounded from outside his yard.
A black Lamborghini was parked out there.
"Goodness, Ethan, how did your place turn into something like this?"
The car window rolled down, and Leo was looking distastefully around as he spoke.
"Leo? Aren't you still in the hospital?"
Ethan was startled. He moved closer to examine Leo's back and bottom; no wounds were visible.
"Did your injuries heal so fast?"
"Yeah." Leo replied. "How did you recover so fast?"
Ethan put his things aside and got into the passenger seat.
"Because I'm a rich second-generation, obviously," Leo responded matter-of-factly.
Ethan:
Vrooom!
The engine roared and the car sped off.
Journey to Apex Academy
Once Ethan arrived at the station, he bid Leo farewell and slipped into the dedicated waiting room, flashing the badge of Apex Academy as he entered.
There were already two people sitting in the room. Ethan thought to himself: "Oh, there are people from Sterling City who made it to the Apex Academy!"
Upon further inspection, the two people looked more like soldiers than students.
Ethan speculated: "They must've been specially recruited from the military."
The man and woman were sitting together, wordlessly.
Seeing this, Ethan didn't feel comfortable to start a conversation, so he pulled out his communicator and began to browse the forum.
He was soon off to the legendary Apex Academy. Ethan was both excited and nervous.
He decided to first get a sense of things and gather some information.
"The top ten Goddesses of the Apex Academy...there are even photos!"
"Oh my, the top ten sexiest Goddesses of the Apex Academy..."
"The most desirable school beauties."
"The freshman beauty list..."
Ethan, lost in Browse, found himself scrolling for half an hour before a staff member came in to remind him that it was time to leave.
Upon looking up, he realized that the two people had long since departed.
The special train for the Apex Academy looked incredibly ordinary on the outside, just like any other express train.
But the moment Ethan stepped into the carriage, his jaw dropped.
The place was full of wounded soldiers, each carrying injuries and blood, exhausted to the point of death.
Some soldiers were left with only one arm, their sleeves empty and fluttering.
"The two carriages ahead are yours." A wounded soldier reminded.
"Thank you!" Ethan felt a wave of respect in his heart.
The tranquility of the townsfolk is all thanks to these brave men risking their lives. Ethan silently passed through the wounded soldiers' carriage and entered the carriage designated for students.
Although it was small, barely fitting more than twenty people, compared to the previous crowded scene, this practically felt like a luxury suite.
Looking around, Ethan realized that there was only one vacant seat left.
However, seated next to it was a small beauty with an ethereal temperament, as cold as ice.
Seeing Ethan was about to sit next to her, the girl gave him a cold glance.
Ethan acted as if he didn't see it and casually sat down.
After settling his luggage, he gave a wide grin and extended his hand towards the beauty, "Hello, my name is Ethan Hayes."
The icy beauty turned her head, her gaze sweeping across Ethan like a knife, but she remained silent.
If it were someone else, they might have already felt awkward enough to want to hide in a crack of the ground.
But Ethan was still grinning widely, not forgetting to repeat warmly:
"My name is Ethan Hayes, nice to meet you!"
"Clara Song."
The cool girl extended her delicate hand, lightly touching Ethan's palm before quickly pulling away as if shocked by electricity. Ethan sighed in disappointment internally.
Last time, when he held the small hand of Seraphina Vance, a student from Southern Reach College, the tender and warm touch was still unforgettable.
He supposed the touch of Clara Song's hand wouldn't be far from that, would it?
"I come from Sterling City. What about you? Are we from the same place?"
Ethan continued the conversation.
Mainly because Clara Song was too beautiful, with an otherworldly aura about her.
Just talking with her made Ethan feel refreshed and invigorated.
"I'm not that lewd ghost Leo!"
Ethan reassured himself quietly. "Oceanview."
Clara Song coldly replied without even turning her head.
Seeing her cold demeanor, Ethan lost the interest to chat and closed his eyes to rest.
After exerting himself with the Ferocious Bull Fist before setting off, even he, with the Black Steel Battle Body Gene, felt sore and achy all over.
Only an S-class martial art like this could exhaust Ethan to this extent.
The train was rushing through the wilderness like an arrow, creating a lively atmosphere inside the carriage.
The male and female passengers who previously shared a room with Ethan have already mingled with the other travelers, chatting happily in a lively manner.
Time quietly slips away; the wilderness outside the window gradually cloaked by the curtain of night, its pitch-black vastness resembling an infinite black sea.
Inside the carriage, many passengers have already drifted off to sleep, their snoring sounds intermittent.
The warriors from the other carriages are even more dead to the world.
"I constantly emphasize vigilance, don't find it annoying. The wilderness is fraught with danger, check the radar every two minutes, change frequency every ten minutes. If there are any problems, report to me immediately! Understand?"
The train conductor wore a serious expression, staring at the individuals before him.
"Understood!" More than twenty voices echoed unanimously.
"Good!" The train conductor nodded.