Second Battle Against Guan Chenglong

Even if the number increased from 100 to 200, Feng Qingmo was confident he could kill them all, provided those 10 intermediate-level Reckless Bull commanders weren't present.

However, with those 10 intermediate-level beasts leading the others, they formed organized waves of attacks. This kind of coordinated assault was far more difficult to handle than the aimless swarming seen in the B-stage.

After Feng Qingmo died, the entire grassland flashed with light, as if resetting. All the Reckless Bulls vanished, and Feng Qingmo reappeared.

"C-stage trial failed. Continue?" the electronic voice rang out.

Feng Qingmo ignored the voice for a moment, still ruminating on the sensation of his first death inside the Trial Tower.

Although it was just my consciousness, the feeling of being gored by bull horns, my arms being crushed under hooves, and my skull being shattered was so real... He reached up to rub his head. The pain was incredibly vivid, as if I had truly been killed.

"No wonder Instructor Guan wore that smile..." He looked up and called out, "How much time do I have left?"

"You have 5 minutes and 37 seconds remaining," the electronic voice replied immediately.

"Again!"

When the half-hour mark arrived, Feng Qingmo died once more, though he lasted a bit longer and killed more this time, ending with a Trial Tower rating of 1.8.

Removing his helmet, Feng Qingmo stood up and pushed open the door to leave, where another student was already waiting impatiently.

The harvest from this half-hour trial was significant, he thought, strolling slowly toward the elevator. I should have four more chances this month. No matter what, I must clear the first floor before the final attempt!

The next day, the other students who arrived at Room 301 of the central building looked wilted, like eggplants hit by frost.

"Haha," Guan Chenglong said, laughing as he pushed the door open to see the group. "Looks like you were all thoroughly beaten last night. Come on, tell me, what were your Trial Tower ratings?"

He looked at Zuo Mingkun. "You're usually the most energetic. Tell us, which stage did you pass?"

"I didn't even get past the A-stage. I was gored to death five times and kicked to death three times—died eight times in total," Zuo Mingkun said, completely lacking his usual boisterousness. "Trial Tower rating: 1.2..."

"Hmm," Guan Chenglong nodded. "What about the rest of you? Speak up..."

"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 suddenly perked up. "I passed the A-stage, died twice, but died six times in the B-stage..."

"I got 1.3," Chu Xinming said, his previous sense of superiority gone.

Su Chenghui: "1.4, died eight times."

Li Canyang: "1.5, died six times."

Everyone then turned to look at Feng Qingmo.

"I got 1.8, died twice." Feng Qingmo didn't hide it; there was no spiritual energy allowed in the Trial Tower, otherwise, he was certain he could have cleared the first floor.

"..." Complex expressions couldn't help but flicker in the eyes of the others.

"Not bad, especially Feng Qingmo," Guan Chenglong nodded. "This was your first time in the Trial Tower, so it's understandable. Besides, your physical fitness hasn't reached the level of an entry-level warlord yet, while the virtual bodies in the tower are stronger than your real ones, and the first floor starts with entry-level warlord monsters..."

"Except for Li Canyang, none of you have experience hunting monsters in the wilderness, so these results are perfectly acceptable. Don't be discouraged; as long as you can go further each time, that's what matters..."

His words perked the students up, sweeping away their previous dejection. Even Li Canyang, who had experienced the brutal reality of the wilderness, felt his spirits lift.

"Alright, continue your training. Feng Qingmo, come with me." Guan Chenglong turned and walked into a smaller room nearby.

Feng Qingmo followed him in, and the door closed automatically.

"There's no spiritual energy in the Trial Tower, yet you reached a rating of 1.8. It seems I underestimated you..." Guan Chenglong drew his Slender Willow Sword. "Or perhaps your combat talent is just that high. Come, let me see how much you've improved after being tempered by the Trial Tower."

Feng Qingmo drew his own Slender Willow, nodded slightly, and attacked.

The sound of clashing steel rang out incessantly as their swords struck again and again.

"Not bad," Guan Chenglong parried effortlessly, nodding. "You've definitely improved a lot since yesterday. It seems the Trial Tower is highly effective for you..."

A few minutes later, Guan Chenglong stopped voluntarily.

"After this week, you'll be heading to the wilderness for real combat next week... I know you're a spiritual master. Come, show me your techniques as a spiritual master. I want to see what your strength is like when you go all out!"

"Alright." Feng Qingmo nodded. With a surge of spiritual energy, three throwing knives flew up from his combat suit's thigh holster. This was the maximum number he could control after his recent grueling training.

"Oh, not bad, three of them!" Guan Chenglong's eyes lit up. "Your body is at the high-level warrior stage, so your spiritual energy must be at the intermediate warlord level, right?"

"Instructor Guan will see for himself..." As Feng Qingmo spoke, the three knives zipped toward Guan Chenglong in swift, arcing trajectories, while he charged forward with his sword.

Guan Chenglong clearly became more serious. With his intermediate war god strength, a mere intermediate warlord spiritual master was nothing to him. However, the room was small, and with Feng Qingmo attacking with his sword, if he were caught off guard by a sneak attack, it would be quite embarrassing.

The room filled with an even denser rhythm of clashing metal. Guan Chenglong kept batting the three knives away, but to his surprise, the force behind each knife varied. Though they were all equally swift, whenever he moved to deflect one, it would sometimes become as light as a feather, only for another to suddenly accelerate with eerie speed, nearly breaking through his defense.

This was a technique Feng Qingmo had been refining: by injecting different levels of spiritual energy, he could keep the speed of the three knives consistent while constantly shifting between "empty" and "solid" states.

The knives were manageable, but what truly shocked Guan Chenglong was Feng Qingmo's footwork. In their previous bouts, Feng Qingmo had never used spiritual energy to assist his movement; he had only practiced it on his own.

Now, Guan Chenglong was stunned to find that even as a war god, he couldn't track Feng Qingmo's movements. He kept changing his posture at angles and in ways that defied expectation. It wasn't "perfect-level" footwork, but in a one-on-one fight, these bizarre maneuvers caught him off guard.

For instance, after their swords clashed, Feng Qingmo would normally have to retreat, but using his spiritual energy, he would suddenly hover in mid-air and thrust his sword toward Guan Chenglong's crown.

Or, when he appeared to be dodging to the left, he would suddenly violate the laws of physics, shifting his entire body sideways to slash his sword toward Guan Chenglong's waist.

This was a method of using spiritual energy that Feng Qingmo had devised himself. Knowing that spiritual energy had limited utility against combat suits, he had long since fixed bulletproof-like plates inside his own gear, allowing him to use his spiritual energy to perform impossible movements and unexpected angles of attack.