The copy wore the exact same clothes as Apollo: a black robe covering his body and a black half-mask obscuring the top half of his face. Apollo looked closer and noticed that even the mask had the same details. It felt like he was staring into a mirror.
The copy sat there, its eyes dull and unmoving.
Apollo had only intended to test what he'd learned so far, and it seemed like the results were better than he'd expected. At the beginner stage of the Hydra Mirage, he could conjure up to two clones of himself, and he could even make them move according to his will, though he wasn't sure how fluid their movements would be.
Let's see if I've really reached the beginner stage, Apollo thought, smiling. He wasn't expecting much; the instructors had given them three days, and it had only been about three hours since he started learning the technique. There's no way I could complete the second test so easily... right? With this in mind, he activated the technique once more.
Mist appeared as the Qi he absorbed flowed out of his body, and to his right, another copy of himself materialized.
Staring at the lifelike copy, Apollo couldn't help but be amazed. Did I really do it? Does this mean I've managed to reach the beginner stage in just three hours?
He looked around and saw that the other Martial Students were preoccupied with their own Battle Techniques. Then, he made his clones stand up, and they did so the moment he thought about it. There was no delay; as soon as he willed it, they obeyed. Apollo then positioned them to stand in front of each other.
"Fight!" Apollo thought, his eyes burning with excitement as he controlled one of the clones. Like a video game, he had one clone fight the other while he sat on the grass, watching the battle. However, it proved to be difficult. Controlling a clone was easy, but using it to fight against another clone felt like battling a boss that couldn't be hit.
So these clones also know my fighting style, Apollo mused as the clone he controlled failed to land a hit on the other. Then he stopped the fight. If a normal battle won't work... Slap Fight!
It was a popular sport in his previous life where two participants took turns slapping each other. Apollo enjoyed watching it; it was entertaining to see their faces distort from the impact.
Thinking about it made him even more excited about what was to come. This time, he didn't control one of the clones. Instead, he gave the order for them to take turns slapping each other as hard as they could.
As soon as he thought it, one of the clones raised its hand and slammed it into the other copy's face!
Apollo's eyes widened in anticipation, but they quickly turned to surprise as the slap caused the clone's head to explode! But instead of blood, the explosion was made of mist that scattered with the wind.
Apollo smiled bitterly at the sight. I guess that was to be expected; it's only at the beginner stage and still fragile, he thought. According to the Hydra Mirage technique in his mind, his clones would only get tougher as he progressed.
Surprisingly, even without a head, the clone raised its hand and slapped the fully intact copy.
Huh? So they're still functional without a head? Apollo tilted his head as the intact clone's head also exploded into mist. What happened next nearly made him burst out laughing—the two headless copies of himself continued slapping the place where their heads used to be.
Shaking his head, he made them stop, and with a thought, the two clones dissolved into water and fell to the ground.
All this time, the martial students hadn't been disturbed, probably because some of them were also making noise, and the people on the floating platform were too busy talking among themselves.
Did I just learn an exceptionally easy Battle Technique? Apollo wondered. So, have I already passed the second test? This made him glance at the other students. But they're still not done, and I'll definitely stand out if I declare that I've already reached the Beginner stage of this technique.
He let out a heavy sigh. "What should I do?" he muttered. There are still three days left, and it only took me three hours to complete the second test. "That pervert said there's an array on the Stone Slab that will make those who didn't pass the test forget the techniques on the slab. It's safe to say that even if some of us memorize all the techniques, we'll only be able to keep one if we pass."
Apollo waited to see if he would forget the other techniques, but even after a few minutes, he could still remember them. Is it because the test hasn't ended yet, and the Memory Alteration mechanism hasn't been activated?
That's probably the case… Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Should I use this time to learn the other techniques, just to pass the time? It didn't take him long to decide. He closed his eyes and began learning all the Battle Techniques stored in his mind.
On the floating platform, the visitors perked up when the white-robed cultivator arrived and said something that made them fall silent and listen carefully.
"So they tried to steal another technique from our Library?" Axton asked, a subtle smile on his lips.
"Yes," the white-robed cultivator nodded.
"Where are they?" the Great Serpent Headmaster asked, focusing on the fate of the thieves rather than the Library.
"After the successful ambush, we captured them and put them in a cellar for questioning," the white-robed cultivator reported.
"Good," Axton nodded. "Just don't let them die."
Klown, who had been listening the whole time, wore a shocked expression, and it took him a moment to regain his composure.
"Are you okay, Mayor Klown?" the Headmaster of the Sword and Shield Martial School, Elmo, asked, his voice filled with apparent concern. However, a closer look into his eyes would reveal that he didn't mean it.
"Yeah," Klown nodded, but his voice betrayed his anger. "I can't believe someone would be so daring as to steal cultivation techniques from the Martial Schools in my city!"