Going Home

"Basic Training Camp? Elite Training Camp?" Guan Ning put on a convincing Oscar-worthy performance.

Seeing the confusion on Guan Ning's face, Yu Sen smiled. "Guan Ning, it's normal that you don't know. The Limit Martial Hall has two training camps: the Basic Training Camp and the Elite Training Camp. The Basic Training Camp selects talented warriors from all over the world, signs them to special training contracts, and gives them the best training. The Elite Training Camp, on the other hand, is the world's number one training camp. It's also known as the God of War Preparatory Camp."

"Across the world, the Limit Martial Hall has these two camps, the Basic and Elite Training Camps. The Thunder Martial Hall has its own Basic and Elite Training Camps as well... But there's no question that the Limit Martial Hall's Elite Training Camp ranks first in the world! Even Hong, the world's strongest fighter, occasionally goes there to teach. Even War Gods rarely get the chance to receive Hong's guidance. But at the Elite Training Camp, you have that opportunity!"

"The Elite Training Camp is where our Limit Martial Hall cultivates talented warriors. Everyone who gets in is one of the most extraordinary, monstrous talents in the world. Even in the Huaxia Nation, only one person gets in each year."

"It's that impressive?" Guan Ning had already known about it, but hearing it for himself still left him stunned.

The Huaxia Nation had a population of over a billion, yet only one person qualified to get in each year?

Compared with that, being one in a thousand or even one in ten thousand was nothing.

Feng Xiong of the Thunder Martial Hall found Guan Ning irritating no matter how he looked at him. He sneered, "Old Yu, this kid would be lucky to get into the Basic Training Camp. The Elite Training Camp? That's a ridiculous pipe dream!"

"Haha..." Yu Sen knew Feng Xiong was right. He'd only said that to keep a talent like Guan Ning around, so all he could do was laugh it off. "Guan Ning, don't listen to his nonsense. With your potential, if you work hard for another year or two, you'll definitely get into the Elite Training Camp."

Guan Ning knew his own limits when it came to the Elite Training Camp. With his current strength and aptitude, he still wasn't qualified. But as his soul continued to transform, that day would eventually come.

"The Elite Training Camp... the God of War Preparatory Camp..."

But to avoid raising suspicion, Guan Ning could only wear an expression of mingled envy and regret.

"Come on, Guan Ning, there's no need to envy them. With your current strength and age, you might just barely qualify!"

Seeing how dejected Guan Ning looked, Yu Sen comforted him.

"That's true. He's only seventeen! I'm so jealous!"

Even Feng Xiong couldn't help clicking his tongue when he thought of Guan Ning's age.

"Thank you, Supervisor Yu and Supervisor Feng. I understand."

Guan Ning appropriately put on an enlightened expression. It was exhausting.

"You're in luck. Special Envoy Yang from headquarters happens to be in Jiangnan these next few days. You can take the assessment once we get back. Go rest for now. We'll let you know when it's time." Yu Sen waved Guan Ning away.

"Yes, sir."

"Guan Ning, wait. Since the Limit Martial Hall has offered you a special contract, I won't say much more. But I hope you'll look out for the country in the future."

Just as Guan Ning was about to leave, the officer who had been sitting to the side spoke up.

Seeing that Yu Sen had no objection, Guan Ning replied earnestly, "You can rest assured, Chief Wang. I'm a son of the Huaxia Nation. As long as it's within my power, I'll do my duty without hesitation."

"Good, good, good!"

Chief Wang burst into laughter.

At noon on March 2, Guan Ning returned to Suzhou City's Ginkgo Residential District with Wang Cang, Li Ze, and the others. The entrance to the residential district was already packed with people. The Warrior Combat Assessment was always a lively event.

Wang Cang's parents and family, Li Ze's parents and older brother, and the family and friends of the others were all waiting at the entrance. Passersby who heard the news also offered their congratulations, leaving everyone grinning from ear to ear.

Before long, they saw Guan Ning and the others approaching.

"Cang, you're back safe and sound. That's what matters."

"Not bad, Xiao Ze."

"Big brother..."

"Big sister..."

"Come on, let's go home. We've already made dinner to celebrate. We've been waiting for you to come back."

Watching his companions surrounded by their families, their joyful reunion unfolding around him, and hearing everyone else ask after them with such warmth, Guan Ning felt a wave of loneliness and emptiness.

"Mom, Dad, I made it. If you could see me, you'd be even happier, wouldn't you?"

Guan Ning wiped away the tears in his eyes and left alone, his heart heavy with sorrow.

"Xiao Ning, Xiao Ning..."

From within his loneliness, Guan Ning faintly heard someone calling his name. He turned around in confusion and saw several familiar figures approaching. A smile spread across his face.

His parents were gone, but there were still people who cared for him and looked after him. It felt wonderful.

"Uncle Zhong, Aunt Xue, what are you doing here?"

"We heard you were back, so we came to welcome you," Zhong Liang said.

"We didn't know what was wrong with you. We kept calling you, but you didn't hear us. You just kept walking with your head down. Are you all right?" asked the young man beside him, concerned.

This was Zhong Liang's son, Zhong Xuan. He was twenty years old, and though he and Guan Ning were three or four years apart, Guan Ning had always been mature for his age, so the two were very close, like brothers.

"Hey, shouldn't a graduate student be in class right now? What are you doing here? Don't tell me you skipped class?" Guan Ning teased Zhong Xuan.

Though Zhong Xuan was already twenty, he was still only a High-Level Trainee and wasn't particularly talented at martial arts. But perhaps influenced by Guan Ning, he studied diligently. He had already been a High-Level Trainee when he took the college entrance exam, and he'd managed to get into Jiangnan First Military Academy. He had a bright future ahead of him.

"Look at you. You've been out of school so long you can't even remember the weekend. You're such an important person that you've forgotten everything!" Zhong Xuan shot back without missing a beat.

"All right, all right. You two take a break," Aunt Xue said, interrupting their bickering. When those two got going, each could argue that he was right, and neither would give in. Who knew how long they'd keep it up? She decided to put a stop to it.

"Today's a joyous occasion. Xiao Ning, come over to our place. We'll have a good drink and celebrate your return." Zhong Liang continued, "Xiaoxue, stay for dinner tonight. We'll make it a lively gathering."

"All right." The pretty young woman standing beside Aunt Xue glanced at Zhong Xuan, then answered without hesitation.

Guan Ning smiled. "Sure, Uncle Zhong."

The five of them chatted and laughed as they made their way home.

Guan Ning pulled Zhong Xuan back and lowered his voice, grinning. "Come on, tell me. What's going on with her?"

He drew out the last word and nodded toward the young woman walking ahead with Aunt Xue.

"What do you think? She's my girlfriend."

Zhong Xuan, who was usually shameless, actually blushed for once.

"When did you two start dating?"

"About a year ago."

"A year? You've kept that pretty well hidden. Why bring her out now?" Guan Ning teased, thinking it over. Then he suddenly realized something and asked suspiciously, "You planned all this in advance, didn't you? You knew you could get her to stay for dinner and meet your parents."

When Guan Ning guessed his little scheme in one go, Zhong Xuan immediately panicked. He looked to make sure the young woman ahead hadn't heard, then hurriedly said, "Keep your voice down. Don't let Xiaoxue hear you."

Guan Ning hadn't expected to guess right. He glanced at Zhong Xuan, surprised. He looked so honest and straightforward, yet he was quite the schemer. Guan Ning decided to tease him. "You knew Uncle Zhong would invite me to dinner, and Xiaoxue wouldn't refuse out of politeness. Zhong Xuan, you've really got this all figured out."

"I... Keep your voice down." Zhong Xuan had been about to curse, but since he still needed Guan Ning's help, he had to swallow his pride.

"I'll think about it." Guan Ning left him with that and trotted off to find Zhong Liang.

"This kid's getting craftier by the day. How'd he figure that out? It's like he can read minds."

Watching him, Zhong Xuan could only groan inwardly. He wanted to talk things over with Guan Ning, but Guan Ning and Xiaoxue weren't far apart, and she could easily hear them. He had no choice but to put it off and pick up his pace.

That evening, after happily having dinner and celebrating with the Zhong family, Guan Ning left their home. Of course, before he went, he'd also managed to extort a little money from them. Thinking of Zhong Xuan's pained expression made Guan Ning smile.

Back at his villa, Guan Ning took a shower, changed into a loose, comfortable robe, and went to a room on the second floor. Looking at the black-and-white portraits inside, he fell into a daze, almost as if he could see his parents smiling at him.

He shook his head to clear it, lit three sticks of incense, and knelt before the portraits. Overcome with emotion, he said, "Mom, Dad, your son has become a warrior. Can you see me?"

As he spoke, tears welled in his eyes.

"I'm sorry I made you worry. Don't worry, Mom and Dad. I'll take good care of myself."

When he finished, he stood, placed the three sticks of incense in the burner, bowed respectfully, and left.

Holding a cup of hot tea, he settled comfortably onto the soft, oversized sofa in the Training Room on the second floor. He sat quietly, his thoughts a little hazy. He had come to this world more than ten years ago, gone through so much, and suffered so much. At last, he had reached this point and become a true warrior.

Guan Ning came back to himself and looked out at the night view beyond the window. He smiled faintly. "I can't wait to see what life as a warrior has in store for me."

As a warrior, he could access certain special networks, such as the Martial Artist Forum, which only warriors could enter, and Limit Home, which was only open to members of the Limit Martial Hall. As for the HR Alliance platform, any warrior could log in.

Guan Ning entered the Limit Home website and verified his fingerprint. A personal profile appeared on the huge screen, showing a photo of him above several information fields--

Name: Guan Ning

Gender: Male

Address: Jiangnan Base City, Huaxia Nation

Warrior ID Number: 423656205703010001

Level: Warrior Level (Beginner)

Contribution Points: 0

Currency Balance: 60,102,537

The final digits of Guan Ning's Warrior ID indicated that he had passed the Warrior Combat Assessment in first place on March 1, 2057.