Guan Chenglong

March 1st, Training Camp Central Building, Room 301.

The spacious room spanned nearly a thousand square meters. The building had clearly been designed with a unique structure; despite the vastness of the space, it was supported by only four pillars.

Including Feng Qingmo, seven students in total were waiting. The teacher had not yet arrived, so the students began to chat.

"Hey buddy, what's your name? Which Base City are you from?" a sturdy youth of about twenty, gripping a broad longsword, asked Feng Qingmo.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but look at Feng Qingmo's eyes with curiosity.

Although Feng Qingmo's gait was no different from an ordinary person's, without sunglasses, his unfocused gaze made it easy for others to notice that he was different.

"My name is Feng Qingmo, from Jiangnan Base City." Feng Qingmo could sense that the other's gaze held no malice, so he replied with a smile, "And you?"

"I'm Zuo Mingkun, from Northeast Base City. It's freezing cold back where we are..."

"I'm Zheng Hu, from Southwest Base City," another thin, tall youth who looked about eighteen or nineteen chimed in with practiced familiarity.

"Since we'll be fellow disciples for the next few years, why don't we all introduce ourselves?" The shortest of the group stepped forward.

"Sure, you go first then," Zuo Mingkun said nonchalantly.

"I'm Chu Xinming, from Kyoto Base City." His tone carried a hint of superiority. "During last month's martial artist combat assessment, I killed 53 monsters..."

"So what?" Zuo Mingkun curled his lip and muttered, "I killed 49, and that was without even going all out..."

"Brother Chu is so impressive!" a round-faced girl exclaimed loudly, causing Chu Xinming to smile and gesture for her to introduce herself.

"I'm Guo Hui, from Northwest Base City."

"Sister Guo, how many monsters did you kill in the combat assessment?" Zheng Hu asked.

"Not many, just 61..." Guo Hui tried to keep her voice devoid of amusement, but she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"..." Chu Xinming hadn't expected to be slapped in the face so quickly. The girl's voice, which he had just found so pleasant, now seemed utterly detestable.

Click... The door was pushed open, and a man about 1.8 meters tall with a slightly lean build walked in, a sword strapped to his back.

With a slight probe of his spiritual energy, Feng Qingmo felt a stir in his heart; the sword on this man's back was remarkably similar to the one in his own hand—a Slender Willow Sword.

"I am your teacher, Guan Chenglong!"

"Hello, Teacher Guan."

The group responded in a ragged chorus.

"Let's get to know each other first," Guan Chenglong said, pulling out a tablet and swiping it open. "Feng Qingmo!"

"Here!" Feng Qingmo replied.

Guan Chenglong sized Feng Qingmo up, his gaze lingering briefly on the sword in his hand before continuing the roll call: "Guo Hui... Chu Xinming... Zheng Hu... Zuo Mingkun... Su Chenghui... Li Canyang..."

After sweeping his gaze over them, Guan Chenglong said coolly, "Except for Li Canyang, all of you passed your combat assessments just last month. In other words, you are all basically—rookies!"

"All seven of you are sword practitioners, which is why I was assigned to be your teacher. You have all purchased your respective sword technique manuals. Some I have practiced, some I haven't, but even for those I haven't, I am more than qualified to guide you rookies..."

"Now," Guan Chenglong said, ignoring Zuo Mingkun's defiant glare, "today, let me first get a sense of your current standing..."

"Spread out and surround me. Attack me—do not hold back. Only then can I accurately gauge your strength, and it will also allow you to understand each other's capabilities and build some rapport..."

He walked to the center of the room and gestured for them to spread out. "Begin!"

The seven students scattered, exchanged glances, and simultaneously drew their swords, charging at Guan Chenglong.

Seven swords—some broad, some thin—attacked with thrusts, slashes, chops, and flicks. Although they attacked almost simultaneously, their individual strengths varied, and naturally, so did their speeds.

Guan Chenglong shook his head slightly, moving back and forth as if taking a leisurely stroll, not even drawing the sword from his back.

All seven swords missed their mark. Feng Qingmo felt a jolt in his heart, a thought flashing instantly: Perfect-level footwork!

He was then filled with joy. Teacher Guan also used a Slender Willow Sword and had achieved perfect-level footwork; he must have mastered the second level of the Wind-Washing Sword.

He focused his mind, tracking Guan Chenglong's movements, and launched continuous attacks with his own Slender Willow Sword, yet he couldn't even touch the hem of Guan Chenglong's clothes.

"Rookies!" Guan Chenglong dodged with ease, taunting them, "Who was just bragging about how many monsters they killed in the combat assessment? Is this all you've got?"

Chu Xinming's face flushed red. He let out a roar and thrust his sword forward with great speed, but he lost his balance in the process.

Guan Chenglong frowned slightly and finally reached back to draw his Slender Willow Sword. With a shing sound and a gentle twist, the longsword in Chu Xinming's hand was sent flying.

Once he had started, Guan Chenglong held nothing back. With a series of swift movements, he struck each of them. He kept his strength roughly equivalent to theirs; for instance, since Chu Xinming was a mid-level warrior, he used only the strength of a mid-level warrior when he disarmed him.

Clang! Clang!

The room was filled with the sound of swords hitting the floor. Except for Feng Qingmo, even the sword in Li Canyang's hand had been twisted out of his grip by Guan Chenglong.

Feng Qingmo had not used his spiritual energy, relying purely on his own sword technique, which allowed him to avoid having his sword disarmed by Guan Chenglong.

A flicker of surprise crossed Guan Chenglong's eyes. He nodded at Feng Qingmo and said to the others, "Pick up your swords!"

After the seven had stood back in position, Guan Chenglong stood opposite them, a hint of a smile appearing on his stern face.

"Not bad. Although you are all rookies, your foundations are quite solid—at the very least, better than I expected, especially Feng Qingmo and Li Canyang..."

The other five turned to look at Feng Qingmo and Li Canyang, their expressions a mix of surprise, admiration, resentment, and jealousy.

Guan Chenglong's smile faded, and his face turned serious again. "Most of you have only just become martial artists. Having this kind of foundation is only 'okay,' but you are still far from being excellent. You must continue to train diligently and not slack off. Do you understand?"

The last three words boomed in their ears like a lion's roar, causing everyone to respond in unison: "Understood!"

"Very good." Guan Chenglong looked at them. "My teaching style is a bit different from other teachers. I usually use my sword to do the talking..."

"The seven of you have chosen different sword manuals, so I can only guide you one-on-one. See that over there?"

He pointed to a door on the wall. "That room is a small training chamber. Sort yourselves into an order and come in one by one. I will be waiting inside. The rest of you, practice on your own..."

As if remembering something, he turned back and added, "Keep an eye on your Communication Watch. The Training Camp Intelligent System will arrange your time slots for the Gravity Room and the Trial Room, and the specific schedule will be sent to your watches."