Success

"Whoosh~ Whoosh~~"

The sound of wind being torn apart rang out incessantly.

In the basement training room, Feng Qingmo's footsteps shifted constantly as he swung his sword without pause.

After finishing the student handbook, he had opened and browsed through the other documents, which included a map of the training camp and various points of note, such as how instructors would be assigned based on a student's progress.

Once he finished reading, he headed to the basement to begin his training.

Over the past few days, he had practiced the 36 sword forms accompanying the first level of the Wind-Washing Sword until they were incredibly fluid. Thanks to the aid of his Spiritual Force, his posture was exceptionally standard.

After practicing for a long time, he had developed a vague, extremely faint intuition for the artistic conception behind the swordplay, though he was clearly still some distance from truly entering the threshold.

After practicing his Genetic Energy in tandem with his Guidance Technique, he left the training room, his stomach growling with hunger.

Following the map to the camp cafeteria, he found it completely empty; it was not yet time for the camp to officially open, and the previous batch of students were all out on field training.

He used his student ID at the automated meal dispenser to collect his food, and after a hearty meal, he returned to his quarters to continue his cultivation.

As night fell, Feng Qingmo sat on the railing of the second-floor balcony, gazing out into the dim darkness before him.

A gust of wind blew past, carrying withered leaves that danced in the air. The wind, which had been blowing straight forward, suddenly shifted direction, carrying the leaves toward Feng Qingmo.

His habitually maintained, low-level Spiritual Force could easily have blocked the leaves, but as the wind picked up, Feng Qingmo felt as if he had sensed something. He simply withdrew his Spiritual Force entirely, letting the wind and the leaves wash over him.

When a withered leaf slapped against his face, his expression turned dazed. A flash of inspiration sparked in his mind, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving him unable to grasp it despite his desperate search.

"Wind?" he murmured to himself. Having spent the entire afternoon swinging his sword, his hands were aching. He opened his palm, feeling the gust of wind pass through his fingers. He tightened his hand into a fist, and the wind swirled around his knuckles before continuing on its way...

"Force exertion?"

The spark of inspiration flashed in his mind once more, and this time, he finally caught its tail!

"So that's how it is..."

He flipped off the railing and dashed toward the basement training room.

He drew his Slender Willow Sword, holding it in his hand as he stilled his focus.

"Whoosh!"

At a certain moment, he thrust his sword out sharply. A violent sound of tearing wind erupted in the air; the speed of this strike was nearly fifty percent faster than his practice earlier that afternoon!

"That's the feeling!" A smile appeared on Feng Qingmo's face. His feet began to move, and he executed the 36 sword forms one after another. His speed increased rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, his figure was obscured by the sword light, leaving only the flash of the blade visible.

He did not know how long he had been practicing before he finally stopped.

"Finally, I've entered the threshold." He sheathed his sword and clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body. "I should have reached about 1.5 times the force exertion. To reach the 1.8 times required for the first level, I'll need to practice for a few more days..."

But as long as he had crossed the threshold, reaching 1.8 times was only a matter of time and practice. This was the difference between zero and one; going from zero to one was the hardest part, but once he had one, going from one to two was merely a matter of time.

"As long as I keep practicing these 36 forms, my swordplay will soon reach the proficiency level, and my footwork will quickly reach the micro-level..."

While executing the 36 forms just now, his swordplay had already vaguely entered the proficiency level. Though he had no point of comparison for his footwork, he could clearly feel that it was significantly stronger than before.

Feng Qingmo stood on the alloy floor of the training room, clenched his fist, and threw a punch!

A hidden force surged along his arm, making the punch not only faster but also more powerful, resulting in a crisp "bang" in the air.

Although the hidden force had not yet reached the perfect 1.8 times of the first level, that was only a matter of time.

"This hidden force can be applied not only to my fists but also to my feet to increase my speed, and even to my entire body to boost my defense!"

Recalling the theories mentioned in the original text, Feng Qingmo stood in place and began to kick and stomp repeatedly.

After kicking into the air time and again, the sensation of the hidden force from his punch still lingered. Finally, after practicing for a while, he successfully applied the first layer of hidden force to his legs, which not only greatly increased his leg strength but also his speed.

However, applying this hidden force to other parts of the body was difficult, especially areas like the head or back, which were rarely used in practice; that would require countless repetitions.

"That's enough for today. I'll cultivate my Genetic Energy and then rest." Deep into the night, Feng Qingmo finally stopped.

While cultivating his Genetic Energy using the Guidance Technique, Feng Qingmo could clearly feel that the cells in his body were absorbing more cosmic energy than before, and the rate of saturation was slower.

"As expected, once I master the first level of force exertion, my cultivation speed with the Guidance Technique increases..."

Over the next few days, Feng Qingmo practiced with extraordinary diligence. Soon, his force exertion reached 1.8 times, and he was able to channel this hidden force into his legs, making his speed much faster than his normal state.

When he practiced the 36 sword forms of the Wind-Washing Sword until they were continuous and natural, his swordplay naturally entered the proficiency level, and under the influence of his swordplay, his footwork also reached the micro-level.

On the second-floor balcony of his quarters, Feng Qingmo sat leisurely in a chair. The early spring sun shone on him, warm and making him feel drowsy.

But Feng Qingmo, having just finished his training, felt no sleepiness; he was frowning in thought.

"I've mastered the first level of the Wind-Washing Sword, but I'm out of money..."

Including the 300 million his parents had given him, he had only had 350 million Huaxia Currency in total. After purchasing the first-level manual, 200 million was deducted, and after buying his combat suit, weapons, and finally gritting his teeth to buy a set of Grade 9 throwing knives, he had only a few tens of millions left.

The second-level manual for the Wind-Washing Sword cost 750 million Huaxia Currency even at half price; his remaining funds wouldn't even cover a fraction of it.

"No, I have to find a way to make money..." He stood up, went to the media room, turned on his computer, and logged into the training camp's management system.

He clicked on the application section, which contained several options: Gravity Room, Trial Room, Combat Room, Field Training...

He clicked on Field Training, and a prompt immediately popped up on the screen: Student Feng Qingmo, you are currently not eligible to apply for field training!

"Heh, they didn't even review it, just a flat rejection..." Feng Qingmo muttered to himself. But he understood; he hadn't even been assigned an instructor yet, so he wasn't strictly a formal student. It was only natural that he wouldn't be permitted to go out on his own.

"Right, the Gravity Room shouldn't be in use right now. Maybe..." With this thought, he clicked on the 'Gravity Room' application option.

"Reviewing..." A prompt appeared on the screen, making Feng Qingmo feel a surge of joy—not being rejected outright meant there was a chance of approval.

After waiting for about a minute, the prompt on the screen disappeared, and a video connection request was automatically initiated.

After a moment of hesitation, Feng Qingmo clicked 'Accept'.