"Whoosh!"
The Slender Willow Sword pierced Li Ping's head, but although Feng Qingmo had shifted his body aside at the last moment, Li Ping's long saber still sliced off his left arm and even took half his left ear.
The entire long street blurred, then vanished.
They were on a vast silver alloy platform, standing in an empty arena.
Li Ping looked at Feng Qingmo with a complicated expression. "I lost!"
"Teacher Li was just caught off guard. If we fought again, I might not win," Feng Qingmo said, lowering his head slightly. "Besides, the battle setting you chose gave me more of an advantage..."
The gust of wind had played a significant role in his victory.
"A loss is a loss!" Li Ping waved his hand. "I can take it..."
Though he sounded carefree, he still felt a little disappointed. It's been several years since I last fought monsters. Maybe I should head into the Wilderness Zone more often and get some practice...
He looked up at Feng Qingmo. "It's a little strange. Your movement and swordsmanship are at the same level as mine, but you seem to use them a bit better. That's why you beat me even though I'm a little stronger..."
"I'm not sure either," Feng Qingmo said, shaking his head. "Maybe it's because of the Wind-Washing Sword. When the swordsmanship and movement are combined, they seem to have a cumulative effect..."
Li Ping nodded and ended the virtual battle with a gesture.
Li Ping's office.
"Sir!" Li Ping stood ramrod straight, phone pressed to his ear.
"...Yes, I tested him myself just now. His strength amplification factor is 2.7, his movement is Perfect Level, and his swordsmanship is at the master level!"
"Oh? And you fought him, too?" Jia Yi's voice came through the phone, tinged with amusement.
"Yes... I lost!" Li Ping paused, but still admitted the outcome.
"Oh?" Jia Yi sounded a little surprised, then said, "Li Ping, it's been several years since you last went into the Wilderness Zone, hasn't it?"
"Yes, sir," Li Ping replied.
"Seems I've been piling too much work on you, leaving you with too little time to train... I'll make some adjustments so you have more time to practice. You reached the mid-level War God rank several years ago, but you're still a long way from becoming a High-level War God..."
"Thank you, sir!" Li Ping looked pleased. There were so many duties at the Training Camp that he truly had little time to train.
"Right. Tell Feng Qingmo that I'll have what I promised him delivered before midnight. I hope he keeps up the good work... That's all."
"Yes, sir. Goodbye."
After hanging up, Li Ping looked at Feng Qingmo. "With your hearing, you must have heard what the chief said, so I won't repeat it... Go on back and get ready to receive your reward."
"Thank you, Teacher Li!" Feng Qingmo bowed slightly, then turned and left.
Watching Feng Qingmo walk away, Li Ping couldn't help thinking, In a year or two, I might not even be able to beat him in real life...
Back at his residence, Feng Qingmo showered, brewed a cup of tea, and sat on the second-floor balcony, letting his body relax completely.
During his seven days of training in the Wilderness Zone, he'd had to stay on high alert at all times. Even when sleeping, he'd kept a trace of Spiritual Force watching the area around him.
That was the downside of traveling through the wilderness alone—he had no teammates.
After returning, he'd fought Li Ping as well. Though it had been in a virtual space, it had still taken a toll on his mind.
As he relaxed and the breeze drifted by, he felt his mind reach a higher state, and he slipped into a half-asleep, half-awake trance.
He didn't notice that his state of mind and willpower were improving at an astonishing rate.
He remained in that state until the sound of someone knocking downstairs jolted him awake.
"Hm? I actually fell asleep?" He stood and stretched. A series of faint cracks came from the joints throughout his body.
His mind felt unusually clear, and he was refreshed from head to toe.
With a sweep of his Spiritual Force, he leaped straight down from the second-floor balcony.
"Mr. Feng Qingmo, this is for you." The deliveryman jumped at the sight of Feng Qingmo dropping down from above and took a step back. "You'll need to verify your fingerprint..."
He held out the enormous alloy case. Feng Qingmo verified his fingerprint, and the lid sprang open with a snap, revealing a smaller case inside.
"This is your package, Mr. Feng Qingmo. You'll need your fingerprint and iris to unlock it."
The man glanced at Feng Qingmo with envy. The contents had to be incredibly valuable to come in an alloy case of this caliber.
"Okay, thanks." Feng Qingmo picked up the case and waited for the deliveryman to leave before going back inside.
He went to the training room in the basement and locked the door behind him.
After verifying his fingerprint and iris, the alloy case popped open with a click. Inside was a complete Combat Suit, including combat boots.
There was also a sheathed long sword beside it, along with a box measuring ten centimeters in each dimension.
He took out the Combat Suit, combat boots, and sword and set them aside. Then he picked up the box and opened it gently. A mushroom-shaped herb that looked like purple crystal rested inside.
"So this is Purple Crystal Ganoderma?" Feng Qingmo picked it up. A little liquid was visible inside the translucent herb.
There was also a piece of paper in the box. A quick sweep of his Spiritual Force revealed instructions on how to use the Purple Crystal Ganoderma.
"So the outer shell really is crystal, just artificially made. It does make the whole thing look much more impressive... All I have to do is drink the liquid inside!"
"My punch strength is about 11,000 kilograms right now, just above the minimum for a Junior War General. After taking the Purple Crystal Ganoderma, I should reach the mid-level War General rank. That should bring my Spiritual Force close to the Beginner War God level..."
A thought crossed his mind. He lifted the purple crystal, unscrewed the cap on one side, and a rich, fragrant scent filled the training room. Just one breath felt as refreshing as finishing a session of Genetic Energy training.
"How miraculous..." He tipped the crystal slightly. The purple liquid inside was very viscous, and as he poured it out, every last drop flowed into his mouth.
As soon as the refreshing liquid entered his stomach, it quickly spread throughout his body. At first, he felt nothing, but then a chill began to seep through him.
"It really is as the instructions say. So cold!"
The chill grew colder and colder, until he felt as though he were freezing solid. Every cell in his body greedily absorbed the abundant energy carried by the cold, and his physical strength kept rising.
It was countless times faster than ordinary training.
To fight off the cold, his muscles kept twitching. His heart raced, and veins bulged across his skin from time to time...
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