Entering the Trial Tower

With Feng Qingmo's specialized swordsmanship and micro-level footwork, he defeated these trainees with almost a single strike each. Aside from Li Canyang, whose physical fitness had reached the Advanced Warrior level, the others were mostly Intermediate Warriors.

None of them had mastered micro-level footwork, and none had reached the specialization level in swordsmanship. To Feng Qingmo, such strength posed absolutely no challenge.

Guan Chenglong was naturally well aware of everyone's strength from the morning's sparring. The reason he had them engage in a gauntlet match first was to dampen the arrogance of the others, letting them know that even among their peers, there were those whose strength left them in the dust, hoping to ignite their competitive spirit and drive them to train harder.

"Feng Qingmo only officially became a martial artist last month, just like you, but his strength has progressed rapidly. You all need to train harder..."

Guan Chenglong said this indifferently, then immediately asked Zuo Mingkun: "Have you figured it out yet?"

"It's because Feng Qingmo's strength is too great; his swordsmanship must have already reached the specialization level..." Zuo Mingkun replied with some hesitation.

Guan Chenglong shook his head slightly: "Strength is one aspect, but the most important thing is that you were still holding onto the mindset of a friendly spar. That first strike clearly could have targeted his heart, yet you chose his left shoulder... Remember, once you step onto the field, you must treat your opponent as an enemy. Be as ruthless as possible. Otherwise, why do you need me watching from the sidelines? Or are you worried that my strength isn't enough to save you in time?"

Seeing the others looking thoughtful, he turned to Chu Mingxin: "You saw Zuo Mingkun defeated in one move, so you thought to overcome motion with stillness. The idea wasn't wrong, but you overestimated your own strength. If you do not know yourself and do not know your enemy, how can you not be defeated?"

As for whether he felt cowardly in his heart, he did not point it out. This was something he had to overcome himself; no matter how much others said, it would be useless. Instead, it would only cause him to lose face and trigger a rebellious streak, which was not what Guan Chenglong wanted.

He then proceeded to critique the others one by one, causing them to nod frequently.

"You have all just become martial artists, and the secret manuals you purchased have only been practiced for a month. This is the time when you will progress the fastest," Guan Chenglong said sternly. "Therefore, there are no shortcuts now—only practice, hard practice! This week is your study time, but next week is for field training. You will spend a week in the Wilderness Zone. I hope you won't regret not practicing more while you were at the training camp when you finally face the monsters..."

With Feng Qingmo acting as a catfish in the tank, the other trainees felt immense pressure and dared not slack off, practicing diligently every day.

Every morning, Guan Chenglong would spar with the seven of them one by one. In the afternoon, the other trainees would spar with each other. After the first day's gauntlet, the others realized they were far behind Feng Qingmo, so Guan Chenglong simply arranged for Feng Qingmo to take on multiple opponents at once. This allowed them to hold out longer and helped them develop some tacit coordination.

On the afternoon of the third day, just as Feng Qingmo had finished bullying three trainees and was about to start the next round, his communication watch suddenly received a message: Please arrive at the Trial Room on the ninth floor of the Central Building at 9:00 PM tonight. The trial room usage time is half an hour. Time is limited, please do not be late.

The other trainees received the same message, though the times varied.

"The time assigned to me is actually midnight?" Zheng Hu lamented.

"You've got it good; mine is at 2:30 AM tomorrow!" Su Chenghui gave a wry smile.

"Alright, don't complain. This is a rare opportunity." Guan Chenglong comforted them with a smile. "With so many trainees, when averaged out, each trainee only gets less than three hours of Trial Tower usage time per month..."

"Based on our previous experience, the effect is best when each trial session is kept to half an hour, so this time is divided into multiple half-hour sessions..."

A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on Guan Chenglong's face: "Are you afraid of pain? You should know that the simulation in the Trial Room is a one-hundred-percent pain simulation..."

The group couldn't help but look at each other.

"Then, is the feeling of death also one-hundred-percent simulated?" Guo Hui couldn't help but look nervous.

"You'll know once you try it..." Guan Chenglong left this indifferent remark and turned to walk away.

At 8:45 PM, Feng Qingmo arrived outside the ninth-floor Trial Room more than ten minutes early to wait.

On the wall outside the Trial Room, various precautions and usage instructions were written.

After browsing through them once, Feng Qingmo understood how to use the Trial Room.

At exactly 9:00 PM, the door to the Trial Room opened, and an older trainee walked out with a trace of anger on his face; he had likely been beaten quite badly.

After he left, Feng Qingmo swiped his trainee card, the door opened automatically, and he stepped inside, the door locking behind him immediately.

There were two lounge chairs in the room where one could lie down comfortably, and a deep blue helmet was placed at the top.

Feng Qingmo walked over, lay down, and put the helmet on his head.

With a hum, Feng Qingmo's consciousness arrived in a boundless silver land.

"Ah! The feeling of restored vision is truly wonderful..." Feng Qingmo looked around. Having been accustomed to a blurry world, he could now see everything before him with great clarity. Moreover, since his physical fitness was currently at the Initial Warlord level, his vision was far better than it had been in his previous life when he wore glasses.

Above him was the cosmic starry sky, with thousands of stars twinkling in the boundless night, and beneath his feet was an endless silver land. In the distance stood a massive, cloud-piercing tower.

"As expected, no spiritual power..." He tried to mobilize the spiritual power within his body, but he couldn't feel even a shred of it.

"My body is actually taller than it is in reality..." He stepped forward toward the distant building, familiarizing himself with this virtual body as he walked.

When he reached the base of the Trial Tower, there was a black stone pillar on each side of the entrance. Information appeared on the pillars:

Name: Feng Qingmo Identity: Huashan Training Camp Trainee Trial Tower Level: 1

"Please select your combat suit and weapon." An electronic voice rang out, echoing through the entire virtual space.

"I want to perform a punch force power output level test." Feng Qingmo said loudly.

Swish! A punch force testing instrument appeared out of thin air in front of him.

Feng Qingmo stood firm in front of the tester and thrust his right fist out. The dark energy within his body surged into his arm, causing the muscles on his arm to bulge noticeably.

Bang! With a soft thud, a set of numbers appeared on the display screen of the punch target.

"18012"

"Punch force power output level: 1.8."

Feng Qingmo looked up: "I want to select my combat suit and weapon."

A screen appeared in front of him, displaying various types of combat suits and weapons.

He quickly selected a well-fitting combat suit and the Slender Willow Sword. After putting them on, the gate opened, and he stepped inside.

Whoosh!

The space shifted, and Feng Qingmo appeared in the middle of a vast, desolate grassland.