Wind and Rain Intertwined

"You have been at the Huashan Training Camp for nearly two months now. Over this past month, you have all made significant progress. Tomorrow is the time for your fourth expedition into the Wilderness Zone..."

In Room 301 of the Central Building, Guan Chenglong stood in the center of the hall, delivering his lecture.

"I know some of you have good relationships with the senior trainees and have likely heard some news. Every July and January are times for life-and-death trials. It is already nearly the end of April, so the July trials are not far off..."

"Therefore, I hope you will train even harder. You must understand: every drop of sweat you shed now is one less drop of blood you will shed when facing monsters in the future! Do you understand?"

He infused his last three words with genetic energy, causing the ears of those present to ring. They hurriedly replied in unison: "Understood!"

"Very well, the rest of you may return to prepare. Feng Qingmo, stay behind."

The others cast envious glances at Feng Qingmo. Over the past month, Feng Qingmo had frequently been kept behind for extra coaching, though it was only envy; they harbored no other thoughts.

After all, they felt the depth of Feng Qingmo's strength most profoundly—currently, even if the six of them joined forces, they couldn't last more than a few minutes under his sword.

With such strength, it was only natural that he was frequently kept behind for special instruction.

"You have made good progress this past month. Yesterday's test showed your base strength has reached the peak of the Advanced Warrior level. I estimate you will break into the Initial Warlord level by next month..." Guan Chenglong looked at the young man before him with satisfaction.

Feng Qingmo showed no signs of arrogance, merely nodding.

"Once your physical fitness enters the Initial Warlord level, your spiritual energy should reach the Advanced Warlord level... Are you still choosing to operate alone this time?"

"Yes, Teacher Guan."

Following his first wilderness trial, he had also gone alone for the subsequent two.

After obtaining the complete manual for the Wind-Washing Sword, his footwork had finally reached the Perfection level during his last two wilderness expeditions. However, his swordsmanship remained at the Mastery level and had yet to reach Consummation. The second layer of the Wind-Washing Sword remained unmastered, so his force amplification was still stuck at 1.8 times.

"The location this time is quite far—it is the prefecture-level city numbered 0313. It is situated on the edge of a plateau and surrounded by numerous mountains and forests, so there are quite a few powerful monsters. You must be careful!"

"Understood." Feng Qingmo nodded and joked, "Don't worry, Teacher Guan, I cherish my own life quite dearly..."

"Have you had any feeling for the second layer yet?" Guan Chenglong thought for a moment before asking.

"No!" Feng Qingmo replied with a hint of helplessness on his face. "Although my footwork reached the Perfection level long ago, my swordsmanship is still lacking, and I have no clue at all regarding the force exertion!"

"No need to rush," Guan Chenglong comforted him. "You have only been practicing for a month or so. Back in my day, it took me a full year and more to master the second layer..."

He smiled, a trace of nostalgia appearing on his face. "It just so happened that my wife was being hunted by monsters in the Wilderness Zone. To save her, I fought the monsters to the death, and it was only by finally mastering the second layer that I managed to slay them. Otherwise, how could I be here today?"

"You were quite young back then, weren't you?" Feng Qingmo asked with a smile.

"Indeed, I was only 25. After I saved her, we got married as soon as we returned to the base city..."

He reminisced for a moment before suddenly coming to his senses. "Why am I telling you this?"

Feng Qingmo was speechless: It wasn't like I asked you to...

"I wanted to tell you that perhaps in the heat of battle with monsters, you will have a better chance of realizing something that will help you break through... However!"

Guan Chenglong's expression turned serious. "Although you are a spirit reader, you must always prioritize your own safety. It is better to avoid monsters that exceed your capabilities..."

He sighed softly. "I don't know what the higher-ups are thinking, agreeing to let you go into the Wilderness Zone alone. You must know that when facing a beast tide, a single spirit reader is worth a whole group of warriors of the same rank..."

He patted Feng Qingmo's shoulder gently. "So, even if it is just to protect more of our soldiers when facing a beast tide, you must take care of yourself..."

Since he began training, Guan Chenglong had faced beast tides several times every year. Looking at those boundless swarms of monsters, how he wished there were more spirit readers among his teammates so that the ordinary soldiers facing the tides could survive in greater numbers!

Feng Qingmo could clearly feel Guan Chenglong's earnestness and care, and he couldn't help but feel moved. "Teacher Guan, I will be sure to protect myself!"

Walking along the dilapidated highway, Feng Qingmo held the Slender Willow Sword in his hand, swinging it from time to time. It wasn't because there were any blind monsters about, but because he was practicing the 72-style swordsmanship recorded in the second volume of the Wind-Washing Sword.

It wasn't that he hadn't tried practicing the 108-style swordsmanship in the third volume, but he was shocked to find that while he could perform the movements perfectly without his swordsmanship reaching the Consummation level, he lacked the agility he had when practicing the 72 styles of the second volume, leaving only stiffness and stagnation.

He was becoming increasingly convinced of his hypothesis: this sword technique definitely carried its own intent!

He wondered what kind of encounters Bian Xiangqing had experienced back then to be able to create such a sword technique.

"Almost there. Ahead should be the city numbered 0313. It is said that before the Great Nirvana, this city even hosted the Winter Olympics. I just wonder what level of monsters are lurking in the Olympic Sports Center now..."

"Roar~" A beast's roar echoed, and a Shadow Cat attacked with incredible speed. A hazy flash of sword light flickered, the blade instantly slicing through the Shadow Cat's throat, and the creature immediately lost all signs of life.

"It still doesn't feel right!" Feng Qingmo frowned slightly. He clearly felt at times that he could unleash the second layer of dark force, but he just couldn't trigger it.

The sky turned gloomy, and the wind in the surroundings grew stronger.

"Looks like it's going to rain. I'd better get into the city quickly and find a place to use as a temporary base, lest I become a drowned rat..."

With a thought, his speed increased, and he sprinted toward the city.

On the outskirts of city 0313, he chose a residential complex with only three high-rise buildings. As usual, he cleared the area with his throwing knives, then selected a relatively spacious three-bedroom apartment on the tenth floor as his temporary residence.

The sky grew even darker, and before long, a torrential rain began to pour. Lightning danced across the horizon, and thunder rumbled incessantly in his ears.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, Feng Qingmo listened to the raindrops constantly tapping against the glass. The roars of beasts echoed endlessly below, accompanied by the booming thunder, yet his heart remained remarkably calm.

Standing quietly before the window, he still held the Slender Willow Sword. Although he swung it occasionally, he always felt something was missing.

He stepped forward, his face nearly pressing against the glass, his nose almost able to smell the scent of dust.

Suddenly, he reached out with his free hand and shattered the glass in front of him with a single palm strike. With a 'clatter,' the shards of glass were swept away by the raging wind, and the torrential rain was whipped against his face by the gale.