Elite Training Camp

November 28th, 1:30 p.m., Jiangnan Base City Airport.

"The road ahead is yours to carve out alone. Dad can't help you anymore."

Ning Hua felt conflicted—proud, yet a little lonely. His son was too gifted, completely unwilling to follow the path he had planned for him.

The unknown was the most dangerous, so he could not help but worry. This was the path of a martial artist. He had once survived by sheer luck, and all he could do was hope Ning Ze would be as fortunate as he had been.

"Dad, don't worry." Ning Ze wore a faint smile, radiating confidence from head to toe. His eyes seemed to say, Believe in me!

He had complete confidence in his strength. He had cultivated a top-tier Secret Manual to its final level; at the Elite Training Camp, he felt he could at least earn an excellent rating.

The Martial Arts School would not send a genius martial artist to his death. Once he got there, he would only grow faster!

Li Wan held Ning Ze's hand, tears glistening in her eyes as she urged, "You must be careful over there."

She had been unable to stop Ning Hua from entering the Wilderness Area, and she had been unable to stop Ning Ze either. She could only hope her son would become stronger, strong enough to face sufficient danger.

"Mom, don't worry. I won't be in danger." Ning Ze blinked mischievously. Li Wan knew how strong he was. With hidden cards up his sleeve, he would naturally be safer.

Li Wan merely nodded hard and said nothing more. If she kept talking, she feared she would not be able to stop herself from crying.

Ning Ze was somewhat unused to this feeling of parting. He reached out and gently stroked the two little heads against his chest—one sister, one wife. Both were like children who had never grown up, clinging to him the whole way without letting go.

The entire Warfire Squad had come to see him off. Even Xu Gang had come. With each person saying a few words, time flew by.

"Kid, are you ready?"

A young man with a lazy appearance walked over. He looked as though nothing could possibly interest him.

"Lord Wu, I'm ready."

Ning Ze raised his brows slightly upon seeing him. This War God sent from headquarters had briefly tested his strength and Force Generation yesterday, then gone off with Iron Hand Zhou Yongzheng, the president of the Limitless Martial Arts School, to have fun. Ning Ze had vaguely heard they had gone to some bathhouse.

Ning Ze gently pulled his wife and younger sister from his embrace. "All right, Lord Wu is here, and the plane has arrived. It's time for me to go."

"If you miss me, video call me. The Training Camp won't ban internet access."

Shu Yi pursed her lips and nodded hard, holding back her tears. He had gone to the Wilderness Area less than two months after their marriage, and now, less than three days after returning, he was leaving for the Training Camp. Their happy time together had been far too short.

"Anyone who hasn't checked in yet, come check in!" the boarding attendant shouted from the distance, reminding those about to board.

War God Wu lifted his eyelids and urged, "Let's go, kid. You'll have a holiday for New Year's. You're only staying for a little over two months."

Ning Ze waved to his family, dragged his suitcase, and followed War God Wu ahead of him.

Passenger planes at this time could fly through the Wilderness Area. They were completely unlike the passenger planes of the past, more like the flying saucers from old sci-fi movies—giant flying saucers.

Since the airliner was shaped like a flying saucer, its passenger cabin was divided into upper, middle, and lower levels.

The upper level was Special Grade. The middle and lower levels were both ordinary cabins.

Ning Hua walked up the stairs and entered the upper level through the hatch at the very top. Standing at the door of the flying saucer, he turned to look at his family and friends behind him, smiled confidently, then turned and walked inside.

"A08." Ning Ze glanced at the ticket in his hand and looked around.

The seating resembled that of a stadium, with passengers' seats connected in circular rings. In the middle stood a low hemispherical mound, above which a waterfall cascaded downward. This was the most advanced projection technology of the era—three-dimensional Virtual Projection.

It was not merely stereoscopic, but virtual. No matter from which direction one looked, the same three-dimensional image could be seen.

"Kid Ning, I heard your Movement Technique has reached the Perfect Level?" War God Wu sat beside Ning Ze. Perhaps because he was bored, he casually asked about Ning Ze's current cultivation.

Ning Ze felt speechless. He had not asked or tested anything at first, but now that they were already on the plane and headed to the Training Camp, this War God was finally asking such questions. He did not seem like a reliable person at all.

"Yes. I think it should be the Perfect Level, since it's all about using the environment."

The corner of War God Wu's mouth lifted slightly. Who knew what he was smiling about? After ten seconds of silence, he asked quietly, "How did you get so many monster materials? Any secret to it? Didn't Lord-level monsters chase you down? I heard you fought your way along the Huangpu River?"

Ning Ze stretched his legs, finding there was not enough room. The seat leaned forward, unlike his usual sitting posture, and it felt uncomfortable.

"I encountered Lord-level monsters, but I escaped every time. As for secrets, I don't know whether this counts as one."

War God Wu turned toward him curiously. "Tell me."

Ning Ze considered it before replying, "I found that these Lord monsters only chase you once. When they see you a second time and realize they can't kill you, they can't be bothered with you anymore. Those Lord monsters rarely care whether their underlings live or die. At that point, you can kill monsters as you please."

The corner of War God Wu's mouth twitched. What kind of secret was that? Monsters were just like people. If they could not kill someone, of course they would not bother chasing them, unless someone provoked them.

"Lord Wu, what does the Elite Training Camp have?" Ning Ze asked curiously.

War God Wu said with a straight face, "Geniuses, I suppose. There are quite a few geniuses there—thirty or forty every year, all the strongest geniuses from around the world. There are nearly two hundred in total."

Ning Ze's face darkened. What kind of answer was that? He had known that long ago. What he wanted to know was what the Elite Training Camp had that could improve cultivation!

Wu Hao curled his lips into a smug smile, lazily leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes, looking as though he did not want to speak.

Ning Ze realized this War God had a somewhat wicked sense of humor. He also closed his eyes and slightly adjusted his posture. In a single second, he entered a cultivation state. Strands of Cosmic Energy gathered around him and entered his body, strengthening his genes.

Sensing the fluctuations of Cosmic Energy beside him, War God Wu opened his eyes and blinked dumbly. He was cultivating? He entered a cultivation state that quickly?

This was not the Five Hearts Facing Heaven Style either. How could he cultivate in that position?

He opened his mouth, but seeing Ning Ze cultivating, he could only swallow his words. He unhappily closed his eyes, unable to figure out how this kid cultivated.

After two minutes, Wu Hao still felt awkward. He shifted back and forth in his seat, unable to sit still.

What he did not know was that Ning Ze had a faint smile on his lips at that moment.

As a Mental Master, his senses were extremely sharp. He could tell Wu Hao was watching him.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

After a slight tremor, the plane came to a steady stop. Passengers familiar with the process had already unfastened their seat belts and prepared to disembark.

Wu Hao had been waiting for a while, but Ning Ze still had not emerged from cultivation. Feeling irritated, he watched as nearly half the passengers got off, then said impatiently, "Kid, we're here. Get off with me."

Ning Ze slowly opened his eyes and simply replied with one word, "Oh."

Wu Hao swallowed his words again and strode outside with his head lowered.

Ning Ze obediently followed him.

They took a car sent by headquarters. Ning Ze still said nothing. When the car stopped before a gate bearing the words "Elite Training Camp," the two got out, and Ning Ze still said nothing.

Wu Hao walked inside with his head lowered, then stopped not far past the entrance. He thought, Brat, keep pretending to be mute. Let's see if this scares the life out of you!

Ning Ze truly was stunned for a moment. Before him stood a massive Black Dragon Statue. The fifty-meter-long sculpture was lifelike, coiled there like a real, terrifying dragon monster.

Its eyes in particular carried an aura of savagery and brutality. Anyone seeing it for the first time would definitely be frightened.

Ning Ze was no exception. However, after being stunned for a moment, he immediately entered a cultivation state. He felt that this pressure could double his cultivation speed!

And that was indeed the case. As soon as he entered cultivation, he clearly felt his absorption speed of Cosmic Energy increase once again.

Of course, to outsiders, he simply looked as though he had been frightened stiff.

Wu Hao was just about to tease him, but after sensing the surroundings, Cosmic Energy began gathering again. That familiar sensation told him without needing to ask—the kid had started cultivating while standing there.

His teeth immediately ached. He asked in confusion, "Kid, aren't you scared?"

Ning Ze answered honestly, "I'm a little nervous, but it's great!"

He was looking forward to the Elite Training Camp even more now. A mere statue at the entrance could double his cultivation speed. Who knew how many other novel things awaited him inside that could accelerate his cultivation?

Especially this stone sculpture. He had not noticed before, but upon closer inspection, starting from the scales on the Black Dragon's head and continuing downward, the scales facing forward bore lines of information.

NO.1 Zheng Che (520308)

NO.2 Mala Jinse (520377)

NO.3 Renatus Bridge (530321)

NO.4 Chu Qiang (540386)

NO.184 Nalan Goode (560318)

Seeing this, Ning Ze thought to himself, As expected, there's competition here too. First and second place should be from our side. The second-place name is so strange that he should be from India. Third place is from America.

Seeing Ning Ze stare blankly at the statue as though he had no intention of leaving, Wu Hao felt helpless. "Kid, stop looking. This is the Elite Training Camp ranking. You'll be doing well if you can make it into the top hundred anytime soon."

"Oh." Ning Ze once again answered with a single word, left his cultivation state, and looked at Wu Hao.

He had already figured out that this War God had a somewhat erratic personality. If he ignored him, he might even get some useful information.

But could he make it into the top hundred? The third level of Gale Sword Master would be enough for the top hundred?

"This Black Dragon's eyes came from a King-level Monster!"

"Oh."

"Hall Master killed it!"

"Oh."

The veins at Wu Hao's temples bulged. He continued introducing the place. "The ranking of your name represents the benefits you receive, including equipment from Ancient Ruins and special supplementary medicine. The treasures from Ancient Ruins are all one of a kind. The higher your ranking, the longer you can use them!" As he spoke, he looked at Ning Ze expectantly.

"Oh."

Three dark lines appeared on Wu Hao's forehead. He clenched his fists tightly, resisting the urge to hit someone. Then he turned and walked into the Training Camp while continuing his introduction.

Ning Ze followed behind, looking around at the surroundings.

From outside the gate, it had looked like the walls of a castle courtyard. But after entering, he discovered that was not the case at all.

The architecture here leaned toward styles from the historical era before the Great Nirvana. There were rows upon rows of palace-like structures, small bridges over flowing water, garden corridors, and galleries. It was an elegant and naturally beautiful garden, with even a few uniquely styled pavilions that looked exceptionally refined.

After taking it all in, Ning Ze was very satisfied. The buildings here were similar to those in Jiangnan Base City, giving him a feeling of home.

Naturally, the Training Camp also had modern buildings, and one of them was especially eye-catching. It too was a tower-like structure, but its scale was far beyond what ancient construction methods could have achieved. It was simply enormous!

It was a Nine-Story Tower. At each tier, the corners of its dripping eaves bore immortal figures and beasts. From afar, its body looked extremely broad. A rough estimate put its diameter at several kilometers. Though it had only nine floors, it was at least sixty or seventy meters high, meaning each floor was more than seven meters tall.

Ning Ze could see people continuously heading toward the Nine-Story Building, while many others emerged from it.

"That's called the Nine-Story Building. It's where all students study and train. Some special training rooms are there too."

"Inside the Training Camp, aside from sleeping, the students spend almost all their time in the Nine-Story Building."

"Oh."

Wu Hao squeezed his eyes shut tightly, then opened them again and hurried ahead.

Ning Ze followed silently behind him.

Soon, the two arrived at a two-story pavilion, furnished entirely in an ancient style.

Wu Hao's expression was somewhat wooden as he said stiffly, "Look carefully. There are outlets here, so laptops are allowed. No other electrical appliances are permitted."

"Oh."

Ning Ze responded and looked around. From the moment he entered, he had felt the architectural style was excellent. It was only natural for there to be no electrical appliances. Having them would instead feel out of place, making the residence less refined and elegant. This place gave him a sense of closeness to everyday life, and before he knew it, his heart had settled considerably. He could cultivate in peace here. It was great!

The veins on Wu Hao's forehead bulged. He felt he simply could not communicate with this kid!

"You'll have to figure out your own food!"

"At noon tomorrow, I'll take you to the Nine-Story Building for the B-level assessment. Only after passing the B-level assessment will you officially become a member of this Elite Training Camp. If you fail, you'll have to go to the Basic Training Camp."

"I advise you not to wander around today, or else, hmph!" With that, Wu Hao walked out the door.

The moment he stepped outside, he noticed Ning Ze following behind him. Even after leaving the pavilion, Ning Ze was still following him. The veins on his forehead throbbed even more violently. Turning around, his temper flared. "Kid, didn't I say you'd better not wander around?"

"I'm going to the gate. I know the way."

Ning Ze replied calmly, walked past Wu Hao's side, and left only his suitcase in the room.

A white blur flashed as he sprinted outside.

Wu Hao tilted his head, looking utterly baffled. Thinking back to Ning Ze's reaction upon seeing the statue, he seemed to, more or less, probably understand what Ning Ze was going to do.

He stood silently in place and raised both hands to massage his temples. "No, my blood pressure gets a little high when I'm around this kid. Better go take a bath first."

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