Of course, Guan Chenglong was a War God, after all. A little trick like that could only catch him off guard for a moment; it wasn't enough to rattle him. Before long, he had adapted to Feng Qingmo's clever little moves and firmly regained control of the fight.
Half an hour later, Guan Chenglong lowered his sword.
Since they'd met, this was the first time Feng Qingmo had seen him breathing hard, with a few beads of sweat on his forehead. Feng Qingmo was drenched from head to toe himself, but making a War God break a sweat still gave him a small sense of satisfaction.
"If you don't use Spiritual Force, you can hold your own against an ordinary junior War General. If you do use it, you should be able to fight a senior War General..." Guan Chenglong worked to steady his breathing.
Spiritual Masters could practically be called invincible among those of the same level. Feng Qingmo was already a mid-level War General Spiritual Master, so it wasn't impossible for him to fight a senior War General.
"But that makes next week's field exercise difficult to arrange..." Guan Chenglong furrowed his brow. "If I make it too easy, it won't do you any good. If I make it too hard, the others won't be able to handle it..."
"Teacher Guan," Feng Qingmo said, also trying to catch his breath, "could I go alone? After that test, you know what I can do. Besides, you know Spiritual Masters can fly, so I wouldn't be in much danger..."
"Head out first. I'll think it over..." Guan Chenglong waved him away. Feng Qingmo's suggestion was one of the options he'd been considering, but he still needed to check with Li Ping and the other leaders first.
On the sixth day, the students under Guan Chenglong were once again assigned time in the Trial Tower. After two days of training, they'd all made some progress.
Though Feng Qingmo had killed a few more Reckless Bulls than last time, he still hadn't passed the Stage C test. At least his Trial Tower rating had finally reached 1.9.
Since he'd started directly at Stage C, he'd only lasted a few minutes each time during that half hour, and he'd died several more times.
"After tomorrow morning's training, you won't need to come in tomorrow afternoon," Guan Chenglong said, gathering all the students before leaving. "The day after tomorrow starts a new seven-day period, and you'll all be spending seven days in the Wilderness Zone. So use tomorrow afternoon to get ready. If you need to replace your Combat Suits or weapons, do it soon. The Training Camp has everything..."
"Teacher Guan, which city are we going to?" Zuo Mingkun asked eagerly.
"The Training Camp will arrange that," Guan Chenglong said. He knew what Zuo Mingkun was like and didn't take offense. "As my students, you'll form a team. I hope you'll work together and cooperate well..."
"Teacher Guan, aren't you coming with us?" Chu Xinming asked.
"I can't go with you." Guan Chenglong shook his head.
"It's fine. With Brother Mo there, we don't have to worry even if we run into a junior beast general..." Guo Hui said with a smile.
Ever since their first time in the Trial Tower, the others had been thoroughly convinced by Feng Qingmo. They knew he was the strongest among them, and from the time Guo Hui started calling him "Brother Mo," everyone had followed suit. Feng Qingmo had never revealed that he was a Spiritual Master to them.
"You'll go as a team. Feng Qingmo has other arrangements, so he won't be going with you." Guan Chenglong shook his head.
"Huh?" Zuo Mingkun let out a startled cry. "Without Brother Mo, then what are we..."
Before he could finish, Guan Chenglong shot him a glare. "Without Feng Qingmo, are you no longer a Martial Artist? Have you lost the courage to face monsters? Or is Feng Qingmo your nanny, your bodyguard?"
"Uh..." After being scolded, Zuo Mingkun immediately realized what he'd said wrong. He lowered his head and fell silent.
"You're teammates, and one day you may become the kind of comrades who'd entrust each other with your lives and watch each other's backs," Guan Chenglong said, looking at them with a grave expression. "But at the beginning, the person you can trust most is the sword in your own hand!"
"After two simulated fights in the Trial Tower, you've gained some experience facing monsters. But that was all virtual. In the end, you have to face real monsters to grow. Don't think that joining the Training Camp means you can rest easy. Every year, plenty of students die during field training!"
His words jolted them awake. Their training over the past six days had been grueling, but their lives hadn't been all that different from before they became Martial Artists. They'd started to get the mistaken impression that they could just keep training this way forever.
"Among you, Li Canyang has at least some experience surviving in the Wilderness Zone. I've also talked plenty about it when sparring with you, and I'm sure you've read more than a few posts about it on the Warrior Forum at Huaxia Home..."
Guan Chenglong paused. "Of the six of you, Li Canyang is the strongest and most experienced. So, Canyang, you'll need to lead them well on your first field exercise..."
"Yes, Teacher Guan. You can count on me," Li Canyang replied firmly, though he was usually quiet.
"Good. We'll continue training tomorrow morning..." Guan Chenglong nodded in satisfaction. "Feng Qingmo, stay behind. The rest of you can go."
After everyone had left, Feng Qingmo asked with some concern, "Teacher Guan, are you really not going with them?"
"Do you think I'm their nanny?" Guan Chenglong glared at him in annoyance.
"But..."
"I know what you're worried about." Guan Chenglong hesitated, then decided that with Feng Qingmo's abilities as a Spiritual Master, he'd find out sooner or later, so he explained plainly. "No one goes with the second-year students, but the Training Camp won't just send newcomers like you into the Wilderness Zone alone to take risks. They'll send people ahead to clear out the areas you're going to, and someone will accompany you too. They just won't step in unless you're facing a life-or-death situation..."
"But I really won't be going with you. Someone else will be in charge," he added in warning. "You're strong, and you're a Spiritual Master, so I'm telling you in advance. Don't tell the others, or they'll start relying on that."
"Understood." Feng Qingmo nodded.
"As for you..." Guan Chenglong pondered for a moment. "I've thought it over. You may not have much experience, but you've got the strength for it. Some War General teams even dare to venture into monster lairs like City 003. So I've decided to send you somewhere alone. The area will have been cleared beforehand, so there shouldn't be any Lord-Level monsters, but there are plenty of beast generals, including several senior ones..."
"Besides, you're a Spiritual Master. If someone follows too closely, you'll inevitably notice them; if they keep their distance, there's no point in having them there. Once you enter the Wilderness Zone, you'll be on your own. Understand?"
"Understood. Thank you, Teacher Guan!" Feng Qingmo nodded solemnly.
"There aren't many Spiritual Masters in our Training Camp. Every one of them is a seed of a future powerhouse!" Guan Chenglong sighed softly. "But flowers grown in a hothouse have to weather storms and soak up sunlight and rain before they can flourish..."
He looked at Feng Qingmo, an unusually sharp glint in his eyes. "What are we? We're the Military! Even if you haven't undergone basic military training, once you enter Huashan, you belong to the Military!"
He gazed deeply at Feng Qingmo. "What kind of people does Huashan need?"
He answered his own question. "People who can stand on the front lines without hesitation and fight when a monster tide comes! And above all, it needs super-strong fighters capable of facing King-Level Monsters in the future!"
Before you continue