Training Camp

The final move, "Hidden Edge Sword," is just as its name suggests: it seems to exist yet not, appears solid yet illusory, seems to shift yet remains unchanged. Like an antelope hanging by its horns, it leaves no tracks to follow. Before the strike, its presence is entirely imperceptible; once unleashed, it is like a viper flicking its tongue—impossible to guard against. It is a true "assassination technique."

After grasping the essence of the second layer, Guan Ning began his arduous training.

Time passed like a white horse galloping past a crevice, fleeting and swift. In the blink of an eye, the day to depart for the Elite Training Camp arrived—March 28th.

The hard work during this period yielded impressive results; the Thirty-Six Hidden Edge Forms had become incredibly proficient. However, regarding the final move, "Hidden Edge Sword," he remained completely clueless.

Beyond that, thanks to "Limit Training," the Guiding Technique, and the nutrition provided by Savage Bull meat, Guan Ning's physical fitness improved rapidly. He had now reached over 7,600 kilograms, just one step away from officially stepping into the rank of an Elementary Warlord.

Most importantly, after several days of exploration, Guan Ning had mastered that special method of defense.

After testing, Guan Ning had an intuitive grasp of his defensive capabilities. Based on his current physical fitness, he could withstand the unamplified attacks of a High-Level Warlord, meaning he could effectively ignore the attacks of most Intermediate Warlords.

This was primarily because the physical amplification of most martial artists on Earth was relatively low; most Warlord-level martial artists only possessed one or two times the amplification, while War God-level martial artists reached three or four times.

Since the power of a High-Level Warlord is roughly twice that of an Intermediate Warlord, he dared to claim he could ignore the attacks of most Intermediate Warlords.

Of course, this method had further stages of cultivation: from muscles to bones, then to the internal organs, and finally the entire body. Currently, Guan Ning was still only at the foundational muscle stage; the road ahead was long and arduous.

Overall, although Guan Ning was still a High-Level Warrior, his strength was now comparable to an Intermediate Warlord, allowing him to barely stand his ground in the Elite Training Camp.

March 28th, 1:30 PM, Jiangnan Base City Airport.

Guan Ning finally caught sight of the protagonist from the original work—Luo Feng.

He stood about 1.75 meters tall, appearing lean and fit, with a pair of dark, bright eyes.

Ever since he realized this world was Swallowed Star, Guan Ning had countless times imagined his emotions upon meeting Luo Feng.

Excitement?

Unease?

Fear?

Only when they truly met did Guan Ning realize his heart was calm and ripple-free, which even he found a bit surprising.

He never expected his state of mind to have reached such a level; it seemed his daily morning practice had not been in vain.

"Guan Ning, you've arrived too."

Seeing that everyone had gathered, Yang Hui chuckled and said, "Guan Ning, this is Luo Feng. Like you, he is going to the Elite Training Camp to take the trial. This handsome young man is Heng Xia from Jiangnan University."

Guan Ning took a look; his hair was slightly yellowish and his facial features were soft. He was worthy of being called a handsome young man by Yang Hui; he could have debuted as a star.

However, stars were not as popular as martial artists these days.

Luo Feng and Heng Xia also looked toward Guan Ning. Before this, the news of Guan Ning joining the Elite Training Camp had already spread, and both of them were aware of it, though they had never met.

He is Guan Ning? The A-Grade Trial?

This was Luo Feng's thought.

So young? I wonder what his personality is like?

Heng Xia was more concerned with Guan Ning's age and personality.

"Luo Feng, Heng Xia, this is Guan Ning."

Yang Hui introduced Guan Ning to the two of them.

"Hello, my name is Guan Ning. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Hello, my name is Luo Feng."

Although Luo Feng was cold, he remained very polite.

"Hello, I'm Heng Xia. Senior Brother Guan Ning, it's truly impressive that you could enter the Elite Training Camp at such a young age!"

Heng Xia was much more lively.

About an hour and twenty minutes later, the passenger jet landed at the airport of the global headquarters of the Limit Martial Hall—Hongning Base City.

There were five major powers and 23 base cities in the world, and Hong controlled one of them.

Coupled with the astonishing influence of the "Limit Martial Hall" he commanded, and most importantly, his own invincible strength... Hong was the undisputed number one person on Earth!

Hongning Base City was located in western Asia, relatively close to Europe.

During the Great Nirvana period, "Hong" led a group of followers to build a simple human base on this land, allowing many refugees to find shelter.

As time passed, Hongning Base City grew larger and larger, eventually becoming what it was today.

Guan Ning, Yang Hui, and the other two sat in a stretched Cadillac, looking at the scenery outside the window. The entire base city was beautiful, with architectural styles entirely inspired by ancient China; pavilions and towers could be seen everywhere.

Guan Ning found that he liked this place very much, not only because he was a native of China at heart, but also because "Hong" was here, along with millions of people fighting against monsters for human survival.

This place represented the unyielding fighting spirit of humanity and a shining banner!

Soon, they arrived at the Elite Training Camp.

The four of them stepped out of the car together and entered the spacious training camp gate. At a single glance, they saw a giant dragon sculpture—a massive Black Dragon nearly fifty meters tall, its enormous dragon eyes staring down at them.

That pair of massive dragon eyes was fixed directly on the entrance; no matter who walked in, it was the first thing they would see.

Guan Ning knew these dragon eyes came from a genuine planet-level monster and had prepared himself mentally, yet he was still affected by the invisible aura they radiated, feeling a heavy pressure.

His body jolted the moment he met the gaze of those eyes.

"Why do they seem alive?" Guan Ning asked in shock.

"You're alright?" Yang Hui exclaimed in surprise, while Luo Feng and Heng Xia were still dazed.

"I felt a powerful oppression that made me feel like I couldn't breathe!" Guan Ning answered honestly.

In reality, after more than a month of nourishment, Guan Ning's soul had surpassed most people in terms of depth; let alone a pair of dragon eyes, even if a living Black Dragon stood before him, it would not be able to exert mental pressure upon him.

Yang Hui's mouth twitched as his estimation of Guan Ning rose another level in his heart. He explained, "This statue itself is incredibly rare, but its eyes are those of a Black Dragon that the Master hunted, a creature born from a volcano. It was a king-level beast, a being that surpassed the Warlord level. The Master placed its eyeballs into the statue, giving it such terrifying majesty. Every student who comes here for the first time gets lost in those eyes, struggling to break free. Yet you, Guan Ning, are the first and only student to feel almost nothing."

As he said this, his heart was filled with complex emotions.

Even he would be affected if he stared at them now.

Look at this little guy; he was still looking at them, yet remained almost completely unaffected.

And look at the other two; they hadn't even woken up yet!

I thought he couldn't compare to Luo Feng, but now, it's hard to say! Yang Hui mused to himself.

Under Yang Hui's soft shout, Luo Feng and Heng Xia finally snapped out of it, looking at the statue with expressions of horror!

Looking toward the Black Dragon statue, the black scales of the fifty-meter-long giant dragon were actually covered in small display screens.

From top to bottom, each screen bore a name.

This was the ranking list of the Elite Training Camp, which was extremely important to Guan Ning and the others. It related to the allocation of resources; the higher the rank, the more resources one could occupy!

"NO.1 Renatus Bridge (530321)"

"NO.2 Chu Qiang (540601)"

"NO.3 Eben Pass (520916)"

"NO.182 Jacqueline Bernard (570319)"

Yang Hui smiled. "This is the ranking. Currently, there are 182 students in the entire Elite Training Camp, all of whom are the top geniuses from around the world. They are ranked from high to low based on their combat power points! Guan Ning, Luo Feng, if you can pass the test, you must work hard in the future. The higher your rank, the more resources you can occupy!"

"Follow me, and remember, don't wander off." Yang Hui gave a brief introduction and stepped inside.

"Yes."

Guan Ning and the other two carried their backpacks and followed closely behind Yang Hui.

The entire training camp, while called a camp, was actually magnificent, making one feel as if they had arrived at a complex of ancient palaces. Aside from various precious flowers, trees, bridges, and flowing water, there were several main palaces and elegantly styled pavilions.

The three were filled with wonder, finally witnessing what it meant to have "a building every five steps and a pavilion every ten."

Along the way, they occasionally saw young people wearing loose training uniforms walking into those pavilions and halls.

These young people were all genius martial artists from all over the world; the greatest concentration of geniuses on the planet was gathered here!

In this Elite Training Camp, filled with an ancient atmosphere, countless young people carried the ambition to stand at the pinnacle of the world!

In the distance, at the very center of the Elite Training Camp, stood a tall, tower-like building where the most students were gathered.

"That is the Nine-Story Tower. Although it only has nine floors, it is the most important building in the entire Elite Training Camp. It houses many treasures excavated from ancient civilization ruins!" Seeing the three of them drawn to it, Yang Hui's mouth curved slightly.

He smiled. "This Nine-Story Tower is where all students study and train. Some special training rooms are also located there! Inside the training camp, aside from sleeping, students spend almost all their time in the Nine-Story Tower."

As they walked through the camp, Yang Hui introduced the sights while offering advice and guidance to the three.

Before long, the four arrived in front of a two-story pavilion, where all the furniture inside was in an ancient style.

"Heng Xia, you stay here for now and don't wander off. I'll take Guan Ning and Luo Feng inside to handle their check-in." Yang Hui instructed.

"Because the Master is from our Hua Xia and is very fond of ancient Hua Xia culture, the entire Hongning Base City was built according to ancient architectural styles. Especially this training camp, where even the furniture mimics the ancient era, so you won't find sofas or televisions here." Yang Hui laughed. "Fortunately, the Master is reasonable; everyone is provided with a laptop."