Target and Reward

Feng Qingmo remained silent. It was not that he didn't understand, but was there any other way?

Watching the silent Feng Qingmo, Jia Yi recalled the invincible posture of his old friend facing the beast tides back in the day, and finally spoke:

"Feng Qingmo, I have the manuals, and I have the treasures to accelerate physical evolution, but I cannot give them to you for nothing... I will set a few goals for you. As long as you reach the corresponding targets, I will give you the corresponding rewards. How about that?"

"Please speak, Chief. This Humble One is eager to hear the details." Upon hearing Jia Yi say this, Feng Qingmo became instantly excited.

Jia Yi held up one finger: "First, if you can pass the first floor of the Trial Tower within a month—that is, by March 31st—and reach a Trial Tower rating of 2.0, I will reward you with the complete set of the Wind-Washing Sword manual!"

Li Ping, standing to the side, explained: "The camp hadn't officially opened before, so you didn't have the authorization to use the Trial Tower. You might not know what the Trial Tower is yet, but you will in a few days... Speaking of the Trial Tower, the Chief actually traded for it from Hong of the Limit Dojo over a decade ago using precious items..."

Feng Qingmo naturally knew what the Trial Tower was, but for now, he could only pretend he didn't. He nodded.

As Li Ping mentioned this, Jia Yi couldn't help but reveal a faint smile: "Although the cost was not small, it was worth it. With the Trial Tower, our training camp finally has an accurate standard of measurement and a virtual combat room..."

The Trial Tower at the Huashan Training Camp was actually provided by the virtual intelligence of the Limit Dojo. It was equivalent to sharing a main server, and the highest authority certainly rested with Hong. In other words, if Hong wanted to know the clearance records and performance of the students in this Trial Tower, it would be completely defenseless to him.

Of course, that was all there was to it; everything else was the same as the Trial Tower in the Limit Dojo's elite training camp.

When Jia Yi exchanged for it with treasures back then, Hong did not hide this fact. However, this was limited to Jia Yi's knowledge, and there was no need to tell those below. Even if they knew, it wouldn't change anything, and it might instead breed suspicion.

He held up a second finger:

"Second, if you complete the first goal and obtain the complete Wind-Washing Sword, from the day you receive it, as long as you can master the second layer within two months, I will reward you with a 'Purple Crystal Ganoderma'. Although this Purple Crystal Ganoderma is not as good as Dragon Blood, it is still a rare treasure. At the very least, it will allow you to evolve from a low-level Warlord to a mid-level Warlord..."

Feng Qingmo nodded repeatedly, his face full of anticipation. Hearing Jia Yi stop, he couldn't help but ask: "And the third?"

"Hahaha," Jia Yi lowered his hand and laughed at Li Ping, "This kid has quite the ambition..."

Li Ping replied with a smile: "Youth is full of vigor, after all..."

Jia Yi pondered for a moment, looked at Feng Qingmo, and said: "There is no third, but I can add a little more to the stakes. If you can complete the second goal, I will add a set of S-Grade Combat Suit and a full set of weapons on top of the 'Purple Crystal Ganoderma'..."

Recalling his identity as a Spirit Reader, he added: "Hmm, and two SS-Grade Flying Daggers."

"The Chief is generous." Because Jia Yi had retracted his Planetary Level aura and his tone was gentle, Feng Qingmo did not feel constrained. Having heard the rewards, regardless of whether he could complete them, flattering the Chief first was never a mistake.

"Qingmo," Li Ping said softly, "The Chief is busy with a thousand tasks, yet he specifically set aside time today to see you and set these goals for you. Do you know why?"

Li Ping was quite a bit younger than Jia Yi, but he had also come through the Great Nirvana period. He naturally knew the relationship between Jia Yi and Bian Xiangqing, and knew how much he hoped someone could recreate the complete version of the Wind-Washing Sword.

"Presumably because of the Wind-Washing Sword?" Although Feng Qingmo phrased it as a question, his tone was certain.

"Correct..." Jia Yi recalled those arduous years, his face carrying a hint of nostalgia. "Xiangqing and I were very close friends before the Great Nirvana. During the Great Nirvana, we supported and achieved things together..."

"He saved my life twice. You could say that without him, there would be no me today..." There was a deep sorrow in Jia Yi's eyes. "It is a pity that he died to hold back a King-Level Monster..."

He looked at Feng Qingmo: "Qingmo, the Wind-Washing Sword is not expensive, and many people practice it. Yet, globally—including the warriors of our Huaxia—no one has mastered the third layer... The fact that you could master the first layer in just a few days shows that your talent is very well-suited for this sword technique. I hope you do not let your talent go to waste and can recreate the invincible War God posture that Xiangqing had back then..."

"Of course," Jia Yi sighed lightly, "Back then, we had no guidance. Even Thor of the same era was not necessarily much stronger than Xiangqing. But in this era, even if you master the three layers of the Wind-Washing Sword, you might not necessarily be called an invincible War God..."

A look of hope appeared in his eyes. "Unless you can create the fourth or even the fifth layer of the Wind-Washing Sword yourself. Then, not only could you become an existence surpassing a War God, but you would also be among the most powerful of them all..."

To be honest, Feng Qingmo hadn't felt much about Jia Yi's speech on the plaza earlier. Having heard plenty of motivational rhetoric in his past life, it was hard for him to get instantly fired up like the other young hotheads.

But these few words Jia Yi just said made his heart surge, and a sudden ambition sprouted within him.

"Please rest assured, Chief," Feng Qingmo stood up and said solemnly, "This disciple will do everything in his power to make the Wind-Washing Sword of Senior Bian Xiangqing shine once again!"

After leaving the central building, Feng Qingmo returned to his residence full of excitement to continue his cultivation.

Although no contract or the like had been signed, given Jia Yi's status and with Li Ping present, there was no fear that Jia Yi would go back on his word.

Passing the first floor of the Trial Tower within a month was still quite difficult for Feng Qingmo. In the original story, when Luo Feng underwent the B-Grade test, he had already mastered the third layer of the Nine-Layer Thunder Blade, reaching a force of 2.8 times, and his footwork had reached the 'Micro' level; he even briefly entered the 'Perfect' level of footwork during the final stage of the test, which was how he passed.

At this moment, Feng Qingmo's force was not as high as Luo Feng's was then, and his footwork was slightly inferior. Only his sword technique realm was stronger than Luo Feng's at that time, but wanting to clear the first floor of the Trial Tower was difficult!

"In terms of force, without a manual, there is basically no possibility of improvement in the short term. The Trial Tower uses the same physical fitness for everyone, and spiritual force cannot be used either. Therefore, the only way to have a hope of passing the first floor of the Trial Tower is to put more effort into sword technique and footwork..."

In the underground training room, Feng Qingmo continuously practiced his sword technique while constantly utilizing the accompanying footwork. Throughout the process, his spiritual force remained coiled around the Slender Willow Sword.

Sometimes he used his spiritual force to push the speed of the Slender Willow Sword, and other times he used it to increase the weight of the sword, testing whether the Slender Willow Sword should be faster or heavier to achieve greater power under various circumstances.