Trial Tower

"Clang—!"

Fang Yi spun the War Halberd in his hand, easily dodging the Bull Beast's charge. Then he turned and swept around, slicing off its hind legs in an instant.

"Thud!" The Bull Beast fell to the ground, its hind legs severed.

Fang Yi spun the War Halberd and cut off its head, ending its life for good. An electronic voice then rang out across the grassland space.

"Time taken: 21 minutes and 47 seconds. You killed 190 Elementary Beast-General Rank Bull Beasts and 10 Intermediate Beast-General Rank Bull Beasts. Stage C cleared. Trial Tower, first floor cleared. Congratulations, Trainee Fang Yi."

Fang Yi let out a long breath of relief.

After fighting his way through Stages A, B, and C, he had finally cleared the first floor.

The whole process had been fairly easy.

"I got results from all those fights in the Wilderness Zone, where I suppressed my own level to kill so many monsters."

He was also becoming increasingly proficient with the War Halberd.

"There are 14 minutes left before the evaluation ends... I can make another push."

As the voice faded,

the surrounding grassland quickly vanished, replaced by a desert.

"On the second floor, I remember having to kill Iron-Armored Scorpions. They're difficult to deal with because they dodge in strange ways and attack all at once."

As soon as he finished speaking,

an electronic voice rang out.

"Next is the Trial Tower's second-floor, Stage A trial. Your goal is to kill 50 'Elementary Beast-General Rank' Iron-Armored Scorpions within 10 minutes..."

The moment the electronic voice ended,

a rustling sound came from the seemingly endless desert—swish, swish!

Outside the Trial Room,

quite a few trainees had gathered again. There were about 14 minutes left before it closed.

They were waiting for Fang Yi to finish his evaluation so they could use the Trial Room, and they were also keeping an eye on his latest results.

"He's been in there so long. He must have reached the second floor."

"Not necessarily. He might be stuck on Stage C of the first floor. After all, Stage C gives you more than 50 minutes."

"I'm guessing he only made it to Stage B. Maybe he even got stuck once or twice."

More students joined the discussion, including some with foreign features.

They were no longer as encouraging or hopeful as before. Instead, many doubted Fang Yi—and some even hoped he wouldn't climb the ranks too quickly.

With about one minute left,

the door to the Trial Room opened.

Fang Yi stepped out. Jiang Fang immediately handed him a bottle of water and asked with a smile, "How did it go?"

The other students eagerly gathered around.

Most of those at the front were trainees from Huaxia.

"Not bad. I cleared Stage B of the second floor and stopped at Stage C. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time, or I could've made another push."

Fang Yi took a drink of water and answered with a smile.

As soon as he said that,

quite a few people around him couldn't help exclaiming in surprise.

"That's insane! He reached the second floor and cleared Stage B in just an hour!"

"Really? Is he making that up?"

There were plenty of skeptical voices around them.

Fang Yi didn't bother explaining. The best proof was his ranking and points.

Jiang Fang trusted him completely. She knew he had no reason to lie, and his results—

along with his attitude toward learning and the progress he'd made—proved just how terrifying his talent was.

"Come on, let's get lunch, then I'll show you the rankings." Jiang Fang smiled happily and invited Fang Yi to the second floor for lunch.

Afterward,

they went to check the rankings at the Black Dragon Sculpture.

Before the two of them arrived, they saw a large crowd gathered around the Black Dragon Sculpture, all discussing something excitedly.

"This is ridiculous! How did Huaxia produce a freak like him?"

His rapid rise in the rankings was simply shocking. "My God!"

Some people were talking when they suddenly noticed Fang Yi and Jiang Fang, and immediately stopped.

"Brother Fang Yi! Would you consider joining our family..."

"Fang Yi, Fang Yi! We..."

"Quiet!"

Jiang Fang's sharp shout silenced every trainee present.

Her icy expression frightened many into scattering, but even as they left, they gestured to Fang Yi.

"Contact me..."

Fang Yi could only smile helplessly at that.

Then the two of them walked up to the Black Dragon Statue.

When Jiang Fang saw the rankings, she could barely contain her shock. She had witnessed a new chapter in the history of the Elite Training Camp.

And this new record—

might not be surpassed for a long time. Perhaps not even within a hundred years.

"No. 46, Fang Yi (561,000)!"

"He made it straight into the top 50..."

After saying that, Jiang Fang stood stunned for a long while.

Fang Yi was quite satisfied. He had only been here for half a month, so getting into the top 50 was already a good result.

He still had an hour to fight that evening.

He could climb a little higher.

That meant getting the Black God Set and other precious items that could help him improve within five years was all but guaranteed. Still, Fang Yi wanted to try to do it within a year.

"I need to pick up the pace—and see where my limits are." Fang Yi thought it over.

"Damn it!"

"That kid from Huaxia just shot up the rankings?"

Quite a few trainees found the latest rankings hard to believe. Some even wondered if there was a mistake.

"Interesting. Our family is in need of strong fighters. We have to find a way to recruit him..."

"A genius like him won't be that easy to recruit, will he?"

The discussions around them—

ranged from disbelief, accusations of cheating, and furious complaints about being overtaken, to praise, excitement, and enthusiastic cheers.

"I heard he still has an hour to train tonight. He'll probably be able to secure a place in the top 50."

"Yeah. Our Training Camp has gained an extraordinary trainee, and Jiang Fang has taken on a pretty impressive student."

After chatting for a while, several War God Level instructors left as well.

Some wished Fang Yi were their trainee. Having such a talented student would reflect well on them, too.

That night,

Fang Yi entered the Trial Room for his last hour of training that month.

"It's 10:40 now, so I can train until 11:40... Half the day has gone by, and I've dropped from 46th to 49th. The top 20 trainees have really high scores. It'll be a little difficult to catch up, but a challenge is what keeps me going."

Fang Yi put on the helmet, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes as he entered the Virtual Space.

Trial Tower, second floor: Endless Desert.

Countless Iron-Armored Scorpions burst out of the swirling yellow sand.

"Keep going."

Fang Yi spun the War Halberd in his hand, cutting down several Iron-Armored Scorpions as they approached.

In the real world,

quite a few people heard Fang Yi still had an hour of training left and hurried to the Black Dragon Sculpture.

They stared at the rankings.

It wasn't only the trainees watching him. Plenty of people outside the camp were keeping an eye on Fang Yi as well. He had truly set a new record in the history of the Training Camp.

The potential he'd displayed clearly surpassed that of the five who came before him.

As the minutes ticked by,

the rankings on the Black Dragon Sculpture suddenly shifted.

"Look, look! The rankings changed! They changed!"