At the Training Camp, it was March 26. It was the middle of the night, and many of the students who had gone out to hunt monsters had already returned.
Several Training Camp vehicles were parked in front of the main gate. A few students in combat suits climbed out, chatting and laughing as they walked into the camp.
Suddenly, a dark-skinned student glanced up at the enormous black dragon sculpture behind the gate. He noticed that the rankings on its screen had changed. His body stiffened, and he stopped in his tracks.
"Nike, what's wrong? Why'd you stop?" one of his companions asked curiously.
Nike—their companion, a skinny, bald young Black man—raised a finger and pointed at the black dragon sculpture. His voice turned stammering. "Y-you guys, look. Chen Daolin's ranking..."
"What? What happened to his ranking? Wasn't he thirteenth before?"
"Fuck!"
"Oh, my God!"
"Good heavens!"
High on the towering black dragon sculpture, Chen Daolin's name had somehow appeared in first place!
The students went wild!
Chen Daolin had become number one on the Black Dragon Ranking!
The news swept through the entire Training Camp like a hurricane, then spread across the world!
The world's five great powers, the nine core families and secondary families of the HR Alliance, the Extreme Martial Arts Hall, the Thunder Martial Arts Hall, and various special organizations and other powers... They all learned of the change to the rankings on the Training Camp's Black Dragon Sculpture!
After running the numbers, they quickly worked out Chen Daolin's current Combat Power Amplitude.
16!
An astonishing figure!
"My God, what a monster! Quick, get me through to the director! I need to report this to him right now!"
"All intelligence officers in Group Two, gather the most detailed information on the target again, immediately. Also, raise his priority by two levels! The chief has already said he'll personally keep an eye on him. We're to find an opportunity to make contact with the target as soon as possible."
"Master, I was right. You heard me correctly: that Chen really did just become number one on the Black Dragon Ranking. And his Combat Power Amplitude has already reached 16. Yes, he's only nineteen this year. I recommend the family spare no expense in trying to recruit him..."
In organizations around the world, Chen Daolin's rise to number one on the Black Dragon Ranking caused chaos and sent shockwaves through their ranks.
Reaching the top of the Black Dragon Ranking alone wasn't anything special, but a Combat Power Amplitude of 16 was terrifying.
There wasn't a single person in the entire Training Camp whose Combat Power Amplitude exceeded 16!
Every power in the world would go all out to recruit a genius capable of reaching a Combat Power Amplitude of 16. Even Hong and Thunder God would compete to take him on as a disciple.
What was more, his file showed that Chen Daolin came from an ordinary background and hadn't received support or training from a family. He had relied on his own efforts to reach his current position. That showed just how exceptional his talent was. He was only nineteen, had been in the Training Camp for just half a year, and had already reached a Combat Power Amplitude of 16!
Just looking at Chen Daolin's file was enough to convince every intelligence chief that a peerless genius like him was worth befriending, even if they couldn't bring him over to their side.
After Chen Daolin cleared the entire third level of the Trial Tower and raised his Trial Tower rating to 4.0, he left the Virtual Space. By the time he stepped out of the Nine-Layered Tower's Trial Room, students and instructors from the Training Camp had rushed over and crowded the place so tightly that not even a drop of water could get through.
"My God, they're way too enthusiastic." Chen Daolin was drenched in sweat. Escaping the throng of feverish students and instructors felt even more exhausting than fighting monsters on the Trial Tower's third level.
"Junior Brother Chen, you're amazing! Number one on the Black Dragon Ranking! Hahaha, you should've seen the foreigners' faces. They looked like they'd seen a ghost!" Back at Jiangnan Pavilion, Zhao Ruo ran over, her face flushed with excitement.
Shi Jiang followed behind her, looking a little awkward. He'd been one of those "ghosts," too.
"Junior Brother Chen, the Huaxia Military asked me to represent them—"
"Stop, Senior Brother Shi Jiang. We're not talking about anything else today. Let's find somewhere to celebrate properly first." Chen Daolin cut him off. He was exhausted.
Shi Jiang froze, then said helplessly, "All right." He knew Chen Daolin had turned them down, but it wasn't surprising. Too many people wanted to recruit him now. Money, fame, power, status, beautiful women... Chen Daolin could have anything he wanted for the asking.
Shi Jiang also knew that at their level, they wouldn't be easily swayed by such worldly things.
Ji Xuan stood quietly to the side, smiling as she watched the three of them, her gaze flickering faintly.
"Junior Brother Chen!"
"Junior Brother Chen!"
A lively commotion came from outside. Nearly all the Huaxia students had arrived.
Everyone eagerly congratulated Chen Daolin. Nobody would pass up the chance to build a good relationship with a peerless powerhouse whose future was sure to be limitless.
Chen Daolin felt he'd received more congratulations today than he had in his entire life before.
Even Chu Qiang, who had been the leading figure among the Huaxia students, now treated Chen Daolin a little differently.
The group celebrated happily for a while before gradually dispersing.
Chen Daolin sat in the second-floor study of the pavilion. A laptop rested in front of him, and he held a cup of hot tea, sipping it lightly with a smile on his face.
"Combat Power Amplitude: 16."
"These are all rewards!"
One of the clauses in the contract he'd signed with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall stated that if he reached a Combat Power Amplitude of 16 before August 1, 2058, he would receive another huge reward.
With Chen Daolin's current strength, he could exert fourteen times his strength in the Virtual Space. Even if others knew how to exert their strength, they could only use the strength of a Warlord Level physique to clear the trials, while he could use the strength of a War God Level physique.
With his current marksmanship, Movement Technique, and combat awareness, clearing the trials was like a high-level character grinding monsters in a low-level area. It was no challenge at all.
The third level had been very easy.
He hadn't cleared the fourth level, but he estimated it wouldn't be a problem.
He had no idea how difficult the fifth level would be. Chen Daolin reserved judgment and wouldn't comment.
"Take it slowly. There'll be other chances later." Chen Daolin sipped his tea, in an excellent mood.
"First, I'll get in touch with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall and claim my rewards."
Chen Daolin took out his phone and called the same contact number again.
The call connected quickly, and a deep voice answered.
"Hello, student Chen Daolin."
"...Hello." Chen Daolin said, "My Combat Power Amplitude has reached 16, which meets the requirements of the third clause in the contract I signed with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. I'd like to ask if you can send over those rewards."
"No problem," the deep voice replied promptly. "Student Chen Daolin, we've verified your Combat Power Amplitude. The third clause of the contract you signed with us states... Party B must reach a Combat Power Amplitude of 16 before August 1, 2059, to receive an SS-Class Combat Suit, a complete set of weapons, one dose of Dragon Blood worth 80 billion, three complete sets of any manuals, and one Black God Set from the Ancient Civilization Ruins. Is that correct?"
"That's right." Chen Daolin smiled.
"Rest assured. We'll deliver every reward specified in the contract. The Extreme Martial Arts Hall has never been stingy with talent." The deep voice held a trace of amusement. "But I should warn you: Dragon Blood works best the first time. Its effect is halved the second time, and it has almost no effect the third time."
Chen Daolin paused, then thanked him. "I understand. Thanks for the warning."
"By the way, can I give these things to someone else?" Chen Daolin couldn't help asking.
"You're free to do what you want with the combat suit, weapons, and Dragon Blood. But if you want to give the manuals to someone else, you'll have to register it with the Extreme Martial Arts Hall." The deep voice turned serious. "As for the Black God Set from the Ancient Civilization Ruins—the last item on the list—you probably don't know what that is yet, do you? Heh..."
Chen Daolin rubbed his nose. Was it strange that he didn't know? The name "Black God Set" sounded like it had something to do with an Ancient Civilization Ruin, and seemed pretty impressive.
After all, the virtual equipment in the Trial Room had also been excavated from an Ancient Civilization Ruin. Even after decades of research, human scientists still hadn't been able to replicate its mainframe.
The deep voice explained, "Student Chen Daolin, the Black God Set is a type of equipment similar to a combat suit, obtained from a civilization ruin somewhere in the world. But it far surpasses the level of existing human technology."
"The Black God Set has two characteristics. First, it's black. Once it recognizes its owner, it can change shape according to the wearer's thoughts and cover the surface of the body, providing almost seamless defense. It's also very lightweight, so it can be turned into ordinary clothes and worn around for convenience."
"Second, the Black God Set has astonishing defensive power and is extremely tough. Even attacks from beings Beyond War God Level can barely pierce it. It also blocks ninety percent of the impact force. Once you put it on, even a being Beyond War God Level would have difficulty killing a War God in one blow. Of course, I'm talking about an ordinary being Beyond War God Level. Even so, the set is invaluable. Many War Gods have spent everything they had and still failed to obtain one."
Chen Daolin was shaken as he listened, and his curiosity about the Black God Set grew boundless. When he thought that he'd soon be getting one himself, he couldn't help getting excited.
The deep voice shifted tone. "However, the Extreme Martial Arts Hall has a rule. Because Black God Sets are special and limited in number, their users must sign an agreement to visit the Ancient Civilization Ruin within a specified period and retrieve another Black God Set to sell to us. We will never underpay you. We'll give you one only if you agree. Student Chen Daolin, you can take some time to think it over."
"What's the Ancient Civilization Ruin like? How do I retrieve the Black God Set? Is it dangerous?" Chen Daolin pressed.
The deep voice replied calmly, "Unless you agree to sign the agreement, we can't answer those questions."
Chen Daolin frowned.
"All right, I agree." Chen Daolin thought it over for a while, then gritted his teeth and said.
He figured that since the Extreme Martial Arts Hall had included the Black God Set as a reward, they probably wouldn't harm him.
The Extreme Martial Arts Hall wasn't foolish enough to send to his death a genius they'd spent so much effort and resources cultivating.
Soon, a document arrived on Chen Daolin's computer. It was marked top secret and forbidden to share.
The Ancient Civilization Ruins were classified information. Ordinary people had no idea they existed.
Chen Daolin opened the file and began reading.
The Black God Set was special. Such sets were scarce throughout the world, and only those who successfully entered an Ancient Civilization Ruin could obtain one!
The Extreme Martial Arts Hall was the main power in charge of this particular ruin. Other powers merely assisted with the research. Each person had only one chance to enter, so neither the Extreme Martial Arts Hall nor the other powers could obtain additional Black God Sets. As a result, Black God Sets were incredibly rare worldwide.
The Extreme Martial Arts Hall had a rule... Anyone who received a Black God Set as a reward had to return to the Ancient Civilization Ruin once the time came, retrieve another set, and sell it to the Hall.
However, the document stated that Chen Daolin could wait until he reached the High-level War God level before entering the Ancient Civilization Ruin.
"The death and injury rate for War Gods who enter is about seventy-two percent. The success rate is twenty-eight percent?" Chen Daolin frowned.
And that was for the "No. 9 Ancient Civilization Ruin," which was considered relatively low-risk. One could only imagine how dangerous the other Ancient Civilization Ruins were.
"Fortunately, there's still plenty of time. I can wait until later. If it really comes to it... I'll just return the Black God Set."
Yes, the Black God Set could be unbound. Since its owner couldn't bring it into the Ancient Civilization Ruin, it had to be unbound before entering.
If he didn't want to take the risk, he could simply return it. It was that easy.
Before you continue