After training at home for three days, he still hadn't mastered the Guidance Technique, but with the help of Soaring, Feng Qingmo's physical fitness was improving noticeably faster.
During that time, following the manual's requirements, he bought an A7-grade Slender Willow Sword.
The Wind-Washing Sword focused on speed, so the sword used with it had to be thinner than a normal one. Since Bian Xiangqing had originally named the sword he used the "Slender Willow Sword," all swords in that series came to be called Slender Willow swords.
"Qingmo," Feng Jiansong called from outside the training room. "Pack your things and get fully equipped. We're going to the martial arts school. The people from Huashan Training Camp are here!"
"Okay." Feng Qingmo moved quickly. With the help of his Spiritual Force, he soon had his Combat Suit and boots on, then slung a martial artist's backpack over his shoulder and took his Slender Willow Sword.
When he got downstairs, Zuo Huifen was already waiting with his luggage. The three of them left together and headed for the martial arts school.
They had already gone over everything that needed saying and explaining many times over the past few days, so Feng Jiansong and Zuo Huifen didn't say much more on the way. They soon arrived at Luo Benjian's office at the martial arts school.
A burly man in his thirties, with several scars across his face, was drinking tea with Luo Benjian. When he saw the three of them enter, his eyes lit up, especially at the sight of Feng Qingmo in full gear.
"Let me introduce you," Luo Benjian said, rising and pointing to the burly man. "This is my senior brother, the leader of Huashan Third Squad, Beginner War God Huo Haitian..."
"War God Huo, nice to meet you," Feng Jiansong said quickly.
"This is Feng Jiansong and his wife, Zuo Huifen. And this is Feng Qingmo." Luo Benjian gestured for them to sit.
"Nice to meet you," Huo Haitian said with a smile. The scars on his face twisted with it, making him look even more frightening than when he wasn't smiling. "I was supposed to arrive yesterday, but I had to take care of something on the way and got delayed. Sorry about that."
"Not at all," Zuo Huifen hurriedly replied. "We should be thanking you for taking time out of your busy schedule to escort Qingmo..."
"Mrs. Feng, you're too kind," Huo Haitian said with a smile. "It's my duty..."
He turned to Feng Jiansong and Zuo Huifen. "There's no need to worry. We'll take a plane straight to Kyoto Base City. I'll first take Qingmo to the Academy of Sciences branch for a physical examination and have his eyes checked. After that, we'll report to Huashan Training Camp."
"Actually, Senior Brother Huo arrived pretty early," Luo Benjian explained. "Huashan Training Camp usually starts within a month of the Martial Artist Combat Assessment. This time, since Qingmo needs an examination first, he came a little earlier..."
"All right, let's skip the small talk," Huo Haitian said, looking at Feng Qingmo. "Brother Qingmo, judging by how you're dressed, you're clearly prepared. Shall we head out?"
"No problem." Feng Qingmo nodded. "I'll follow your lead, Uncle Huo."
"None of that 'sir' business," Huo Haitian said, waving a hand. "A-Jian and I are fellow disciples. You call him Uncle Jian, so if you don't mind, call me Uncle Huo."
With reluctance in her eyes, Zuo Huifen watched as Feng Qingmo followed Huo Haitian into the car. They headed straight to the airport and boarded a flight to Kyoto Base City that same day.
On the upper deck of the flying-saucer-shaped passenger plane, Feng Qingmo and Huo Haitian settled into their seats.
"You've probably never been on a plane before, right?" Huo Haitian asked with a smile once they were airborne.
"I've been on a few," Feng Qingmo replied, his expression tinged with emotion. "I flew a few times to get my eyes checked. The farthest I went was even America..."
"Wow, that must've cost a fortune..." Huo Haitian looked at his eyes and couldn't help sighing. After a moment, he lowered his voice. "But the hospitals you visited before were all ordinary ones. Even in America, their specialists couldn't compare to the experts at our Huashan Academy of Sciences..."
"Whether they can cure me isn't that important," Feng Qingmo said softly. "Now that I've awakened Spiritual Force, I can live with having poor eyesight..."
"No, you're wrong!" Huo Haitian said sternly. He glanced around, then lowered his voice. "I'm not a Spiritual Master, but I know more or less how it works. Spiritual Force has a wide range, but it still can't sense as far as your eyes can see. You should know that a martial artist's eyesight improves along with their physical fitness..."
His voice dropped. "You haven't ventured into the Wilderness Zone yet. Some dangers come from far away. By the time your Spiritual Force senses them, it might already be too late to react..."
Feng Qingmo was startled.
In the few months since he'd transmigrated, apart from taking the Martial Artist Combat Assessment, he hadn't even left the Base City. He'd nearly forgotten what kind of world this was!
"Uncle Huo, you're right," Feng Qingmo said earnestly. "Compared to you, I'm just a flower in a greenhouse..."
"Hahaha, you're not that bad," Huo Haitian said, laughing as he looked at him approvingly. "I was worried awakening Spiritual Force would make you arrogant, but you seem to have a good head on your shoulders..."
"All right, get some rest. Jiangnan City isn't far from Kyoto City. We'll be there in about half an hour..." When Feng Qingmo closed his eyes to rest, Huo Haitian took out a notebook and scribbled a few notes.
Feng Qingmo really was reflecting on himself. Ever since he'd transmigrated, everything had gone too smoothly. He'd never faced a life-or-death test, and his mindset still hadn't fully adjusted.
This is a world where the strong rule. Only by becoming powerful can I protect the people I want to protect...
A little over twenty minutes later, the plane landed safely at the Kyoto Base City airport. Huo Haitian took Feng Qingmo straight to a car waiting at the airport.
Sitting in the car, Feng Qingmo spread his Spiritual Force outward. Without controlling any objects, he could currently extend it more than a thousand meters, though the farther it reached, the less clearly he could sense things.
The buildings around them looked very different from those in his previous life. The population was denser than before, and so were the buildings.
"Kyoto Base City has a slightly larger population than Jiangnan City," Huo Haitian said, looking out at the surroundings beside Feng Qingmo. "The city itself is a little bigger, too."
The car continued toward the main urban district. Before long, it reached a skyscraper and drove straight into the underground parking garage.
The driver stayed in the car and simply gestured for them to get out. Huo Haitian led Feng Qingmo along a passageway, used his fingerprint to unlock a door, and stepped inside. Beyond it was an elevator.
There were no buttons inside the elevator. Huo Haitian scanned his fingerprint, and it started moving on its own.
"Hmm," Feng Qingmo said in surprise. "Why are we going down?"
"Haha," Huo Haitian replied with a soft laugh. "The Science Division is underground. The building above is just a cover..."
"I see..." Feng Qingmo understood. "They must have very tight security!"
"That's right," Huo Haitian said with a nod. "And this is only one branch of the Science Division. You've already joined Huashan, and you come from a thoroughly vetted family—both your parents are in the Military—so you were able to pass the screening!"
"By the way," Huo Haitian said, asking with an inscrutable look, "Qingmo, you're twenty this year, right?"
"Yes. I'll be twenty after the New Year." Feng Qingmo nodded.
"The person in charge of this Science Division," Huo Haitian said in a lowered voice, "is a genius. He's twenty this year, too—a true genius among geniuses. He completed his university courses at fourteen, got his master's at sixteen, and his doctorate at eighteen..."
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