Cultivating Sword Techniques

"Guan Ning, do you hear me?"

"I hear you."

"Do you know the difference between the Basic Training Camp and the Elite Training Camp?"

"Supervisor Yu mentioned a little, but as for the specific differences, I don't know."

Guan Ning nodded, then immediately shook his head. Although he knew, he could not reveal it.

"Yu Sen, good, very diligent."

"The Basic Training Camp absorbs talented geniuses from all over the world, allowing them to receive the best training! But the Elite Training Camp is the world's number one training camp, absorbing only the geniuses among geniuses—monstrous students."

Yang Hui looked at Guan Ning and said, "Likewise, the Elite Training Camp possesses a teaching staff that can be called 'monstrous.' Your teachers are, at the very least, War Gods!"

"There are even 'Inspectors,' and even the existence that transcends War Gods—the 'Patrol Envoys'!"

"Even the world's number one powerhouse, Hong, will go to the training camp. The world's second-strongest, Thor, is also invited there!"

"Not only do you have the best teachers, but in the Elite Training Camp, you will also receive the most advanced equipment currently on Earth, some of which are treasures unearthed from ancient civilization ruins. You will receive the most perfect guidance!" Yang Hui stared at Guan Ning, unable to hide his excitement as he spoke.

When mentioning the 'Elite Training Camp,' even as a War God, he could not help but be excited. The sheer amount of resources within it was enough to make even a War God envious.

Guan Ning also appropriately displayed an expression of excitement and longing. Seeing Guan Ning's reaction, Yang Hui felt validated and continued with excitement: "Every spot in the Elite Training Camp is priceless!"

"Even for super consortium families, with all their connections and spending tens of billions, it is hard to buy a single spot! So you must cherish this opportunity."

Yang Hui looked at Guan Ning, "Guan Ning, the Patrol Envoy, considering your situation, only requiring you to pass the A-Grade Trial is already a great indulgence. You should know that Luo Feng in YZ City is required to pass the B-Grade Trial."

Watching the attentive Guan Ning, Yang Hui's tone softened, "I tell you these things so that you realize the importance of this opportunity. Do you understand?"

"Mr. Yang, this humble one understands."

Guan Ning nodded.

"Good."

"The Elite Training Camp lasts for five years! During these five years, only January and February of each year are holidays, when students can return to their hometowns." Yang Hui continued to introduce: "Of course, if you become a War God-level powerhouse ahead of schedule during these five years, you will naturally graduate from the training camp early."

"Since that is the case, let's sign the contract. Pass the trial, enter the Elite Training Camp; fail the trial, enter the Basic Training Camp."

Guan Ning carefully read the contract in his hand. Having no objections, he signed all four copies in succession.

"One of these four copies is yours. The other three are mainly for the internal procedures of my Limit Martial Hall." Yang Hui smiled and took a black wooden box from his chest. Inside the box was a jade seal. This was the Special Envoy's seal; Yang Hui's personal signature alone was ineffective, it had to rely on the Special Envoy's seal.

Clap!

The jade seal pressed down.

"Keep it safe." Yang Hui handed one copy of the contract to Guan Ning.

Seeing Guan Ning sign the contract, Yang Hui breathed a sigh of relief. After all, there was still the Thunder Martial Hall, so the competition between the two for geniuses was extremely fierce.

"Besides the aforementioned Luo Feng, there is also Heng Xia from the Basic Training Camp who will be going with you. He is a freshman at Jiangnan University. Alright, you may all return. On the 28th of this month, join me to take a flight to the global headquarters of my Limit Martial Hall! You must arrive at the airport and meet me there before 2:00 PM on March 28th."

"Yes."

Guan Ning responded immediately.

Just as he was about to leave, Yang Hui's voice sounded again, "A word of advice: during this time, it is best to raise your physical fitness to the level of an elementary War General."

Zhou Zhengyong heard Yang Hui's words and was slightly surprised; this could be considered a violation of rules. Seeing the stunned Guan Ning, he quickly said, "Guan Ning, why aren't you thanking Special Envoy Yang? This information is not something that can be easily leaked."

Guan Ning was stunned by the information Yang Hui had revealed. After hearing Zhou Zhengyong's words, he bowed and said respectfully, "This humble one thanks Mr. Yang."

"Alright, hurry back and prepare well."

Yang Hui waved his hand, indicating he didn't mind.

When Guan Ning returned home, it was already dark. Originally, Qian Yun had invited him home for dinner to celebrate, but Guan Ning declined. He was now impatient to share this good news with Guan's Father and Guan's Mother.

Arriving at the memorial hall, he first offered three sticks of incense to his parents, then knelt on the cushion and said, "Dad, Mom, from now on, your child will be going to the Elite Training Camp at the global headquarters of the Limit Martial Hall. It is known as the 'War God Training Camp,' and graduating means becoming a War God. Surely you would be very happy to hear this news... Don't worry, I will take good care of myself."

He went to the third-floor terrace and stared at the starry sky, lost in thought.

Elite Training Camp, here I come!

Luo Feng, here I come!

On the morning of March 4th, the secret manuals and equipment Guan Ning had purchased arrived. One had to say, the efficiency of this delivery was astonishing.

He picked up the Mist Sword manual, glanced at it, and set it aside. He then opened the other alloy boxes, which contained an A6-Type Qingming Battle Sword, a Series 9 Dagger, a full set of A6-Type Combat Suit, a Fine Backpack, and a Fine Combat Communication Watch. Because he had specifically requested a blue-green color scheme when selecting the equipment, these items looked uniform, simple, and plain.

He entered the sunlit Training Room.

A video was being projected on the wall. In the video, a figure in black was practicing the nine sword moves of the first level, one by one. His feet were executing footwork, the two perfectly coordinated and natural.

Looking at that familiar figure, Guan Ning's eyes turned red. The man in black in the video was Guan Ning's father, Guan Hong. This was the sword-practicing video he had left behind.

Guan Hong kept explaining, "Sword techniques and footwork are never independent. 'The sword follows the body, the steps change with the body.' Both sword techniques and footwork are based on the body, so their relationship is complementary, not distinct..."

At first, Guan Hong's speed was normal, but as time passed, his speed became slower and slower, making the details even clearer. Guan Ning watched, mesmerized.

Just then, a Shadow-Spotted Leopard suddenly leaped down from a tree. It was incredibly fast, like lightning, and in the blink of an eye, it reached Guan Hong, its sharp claws swiping toward his throat.

"Watch out!"

Seeing Guan Hong still practicing his sword technique, seemingly unaware of the Shadow-Spotted Leopard, Guan Ning felt a pang of anxiety and couldn't help but call out a warning.

Just as the claws of the Shadow-Spotted Leopard were about to slash across Guan Hong's neck, he seemed to hear Guan Ning's words; with a twist of his body, he dodged the beast's assault.

"Whew!"

Guan Ning finally let out a breath, then shook his head, finding his own actions from a moment ago amusing.

"Watch closely. What follows is the effect of the Basic Movement Technique at the first level of Mastery. The first level consists of one hundred and eight steps; once fully integrated, your movement can reach the 'Micro-Level'."

Guan Hong shouted this, then fell silent.

The man and the leopard began to tangle—no, it would be more accurate to say he was toying with it.

In the video, Guan Hong dodged while executing the Basic Movement Technique, using the longsword in his hand to leave a trail of wounds on the Shadow-Spotted Leopard's body.

The Shadow-Spotted Leopard was helpless against this; whether it was clawing, biting, pouncing, or whipping its tail, it could not touch Guan Hong's figure. Every time, it missed by a hair's breadth, but that tiny margin clearly demonstrated the power and beauty of Micro-Level movement.

The battle between the two appeared silent, but one only had to look at the path they had fought over—where thick trees had toppled, boulders had shattered, and the earth had split open—to realize the immense power contained within.

"Watch closely. This is the 'Swift Sword' from the first level of Basic Sword Technique."

As the video neared its end, Guan Hong's eyes narrowed. His longsword let out a crisp ring, its speed suddenly surging as it transformed into a flash of silver that streaked past.

"Pfft!"

The head of the Shadow-Spotted Leopard was sent flying, landing lightly on the ground.

"'Swift Sword' may only be a single strike, but once you grasp it and put in the effort, the chance of reaching the 'Mastery-Level' in sword technique is very high. It's just that... in all these years, I am the only one who has managed it. As for someone else... well, never mind."

"Guan Hong, you've got guts, daring to mock me!" Hearing Guan Hong's teasing voice, a tall, spirited, and capable-looking woman suddenly jumped into the frame.

"Dad, Mom, it's so good to see you again and hear your voices!"

Watching the bickering couple in the video, Guan Ning's eyes welled up with tears, and he wept with joy.

Click!

The video ended, and the projection screen on the wall returned to the initial menu page, which was filled with a vast list of videos.

"Dad, Mom, don't worry. Our family will definitely be reunited."

Guan Ning wiped away his tears, composed himself, and clicked on the next video; there were a great many videos on the flash drive. They contained Guan Hong's explanations of the Dugu Sword Art, with every sword move and every footwork pattern explained in meticulous detail.

With so many videos, Guan Ning naturally wouldn't study them all in depth; he chose only a few to research carefully and constantly refined his approach.

After watching the videos on the flash drive regarding sword techniques, he gained some insights and immediately picked up his newly purchased A6-Type Qingming Sword to begin training.

Once... twice... three times...

Guan Ning practiced the nine basic sword moves over and over, his insights growing with each repetition.

An hour later, Guan Ning stopped. He was drenched in sweat, but his eyes were growing brighter by the moment.

Without taking time to rest, he grabbed the Qingming Sword and began watching the videos again, selecting over twenty clips based on his intuition. Since every person has a different style of swordsmanship, he chose the ones that matched his own.

After watching them, Guan Ning began to practice his swordplay again and again.

Whenever he lacked inspiration, he would stop to watch the videos.

From over twenty clips, he narrowed it down to a dozen, From a dozen down to eight or nine, From eight or nine down to five or six, ...