Chapter 207 Balance Duels

Chapter 207 Balance Duels "Balance... I'm not great at it," Lyrian thought as he looked around at the many students who were trying to walk on the long bamboo poles. Many continued to fall down, but some looked to have mastered the art. This was a slight sting for Lyrian since it meant that a few had better chances at defeating him in the balance duel.

'I never learned the foundations of fighting, so my body isn't very balanced. Now that I think about it, I didn't learn the foundations of cultivating either... I wonder if that's a thing.' He pondered this to himself for a short moment, before quickly brushing it off as he had important things to currently tend to. Right now, Smithing was like his one 'foundation.' It helped him control his movements, but it still seemed to not be enough for full balance. As Rerth began calling names to the platform, Lyrian tsked at the fact that he could only make a few movements before losing his balance.

For a moment, he stopped practicing and took a peek at the two students in the arena. Both of them looked a bit unsteady but barely managed to stay onto the sticks. Lyrian thought them to be slightly worse off than him, even though he wasn't too good either.

Anticipation increased as the two went into a stalemate, simply trying to not fall, let alone get a pebble or whatever! However, amid the wait, one of the kids got impatient.

"I can't ever fully balance myself anyways. Might as well go for the win before I fall!" He exclaimed, pushing his bamboo sticks into the floor as he lunged forward. Unfortunately for him, he used too much force, causing the sticks to slip. He fell face-first onto the stone platform as his pebble slipped out from his hands and fell onto the floor. With that, he failed the drill.

A crunch sounded from the impact. The kid wasn't only knocked unconscious but also seemed to have broken his nose. The opponent rejoiced upon seeing this, but Rerth swiftly reminded him that it wasn't over just yet. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NƟvelFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"Kid! You still haven't passed!" He blurted, erasing the smirk from the kid's face.

"To pass, you need to get the opponent's stone! My rules are absolute!" The kid paused, thinking to himself for a moment. Everyone waited for his next move. Finally, he suddenly leaned forward, allowing himself to begin falling down.

Right before he touched the ground, however, he made sure to grab the stone, giving him an automatic pass.

Seeing this, the students were quite impressed with his quick thinking, but Lyrian was a bit confused with the rules.

"Rerth!" He shouted from the tops of his bamboo sticks. The teacher turned to face him, his hands crossed.

"What are the exact rules of this duel?" Lyrian asked as Rerth tsked under his breath.

'Damn... there's always one brat like this who ruins the surprise. Ah... well whatever. It's not like I can lie to him.' He thought to himself, slightly irritated.

"The rules are simple. Balance on the sticks with both legs is the first rule. The second rule is that you must retrieve the opponent's stone to pass. And finally, the third rule is that if your stone touches the ground, you fail. Now, this third rule has a bit of an implication. It's not only that you cannot let the stone physically touch the ground, but you also cannot let whatever is in direct contact with it touch the ground either. This means your body."

After saying this, Rerth quickly moved on to the next pair of duelers. Lyrian, on the other hand, began to go deep in thought while also practicing his balance. The more he tried, however, the more he seemed to get worse!

'He said his rules are absolute... and if those are the only rules...' A smirk suddenly formed on Lyrian's face as he said this in his head. Rerth noticed the smirk and formed an annoyed expression.

'Smart brat.' He retorted in his brain. In the second match, Lyrian noticed one of the fighters. He was the guy who came second place in the race; Lyrian remembered him by his green robe. His balance was also one of the best in the entire group.

He was going up against a kid who looked to struggle with his balance. As the match started, the opponent of the green-robed kid tried to balance himself, his body shaking. However, his opponent quickly walked over to him, pushing him down without touch as he snatched the pebble from his coat.

The poorly balanced boy fell onto his back with a loud thud, as he looked up at the green-robed kid with concerned eyes. "Don--" He barely managed to say, as the green-robed kid let go of the stone. It bounced off the platform and landed on the ground, marking the failure of the poorly balanced kid.

The green-robed kid's stare remained icy cold throughout all of this. As the matches continued, Lyrian made sure to mark the stronger opponents.

In the third match, a kid who Lyrian recognized from his dark brown eyes and long black hair, who also had good balance, dominated his opponent. The fourth match wasn't noteworthy, but the fifth indeed was.

Everyone looked on with keen eyes as a normal-looking kid entered the platform. What made him stand out, however, was how seamlessly he did it. He walked up there as if he was walking on bamboo sticks for his entire life.

Looking around, Lyrian noticed that the two best balancers so far, the kid in the green robe and the kid with the long black hair, both had their mouths agape in shock as they surveyed the average-looking kid.

"He's far better than even me at that..." The green-robed kid said. "He must have practiced it before... so this is quite unfair." The dark-brown-eyed kid whispered under his breath. Finally, Rerth announced the kid's opponent.

"Kalon's opponent will be... Lyrian!"