"Thump, thump—"
Fang Yi was sitting in a car on his way to the Wilderness Zone, resting with his eyes closed, when his phone began to ring.
He opened his eyes and saw that the call was from Instructor Jiang Fang.
Fang Yi answered at once.
"Hello, Instructor Jiang. What—"
Before he could finish asking, he heard her hurried voice from the other end.
"Fang Yi, you haven't taken the Trial Tower assessment yet?"
"Yes."
Fang Yi's voice rang clearly through Jiang Fang's phone, which was on speaker.
The trainees and other instructors standing around her all drew in a sharp breath.
Inside a Western-style loft.
"What? He made the top 100?"
William, who had been in a sour mood after Fang Yi rejected him outright earlier, was drinking red wine.
His phone suddenly rang. He answered, but before he could say anything, a hurried voice came from the other end.
When he recognized the voice, the red wine swirling in his hand abruptly stilled.
"That rookie really does have something going for him... He made the top 100 in half a month. I really underestimated him."
William furrowed his brow, but the next thing he heard made him spill the wine in his hand.
"He hasn't taken the assessment yet?!" William's voice was full of disbelief.
Then doubt filled his mind.
If that rookie was so strong, why had he turned down William's challenge?
Inside City 1001.
Fang Yi continued searching for Advanced Beast Generals.
At that moment, he held his sword and finished off an Advanced Beast General.
The twelve Fragment Flying Needles around him also returned to the sword, emerging from the corpses of the Intermediate Beast Generals.
The Mysterious Black Qi above them abruptly dissipated.
"Spreading Creation Divine Light over the needles has made them much tougher and denser. They're flying faster, too."
Black Qi glimmered in Fang Yi's left eye, where his Heavy Pupil lay.
Everything within a five-kilometer radius became a transparent world made up of crisscrossing lines.
All things in the world were formed from lines that intersected and turned.
Everything hidden from view was laid bare to his Double Pupil Eyes.
"Found them. There are another dozen or so Advanced Beast Generals nearby, along with nearly a hundred Intermediate Beast Generals..."
With his prey located again, Fang Yi tossed the Needle-Splitting Sword into the air, then planted both feet firmly on its blade and controlled its flight with his Spiritual Force.
He flew on his sword.
That was one reason Fang Yi had bought this blade. It was a little larger than an ordinary sword.
It could serve as a smaller version of a Hexagonal Shield.
"I've gotten much better at handling weapons, too. I've reached the proficient level with both the War Halberd and the long sword. I can even just barely see the threshold of mastery."
Fang Yi was surprised by how skilled he had become with weapons.
If weapon proficiency could be measured in terms of movement techniques, he would have gone from basic training to the subtle level in just over ten days. After a few more days of practice, he could even just barely see the threshold of perfection.
It was nearly nightfall by the time Fang Yi sheathed his sword and returned.
When he took out his phone, he found a flood of messages popping up on the screen.
"What's going on? Why have so many people messaged me..."
He opened the messages.
They were all invitations from different factions, families, and even individuals.
There were far more than he had received when he first arrived at the Elite Training Camp.
When Fang Yi reached the front of the training camp, near the Black Dragon Statue, he spotted Instructor Jiang Fang standing off to one side, seemingly waiting for someone.
As Fang Yi approached, Jiang Fang smiled and hurried over to meet him.
"Instructor, what are you—"
"Fang Yi, come with me."
Still puzzled, Fang Yi walked into the training camp with Jiang Fang, chatting as they went.
From her explanation, Fang Yi learned that he had risen to 99th place. He had achieved this after spending only half a month at the training camp.
The news had already stirred things up among the higher-ups.
And Fang Yi had already been someone they were keeping a close eye on.
Yang Hui and the others had reported Fang Yi's special circumstances as soon as they brought him into the Elite Training Camp and signed his contract. That meant the higher-ups knew about even the slightest development concerning him.
And now he had achieved this result.
"I'm planning to have you take the Trial Tower assessment tomorrow. Waiting until the second of next month would be too long."
"Too long...?"
It was the twenty-seventh today, so the second of next month was only six days away—not even a week.
Jiang Fang smiled. "Fang Yi, surely you aren't satisfied with 99th place, are you? If you take the assessment tomorrow and push yourself a little further, you can definitely break into the top 50."
"Do you know how many people have made the top 100 within a month of joining the Elite Training Camp?"
Fang Yi thought for a moment before answering. "Five."
"Right. But no one has ever made the top 100 in just half a month, like you have! You've set a new record for our Elite Training Camp, so why not make that record even more impressive?"
Excitement and admiration shone across Jiang Fang's normally stern face.
"All right. Taking the assessment earlier or later won't really make a difference to me," Fang Yi said after thinking it over.
"That's what I wanted to hear. See you in the Trial Room tomorrow at noon."
"Got it."
After they settled the matter, Fang Yi said goodbye to Jiang Fang and returned to his loft.
The twenty-eighth.
Jiang Fang scheduled Fang Yi's assessment for noon, from 12:00 to 1:00. He would also have an hour to use the Trial Room that evening.
On the ninth floor of the Nine-Layered Tower.
Quite a crowd had gathered around the Trial Room.
Most of them had come to watch Fang Yi take his assessment.
Jiang Fang led Fang Yi to the door. The scanner swept over him, and once it confirmed his identity, he was allowed inside.
"The assessment lasts an hour, which means he'll have an hour to attempt the trials. How far do you think Fang Yi will get?"
"Hard to say, but he should make it to the second floor."
"Obviously. Fang Yi got into the top 100 just through the points he earned hunting monsters. That proves he's got real ability. Clearing the second floor is practically guaranteed."
"Exactly. But it's hard to say how far he'll get after that."
The people chatting nearby were all from Huaxia.
The foreign trainees had nothing to say, but they, too, were wondering how far he would get.
Inside the training room.
Fang Yi switched on the lights, then lay down on the sofa and picked up the blue helmet.
"This is my first time taking the trial. I wonder how far I'll get..."
Once he entered the Virtual Space, his strength would be restricted to that of a Junior Warrior, and he would also be unable to use Spiritual Force.
He would have to rely entirely on his combat experience, Force Output, techniques, and other skills to get through the trials. That way, the assessment could reveal a person's true combat ability.
The Trial Tower loomed high overhead.
After getting used to his body, Fang Yi headed toward the tower.
His name and other information were carved into the black stone pillar at the edge.
Name: Fang Yi
Identity: Elite Training Camp trainee
Trial Tower Level: 1
An electronic voice echoed through the space.
"Fang Yi, please select your combat suit, weapons..."
Fang Yi immediately began selecting his equipment. A combat suit, a War Halberd, and other gear appeared on the ground in front of him.
Once he had put everything on, he headed toward the pitch-black entrance.
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