Practicing Sword Techniques

"Guan Ning, did you hear that?"

"I did."

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

"I heard a little about it from Supervisor Yu, but I don't know the difference."

Guan Ning nodded, then shook his head. Although he knew, he couldn't let on.

"Yu Sen, that was good of you. You're very conscientious."

"The Basic Training Camp recruits talented people from all over the world and gives them the best training! The Elite Training Camp, on the other hand, is the number one training camp in the world. It recruits the best of the best—monstrous geniuses."

Yang Hui looked at Guan Ning. "Likewise, the Elite Training Camp has a monstrous faculty. Your teachers will be at least War God Level!

"And there'll even be Inspectors, and perhaps even Patrol Envoys—beings who surpass War Gods!

"Even Hong, the world's strongest, will visit the camp. Thor, the world's second strongest, has also been invited!"

"Not only will you have the best teachers, but at the Elite Training Camp, you'll also get the most advanced equipment on Earth today. Some of it is treasure unearthed from the Ancient Civilization Ruins. You'll receive the most perfect instruction!" Yang Hui stared at Guan Ning, unable to hide his excitement.

Even as a War God, Yang Hui couldn't help getting excited when talking about the Elite Training Camp. The sheer abundance of resources there was enough to make even a War God envious.

Guan Ning put on an appropriately excited, eager expression. Seeing it, Yang Hui felt his words had gotten through and continued excitedly, "Every spot at the Elite Training Camp is priceless!

"Even a super-rich family with all its connections couldn't buy a spot for tens of billions. So you must treasure this opportunity."

Yang Hui looked at Guan Ning. "Guan Ning, given your circumstances, the Patrol Envoy has only asked you to pass the A-Grade Trial. That's already extremely lenient. Luo Feng from YZ City, for instance, has to pass the B-Grade Trial."

Seeing Guan Ning listening attentively, Yang Hui softened his tone. "I'm telling you all this so you understand how important this opportunity is. Do you understand?"

"Mr. Yang, I understand."

Guan Ning nodded.

"Good."

"The Elite Training Camp lasts five years. Only January and February are vacation months each year, when students can return home," Yang Hui continued. "Of course, if you become a War God Level expert before those five years are up, you'll graduate early."

"In that case, let's sign the contract. If you pass the trial, you'll enter the Elite Training Camp; if you fail, you'll enter the Basic Training Camp."

Guan Ning carefully read through the contract in his hands. He had no objections, and signed all four copies.

"One copy is yours. The other three are just for internal processing at the Limit Martial Hall." Yang Hui smiled and took a black wooden box from inside his coat. Inside was a jade seal, the seal of a Special Envoy. Yang Hui's signature alone wasn't valid; only the Special Envoy's seal would do.

Clack!

The jade seal came down.

"Keep this safe." Yang Hui handed Guan Ning a copy of the contract.

Seeing Guan Ning sign the contract, Yang Hui breathed a sigh of relief. After all, there was also the Thunder Martial Hall, and the two organizations competed fiercely for talented people.

"Besides Luo Feng, whom I just mentioned, Heng Xia from the Basic Training Camp will be going with you. He's a first-year student at Jiangnan University. All right, you can head back now. On the 28th of this month, you'll fly with me to the Limit Martial Hall's Global Headquarters! You must get to the airport before 2 p.m. on March 28. We'll meet there."

"Yes."

Guan Ning answered at once.

Just as he was about to leave, Yang Hui spoke again. "One piece of advice: you'd better raise your physical fitness to the Initial Warlord level during this time."

Zhou Zhengyong looked slightly surprised at Yang Hui's words. That was practically a violation of the rules. Seeing Guan Ning standing there in a daze, he hurriedly said, "Guan Ning, thank Special Envoy Yang. That's not information he can reveal lightly."

Guan Ning had been stunned by the information Yang Hui had let slip. Hearing Zhou Zhengyong, he bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you, Mr. Yang."

"All right, go back and get ready."

Yang Hui waved a hand, showing he didn't mind.

It was already dark when Guan Ning got home. Qian Yun had invited him over for dinner to celebrate, but he had declined. He couldn't wait to tell his parents the good news.

He went to the memorial hall and first offered three incense sticks to his parents. Then he knelt on the cushion and said, "Dad, Mom, I'm going to the Elite Training Camp at the Limit Martial Hall's Global Headquarters. It's known as the War God Training Camp, and its graduates become War Gods. I'm sure you'd be very happy to hear the news... Don't worry. I'll take good care of myself."

He went out onto the third-floor terrace and stared blankly at the stars filling the sky.

Elite Training Camp, here I come!

Luo Feng, here I come!

On the morning of March 4, the manuals and equipment Guan Ning had ordered all arrived. The delivery service was astonishingly fast.

He picked up Mist Sword for a look, set it aside, then opened the other alloy cases. Inside were an A6-Type Qingming Battle Sword, a 9-series dagger, a complete A6-Type Combat Suit, a Fine Backpack, and a Fine Combat Communication Watch. Since he had specifically requested a blue-green color scheme when ordering the equipment, everything matched and looked simple and understated.

He went into the Training Room, where sunlight streamed in.

A video was projected onto the wall. In it, a figure dressed in black practiced the nine sword forms of the first level, one move at a time, while stepping through footwork that flowed seamlessly with each strike.

Seeing that familiar figure, Guan Ning's eyes reddened. The man in black was his father, Guan Hong. This was a video he had left behind, showing him practicing sword techniques.

Guan Hong kept explaining as he practiced. "Sword techniques and movement techniques have never been separate. 'The sword follows the body; the steps change with it.' Both are rooted in the body, so they complement each other rather than being completely distinct..."

At first, Guan Hong moved at a normal speed, but as time passed, he slowed down, making the finer details clearer. Guan Ning watched, engrossed.

Just then, a Shadow-Spotted Leopard suddenly leaped down from a tree, moving like lightning. In the blink of an eye, it was in front of Guan Hong, its sharp claws slashing toward his throat.

"Watch out!"

Guan Ning saw Guan Hong still practicing his sword techniques, apparently unaware of the Shadow-Spotted Leopard. His heart clenched, and he couldn't help calling out a warning.

Just as the leopard's claws were about to cut Guan Hong's throat, Guan Hong seemed to hear Guan Ning's warning. He turned and dodged the attack.

"Whew!"

Only then did Guan Ning let out a breath. He shook his head, amused by what he had just done.

"Watch closely. This is what it looks like to master the first level of Basic Movement Technique. The first level has 108 steps. Once you've mastered them, your movement technique can reach the Micro-Level."

Guan Hong called out, then fell silent.

The man and the leopard began to fight—or rather, Guan Hong began to toy with it.

As he used Basic Movement Technique to dodge, Guan Hong left one wound after another on the Shadow-Spotted Leopard's body with the long sword in his hand.

The leopard could do nothing about it. Its claws, bites, leaps, and even tail lashes couldn't touch Guan Hong. Each attack missed by a hair's breadth, and that tiny difference clearly demonstrated the power and beauty of Micro-Level movement.

Their battle seemed silent, but the thick trees toppled, the rocks shattered, and the ground split wherever the man and monster fought. The terrifying scene made the sheer force involved plain to see.

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

The video was nearing its end. Guan Hong narrowed his eyes, and the long sword in his hand rang out. Its speed suddenly surged, flashing past like a streak of silver light.

"Pfft!"

The Shadow-Spotted Leopard's head flew straight off and landed lightly on the ground.

"'Swift Sword' is only a single strike, but once you've grasped it, a little more effort gives you a very good chance of reaching Mastery-Level swordsmanship. But... over all these years, I'm the only one who's managed it. As for a certain someone... never mind."

"Guan Hong, you've got some nerve, mocking me!" At Guan Hong's teasing words, a tall, brisk-looking woman suddenly appeared in the video.

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

Watching the couple joke around in the video, Guan Ning's eyes filled with tears. He wept with joy.

Click!

The video ended, and the projection screen on the wall returned to the menu. The menu displayed a long list of videos.

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

Guan Ning wiped his tears and composed himself before opening the next video. There were many videos on the flash drive. They were all Guan Hong's explanations of Dugu Sword Art. He explained every sword move and every step in great detail.

There were far too many videos for Guan Ning to study them all. He would choose only a few to examine carefully, then keep narrowing them down.

After watching all the sword-technique videos on the flash drive, he had gained some new insights. He immediately picked up the A6-Type Qingming Sword he had bought and began practicing.

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

Guan Ning practiced the nine Basic Sword Technique forms over and over. His insights continued to deepen.

An hour later, Guan Ning stopped. He was drenched in sweat, but his eyes were brighter than ever.

Without stopping to rest, he picked up the Qingming Sword and watched more videos. Following his instincts, he chose over twenty clips. There were a hundred styles for a hundred people; these videos matched his own style.

After watching them, Guan Ning practiced his sword techniques again and again.

Whenever inspiration failed him, he stopped to watch the videos.

He narrowed the selection from over twenty clips to a little over ten,

from a little over ten to eight or nine,

from eight or nine to five or six,