"Kid, were you showing off your brains with that last move?"
After they took the elevator out of the Science Division, Huo Haitian slung an arm around Feng Qingmo's shoulders. He was nearly two meters tall, more than ten centimeters taller than Feng Qingmo, who stood a little over 1.8 meters.
Without waiting for Feng Qingmo to answer, he leaned down toward him. "Do you have a thing for my great-niece?"
Feng Qingmo was speechless and rolled his eyes at him.
"Haha, I knew it!" Huo Haitian burst into laughter and gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder. "What's wrong with that? Every gentleman loves a fair lady..."
"Are we heading straight to the Training Camp now?" Feng Qingmo simply changed the subject.
"I've already arranged a car." Huo Haitian let go of Feng Qingmo's shoulder, and the two of them left the passageway and entered the basement.
"Screech..." A military-plated off-road vehicle came to a sudden stop beside them.
"Get in. We're going to the Training Camp!" Huo Haitian opened the door and ducked inside.
On the outskirts of Kyoto Base City stood a cluster of buildings. Low-rise, loft-style buildings surrounded it, while in the center stood a towering building more than ten stories high, over a hundred meters long and wide, with each floor covering more than ten thousand square meters.
An off-road vehicle bearing military plates stopped at the entrance. Huo Haitian and Feng Qingmo got out, and the vehicle sped away with a press of the accelerator. The driver hadn't said a word the entire time.
"Come on. I'll take you to get registered." Huo Haitian led Feng Qingmo toward the entrance.
After showing their IDs and registering, they entered the grounds.
Inside the building closest to the entrance, Feng Qingmo completed a series of procedures. After his palm prints and irises were recorded, he soon received a card-style Student ID and a dedicated watch.
"This Student ID is important. Don't lose it. Security in the Training Camp is very strict. Without your Student ID, you'll be hard-pressed to get anywhere. You'll also need it to access many of the facilities and devices..."
Huo Haitian gave him a reminder, then turned and led him outside.
"Your information has all been registered, and you've been assigned a place to stay. I'll take you there now. Each student gets a loft, and yours is number Jiayin-9."
"Jiayin-9?" Feng Qingmo looked puzzled. "Isn't the Jiachen calendar unique to Huaxia?"
"That's right," Huo Haitian said with a nod. "This group of lofts around your place was built in 2034, the Jiayin year. Yours was the ninth one built, so it's numbered Jiayin-9."
"I see." Feng Qingmo understood. As they walked, his Spiritual Force swept across the grounds. The Training Camp had several hundred lofts. "Uncle Huo, is every loft occupied?"
"No," Huo Haitian said, shaking his head. "There are more than three hundred residences, but the Training Camp currently has only a little over two hundred students. Around a hundred are at War General Level, and the rest are at Warrior Level..."
He sighed softly. "Although the Huashan Training Camp is the best in our country, it still can't compare to the Elite Training Camps run by the Limit Dojo and the Thunder Dojo. They select elite talents from all over the world, while we can only recruit from within the country, and they have to have joined the military..."
Feng Qingmo nodded slightly. In that regard, the quality and number of students at the Huashan Training Camp really couldn't compare with those two Great Dojos. Having more than two hundred students was already more than he'd expected.
"Here we are!" After walking along the stone path for a while, they arrived at a loft. A plaque beside the door bore the characters "Jiayin-9."
"You'll need to swipe your Student ID to get in." Huo Haitian stopped. "There's a kitchen inside, so you can cook for yourself. Someone will prepare ingredients for you every day, or you can eat at the student dining hall. I won't go in with you. There's a computer in the audiovisual room on the second floor. Once you've read the Student Handbook, you'll have a general idea of how the Training Camp works. Other information will be sent to your watch, so just keep an eye out for it..."
"The instructors are all away from the Training Camp these days, so they probably won't assign one to you for now. You can train in your residence..."
"Thanks, Uncle Huo!" Feng Qingmo bowed slightly in gratitude. Huo Haitian patted his shoulder and turned to leave.
After Huo Haitian had gone, Feng Qingmo took out his Student ID and swiped it at the door. With a soft beep, it opened automatically.
He looked around the loft from top to bottom. It wasn't very large, only a little over a hundred square meters. The first floor had a living room, kitchen, and dining area; the second floor had a bedroom and audiovisual room; and there was a basement level used as a training room.
The entire basement was a training room, more than a hundred square meters in area. Its walls and floor were made of a special alloy, making it suitable for students to practice in.
When he reached the audiovisual room on the second floor, Feng Qingmo used his Spiritual Force to activate the switch. A screen appeared on the wall.
Once the screen lit up, several files appeared. The first was the Student Handbook.
"Open the Student Handbook." Feng Qingmo spoke, and the handbook's contents immediately appeared on the screen.
Every year, in February and August, after the Martial Artist Combat Assessment, the Huashan Training Camp recruited a number of outstanding Martial Artists who had joined the military.
Some other students were selected from among the military's most outstanding Martial Artists. Some were at Warrior Level, and some at War General Level.
The Training Camp had quite a few War Gods serving as instructors. Each War God instructor taught around ten students.
The Training Camp had ten Gravity Rooms, one Combat Room, and one Trial Room.
The Gravity Rooms could reach a maximum of six times normal gravity. All students were allocated equal amounts of time to use them.
"I remember the original story said the Limit Dojo's replica Gravity Rooms could only reach three times normal gravity. I didn't expect the Gravity Rooms at the Huashan Training Camp to reach six times..."
"Also, at the Limit Dojo's Elite Training Camp, time in the Gravity and Trial Rooms is allocated according to rank. Huashan's system is better—everyone gets an equal share..."
Feng Qingmo thought with some surprise as he continued reading.
The schedule ran in seven-day cycles: seven days of study and training at the Training Camp, followed by seven days of field experience in a designated city, where students hunted monsters. They could form teams or go alone with permission.
All monster spoils had to be sold to the military, and students would receive contribution points and money in return.
The first twenty-eight days of each month followed this cycle, while the remaining two or three days were set aside for assessments and rewards.
At the end of every month, students were assessed and ranked. Their points were calculated using their force output and Trial Room levels, weighted together with the value of the monsters they had hunted that month.
Those who ranked in the top twenty for the month could use the Gravity Room and Trial Room from the 29th through the end of the following month, with access determined by their rank.
"This system is pretty similar to the assessment system at the Limit Dojo in the original story..." Feng Qingmo thought as he read on.
The student ranked first every month, if they accumulated nine first-place finishes, could receive one Purple Crystal Ganoderma worth 50 billion, choose any three complete manuals for free, and choose a councilor to become their personal disciple.
The student ranked first every month, if they accumulated six first-place finishes, could receive one Zen Stone Liquid worth 30 billion and choose any one complete manual for free.
A force output level of 4 with one's fists qualified a student to receive a Purple Crystal Ganoderma worth 50 billion, an SS-Grade Combat Suit, and a full set of weapons.
Students who reached War God Level before the designated graduation deadline could apply to graduate and receive an S-Grade Combat Suit and a full set of weapons.
Reading through that long list of rewards, Feng Qingmo couldn't help feeling excited. Manuals were valuable, but they could be copied. Treasures like Purple Crystal Ganoderma and Zen Stone Liquid, on the other hand, were surely great for improving one's body. SS-Grade Combat Suits and weapons were worth hundreds of billions, too.
"Too bad I haven't even begun to master the Wind-Washing Sword, and my force output level is still 1. Who knows how long it'll take me to meet the requirements..."
Before you continue