Even if the number increased from 100 to 200, without those ten Intermediate Beast General-level Reckless Bulls, Feng Qingmo was confident he could kill them all.
But with ten Intermediate Beast Generals leading the other Reckless Bulls and coordinating their attacks, their organized assaults were much harder to deal with than the aimless swarm attacks in Stage B.
After Feng Qingmo died, a flash of light swept across the entire grassland. As if it had been reset, all the Reckless Bulls vanished, and Feng Qingmo reappeared.
"Stage C trial failed. Continue?" the electronic voice asked.
Feng Qingmo ignored it for the moment, still savoring the feeling of dying for the first time in the Trial Tower.
"Even though it was only consciousness, the feeling of a bull's horn piercing my body and its hooves stomping my arm until the flesh and bones were crushed was so real. And having my head trampled..." He reached up and rubbed his head. "The pain was so real, as if I'd actually been killed..."
"No wonder Teacher Guan had that kind of smile..." He raised his voice and asked, "How much time do I have left?"
"You have five minutes and thirty-seven seconds remaining," the electronic voice immediately replied.
"Again!"
When half an hour was up, Feng Qingmo died once more. This time, however, he lasted a little longer than before and killed a few more. His final Trial Tower level was 1.8.
He took off the helmet, stood up, and pushed open the door. Another student was already waiting impatiently. Feng Qingmo came out and headed for the elevator.
"I still got a lot out of that half-hour trial," he mused as he walked slowly toward the elevator. "I should have four more chances this month. No matter what, I have to clear the first level before my last attempt!"
The next day, the other students who came to Room 301 in the Central Building looked rather dejected, like eggplants struck by frost.
"Haha," Guan Chenglong laughed when he came in and saw their faces. "Looks like you all got put through the wringer last night. Come on, tell me, what were your Trial Tower levels?"
He looked at Zuo Mingkun. "You're usually the most eager to show off. Tell me, which stage of the trial did you clear?"
"I didn't even get through Stage A. I was gored to death five times and kicked to death three times, so I died eight times in all." Zuo Mingkun had none of his usual carefree swagger. "My Trial Tower level was 1.2..."
"Mm," Guan Chenglong said, nodding. "What about the rest of you? Go on..."
"1.2..." Zheng Hu glanced at Zuo Mingkun and shook his head. "I died one more time than you..."
"Ha, I got 1.4!" Guo Hui perked up at once. "I cleared Stage A and died twice, but I died six times in Stage B..."
"I got 1.3." Chu Xinming no longer felt as superior as he had before.
Su Chenghui said, "1.4. I died eight times."
Li Canyang said, "1.5. I died six times."
Everyone then looked at Feng Qingmo.
"I got 1.8. I died twice." Feng Qingmo didn't hide it. There was no Spiritual Force in the Trial Tower; otherwise, he was sure he could have cleared the first level.
"..." The others couldn't help showing a jumble of complicated emotions in their eyes.
"Not bad, all of you. Especially you, Feng Qingmo." Guan Chenglong nodded. "This was your first time challenging the Trial Tower, so these results are understandable. Besides, none of you have the physical fitness of a Junior War General yet, while your virtual bodies in the Trial Tower are even stronger than your real ones. And the monsters on the first level are Elementary Warlord Level..."
"None of you except Li Canyang have hunted monsters in the Wilderness Zone before, so these results are perfectly acceptable. There's no need to feel discouraged. You just need to get a little farther each time..."
His words lifted the students' spirits and swept away their earlier dejection. Even Li Canyang, who had fought monsters in the Wilderness Zone, felt his outlook shift.
"All right, keep training. Feng Qingmo, come with me." Guan Chenglong turned and walked into the smaller room nearby.
Feng Qingmo followed him inside, and the door closed automatically.
"There's no Spiritual Force in the Trial Tower. I didn't expect you to reach a trial level of 1.8. Seems I underestimated you..." Guan Chenglong drew the Slender Willow Sword. "Or maybe you have a real talent for combat. Come on, let me see how much you've improved after being put through the Trial Tower."
"Okay." Feng Qingmo nodded. He drew the Slender Willow Sword from his back and attacked.
The clanging of their swords rang without pause as they clashed again and again.
"Not bad," Guan Chenglong said, casually parrying his attacks with a nod. "You've definitely improved a lot since yesterday. Looks like the Trial Tower works especially well for you..."
A few minutes later, Guan Chenglong stopped the fight.
"After this week, you'll be going to the Wilderness Zone next week for real combat... I know you're a Spiritual Master. Come on, use your Spiritual Master abilities too. Let me see how strong you are when you give it your all!"
"Okay." Feng Qingmo nodded. With a thought, three throwing knives tucked beside the thighs of his Combat Suit rose into the air. After weeks of hard training, three was the maximum number he could control at full power.
"Oh, not bad! Three knives!" Guan Chenglong's eyes lit up. "Your body is at the Advanced Warrior Level, so your Spiritual Force should be at the Intermediate Beast General level, right?"
"Why don't you test it, Teacher Guan?" As he spoke, the three throwing knives shot toward Guan Chenglong along swift, curving trajectories, while Feng Qingmo attacked with his sword as well.
Guan Chenglong clearly began taking the fight more seriously. With his strength at the Intermediate War God level, an Intermediate Beast General-level Spiritual Master was no threat to him. But the room was small, and Feng Qingmo was charging at him with a sword. If he was careless and Feng Qingmo managed to land a sneak attack, wouldn't he lose face?
The room filled with an even denser clanging as Guan Chenglong repeatedly knocked the three knives aside. What surprised him, though, was that the knives' force varied. They were all equally fast, but when he tried to deflect one, it sometimes became as light as nothing, while at other times its speed suddenly increased in a bizarre burst, nearly breaking through his defense.
This was a technique Feng Qingmo had come up with himself during his training. By varying the amount of Spiritual Force he poured into each knife, he could keep all three moving at nearly the same speed while making some real and others illusory—and switch them between the two at any moment.
The knives were one thing; Guan Chenglong could still handle them. What surprised him even more was Feng Qingmo's footwork. Feng Qingmo had never used Spiritual Force to assist his movements in their previous bouts, only trying it out during his own practice.
Now Guan Chenglong was astonished to find that, despite being a War God, he could barely track Feng Qingmo's movements. Feng Qingmo kept shifting his body from completely unexpected angles and in ways Guan Chenglong couldn't anticipate. It wasn't Perfect Level footwork, but in a one-on-one fight, its strange movements still caught Guan Chenglong off guard.
For example, after their swords clashed, Feng Qingmo should have retreated with the force of the impact. But with the help of Spiritual Force, he suddenly floated into the air and thrust his sword at Guan Chenglong's crown.
Or he would clearly dodge to the left, only to suddenly turn his entire body sideways in defiance of the laws of physics, sweeping his sword toward Guan Chenglong's waist.
This was a way of using Spiritual Force that Feng Qingmo had figured out on his own. He knew that Spiritual Force had limited effect on things like a Combat Suit, so he had already fitted some parts inside his suit with what looked like bulletproof plates. That allowed him to make incredible movements and shift at unexpected angles with the help of his Spiritual Force.
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